Pentecostalism in Africa : presence and impact of pneumatic Christianity in postcolonial societies

Description

Within recent decades Pentecostal/charismatic Christianity has moved from an initially peripheral position to become a force to be reckoned with within Africa's religious landscapes. Bringing together prominent Africanist scholars from a wide range of disciplines, this book offers a comprehensive and multifaceted treatment of the ways in which Pentecostal-Charismatic movements have shaped the orientations of African Christianity and extended their influence into other spheres of post-colonial societies such as politics, developmental work and popular entertainment. Among other things, the chapters of the book show how Pentecostal/charismatic Christianity responds to social and cultural concerns of Africans, and how its growth and increasingly assertive presence in public life have facilitated new kinds of social positioning and claims to political power.  Read more... Introduction: Presence and impact of Pentecostal/charismatic Christianity in Africa / Martin Linhardt -- "Stretching out hands to God " : origins and development of Pentecostalism in Africa / Allan Heaton Anderson -- WFP Burton and the birth of Congolese Pentecostalism / David J. Garrard -- Pentecostalism and the transformation of the African Christian landscape / J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu -- Unity and diversity within African Pentecostalism : comparison of the Christianities of Daniel Olukoya and David Oedepo / Paul Gifford -- "All answers" : on the phenomenal success of a Brazilian Pentecostal charismatic church in South Africa / Ilana van Wyk -- Continuity, change or coevalness? : charismatic Christianity and tradition in contemporary Tanzania / Martin Lindhardt -- Gender and Pentecostalism in Africa / Jane Soothill -- Pentecostalism, 'post- secularism, ' and the politics of affect : in Africa and beyond / Jean Comaroff -- Pentecostalism and development in sub-Saharan Africa / Ben Jones -- Encoding Caesar's realm : variants of spiritual warfare politics in Africa / Andreas Heuser -- Pentecostals and politics in Nigeria and Zambia : an historical perspective / Richard Burgess -- Pentecostals and politics : redefining big man rule in Africa / John F. McCauley -- The liveliness of Pentecostals/charismatic popular culture in Africa / Katrien Pype -- Afterword / William K. Kay.