420 Omar McRoberts
appear as dangerous and anarchical, and have to be hedged around with prescrip-
tions, prohibitions, and conditions. (ibid. 109)Turner’s communitas is a glimpse of radical equality – a vision that can be carried into
the world of structures, statuses, and hierarchies to effect social transformation. Schol-
ars of black religion have followed suit, noting the communitas-generating, hierarchy-
subverting qualities of ecstatic worship (Sanders 1996; Alexander 1991; Kostarelos
1995).
Ritual antistructure begins with the descent of the Holy Ghost, which manifests in
glossalalia, ecstatic shouting, and dancing. At such times it appears that the entire struc-
ture of the service, with all its assigned roles, has irreparably broken down. Men and
women alike weep and “fall out” under the Holy Ghost. Church leaders become nearly
indistinguishable from common congregants in the emotional outpouring. After this
liminal period, while individuals are still drying tears and riding out the last shudders
of the Spirit, congregations often sing in unison a slow hymn of thanks, as if to solidify
the communitas generated during the liminal period. During these parts of religious
services, the “cosmic power” referred to earlier reveals itself to believers as more than
a feel-good rhetorical device; that power actually descends into the room anddemon-
stratesits ability to level social distinctions. Charismatic churches use this ritual leveling
not to separate members from the world, but to affirm their ability to operate in the
world.
Pastors of the migrant churches in this study agree that people “built up” in the
church community are uniquely suited to push for social transformation outside the
church. Pastor Winspeare sums up the attitude this way: “If the people in the church
are being built up spiritually they must be spiritually fed, spiritually built up in order to
go into the community to be able to feed the people that need to be fed.” He calls this
a “trickle down” approach to social transformation, since spiritual power metaphori-
cally comes from “above.” Pastor Pride shares the “trickle down” perspective. In one
sermon she used the example of Jesse Jackson to illustrate the connection between in-
church socialization and social change. According to Pride, Jackson delivered a speech
in Boston in which he likened his childhood experiences to those of today’s youth-
at-risk. He allegedly credited his positive attitude, acquired in the nurturing social world
of the church, for his ability to escape the “ghetto,” pursue advanced education, and
struggle for social justice. Pride implied that thechurch community, through its spiritual
ministrations, had saved Jackson so that he could engage in socially transformative
work.
DISCUSSION
The foregoing discussion illustrates why theological conservatism, usually associated
with “otherworldliness,” need not always lead to an avoidance of secular affairs. The
faithful are not forced to choose between theological commitments and desires for
social change, as if the two were mutually exclusive, or “polar opposites.” Religious
agents, particularly clergy, take their theology as is, and sift and knead it to support
their extroverted, socially transformative imperatives. Put differently, these clergy work
comfortablywithinthe theological traditions they have inherited, strategically mining
the religion for supportive tenets and traditions.