Join the Holy Spirit on Zoom

The COVID-19 global pandemic impacted all social relations, including the way religious communities engage in worship services. Due to strict social distancing protocols, the only viable solution for many congregations was online worship. This article investigates how platforms in cyberspace, such a...

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Autor principal:	Giuseppina Addo
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Donner Institute 2021
Materias:	African Pentecostals Affect Affordance Zoom Digital media Media and religion Philosophy. Psychology. Religion B Religions. Mythology. Rationalism BL1-2790 Religion (General) BL1-50
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/ff7a064a81ff4cae904a699e1d78391b
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id	oai:doaj.org-article:ff7a064a81ff4cae904a699e1d78391b
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:ff7a064a81ff4cae904a699e1d78391b2021-11-29T16:00:07ZJoin the Holy Spirit on Zoom10.30664/ar.1077281799-3121https://doaj.org/article/ff7a064a81ff4cae904a699e1d78391b2021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://journal.fi/ar/article/view/107728https://doaj.org/toc/1799-3121The COVID-19 global pandemic impacted all social relations, including the way religious communities engage in worship services. Due to strict social distancing protocols, the only viable solution for many congregations was online worship. This article investigates how platforms in cyberspace, such as Zoom, can provide a substitute for the core religious practices found in physical worship services, particularly for African Pentecostal believers who rely heavily on the aesthetic and sensory experience of their religious environment. Drawing on the theoretical concept of affordance, it is argued that digital affordances such as the chat box and emojis are used by believers to communicate affective moments arising from the sensory experience of worship. Members of the congregation become ‘digital spiritual hype people’ who render support to leaders in order to create and regenerate an affective environment where the presence of the Holy Spirit can be felt. The Holy Spirit, a fundamental pillar for Evangelical Christians, is understood as an embedded presence within the digital infrastructure. The internet connection, the phone and computers and screens are all re-appropriated as spiritual tools through which miraculous healing can be dispensed to believers in need. This research stands at a critical juncture between what might be termed the ‘pre-COVID era’ and the ‘post-COVID era’. As vaccination plans continue to roll out and social distancing measures are slowly being lifted, a ‘post-COVID era’ for African Pentecostals means negotiating the boundaries between online and offline spaces to fulfil core religious practices. Giuseppina AddoDonner InstitutearticleAfrican PentecostalsAffectAffordanceZoomDigital mediaMedia and religionPhilosophy. Psychology. ReligionBReligions. Mythology. RationalismBL1-2790Religion (General)BL1-50ENApproaching Religion, Vol 11, Iss 2 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	African Pentecostals Affect Affordance Zoom Digital media Media and religion Philosophy. Psychology. Religion B Religions. Mythology. Rationalism BL1-2790 Religion (General) BL1-50
spellingShingle	African Pentecostals Affect Affordance Zoom Digital media Media and religion Philosophy. Psychology. Religion B Religions. Mythology. Rationalism BL1-2790 Religion (General) BL1-50 Giuseppina Addo Join the Holy Spirit on Zoom
description	The COVID-19 global pandemic impacted all social relations, including the way religious communities engage in worship services. Due to strict social distancing protocols, the only viable solution for many congregations was online worship. This article investigates how platforms in cyberspace, such as Zoom, can provide a substitute for the core religious practices found in physical worship services, particularly for African Pentecostal believers who rely heavily on the aesthetic and sensory experience of their religious environment. Drawing on the theoretical concept of affordance, it is argued that digital affordances such as the chat box and emojis are used by believers to communicate affective moments arising from the sensory experience of worship. Members of the congregation become ‘digital spiritual hype people’ who render support to leaders in order to create and regenerate an affective environment where the presence of the Holy Spirit can be felt. The Holy Spirit, a fundamental pillar for Evangelical Christians, is understood as an embedded presence within the digital infrastructure. The internet connection, the phone and computers and screens are all re-appropriated as spiritual tools through which miraculous healing can be dispensed to believers in need. This research stands at a critical juncture between what might be termed the ‘pre-COVID era’ and the ‘post-COVID era’. As vaccination plans continue to roll out and social distancing measures are slowly being lifted, a ‘post-COVID era’ for African Pentecostals means negotiating the boundaries between online and offline spaces to fulfil core religious practices.
format	article
author	Giuseppina Addo
author_facet	Giuseppina Addo
author_sort	Giuseppina Addo
title	Join the Holy Spirit on Zoom
title_short	Join the Holy Spirit on Zoom
title_full	Join the Holy Spirit on Zoom
title_fullStr	Join the Holy Spirit on Zoom
title_full_unstemmed	Join the Holy Spirit on Zoom
title_sort	join the holy spirit on zoom
publisher	Donner Institute
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/ff7a064a81ff4cae904a699e1d78391b
work_keys_str_mv	AT giuseppinaaddo jointheholyspiritonzoom
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Join the Holy Spirit on Zoom

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