Northern Ireland, America and the emerging church movement: Exploring the significance of Peter Rollins and the Ikon collective

Ganiel, Gladys; Marti, Gerardo

Northern Ireland, America and the emerging church movement: Exploring the significance of Peter Rollins and the Ikon collective

Files

GG_NorthernPV2014.pdf(363.81 KB)

Published Version

Date

2014

Authors

Ganiel, Gladys

Marti, Gerardo

Publisher

ISASR in association with the Study of Religions, University College Cork.

Abstract

The Emerging Church Movement (ECM) is a primarily Western religious phenomenon, identifiable by its critical ‘deconstruction’ of ‘modern’ religion. While most prominent in North America, especially the United States, some of the most significant contributors to the ECM ‘conversation’ have been the Belfast-based Ikon Collective and one of its founders, philosopher Peter Rollins. Their rootedness in the unique religious, political and social landscape of Northern Ireland in part explains their position on the ‘margins’ of the ECM, and provides many of the resources for their contributions. Ikon’s development of ‘transformance art’ and its ‘leaderless’ structure raise questions about the institutional viability of the wider ECM. Rollins’ ‘Pyrotheology’ project, grounded in his reading of post-modern philosophy, introduces more radical ideas to the ECM conversation. Northern Ireland’s ‘Troubles’ and ‘marginal’ location provides the ground from which Rollins and Ikon have been able to expose the boundaries of the ECM and raise questions about just how far the ECM may go in its efforts to transform Western Christianity.

Keywords

A/theism , Emerging Church Movement , Ikon , Peter Rollins , Evangelicalism , Transformance art

Citation

GANIEL, G. & MARTI, G. 2014. Northern Ireland, America and the emerging church movement: Exploring the significance of Peter Rollins and the Ikon collective. Journal of the Irish Society for the Academic Study of Religions, 1(1), 26-47.