I was a Muslim: Preaching, Legitimation, and Identity Management in a Southern Evangelical Church

• In Event: 089 - Section on Sociology of Religion Paper Session. Religion and Racial/Ethnic Inequality

Abstract

This research uses ethnographic data from 14 months of fieldwork in a non-denominational, evangelical church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Established in 2005, "Life" is a suburban church with an almost entirely white membership, yet the lead pastor is an immigrant from the Middle East. As an ethnic Pakistani who was born and raised in Kuwait, Pastor Sameer Khalid does not “fit” into southern culture, and he did not convert to Christianity until he was enrolled in college in the United States. Nevertheless, ethnographic observation reveals how he uses weekly sermons to negotiate ethnic differences by emphasizing his common religious identity with the congregation and making his immigrant background a distinctive religious resource for the church. While all pastors require legitimation of authority, this research focuses on the dynamics of rhetorical performance within the public service of this congregation, a performance that negotiates the lead pastor’s ethnic and religious identities in an evangelical church and accentuates his strategic use of institutionalized evangelical narratives to subvert threats of prejudice and to buttress legitimation of pastoral identity.

Author

• Gerardo Marti, Davidson College