c. 1998 Religion News Service
(Dale Hanson Bourke is the publisher of Religion News Service and the author of”Turn Toward the Wind.”)
HONOLULU _ A gentle breeze blows across the sand, bringing the sweet smell of plumeria to the beach. Rhythmic waves crash into rocks as a few early-rising surfers paddle out to catch them.
It is another perfect day in paradise. But this is Sunday, and a surprising number of surfers, business people and vacationers are leaving their pursuits of pleasure for an hour or two to join one of the flourishing congregations in the Aloha state.
Religion has come to Hawaii _ again. But this wave of faith looks very different than the one that brought the first group of missionaries to the lush islands in the 1820s.
Then, the mainland and mainline Christians outlawed the hula as too sensual and urged the islanders to adopt Western clothing and customs. Along the way, they managed to acquire much of the valuable property and resources of the islands, and became very chummy with the royal Hawaiian family.
As the oft-quoted saying goes,”The missionaries came to Hawaii to do good and they did very well.”Descendants of the original missionary families are some of the islands’ wealthiest residents.
By contrast, the new brand of faith is casual and easy going on matters of dress and lifestyle. The ancient Hawaiian culture is embraced by preachers who are more likely to be found wearing Polynesian print shirts than clerical collars or suits. One of the most successful island ministers is a former professional surfer who still looks the part.
Congregational independence is almost a holy tenet. The fastest growing churches are nondenominational or are loosely aligned with groups like The Vineyard or Calvary Chapels, both charismatic movements that started in California in the ’60s and ’70s.
Instead of acquiring land and building big churches, many congregations meet in school auditoriums or even on the beach, resisting the institutionalism that often follows a mortgage.
The service I recently attended with my teen-age son was held on a Waikiki beach. The sound system and podium seemed to separate sun worshippers from worshippers of the other variety. Sun-browned men wearing shorts and sandals handed out programs and grass mats for seats.
Three women in traditional muumuus sang an opening hymn while dancing a hula and using hand gestures that combined sign language and Polynesian motions.
For those who hadn’t brought a Bible, copies of”The Greatest is Aloha”were available to use during the sermon.
When rain began to soak those gathered, ushers handed out additional mats to hold over our heads. The worship leader declared them”showers of blessing.”After a few minutes, the sun reappeared and steam began to rise from the sand.
This group numbered less than 100 and appeared to be mostly tourists. But 1,000-member churches are not unusual on the islands.
A recent story in The Honolulu Advertiser reports that between 20,000 and 30,000 residents attend services in what might be called mega-churches, some of which have congregations as large as 5,000 members. Some of these churches have been forced to build auditoriums just to accommodate their burgeoning membership.
Christian schools have sprung up and religious bookstores are enjoying a booming business, especially with new believers who may have never owned a Bible or read Christian books.
Said a Maui resident who grew up in Southern California,”It’s like what happened in California 20 or 30 years ago. Hawaii is full of excited young Christians who can’t get enough of `praise songs’ and Christian materials.” The style of worship is decidedly charismatic, with contemporary skits and choruses replacing the more staid elements. Mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic churches are losing members to what has been called the”New Christian”or”Next Church”movement, although many members are people who haven’t attended church since childhood.”What we aim for is to take Christianity back to the time of Christ,”the Rev. Ralph Moore, pastor of Hope Chapel in Kaneohe, told the Advertiser.”We are simply trying to go back to the basics of what Jesus taught, without the ritual and the rigmarole.” To the early missionaries, such an approach would have seemed sacrilegious. But to the thousands of Hawaiians who check their surf boards at the door on Sunday morning, a casual atmosphere combined with passionate faith expresses the spirit of aloha in a very attractive way.
DEA END BOURKE
