Narratives of Prayer and Evangelism from Born-Again Christians in Atlanta

98 Pages·2015·0.48 MB·English

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Anthropology Theses Department of Anthropology
Spring 4-26-2013
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Richard B. Bledsoe
Georgia State University
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Bledsoe, Richard B., "Coming to Christ: Narratives of Prayer and Evangelism from Born-Again Christians in
Atlanta." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2013.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/4074794
This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Anthropology at ScholarWorks @
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COMING TO CHRIST: NARRATIVES OF PRAYER AND EVANGELISM FROM BORN-
AGAIN CHRISTIANS IN ATLANTA

by

BRANDON BLEDSOE

Under the Direction of Emanuela Guano

ABSTRACT
Drawing on ethnographic research conducted with a Southern Baptist congregation in
Atlanta, this thesis analyzes members’ experiences of becoming born-again Christians
and their engagement with prayer to explore the affects that permeate the practice of
developing a personal relationship with Jesus.

INDEX WORDS: Anthropology, Religion, Evangelism, Southern Baptist, Church,
Prayer, Affect
COMING TO CHRIST: NARRATIVES OF PRAYER AND EVANGELISM FROM BORN-
AGAIN CHRISTIANS IN ATLANTA

by

BRANDON BLEDSOE

A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Arts
in the College of Arts and Sciences
Georgia State University
2013
Copyright by
Brandon Bledsoe
2013
COMING TO CHRIST: NARRATIVES OF PRAYER AND EVANGELISM FROM BORN-
AGAIN CHRISTIANS IN ATLANTA

by

BRANDON BLEDSOE

Committee Chair: Emanuela Guano

Committee: Jennifer Patico
Faidra Papavasiliou

Electronic Version Approved:

Office of Graduate Studies
College of Arts and Sciences
Georgia State University
May 2013
iv
DEDICATION
This thesis is dedicated to the congregation members of Moreland Heights Baptist
Church, with special thanks to Pastor Randy and the members of the congregation who
sat down to share their testimonies with me. My goal in setting out to get my MA and
conduct this research was to grow intellectually. Their names (and the name of their
church) may have been changed for this publication, but they welcomed me into their
family with the hope that their stories can provide a greater understanding of their
culture and change lives. It is my hope that this thesis does justice to both of our efforts.
v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to acknowledge the endless patience and valuable guidance that my advisor,
Dr. Emanuela Guano has shown me over my time with the Georgia State University
Anthropology Department. I would also like to acknowledge the valuable insights,
literature suggestions, and comments that Dr. Faidra Papavasiliou and Dr. Jennifer
Patico have contributed during the course of my research. The entire faculty and
student body in the Georgia State University Anthropology department have given me
suggestions, feedback and support over the past three years, and much of the process of
finding my ultimate research question has come from what they have told me they found
most interesting about my research. My family and my parents have been supportive of
me (most of the time) since birth, despite protests from my parents about continuing
with graduate studies. My friends have kept me sane during the whole process. Finally,
I would like to thank Dr. Isa Blumi in the Georgia State University History Department
for motivating me to think critically about the world around me and exposing me to
ideas that I might not have otherwise pursued.
vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..............................................................................v

CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION....................................................................1

Defining and Debating Born-Again Christians......................................... 4

Religion and Epistemology ...................................................................... 6

Affect, Effervescence, Constructed Liminality, and the Heart..................8

Historical Background of the Southern Baptist Convention.................... 11

Situating the Community Church............................................................13

Methodology...........................................................................................18

CHAPTER 2 – COMING TO CHRIST: THE PROCESS OF BECOMING
“BORN-AGAIN” ........................................................................................ 28

“God Has a Plan:” Testing One’s Faith.................................................... 32

Being “Broken”...................................................................................... 34

CHAPTER 3 – “HAVE A LITTLE TALK WITH JESUS”: PRAYER................37

“Effervescent” Prayer ............................................................................40

Prayer and Healing.................................................................................47

CHAPTER 4 – SPREADING THE “GOOD NEWS”: EVANGELISM............. 50

Witnessing............................................................................................. 50

Sharing Testimony..................................................................................53

CHAPTER 5 – EXPANDING “GOD’S KINGDOM”: DISCIPLESHIP IN THE
COMMUNITY............................................................................................ 56

“I’d Like to Invite You to My Church this Sunday” .................................60
vii
Church Planting and the Community Church......................................... 62

The “Church Family” .............................................................................68

CHAPTER 6 – “TO JERUSALEM, JUDEA, SAMERIA, AND THE ENDS OF
THE EARTH”: MISSIONS..........................................................................71

International Missions............................................................................73

“Taking the City”: Inner-city Missions....................................................74

HOPE and Opportunity...........................................................................79

CHAPTER 7 – CONCLUSION..................................................................... 82

REFERENCES...........................................................................................86
1
CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION
At 10:30 on a Sunday morning in an eastside neighborhood in the city of Atlanta,
the congregation of the Moreland Heights Baptist Church stands as the worship team
begins to play one of its most frequently played worship songs, “The Stand” by Hillsong
United. The worship team is responsible for the music at the beginning of the worship
service, and is led by Daniel, a white male in his early twenties who plays the guitar
parts for the songs. A three-piece vocal ensemble and a drummer, the latter of whom is
encased in a sound-dampening booth constructed on the right side of the altar,
accompany him. The music lasts for about the first twenty minutes of the service, and
during the musical performance, latecomers file in and join in singing, hand-raising,
and praying silently at their seats as the music plays. During one of the musical
interludes, Daniel plays an extended guitar part as the associate pastor’s wife, who is in
the vocal ensemble, reads a passage from the Book of Matthew before continuing on to
the next verse of the song. One latecomer is William, an African-American male in his
50s who arrives in his T-shirt and blue jeans. Several members of the congregation
shake his hand or give him a hug as he walks toward his normal spot near the front of
the seating area in the sanctuary, and he begins to sing along immediately after settling
into his spot. As the music concludes, Pastor Randy invites William up to the altar and
sets up a chair for him to sit down. “Many of you know that William’s wife has been sick
and battling cancer for some time,” Randy says. “This past Thursday evening, she went
home to be with the Lord.” I recall that I have just seen her in church with William two
weeks prior to this Sunday, and that she was wearing an oxygen tank at the time. Pastor
Randy speaks about William’s wife a bit more, and then invites the entire congregation