"God doesn't know about Nationalities" : Questioning Religion and Nationalism in Evangelical Communities in Romania

Abstract

A strong link between religion and national identity has been particularly important in the study of Eastern and Southeastern Europe during the 20th century. The study of religion and its changes came into the focus of anthropological and sociological research especially after the communist period. One of the most important aspects of change was “religious revival” which also included conversion to new forms of religiosity such as the Evangelical communities, the Nazarenes, Baptists, Jehovah Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, and Pentecostals. The majority of Serbs living in Romania belong to the Serbian Orthodox Church, but during the last decades a number of Evangelicals appeared among the Serbian minority. This paper is based on the results of qualitative ethnographic fieldwork conducted in 2010 among the Serbian Evangelical communities in Romania. The research focuses on the influence of conversion from Christian Orthodoxy to Evangelicalism among Serbs, focusing on the Evangelical response to religion and nationalism discourses, changes in collective and personal identity of newly converted believers, and perception of converted co-ethnics by the non-Evangelical community. In addressing these issues, this article explores the role of religious traditions which do not overlap with any particular national/ethnic group, the relationship between religion and nationalism, and the presence of supra-national narrative emphasized in Evangelical communities.