Uncanny and Doubly Liminal: Social Media, Cross-Cultural Reentry, and lds/Mormon Missionary Religious Identity

This study offers a theoretical perspective on the role of social media in the transition home for returning missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (lds/Mormon). Despite a long tradition of strict lds institutional norms aimed at sheltering full-time church missionaries from outside media influences, missionaries are today increasingly encouraged to use social media sites in their proselytizing efforts. Through qualitative, in-depth interviews with recently returned lds missionaries, this study explores the role Facebook plays in facilitating the maintenance of mission relationships after missionaries have returned home, something interviewees said helps them retain the sense of religious commitment and identity developed through missionary service. Interview findings also complicate the potential benefits of social media use, providing evidence for the argument that returning lds missionaries are often caught between media technology, personal media preferences, institutional authority, and popular culture. These individuals seem to occupy a doubly liminal position between full-time proselytizing and life at home, between a historical religious tradition of missionary media isolation and an emerging institutional embrace of social media—all of which results in what might best be described as an uncanny experience.

The Role of Spiritual Development in the Cross-Cultural Reentry Adjustment of Missionaries

This study investigated the relationship between spiritual development and cultural reentry adjustment in a group of missionaries. One hundred and two missionaries completed a questionnaire that correlated the Spiritual Assessment Inventory (SAI) with five cultural adaptation and transition scales. The study found significant relationship between the Reentry Distress Scale and the SAI Disappointment and Instability scales. There was also a significant relationship between the SAI Awareness scale and the Transition Change Scale. The study also explored the relationship between reentry distress and calling, regularly practicing spiritual disciplines, and returning home to a supportive community. The implications of the study are discussed in relation to missionaries, mission agencies, and local churches in order to provide meaningful care for missionaries during cross-cultural transitions.

An Addendum to “Cross-Cultural Reentry: An Annotated Bibliography”

This article is an addendum to Austin's “Cross-Cultural Reentry: An Annotated Bibliography” (1983). The initial work had 291 reference citations divided among the following groups: Corporations, Federally Employed Civilians, Internal Education. Military. Missionaries (Families, Singles, and Furlough), and General. The current article has the same format for 210 additional entries. North American resources were augmented by database searches and extensive contacts in the United Kingdom. Less emphasis was given to inquiries about materials in the categories of Military and International Education.