Abstract
In this essay I investigate the decades-long self-alteration of Reverend Michael Maeliau, a minister of the South Sea Evangelical Church and the leading prophet of the politico-religious movement called the All Pacific Arise. In the context of secondary conversions following a charismatic revival in 1970, Maeliau began to receive messages from God, revelations of a prophetic nature concerning the past, present, and future of Malaita. I show that becoming and being a prophet in this context involves a prophet-leader receiving revelation from and speaking on behalf of God while being in control of a movement. In addition, he takes advantage of and is informed by a Melanesian prophetic tradition.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Self-alteration |
| Subtitle of host publication | how people change themselves across cultures |
| Editors | Jean-Paul Baldacchino, Christopher Houston |
| Place of Publication | New Brunswick, USA |
| Publisher | Rutgers University Press |
| Chapter | 3 |
| Pages | 56-70 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781978837249, 9781978837256 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781978837232, 9781978837225 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2024 |
Keywords
- anthropology
- religion
- Prophecy
- religious movement
- Pacific
- Solomon Islands
- Malaita
- Theology