Christian faith and practice amongst migrants in Athens, Greece

• Main Author: Carlson, Darren
• Published: Middlesex University 2018
• Online Access: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.765247

This is a qualitative ethnographic study that explores the faith, beliefs, and practices of migrants and refugees as well as the Christian organizations serving them between 2014-2018 in Athens, Greece. The study is located within the fields of diaspora missiology, ethnography, and underpinned by theological critical realism epistemology. The study is based on commonly accepted methods of grounded theory and narrative inquiry. It is a study of the particular expressions of faith within cultures, in communities that are both hermeneutical and reflective. This is the first major study of migrant faith communities and refugee centers conducted in Athens. The study traces the travel stories of participants as they leave their home countries and migrate to Athens. It discusses the ways Christians served migrants along their journey, the ways specific refugee centers served and proclaimed the gospel, and the impact Christian witness had on migrants who were not Christians. The study discusses the reasons participants from a Muslim background gave for converting to Christian faith, and the struggles new believers experienced as they found themselves in a new community of faith. This research adds to a growing literature of conversion amongst migrants, particularly Muslims, who report supernatural dreams as part of their conversion experience. Finally, this study examines eight specific faith communities, made up of Afghans, Persians, Eritreans, Ghanaians, Europeans, Americans, and Greeks, discussing the ways they formed and their unique distinctives.