1st Edition

Pentecostalism in the Postcolony Dialectics, Dynamics, and Transformations in Africa

382 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

382 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

This volume explores Pentecostalism's multifaceted nature in Africa, examining its dialectical engagements, dynamic expressions, and transformative potential across the continent's spiritual, social, and political landscapes in postcolonial contexts. The volume brings together a range of scholarly voices to offer a comprehensive and critical engagement with Pentecostalism in Africa,... Read more

List of Contributors

Preface

Acknowledgements

 

THEME I: FRAMING THE DIALECTICS

Chapter 1: Introduction: Pentecostalism in the Postcolony – Dialectics, Dynamics, and Transformations in Africa

Peter White, Martina Björkander, and Elias Kifon Bongmba

 

Chapter 2: Living in a Complex World: How Pentecostalism Intersects With and Affects the Socio-Political and Religious Realities of Contemporary Africa

Elias Kifon Bongmba

 

Chapter 3: P(new)umatologisation in African Pentecostalism: A Matrix of Spirit, Resistance, and Renewal

Chammah J. Kaunda

 

THEME II: POLITICS, POWER, AND POSTCOLONIAL AGENCY

 

Chapter 4: Pentecostalism in Uganda: Politics and Adherence to African Worldviews

Evelyn Namakula B Mayanja

 

Chapter 5: Precarious Pentecostal Politics: Rethinking Religious Agency in Ethiopia

Jörg Haustein

 

Chapter 6: Iviyo loFakazi: Negotiating Pentecostalism, Anglicanism, Colonialism, and Apartheid in South Africa

Henry Mbaya, and Thokozile J Mbaya

 

Chapter 7: A Prophet of the Postcolony: Babu wa Loliondo

Mika Vähäkangas

 

Chapter 8: The Yoke Is Cracking, But Our Hands Are Still Bound: Imagining a Decolonised Pentecostal Theology in Malawi

Harvey Kwiyani

 

THEME III: GENDER, IDENTITY, AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION

 

Chapter 9: The Woman Called Man: A Lens into Gender Dynamics and the Import Transformation in African Pentecostalism

Itohan Idumwonyi

 

Chapter 10: Classical Pentecostalism in Rwanda: Women's Roles in the Founding, Expansion and Institutional Consolidation

Viateur Habarurema

 

Chapter 11: Reordering the Christian Home: Pentecostalism and Family Life Transformations in Ghana

Felicity Apaah

 

THEME IV: WORSHIP, SOUNDSCAPES, AND CULTURAL REFRAMING

 

Chapter 12: Tope Alabi and the Oríkì of Olódùmarè: Reframing Yorùbá Praise Poetry in Pentecostal Soundscapes

Akeem Adagbada

 

Chapter 13: Moving with the One Who Moves: Pentecostal Worship as a Dialectic Ritual Practice

Martina Björkander

 

Chapter 14: 'Born-Again' Kingship and Pentecostal Musical Performance in Nigeria: A Study of the Royal Fathers' Choir of the Redeemed Christian Church of God

Toyin Samuel Ajose

 

THEME V: ECONOMICS, DEVELOPMENT, AND SOCIAL PRAXIS

 

Chapter 15: Contextual Analysis of Money and Socioeconomic Realities: Ghanaian Pentecostals' Perspective

Jeremiah Agbeshie

 

Chapter 16: Together Towards Life and Mission: An Appraisal of Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatics Council's Mission Theology and Praxis in Light of the SDGs 1, 2, 5, 8, and 10

Peter White

 

Chapter 17: Reimagining Development in Postcolonial Africa Through the Lens of Nigerian Neo-Pentecostal Churches

Babatunde Adedibu

 

 

THEME VI: YOUTH, PROPHECY, AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Chapter 18: African Pentecostalism, African Ancestorship, and the Gap in Between

Benson Ohihon Igboin

 

Chapter 19: Moving with the Flow: Reflections on Movement and Flow Among Young Pastors in Charismatic Christianity in Ghana

Karen Lauterbach

 

Chapter 20: Conclusion: Concluding Remarks and Constructive Reflections on Pentecostal Dynamics in Postcolonial Africa

Martina Björkander, Peter White, and Elias Kifon Bongmba

 

Index

Biography

Peter White is an Associate Professor and Head of Department at the Faculty of Theology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Martina Björkander is a Docent of Practical Theology, especially Pentecostal studies, and a researcher at the Polin Institute, Åbo Akademi University, Finland.

Elias Kifon Bongmba holds the Harry and Hazel Chavanne Chair in Christian Theology and is Professor of Religion at Rice University, USA.

“African Pentecostalism is full of contradictions, and to explain it, we must think dialectically. This book methodically combines dialectics, polarity of form and dynamics, and the interplay of logics and emotions of transformation to reveal the kernel of Pentecostalism in the African postcolony. The result is a pathbreaking text that exudes creativity, shines with brilliancy, and insightfully penetrates the fabric of African Pentecostalism. Indeed, a volume of valuable, voyant beauty!”   

- Nimi Wariboko, Boston University, USA

 

"Pentecostalism remains a dynamic force as a distinct stream of Christianity and, for years to come, will constitute the growing edge of the faith in Africa.  This is a volume that explores, interrogates, and pursues the multifaceted impact of Pentecostalism on the continent.  The critical word at the heart of the volume is “multifaceted”, and the various authors justify their inclusion in the book by considering the vibrancy and dynamism of Pentecostalism from perspectives that speak to the impact of the movement from different angles and disciplines.  It is a book that will serve those interested in the study of Pentecostalism very well and satisfactorily, both as an academic text and for the general reader too."

- J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon, Ghana

 

"By exploring the historical and contemporary lived realities of various forms of Pentecostalism within the social, political, economic, and religious contexts of postcolonial Africa this volume offers an important, nuanced study of the dialectic nature and transformative impact of Pentecostalism in this space.  The strength of the book lies in the breath of the research contexts and the depth of the inter-and multi- disciplinary analysis offered.  The varied methodologies used present a robust multi-dimensional engagement with the subject showing the complex and varied landscape of Pentecostalism in Africa.  Overall, the study argues that in postcolonial Africa, Pentecostalism is ‘a potent force of both continuities and radical raptures’ socially, theologically, spiritually, economically, and politically impacting the lives and identities of people in and beyond the continent."

 - Maria Frahm-Arp, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

"Pentecostalism in the Postcolony brings together an impressive array of contributors to provide, through individual snapshots, a broad overview of the ethos, theology, and practice of Pentecostals in Africa. Its insightful contributions from different parts of Africa challenge readers to move away from worn stereotypes and introduce them to new aspects within the diversity of the Pentecostal experience. This is an important volume that brings the reader into conversation with the vitality and diversity of Pentecostal experience in Africa, with its possibilities and perils."

- Kyama Mugambi, Yale Divinity School, US.