Christian faith based organisations and the transformation of religion in a Dutch network society Jan van der Stoep

Introduction (1) ‘Evangelische Omroep’ Very successful Tension between market share and membership support Differences in opinion about evolution, (homo)sexuality, humour Geert Wilders: Fitna Freedom of expression Emphasis on Jewish-Christian heritage Fight against Islam

Introduction (2) The social position of faith based organisations New openness for religion Freedom of religion under attack Members become more diverse/ less loyal

Outline 1. The Dutch system of pillarisation 2. Transformation of religion the logic of mass media the logic of social media 3. Rethinking Christian identity Community Mission Public concern

1. The Dutch system of pillarisation (1) Emancipation of protestant and Catholic people at the end of the 19th century Each denomination its own pillar (political party, labour union, broadcasting company, schools, sport clubs) Together they support the building of society: different worldviews, same social structure Government funding for both secular an religious organisations; worldview symmetry

1. The Dutch system of pillarisation (2)

2. Transformation of religion (1) The logic of mass media Transmission model: sender > receiver The more members you have, the more influence you have The national public sphere as a common ground Sharp boundaries Public/ private Profession/ faith Liberal/ orthodox Church/ Christian organisations

2. Transformation of religion (2) The logic of social media Mass self-communication: sender = receiver The more target groups you reach, the more visible you are The local and the global are directly connected Blurring of boundaries Public/ private Profession/ faith Liberal/ orthodox Church/ christian organisations

3. Rethinking Christian identity (1) Community Subjective voluntarism: religion as a personal search for meaning Community as constructed Contract versus covenant Emphasis on authenticity and loyalty

3. Rethinking Christian identity (2) Mission From transmission of information to interactive communication Blurring of boundaries: believers are also seekers The authority of the gospel Centre/ periphery

3. Rethinking Christian identity (3) Public concern National denominations become less influencial Interest groups: segmentation and fragmentation of society Local commitment: a new focus on the social role of churches Global civil society: Jubilee 2000, Micha challenge