Christianity, presence and the problem of history: on two forms of christian temporality in the Faroe Islands

In this article, I compare two forms of Christian temporality in the Faroe Islands. In so doing, I problematize some of the ways in which the idea of history has been applied theoretically to studies of churches and congregations in the country. I propose the concept of dispensational disagreement to show how different churches function based on different views of their own place in history. This discussion contributes to the ongoing debates within the anthropology of Christianity about the way that different temporalities play into Christian life. I argue that we should be careful of the kinds of historical imagination that we apply to different groups, keeping in mind that these groups might not see themselves as functioning along these lines. Instead, I draw on the theology of my interlocutors to argue for a view of history that is more based on presentism rather than historical advancement.