Lexington Books Salvation in Melanesia: Becoming a New Person in Churches in Fiji and Papua New Guinea

Salvation in Melanesia explores the views of salvation held by Methodist, Lutheran, and Pentecostal Christians in Fiji and Papua New Guinea, uncovering the ways in which a Protestant theology of unconditional salvation through God's judgment and grace has been combined with traditional Melanesian religious concepts of reciprocity, retribution, and obedience to cultural laws. While Pentecostal churches have offered new experiences of transformation by rejecting what they regard as the mingling of Melanesian culture with Christianity in other churches, they have also kept certain elements of traditional Melanesian spirituality. Meanwhile, today economic globalization and secularization result in new questions about the relationship between the people, the leaders, the land, and God. Michael Press uses mission sources and interviews to describe the different concepts of mission, their reception, the main images of God, and the relationship between religion and culture in Melanesian churches, as well as the factors that support or hinder personal transformation. Review This original study through careful research engages the life worlds, culture, and voices of indigenous people within the horizon of globalization. With theological wisdom, Michael Press interprets intricate spiritual-communal realities in relation to traditional worldviews, mission history, pastoral practices, and comparative ecumenical perspectives. Christian engagement needs to forge new understandings of God and salvation congruent with these complex realities. A theology of "the new person in Christ" seeks to transcend earlier theological paradigms. This is a fascinating study of Christ transforming culture in the Melanesian context.--Craig L. NessanI am very impressed by this clear, readable text and the thorough, extensive research that Press has done. The many interviews present in the book are a testament to the value of oral history in constructing a historical argument. The subject matter is very pertinent to the current situation in Fiji, where the Pentecostal movement has had a huge impact in the last 50 years. Indeed, I do not know of any recent piece of academic writing which has explored in such detail -- personal, practical and theological -- the powerful influence of Pentecostalism in Fiji. This book is a very important contribution to the study of contemporary religious experiences in the Pacific Islands.--Andrew Thornley, Charles Sturt University, AustraliaThis book is a significant contribution to a better understanding of the complex interactions of religion, culture, and history within the Methodist Church in Fiji and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Papua New Guinea from the beginnings through the work of Methodist missionaries from Britain in 1835 and Lutheran missionaries from Germany in PNG since 1886 to the present. By creatively interweaving relevant literature from archival research and secondary sources, and conducting qualitative research, Michael Press presents a nuanced, well-informed, and compellingly written study of the development of the two major churches from the pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial periods to the present day. It should be an essential resource in all libraries in the Oceania region and beyond, and a useful reference for all those interested in the conflicts and fusions between the indigenous Melanesian perceptions of religion and the central Christian doctrine of salvation and renewal.--Manfred Ernst, Director emeritus of the Institute of Research and Social Analysis at Pacific Theological College, Fiji Islands About the Author Michael Press is a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, Germany. From 2002 to 2010 he was lecturer at the Pacific Theological College in Suva, Fiji, living and researching in the Fiji Islands and in Papua New Guinea.