Nelly Van Doorn Harder And Lourens Minnema, Eds., Coping With Evil In Religion And Culture Case Studies (Amsterdam And New York Rodopi, 2008). X + 265 Pp., $145, Paper.

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Book Reviews / Pneuma 32 (2010) 123-175

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Nelly van Doorn-Harder and Lourens Minnema, eds., Coping with Evil in Religion and Culture: Case Studies (Amsterdam and New York: Rodopi, 2008). x + 265 pp., $145, paper.

Coping with Evil in Religion and Culture is the result of a conference entitled The Problem of Evil in Religious Traditions: Origins, Forms and Coping held March 17-19, 2005 in coop- eration with Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the Royal Tropical Institute. This volume contains eighteen contributions divided into three sections: (1) The Problem of Defi ning Evil; (2) Evil in Society; and (3) Coping with Evil. These dimensions of evil are examined by scholars from various disciplines, including theology, religious studies, philosophy, psy- chology, anthropology, sociology, and literature. A few articles that Pneuma readers may fi nd particularly interesting are highlighted here.

In “Images of Evil in Popular Ghanaian Christianity,” Birgit Meyer discusses the role played by visual depictions of evil in Ghanaian culture, especially among Pentecostals. Satanic and demonic forces displayed in media such as movies are understood as more than just works of fi ction. Movie images act as theological devices, exposing diabolic activity and neutralizing their previously covert power.

Marthinus L. Daneel, in “Coping with Wizardry in Zimbabwe in African Initiated Churches,” explores the rituals, theology, and social dynamics of exorcisms performed by four prominent pastors, including one Pentecostal. Demon-possession is deemed to result from association with wizardry and, when so determined, regularly leads to social excommunication. But the case studies describe successful post-exorcism social integration through involvement in church leadership.

“The Evil Comes from Outside” by Edien Bartels provides two case studies of teenage Moroccan girls who have been diagnosed by their Muslim families as being spirit-possessed through their association with sorcery. Applying prominent anthropological theories, the author theorizes that these diagnoses are a means to absolve the girls of immoral behavior, thus freeing all parties of moral culpability. Bartel’s analyses may off er challenges to Pente- costal views regarding the involvement of divine and diabolic agents in Spirit baptism and demon-possession. This may need to be addressed in future theological projects.

In “Conquering Satan, Demons, Principalities, and Powers,” J. Kwabena Asamoah- Gyadu demonstrates the strikingly similar views of evil between African religions and Pen- tecostal/Charismatic Christianity. Both recognize the reality of Satan and demonic powers, including possession and oppression; however, their responses to evil are quite diff erent. Consequently, Pentecostal/Charismatic Christianity has found overwhelming acceptance in Africa, since it has been understood by African Christians to provide victory over evil through rituals, prayer, and sacred space.

“A Schema Repertoire Approach to Exorcism” by Peter Versteeg and André Droogers examines two case studies of demonic possession, one of a member of a Charismatic church in the Netherlands and another from a Brazilian Spiritist healing group. Using cognitive anthropology, the authors suggest that exorcisms may lead mediums to adopt new schemas (culturally accepted prototypes or models that guide and motivate behavior) suggested by their healers. T us, exorcisms may be a “self-fulfi lling mechanism,” leading to the recon- struction of a new self-identity.

© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2010 DOI: 10.1163/027209610X12628362887794

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Book Reviews / Pneuma 32 (2010) 123-175

Given the signifi cant attention to Pentecostalism, Pneuma readers may fi nd this book informative and engaging. Additionally, numerous issues are relevant to contemporary Pen- tecostal scholarship, including interreligious dialogue, interdisciplinary approaches to the study of Pentecostalism, and North American Pentecostalism in relation to the worldwide Pentecostal movement. While constructing theology in light of evil is challenging in and of itself, this book reminds its readers of the task of this particular project in the broader framework of global Pentecostalism, global cultures, and world religions.

Reviewed by David Bradnick

PhD candidate

Regent University, Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA

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