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Despite the current impressive numerical growth of Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity in Africa, there remain some concerns about the extent to which the church is making the desired impact in the public space. As the church grows numerically, the African continent is ironically plagued with many regrettable stories of corruption, bad governance, sexual abuse, gender discrimination and perversion, environmental degradation, robbery, economic crisis (leading to poverty and hunger), wars, and other social vices. This paradoxical increase in vices, alongside the demographic growth of the Christian population on the continent, has caused many to question the social impact of African Christianity. Re-Visioning African Pentecostal-Charismatic Ecclesiology in the Public Sphere is a response to these observations. The contributors to this volume, who are made up of seasoned academics (theological educators and missiologists) and mission practitioners, have engaged the subject from multidisciplinary perspectives, highlighting significant contributions of African Pentecostalism while pointing out critical areas for urgent attention. The volume is intended to stimulate conversations around the church’s mandate of influencing the public sphere as an agent of social transformation.
In this second volume of the new APTS Press Monograph Series, Dr. Russ Turney presents a compelling case study of why some missionaries leave the field far too soon. Normal attrition occurs because of health problems, retirement, or the obvious call of God to go elsewhere. However, Turney notes that far too often missionaries leave due to interpersonal conflicts with their colleagues or nationals, problems with authority and other issues that, Turney contends, could be significantly reduced. He then presents an excellent strategy for dealing with these and other issues, enabling missionaries to continue in their calling long term and finish well. This strategy will help equip not only missionaries and mission leaders from both the West and the Majority World, but also pastors and church members who love and support missionaries and who want to learn how to strengthen them better through prayer and action. Anyone who shares the warm hearted conviction that missionaries can and should leave a legacy will benefit from this book. From the Foreword. . .
The rivers Niger and Benue come together at the heart of Nigeria on a map. Besides being a confluence of two great rivers, it also became the location of landmarks in Nigeria’s history, notably the amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorates. As it was also a confluence of various cultural clusters, the Niger-Benue confluence communities went through three phases of Western encounters: commercial, missionary, and colonial. These have combined to shape the sociopolitical profile of northern Nigeria in various ways. In particular, it is the cradle of Christianity in northern Nigeria. Yet social historians have often assessed all three foreign influences indiscriminately and overlooked the unique and fundamental impact of the missionary encounter in providing the treasured values that midwifed social stability in such a pluralistic and sometimes volatile environment. This study undertakes a separation of the strands and sheds light on the laudable initiatives and legacies of the missionaries to ensure more clear-minded interpretations.
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 landscape. 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.
Throughout history, Western esoteric movements have provided meaning and power for what the Rosicrucians of the early modern period called the quest for “Universal Reformation”—the utopian restructuring of religion, science, the arts, and human society. Yet Western esotericism has been roundly ignored as a source of reflection in mainstream Christian theology, including the radical theologies of liberation that might otherwise see in esotericism a kindred spirit to their commitment to radical social change. In The Inner Church is the Hope of the World, guided by his work in contemporary movements for social change, Nicholas Laccetti puts Western esotericism in dialogue with liberation theology, treating esotericism as a legitimate source of spiritual and theological insight. If, as Gustavo Gutiérrez writes, “God is revealed in history,” then we will also encounter God within the particular history of human religious expression that is Western esotericism. And from these theological reflections, the Inner Church of the esotericists, occultists, and mystics is revealed to be the true ekklesia of all who have conformed themselves to God’s vision of freedom and liberation, and who struggle to enact that vision in human society. The Inner Church is truly the hope of the world.
Could it be that the stories we tell in our churches weaken our efforts to be congregations who take risks in mission for the sake of love? In this thought-provoking book, Emily Ralph Servant suggests that the work of today's leaders is to explore new stories, listen to new voices, and open ourselves up to the Spirit's work of transformation. Experiments in Love engages in a three-way dialogue with feminist and liberation theologians, the social and behavioral sciences, and the Anabaptist tradition. Out of this vibrant conversation emerges the story of a God who takes the risk of being radically present to a vulnerable world. Because of God's courageous presence with us, we can also take the risk of being vulnerably present to others as God invites us all to participate in God's community of life, love, and flourishing.
In 2006, the contemporary American Pentecostal movement celebrated its 100th birthday. Over that time, its African American sector has been markedly influential, not only vis-a-vis other branches of Pentecostalism but also throughout the Christian church. Black Christians have been integrally involved in every aspect of the Pentecostal movement since its inception and have made significant contributions to its founding as well as the evolution of Pentecostal/charismatic styles of worship, preaching, music, engagement of social issues, and theology. Yet despite its being one of the fastest growing segments of the Black Church, Afro-Pentecostalism has not received the kind of critical attention it deserves. Afro-Pentecostalism brings together fourteen interdisciplinary scholars to examine different facets of the movement, including its early history, issues of gender, relations with other black denominations, intersections with popular culture, and missionary activities, as well as the movementOCOs distinctive theology. Bolstered by editorial introductions to each section, the chapters reflect on the state of the movement, chart its trajectories, discuss pertinent issues, and anticipate future developments. Contributors: Estrelda Y. Alexander, Valerie C. Cooper, David D. Daniels III, Louis B. Gallien, Jr., Clarence E. Hardy III, Dale T. Irvin, Ogbu U. Kalu, Leonard Lovett, Cecil M. Robeck, Jr., Cheryl J. Sanders, Craig Scandrett-Leatherman, William C. Turner, Jr., Frederick L. Ware, and Amos Yong
In this book, Ogbu Kalu provides an overview of Pentecostalism in Africa. He shows the amazing diversity of the faith, which flourishes in many different forms in diverse local contexts, and demonstrates that African Pentecostalism is distinctly African in character, not imported from the West.
Seminar paper from the year 2015 in the subject Theology - Systematic Theology, University of KwaZulu-Natal (Religion philosophy and classics), course: Masters, language: English, abstract: Scholarship on Pentecostalism and charismatic forms of worship has described Pentecostal and Charismatic churches in African as part of “a rapidly growing form of African Christianity;” that as a movement, “it is fast becoming one of the most significant expressions of Christianity on the continent...”( Anderson, 2001:167). This growth can be identified with many factors. Among these, is the issue of biblical interpretation, which compared to the mainline churches follows, distinct approaches. Despite this growth, the way in which most Pentecostal interpretations extract meanings from the text also points to certain hermeneutical challenges. Some of these challenges have been expressed in Herholdt (1998) model of Biblical hermeneutics. This work attempts to discuss two of Herholdt facets model of hermeneutics. It points out how hermeneutics has come to be singled out as one of challenges faced by these churches. An attention has been put on how these models may have contributed to the rapid growth of Pentecostalism and how still they can pose a challenge to sustain the currently experienced growth.
Did you know that there are five types of tithes in the Bible? Yet only one type is emphasized in the contemporary church. Is tithing part of the law of Moses that was abolished by Christ? Will failing to pay the tithe damn the soul? In the Order of Melchizedek: The Truth about Tithing in the New Testament explores and scripturally addresses these questions and other issues, including common misconceptions about tithing, the difference between giving and tithing in the Old and New Testaments, the convergence of Christ and Melchizedek, and scriptural remuneration for ministers. This book will illuminate the Scriptures to answer these questions and help Christians and ministers grapple with some of the controversies over the doctrine and practice of tithing that are common in the contemporary church.