ABSTRACT
This chapter describes developments on the ‘religious scene’ in contemporary Melanesia. It examines the religious shifts in Melanesia, giving a historical background and indicating their significance in different countries and regions. The chapter argues that the rapid growth of new religious forms in general and the growth of Charismatic churches in particular, must be understood in relation to transformations of the state, new economic forms and gender politics. It shows that both in rural as well as urban Melanesia the turn to Charismatic and Pentecostal forms of Christianity reflects something more than a shift in the numbers of people belonging to different denominations, and also more than just a diversification of the religious field. Revivalism refers to a focus on renewal and a restoration of a given church’s vital connection to God and spirituality after what is seen as a period of moral decline.
