ABSTRACT
Oceanian Pentecostalism is shaped by geographical, cultural, and “encounter” histories of vast heterogeneity. This chapter describes these broad dynamics, many of which work counter to the national self-narratives of the larger nation states in the region, and provides a number of examples of how locality and globality work in this highly mobile part of the world. The historiography of Pentecostalism on “the other big island,” New Zealand, resonates with the Australian experience, but also demonstrates the variety of Pacific local/global engagements. The case study of Oceania holds many lessons for the study of Pentecostalism. In short, Pentecostalism has been remarkably successful because of its “paradoxical capacity to promote global modernity in the form of universalistic values centered on individual achievement, yet see these values within a deeply anti-modern worldview prioritizing religious faith”. The Pacific thus retains a relevance that far outweighs its population numbers.
