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From Salvation to Selfation? Subjectivization among Dutch Christian youngsters
In the social-scientific study of religion, two theories on the history, development and fate of religion in West-Europe and the United States have been dominant. On the one hand, the secularization-thesis supporting the conviction that religion in this part of the world is on the decline, both in social and individual respect. On the other hand, the sacralization-thesis stressing the idea of a lasting and even growing significance of religion, visible in the resurgence of Christianity in charismatic and evangelical forms, the increasing awareness of religious fundamentalism, and the rise of new-religious movements and implicit religious sentiments connected to phenomena such as sport, well-being, health, spirituality, art and internet. Recently, some scholars in the field (among them Anton van Harskamp, Paul Heelas and Linda Woodhead), dissatisfied with the two main theoretical frameworks, developed a third theory, referred to as the subjectivization-thesis. In the first place they recognize that the West currently witnesses both secularization and sacralization, and secondly, that both developments are an expression of - what scholars like Charles Taylor, Ronald Inglehard and Robert Bellah have indicated as - the subjective turn in modern culture.
In this present qualitative research, which is based on fieldwork in Houten, a suburban area in the Netherlands, I will investigate whether the subjectivization-thesis is a fruitful theory to describe and explain current modes of evangelical and charismatic Christianity among Dutch Christian youngsters. Both the evangelical and charismatic movement have increased in popularity in recent years, especially among young people, and have become a visible, lively and attractive phenomenon in the Dutch religious scene. My main question addresses the extension of these modes of religiosity in terms of subjectivization among young people. I will answer this question by focusing on three aspects of subjectivization: identity, subjectivity and experience.
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