Plausibility Structure and the Perpetuation of Turkish Protestantism
摘要
This chapter addresses the question of how Turkish converts to Protestantism have been retained in their conversional loyalties, as well as how the movement has been sustained. In addition to the orientating identity construct of the Turkish-Protestant synthesis, sociocultural aspects of local Turkish-speaking churches, institutional aspects of the movement as a whole, and religiopolitical aspects of the movement’s context compose the perpetuating plausibility structure for converts and the movement. An example of each of these aspects, respectively, are relationship-building with coreligionists, movement-wide evangelization for securing more converts, and advocacy within Turkey for increasing applications of religious freedom. Other examples of each of these aspects are presented and discussed in this chapter. Taken together, the inexhaustive lists of examples show the complex and complementary nature of the movement’s plausibility structure, which not only preserves and strengthens the devotion of the converts, but which also guards the movement itself against contraction and extinction.