Beyond Mall Christianity: Megachurches Navigating Southeast Asian Urbanism

The global spread of Pentecostalism has been facilitated by a combination of transnational impulses and indigenizing interests. In the case of independent Pentecostal megachurches, their growth in urban centres is reflected in both Western and Asian societies. Megachurches in America and Southeast Asia have flourished because of their unique blend of middle-class congregants, appeal to consumerist and popular culture, as well as their compatibility with the urban lifestyle patterns of their congregants. However, it would be a mistake to assume that the drivers of growth and the conditions behind the common features of these megachurches are the same. Examining Jakarta, Surabaya, Kuala Lumpur, and Manila, we show that megachurches are not located in shopping malls and commercial complexes merely for growth purposes or to align with the consumerism ethos of capitalism. Deeply local concerns, such as hostile neighbourhoods dominated by Muslim or Catholic majorities, have led to the camouflaging of Christian symbols in urban settings. The purposeful targeting of youth also reveals the Southeast Asian megachurch engaging with the new urban mobilities triggered by rapid economic development. We conclude that the Southeast Asian city’s structure and layout are being repurposed by Christian innovation and reinterpretation. Christianity in the Southeast Asian city is hidden in plain sight.

超越商城基督教：超级教会应对东南亚都市主义

关键词：超级教会, 五旬节派, 东南亚, 都市生活, 城市, 购物中心, 政治。

五旬节派教会的全球扩张受到跨国动力与本土化利益相结合的助力。就独立五旬节派超级教会而言，它们在都市中心的增长同时反映在西方和亚洲社会。中产阶级会众、对消费主义和大众文化的投合以及都市生活方式模式的混合见证了超级教会在美国和东南亚社会的繁荣。然而，假定这些超级教会的增长驱动力以及共同特征背后的条件都一样却是一个错误。通过考察雅加达、苏腊巴雅、科隆坡和马尼拉，我们表明超级教会选址在购物商城和商业综合体中并非只是单纯追求扩张或是跟资本主义的消费主义精神相呼应。诸如对穆斯林或者天主教多数所主导的敌意社区的深切的本地忧虑导致了利用都市环境对基督教标志加以伪装。有目的的以青年为目标群体也表明了东南亚超级教会积极应对受到快速经济发展所触发的的新都市流动性。我们得出结论，认为东南亚城市的结构和布局被基督教创新和再诠释所重新利用。在东南亚，基督教就隐藏在众目睽睽之下。

Translated by Li Guo