From confrontation to conciliation: on syncretic rapprochement between Catholics and charismatic Evangelists in Lithuania

ENWhen I walked into Akropolis ‒ a vast, multi-storeyed shopping mall in downtown Kaunas ‒ Sigita and Domas were standing at the bottom of a long escalator. A dismayed look on their faces, both were staring at a huge banner being unfurled by a team of workers. Superior Levis read the advertisement featuring a larger-than-life pair of the popular blue denim jeans. After brief introductions, we began to search for a quiet spot for our interview. Yet everywhere we turned in the mall we were greeted by loud music, flashing TV screens, or crowds of boisterous afternoon shoppers. “We should’ve picked a better place … not this mess (bardakas) … Look at the ‘materialization’ (sumaterialėjimas) we live in today”, a frustrated Domas remarked, referring to the growing consumerism and commodification in today's Lithuania. We left Akropolis and headed to a nearby city park. On that warm July day in 2009, our conversation lasted well into the evening. [Taylor & Francis]