Abstract
It is unavoidable to initially be cautious of the terms ‘alternative’ and ‘salvation’ in a compendium featuring both concepts as its subject. The editors immediately and knowledgeably address these reservations, admitting the problematic connotations of the word ‘salvation’, yet also directing readers towards the Christian origins in order to uncover how its numerous usages have been alternatively adapted in Western society. They propose that an ‘alternative’ approach questions, ‘in different ways and to different degrees the stability of established orthodox accounts of salvation’ (p. 3). While readers might assume a theologically weighted text, they will be greeted by an interdisciplinary range of authors with expertise in fields across the humanities and social sciences.
Part 1 of the compendium is fieldwork oriented, providing crucial emic perspectives on salvation outside of, but often in relation to Christian frameworks. While some might find issue with the grouping of ‘non-religions’ and ‘salvation’ into a single context, the authors of Part 1 make a compelling case utilizing ethnographic narratives to support their claims. The first paper by Thomas Coleman III and Robert Arrowood utilizes Anne Taves’s ‘ascriptive approach’ to explore how atheist behavioural and cognitive factors work together to create positive action, requiring the reader to consider Durkheimian models of the sacred when observing human experience. Other notable chapters include Wendy Dossett’s study of Twelve-Step Recovery, which reviews both the Christian origins and subsequent ownership of ‘higher power’ language among AA members, Madeleine Castro’s focus on the transformative effect of spontaneous transcendent experiences, and Kornelia Sammet’s fieldwork on group discussions of afterlife. The strength of Part 1 rests with the authors’ fieldwork narratives, revealing the subjective nature of theoretical concepts in light of lived experiences.
Part 2 relies on historical and theological readings that re-evaluate dominant traditions of salvation. Each author provides detailed examples which, while more theologically oriented, remain comprehensive enough for readers outside each author’s area of expertise. The first chapter by Jenny Daggers sets the tone by challenging re-readings between localized and universal understandings of Christian salvation. Paul Middleton follows with an engaging presentation on themes of martyrdom and salvation in Christianity and Islam, though his section on early Christian martyrdom is evidently much stronger than his engagement with Islamic readings. As a break from more Christian dominant re-readings, Jon Hoover’s discussion concerning Sunni Muslim theologies of universal salvation and the alternative positions of the classical Salafi writings of Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya helps diminish any erroneous notions of a monolithic Sunni theology.
Alternative Salvations challenges the static orthodox Christian notions of salvation, both in the past and present, through the exploration of alternative theologies and lived experiences. The authors provide a range of theoretical and methodological approaches that reveal the subjectivities of ‘religious’ categories, paving the way for further discussions surrounding the sacred/secular paradigm.