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Spiritual Fathering in Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity in Southern and Western Africa: Toward an Inclusive Model
Abstract
This article studied the metaphor of spiritual fathering within Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity in southern and
western Africa. In these churches, the pastor of a congregation is not only perceived as a shepherd of the flock but also
as a spiritual father. The main study findings revealed three challenges of spiritual fathering: exclusion of women, illtreatment
of spiritual children, and Gender Based Violence (GBV). Spiritual fathering neglects the role of women
pastors and women church founders in spiritual parenting. Similarly, some imbalances exist in the relationship between
spiritual fathers and spiritual children. Some “spiritual fathers” use spiritual fathering to perpetuate GBV and other
types of abuse. The main objective of this article is to redefine the metaphor of “spiritual fathering” in the religious
community through the parenthood model as a theoretical framework. The article recommends inclusive metaphor in
contrast to the current challenges of spiritual fathering in popular religion.
... When a group of people bow to a Spiritual Father and create a network, they are referred to as their sons (Kgatle 2023). A spiritual parent helps believers connect with other familylike relationships based on faith. ...
... This means that the Spiritual Father is important in bringing the Christian family together during difficult times to boost the family's faith and to increase church membership (Ramabulana 2018). However, as Kgatle states, a shortcoming is that spiritual fathers tend to focus attention on their financially secure offspring (Kgatle 2023). The conclusion can be drawn that formal training does not constitute an essential requirement for leadership in prophetic ministry. ...
... The gospel is seen as a strong way to handle problems like bad luck, curses, health issues and magic (Kgatle 2023). ...
Within churches, congregational health and well-being require not only efficient church leadership, but also prudent church management. Good leadership structures influence governance and ministry tasks, and the awareness of accountability is a vital concept within organisations. It shapes the entire managerial progression influencing values, objectives and practices. This article reports on a study to establish the understanding of ministerial accountability in the New Prophetic Pentecostal churches. Findings reveal a unique understanding of leaders’ personal accountability, communal and cultural ministry practices and public accountability towards the broader community. This article speaks to the normative task of the Church and creates a new reflection on ministerial accountability and ethical practices as well as implications for congregational development broadly.Contribution: This article highlights findings on how New Prophetic Pentecostal churches understand the concept of ministerial accountability with limited literature on the topic. Gaining insight into the African cultural heritage and values when examining the neo-Pentecostal perspective will enhance the understanding regarding their beliefs and principles.
... Moreover, Klinken and Obadare (2018) pay attention to the contradiction between Christian citizenship and gender/sexual citizenship in Africa and to the importance of an inclusive approach to these questions within religious contexts. This scholarship is supported by Kgatle (2023) which focuses on spiritual fathering in African Pentecostalism introducing possible models could be more inclusive of minority identities. Moreover, the work of Kaunda and John (2020) positions African Pentecostalism's theological interaction with GSS, as well as presenting thematic referents for analyzing these interactions. ...
This research sought to find out how South African Pentecostalism impacted on the spiritual and overall health of MSM. With reference to this social context, it explores the ways that religious beliefs, sexual orientation and general healthy status interact. Twenty-five MSM participants of the Pentecostal faith from South Africa were interviewed for this study, and all interviews were conducted pursuant to ethics approval as afforded by their respective institutions. The research lies in the respondents’ religious inclusion and their levels of happiness, self-acceptance and self-esteem. A number of participants indicated that they had never been accepted in the Pentecostal church for who they are regarding their sexual orientation leading to low self-esteem and internalized homosexuality. These conflicts between faith and the sexual domain were the leading cause of conditions such as depression, anxiety, and social isolation. The research presented positive changes a s Regards spiritual health and overall health in MSM persons in SA Pentecostal environments. Additionally, findings underscored the importance of fostering inclusive faith-based interventions and support networks to improve MSM individuals’ spiritual and psychological well-being. The study emphasizes the need for inclusion of MSM individual within the religious South African Pentecostal assemblies in order to improve the religious and general health status of these people. Recommendations derived from the research include the use of religious rhetoric in motivational discussions with key opinion leaders, the provision of culturally appropriate psychological interventions, and increased access to health care for MSM. Furthermore, practical strategies such as structured peer support groups and faith-driven mental health initiatives are essential in fostering acceptance and reducing stigma. Thus, the present research aligns with the provisions of the Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 10 to stress the need to pay more attention to the role of spirituality and sexuality in African societies.
... These appellations make the neo-Pentecostal pastor a respectable person among the congregants and in a way, can also make the believers always accede to the demands of their pastors. When the allegations of Bishop I Makamu surfaced, there was an impression that he was a "daddy" and his victim was a "daughter" (Kgatle, 2023). This is another form that creates power dynamics within the neo-Pentecostal churches where a pastor or a prophet is a "daddy" or a "papa" and the congregants are more like children. ...
One of the tenets of neo-Pentecostalism is the claim of "hearing from God", particularly by neo-Pentecostal pastors and prophets in Africa. It is for this reason that even during the sermon presentation in Neo-Pentecostalism there is an element of “thus says the Lord”. This notion is theorised here as a God-talk rhetoric to apply to neo-Pentecostalism. The intersectionality of God-talk rhetoric and abuse of women within neo-Pentecostalism has been explored in previous studies. The contribution here is the development of the Pentecostal theology of hearing from God in addressing these abuses. The background to this study will be given by exploring the notion of "hearing from God" in the context of the broader Pentecostal movement. The article will also introduce God-talk rhetoric as a theoretical framework for this study. The cases where pastors used this framework to abuse women will also be highlighted using the case study method. The research question is how do Pentecostals understand the notion of hearing from God given the abuses? What is the Pentecostal theology of hearing from God that can help address women's abuse and other abuses? The article attempts to answer these questions to develop a Pentecostal theology of hearing from God.
TB Joshua emerged as one of African Pentecostalism’s premier prophetic healer-deliverers during his ministry with the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), based in Nigeria but striving to have a global presence. With a commanding media presence that showcased the defeat of numerous diseases, including those categorised as incurable, as well as operating a highly visible charitable wing, he became one of the leading religious figures in Africa and beyond. However, his activities courted controversy from various actors. He generated opposition from within Christianity and beyond, with some critics charging that his approach was unorthodox. They also maintained that his miracles were a staged spectacle to attract more members and enlarge his circle of influence. Others wondered whether the practice of having people queuing with placards announcing their health challenges was ethical. Some of the critics included individuals who had served in his ministry, before they took the exit option. In early 2024, there was an uproar when the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Africa Eye aired a documentary featuring a number of TB Joshua’s former inner team, some of who alleged, among other issues, that TB Joshua had sexually abused some of them, the miracles were staged and he indulged in occult practices and other misdemeanours. This chapter reviews the responses to the BBC documentary and seeks to interpret how various individuals and groups reacted. It also draws out some of the implications for the study African Pentecostalism/religion in Africa.
The African religiosity that permeates all human existence is driven by a consuming desire for connection with the spiritual world that provides and protects human flourishing. African neo-Pentecostal prophets (ANPPs) respond to this need by imposing themselves as the sacral agents that can connect people to God. The sacralisation of prophets leads them to personalise the church as their personal property. The question answered by this article is as follows: from a Christian soteriological perspective of Jesus as the only sufficient intermediary between God and humanity, how can we address the African need for connection with God that fosters a reliance on African neo-Pentecostal prophets and leads to the sacralisation of these prophets and the personalisation of the church? This article uses Christ’s redemption of believers to challenge ANPPs’ response to the African need for connection with God that leads to these prophets’ domination and exploitation of their followers. This article challenges ANPPs to promote the freedom of Christ’s redemptive work instead of sacralising themselves and personalising the church, which instils a religion of fear that keeps their followers subservient to prophets. The contribution of this article lies in assisting Christians, in this case the followers of ANPPs, to realise that sacralising the prophets provides grounds for these prophets to personalise the church. Therefore, Christ’s redemptive work should be affirmed and promoted as a means of protecting the church from being personalised by sacralised prophets.
Pentecostal Christians in Africa preach a pragmatic gospel that attempts to address social, practical and contextual concerns. Similar patterns may be seen in the emergence of neo-Pentecostalism in South Africa and other parts of the continent. Neo-Pentecostalism is commonly known for the use of God-talk that promises people solutions to their socio-economic issues such as unemployment and poverty if they obey the prescripts of the so-called ‘prophets’ or ‘man of God’. Nonetheless, the global devastation caused by the COVID-19 left much to be desired. In South Africa, it highlighted the high extent of gender-based violence (GBV) in addition to other societal issues. Although GBV has always been a problem in South Africa, its cases increased drastically during the COVID-19 pandemic to the point where GBV was also declared a pandemic. This has compelled various social structures to start exploring solutions to stop this conundrum. The overarching question posed in this article was how neo-Pentecostal rhetoric about God contributes to GBV cases in South Africa before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, given that God-talk has been utilised to influence people’s perceptions of and reactions to other societal concerns. As a result, this article aimed to investigate this subject while also outlining some potential solutions that African Pentecostals can consider as possible contributions to the struggle against GBV in contemporary South Africa. The study used a literature analysis to achieve this goal and it followed an interdisciplinary approach in the collection of the relevant data. These disciplines included theology, social sciences gender and sexuality studies. Therefore, the literature analysis focused on how neo-Pentecostalism intersect with gender and social issues that are actors in the rise of GBV in South Africa. Furthermore, the concept of God-talk was adopted as a theoretical framework guiding the discussion in this article, whilst the African ethic of Ubuntu [humanness] was proposed as an antidote that can be used in transforming God-talk and contributors of GBV in church and society. Ubuntu brings to consciousness that pastors and every member of society should treat each other as created in the image of God and with respect and humanness as we all exist because of and for others.
Contributions: This article contributes to the body of knowledge aimed at finding solutions to GBV in South Africa. Finding solutions is critical as GBV continue to be a challenge in South Africa and elsewhere.
Exposure of gender-based violence (GBV) has recently received attention from both scholars and the public. However, GBV within Christian discourse, and specifically as it occurs among pastors of the new Prophetic Pentecostal Churches (PPC), is yet to be explored in detail. This article begins to address this research gap by highlighting the difficulty of proving sexual and spiritual abuse in a secular court of law, as shown in the public trial of Timothy Omotoso. The study uses critical discourse analysis (CDA) as the methodology to examine aspects of the trial and the social media discourse commenting on the trial. In doing so, the article highlights three different discourses surrounding the Zondi trial, namely the discourse of GBV in Pentecostalism; the secular legal discourse and how it reshapes faith, spirituality and the abuse of believers; and the public trial victims endure on social media if they chose to come forward to testify against a church leader. By examining these discourses, the study shows how each of these need to be taken seriously and should inform pastoral care given to victims who experienced GBV by Christian leaders. Using the findings from Zondi’s testimony, this article proposes a framework of pastoral care that can support people who experience GBV within a Christian context and consider bringing their abusers to trial.
Interdisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article is an interface between GBV and Pentecostalism in a public trial of Timothy Omotoso through CDA. The article proposes a pastoral care as a remedy for those undergoing trauma of abuse.
In mainline churches, the ministry of prophecy or the prophetic ministry involves the proclamation of the gospel. This, in turn, is related to the every-believer ministry. However, there is now a resurgence of the prophetic ministry as a special office as evidenced by the establishment of neo-prophetic churches. This article argues that neo-prophetic churches are tapping into people’s longing for the fresh divine word to speak directly into their personal situations. The article also probes whether neo-prophets in the prophetic activities are not also preying on people’s faith.
From megachurches in movie theatres to prayer groups held in living rooms, Pentecostals worldwide are constantly carrying out religious activities that ultimately aim to integrate diverse worshippers into the kingdom of God. Born-again Christians refashion their ‘ways of being’ by breaking down and re-establishing the interpersonal relationships shaped and changed by emerging diasporic modernities. I examined some of these changing ways of being by comparing the discursive practices of African Pentecostal pastors in Johannesburg (South Africa) and Bilbao (Spain). These case-studies demonstrate how these migrant-initiated churches create a ‘social architecture’, a platform on which African worshippers find social and spiritual integration in increasingly globalized contexts. I argue that the subdivision of large congregations into specialized fellowship groups provides African migrants with alternative strategies to achieve a sense of belonging in an expanding diasporic network. Their transformative mission of spiritual education, by spreading African(ized) and Pentecostal values according to age, gender, or social roles, helps to uplift them from being a marginalized minority to being a powerful group occupying a high moral ground.
In South Africa, ideas around fatherhood, parenthood and family life are greatly shifting as people find themselves caught up between traditional and contemporary understandings of fatherhood and motherhood. Even though more than 70% of young South Africans stated in a national survey that parenthood is one of the top four defining features of adulthood, father absence is on the increase. Some in-depth literature study was conducted regarding South African research on fatherhood and father absence, and the role of both Christian churches and secular organisations in addressing some of these challenges brought on by rapidly growing figures of father absence. The article concludes with some suggestions on the development of a new paradigm in understanding fatherhood in South Africa, with special reference to the role of Christian churches in assisting men to construct a narrative around fatherhood, which will lead to satisfying relationships with their children, their partners and especially with God.
How do we explain the emergency of ‘spiritual parenting’ concept within African Pentecostal churches especially in urban Zimbabwe? From ethnographic studies done in Harare, Zimbabwe, these seem to usurp the traditional role of motherhood and fatherhood of counselling, instructing, protecting, guidance and all the functions of parenthood. This study explains the emergence of spiritual parenting as a development plausibly explainable through social variables such as i) the disintegration of traditional patriarchal values due to growing urbanisation and ii) socio-economic insecurities that seem to produce alternative kinship ties. Taking a constructive postmodern approach, the concept of spiritual parenting is plausibly explained as providing alternative ‘fatherhood’ spaces, thus implicitly re-invent traditional patriarchal models under the guise of Christian spiritualities.
Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: Using social scientific approaches, the study explains the emergence of particular spiritualties in modern African Christianity, viewing such spiritualties as influenced by particular explanatory social variables. It argues that new spiritualties and practices within African Pentecostalism may be plausibly explained vis-à-vis from particular cultural realities.
This article reflects and makes recommendations on the recent unusual practices within some Neo-Pentecostal churches in South Africa. Neo-Pentecostal churches in South Africa refer to churches that have crossed denominational boundaries. These churches idolise the miraculous, healing, deliverance and enactment of bizarre church performances often performed by charismatic and highly influential spiritual leaders. There have been unusual practices within some Neo-Pentecostal churches that include, among others, the eating of grass, eating of snakes, drinking of petrol, spraying of Doom on the congregants and other experiences. There are many possible theological, psychological and socio-economic explanations for these unusual practices. Given the facts that many South Africans experience various socio-economic challenges, it is argued here that the socio-economic factor is the main explanation for the support of these unusual practices. The unusual practices within some Neo-Pentecostal churches in South Africa are critically unpacked by looking at various churches where the incidents happened. The possible theological, psychological and socio-economic explanations for such practices are outlined in detail. Recommendations are made based on the scientific findings on the unusual practices.
In urban southern Nigeria there is a widespread spiritual revival pioneered by Pentecostal pastors who claim
to deliver prophecies, miracles, and healings. In many places, multiple churches can be seen within a few
hundred yards of each other, while in other places, different floors of multistory buildings are occupied by
different church denominations. There is competition among the pastors to present themselves as spiritually
powerful and financially favored by God. Some of the pastors, calling themselves “prophets,” engage in
immoral and fraudulent activities. Women are the predominant followers of these male religious leaders, and
sexual exploitation of vulnerable women by these religious leaders is common. The prophets sexually exploit
vulnerable women with the promise of “spiritual cleansing.” Based on news reports, this article discusses cases
of sexual abuse and exploitation of women and girls by their pastors in Nigeria. These cases show how
prophets promise that the sexual interactions will enable the women to escape demonic possession or to fulfil
the “will of God.”
One of the key features of Pentecostal/charismatic churches is their sensational appeal. Taking as a point of departure the experience of the Holy Spirit as a "portable," embodied power source, this essay seeks to contribute to developing alternative concepts that expand our view of Pentecostalism as it emerges through a "Protestant lens." First, I critically discuss the severance of aesthetics and Protestantism, and the concomitant dismissal of "form" in the work of Max Weber. I argue for the need to recapture an understanding of religion as aesthetics, albeit taken in the broad sense of aisthesis, advocated by Aristotle. Calling for the reappreciation of form as absolutely essential to religious experience, I then introduce the notion of the sensational form, which allows us to grasp how the Holy Spirit operates according to Pentecostal understanding and experience. Presenting the term aesthetics of persuasion, I address the question of how aesthetics is relevant to broader modalities of binding and politics of belonging - paying attention to Jacques Rancière's "distribution of the sensible." Taking Pentecostalism as a prominent representative of global Christianity, I seek not only to enhance our understanding of its particular sensational religiosity but also to outline new directions in the broader study of Protestantism and Christianity in general.
Pentecostalism is a global phenomenon with a large following in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and other parts of the world. The rise, growth and influence of Pentecostalism in Africa are enormous and have, without fear of contradiction, become one of the dominant expressions of Christianity on the continent. A contextual analysis of Christianity in Africa showed that the African soil is more fertile for this movement. Its manifestation ranges from classical Pentecostalism (first wave), to the charismatic movement (second wave) and the charismatic renewal movements (third wave). Its growth in Africa came with a fair number of missiological challenges to evangelical reformed churches, and therefore this article sought to sketch this movement by providing a historical perspective on Pentecostalism, a contextual analysis of Pentecostalism in Africa, issues and challenges in Pentecostalism, and concludes by looking closely at a reformed missional reflection, thereby providing some nuances as to how best one can minister effectively in the context of Pentecostalism. This article called for evangelical reformed churches to exercise the spirit of discernment whilst dealing with the influence of Pentecostalism, but at the same time to learn from this movement the zeal for mission and the role of the Holy Spirit in mission.
This study documents the history and growth of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). The RCCG is a pentecostal church in Nigeria, established in 1952, but was little known until the 1990s when it came into national prominence. It was founded by Josiah Akindayomi who was converted form Yoruba religion into the Church Missionary Society (CMS). He left the CMS to join the Cherubim and Seraphim (C&S), one of the emerging African Independent Churches (AICs). From here, he founded his own independent church which in subsequent years developed into a pentecostal church. The RCCG is one of many pentecostal churches existing in Nigeria. Although some research exists on Nigerian Pentecostalism, there is almost nothing on the RCCG. The present study presents a case study which deals with Pentecostalism in Nigeria and tries to relate it to globalisation discourse. It is the first such study from Africa. Its contribution is in providing a case study on a religious group that also relates to contemporary processes which, some scholars have argued, have side-stepped Africa (Brouwer et al. 1996; Gifford 1998; 2001; Cooper 2001). It builds on, and follows the scholarly tradition of Peel (1968; 2000); Hackett (1987; 1989); Marshall-Fratani (1998). These scholars have worked on the Nigerian religious sphere by combining History of Religions and social scientific approaches. The study is made up of three parts. Part one is composed of the historical section comprising chapters 2 and 3 which includes the biographies of the founder of RCCG and his successor. Part two is the descriptive section which is made up of chapters 4, 5 and 6. This section focuses on organisational structure, institutions, doctrines and rituals of the RCCG. Chapter 4 presents the organisational structure of the church at the present period. It also discusses some of the para-church groups, schools, media use, finance and the place of women in the church. Chapter 5 examines the belief system while chapter 6 presents the ritual activities of the church. Part 3, which consists of chapter 7, is the theoretical reflection on our case study. While the RCCG has grown by reinterpreting its doctrines in line with local social, economic, political and cultural situation, part of its appeal to a broad spectrum of people, groups and organisations is its marketing strategies as well as its relationship with global economic players such as Coca-Cola company, Procter and Gamble, a wide range of manufacturing companies, banks and other financial institutions which provide scarce human and economic resources for the churchs social, religious, economic and political mobilisation in Nigeria. Die Studie dokumentiert die Entstehung und Entwicklung der Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). Die RCCG ist eine pentekostale Kirche in Nigeria. Sie wurde 1952 gegründet, war aber recht unbekannt, bis sie in den 1990er Jahren nationale Berühmtheit erlangte. Sie wurde von Josiah Akindayomi gegründet, der von der Religion der Yoruba zur Church Missionary Society (CMS) konvertierte. Er verließ die CMS, um sich der Cherubim and Seraphim (C&S) Bewegung, einer der afrikanischen unabhängigen Kirchen (African Independent Churches, AIC), anzuschließen. Vor diesem Hintergrund gründete er seine eigene unabhängige Kirche, die sich in den nachfolgenden Jahren zu einer pentekostalen Kirche entwickelte. Die RCCG ist eine von vielen in Nigeria existierenden pentekostalen Kirchen. Es wurde zwar schon viel zum nigerianischen Pfingstkirchentum geforscht, zur RCCG liegt jedoch fast nichts vor. Die vorliegende Arbeit stellt eine Fallstudie vor, die mit dem Pfingstkirchentum in Nigeria befasst ist und versucht, dieses mit dem Globalisierungsdiskurs in Beziehung zu setzen. Es ist die erste Studie dieser Art über ein Beispiel aus Afrika. Ihr Beitrag liegt darin, eine Fallstudie über eine religiöse Gruppe zu präsentieren, die an gegenwärtige Prozesse anknüpft, von denen manche Wissenschaftler behauptet haben, dass sie Afrika umgangen hätten (Brouwer et al. 1996; Gifford 1998; 2001; Cooper 2001). Sie baut auf der wissenschaftlichen Tradition von Peel (1968; 2000), Hackett (1987; 1989) und Marshall-Fratani (1998) auf und setzt diese fort. Diese Forscher verwenden in ihren Arbeiten zu den nigerianischen Religionen eine Kombination von religionshistorischen und sozialwissenschaftlichen Ansätzen. Die Arbeit besteht aus drei Teilen. Der erste Teil bietet eine allgemeine Einleitung, in der der historische Kontext, die Forschungsgeschichte, die Fragestellung und der methodische Ansatz dargestellt werden. Der zweite, umfangreichste Teil bietet zunächst einen historischen Abschnitt (Kapitel 2 und 3), der die Biographien des Gründers der RCCG und seines Nachfolgers enthält. Der zweite Abschnitt (Kapitel 4-6) ist deskriptiv und konzentriert sich auf die Organisationsstruktur, Einrichtungen, Lehrsätze und Rituale der RCCG. In Kapitel 4 wird die Organisationsstruktur der Kirche zum gegenwärtigen Zeitpunkt vorgestellt. Einige der para-kirchlichen Gruppen, die Schulen, die Verwendung von Medien, die Finanzen und die Stellung von Frauen in der Kirche werden ebenfalls diskutiert. In Kapitel 5 wird das Glaubenssystem untersucht, während in Kapitel 6 die rituellen Aktivitäten der Kirche dargestellt werden. Der dritte Teil, der aus Kapitel 7 besteht, enthält die theoretische Reflexion über unsere Fallstudie.
hild and Adolescent Development for Educators covers development from early childhood through high school. This text provides authentic, research-based strategies and guidelines for the classroom, helping future teachers to create an environment that promotes optimal development in children. The authors apply child development concepts to topics of high interest and relevance to teachers, including classroom behaviour management, constructivism, social-emotional development, and many others. The text combines core theory with practical implications for educational contexts, and shows how child development links to the Australian Professional Standards for Graduate Teachers. Case studies and real-world vignettes illustrate concepts, while research, including the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, and Longitudinal Study of Indigenous children, bridges the distance between research and the classroom.
Pentecostalism is a growing movement in world Christianity. However, the growth of Pentecostalism in South Africa has faced some challenges, including the abuse of religion by some prophets. This book first names these prophets and the churches they lead in South Africa, and then makes use of literary and media analysis to analyse the religious practices by the prophets in relation to cultism. Additionally, the book analyses the “celebrity cult” and how it helps promote the prophets in South Africa. The purpose of this book is threefold: First, to draw parallels between the abuse of religion and cultism. Second, to illustrate that it is cultic tendencies, including the celebrity cult, that has given rise to many prophets in South Africa. Last, to showcase that the challenge for many of these prophets is that the Pentecostal tradition is actually anti-cultism, and thus there is a need for them to rethink their cultic tendencies in order for them to be truly relevant in a South African context.
Mookgo Solomon Kgatle is Associate Professor at the University of South Africa. He is a National Research Foundation (NRF) Y Rated researcher (2019-2024) in the area of African Pentecostalism, and is visiting scholar at the Centre for Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies-University of Birmingham (2020-2022).
This book critically examines contemporary Pentecostalism in South Africa and its influence on some of the countries that surround it. Pentecostalism plays a significant role in the religious life of this region and so evaluating its impact is key to understanding how religion functions in Twenty-First Century Africa.
Beginning with an overview of the roots of Pentecostalism in Southern Africa, the book moves on to identify a current "fourth" wave of this form of Christianity. It sets out the factors that have given rise to this movement and then offers the first academic evaluation of its theology and practice. Positive aspects as well as extreme or negative practices are all identified in order to give a balanced and nuanced assessment of this religious group and allow the reader to gain valuable insight into how it interacts with wider African society.
This book is cutting-edge look at an emerging form of one of the fastest-growing religions in the world. It will, therefore, be of great use to scholars working in Pentecostalism, Theology, Religious Studies and African Religion as well as African Studies more generally.
Across Africa, Christianity is thriving in all shapes and sizes. But one particular strain of Christianity prospers more than most - Pentecostalism. Pentecostals believe that everyone can personally receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as prophecy or the ability to speak in tongues. In Africa, this kind of faith, in which the supernatural is a daily presence, is sweeping the continent. Today, about 107 million Africans are Pentecostals - and the numbers continue to rise. This book reviews Pentecostalism in Africa. It shows the amazing diversity of the faith, which flourishes in many different forms in diverse local contexts. While most people believe that Pentecostalism was brought to Africa and imposed on its people by missionaries, the book argues emphatically that this is not the case. Throughout, the book demonstrates that African Pentecostalism is distinctly African in character, not imported from the West. With an even-handed approach, the book presents the religion's many functions in African life. Rather than shying away from controversial issues like the role of money and prosperity in the movement, it describes malpractice when it is observed. The book touches upon the movement's identity, the role of missionaries, media and popular culture, women, ethics, Islam, and immigration.
The new Pentecostal churches in South Africa, while not as numerically significant as those elsewhere in Africa, follow similar patterns. Tracing the rise of white megachurches in the 1980s and the subsequent emergence of black Charismatic churches similar to those found elsewhere in Africa, this article outlines their ambivalent relationship with the apartheid regime and the increasing disillusionment of black Pentecostals in the run-up to the 1994 elections. It traces the roles of Pentecostal and Charismatic leaders in the new South Africa and the impact of African Charismatic preachers from elsewhere, pilgrimages to other Pentecostal centres and other factors of globalization. After a survey of different Pentecostal churches, it discusses how new South African Pentecostals illustrate Coleman's dimensions of a globalized Charismatic Christianity.
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