This book investigates the substantial and growing contribution which African Independent and Pentecostal Churches are making to sustainable development in all its manifold forms. Moreover, this volume seeks to elucidate how these churches reshape the very notion of sustainable development and contribute to the decolonisation of development.

Fostering both overarching and comparative perspectives, the book includes chapters on West Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, and Burkina Faso) and Southern Africa (Zimbabwe and South Africa). It aims to open up a subfield focused on African Initiated Christianity within the religion and development discourse, substantially broadening the scope of the existing literature. Written predominantly by scholars from the African continent, the chapters in this volume illuminate potentials and perspectives of African Initiated Christianity, combining theoretical contributions, essays by renowned church leaders, and case studies focusing on particular churches or regional contexts.

While the contributions in this book focus on the African continent, the notion of development underlying the concept of the volume is deliberately wide and multidimensional, covering economic, social, ecological, political, and cultural dimensions. Therefore, the book will be useful for the community of scholars interested in religion and development as well as researchers within African studies, anthropology, development studies, political science, religious studies, sociology of religion, and theology. It will also be a key resource for development policymakers and practitioners.

The Open Access version of this book, available at

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9780367823825, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license

About the Author

Philipp OEhlmann is Head of the Research Programme on Religious Communities and Sustainable Development, Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin, and Research Associate, University of Pretoria, South Africa.

Wilhelm Grab is Head of the Research Programme on Religious Communities and Sustainable Development, Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin, and Extraordinary Professor, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Marie-Luise Frost is a Researcher, Research Programme on Religious Communities and Sustainable Development, Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin, and Research Associate, University of Pretoria, South Africa.

Reviews

"This book is one of the profoundest, scholarly attempts towards unpacking and decolonizing sustainable development through the prism of African Christianities. While some bemoan African Initiated Christianity, as antithetical to development, the contributors to this volume provide a more nuanced, critical and interdisciplinary perspective by exploring lived, everyday expressions and experiences of AICs and Pentecostals in Africa. This book prioritizes a bottom-up definition of development, from the viewpoint of religious adepts and practitioners, and its focus on overarching and regional perspectives add rich flavor, contributing to theoretical grid-making on religion and development from below. It is a "must-read" to scholars, policy makers, and practitioners who care to grasp the complex interplay of religion and sustainable development in Africa." - Afe Adogame, Maxwell M. Upson Professor of Religion and Society, Princeton Theological Seminary, United States of America

"This edited collection is an accessible and essential reading for anyone interested in unpacking issues of sustainable development in African contexts. Authors from a variety of backgrounds provide fascinating and multifaceted reflections on the way African Initiated churches' everyday work shapes and influences applied and spiritual development." - Barbara Bompani, Reader in Africa and International Development, Centre of African Studies, The University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom

"This book is a welcome addition to the growing literature on religion and development. Its exclusive focus on African initiated churches, in and outside Africa, renders it a novel collection of essays that sheds light on the unique role that these churches play in advancing development. It further demonstrates that development in Africa is no longer a colonial enterprise." - Gerrie ter Haar, Em. Professor Religion and Development, International Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands

"This timely volume challenges two long-cherished stereotypes on African Initiated Christianity: it firstly deconstructs notions of socio-political irrelevance by sketching its developmental agency; secondly it challenges modernist assumptions on social change by profiling the transformative potential of primarily spirit-empowered churches with reference to multi-directional perspectives of sustainable development in Africa." - Andreas Heuser, Professor for Extra-European Christianity, University of Basel, Switzerland

"The impact of religion, for example in world-view formation and ethical behaviour, cannot be ignored in theories and practises regarding sustainable development. This holds especially true for a religious continent such as Africa. In this book, the important domain of religion and development is explored by a variety of world-renowned scholars, making it timely and important contribution to this nascent academic field." - Cas Wepener, Professor of Practical Theology, University of Pretoria, South Africa

"It is a remarkable collection and a resource that will be of use to generations." - Gerald O. West, Professor Emeritus, Fellow of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Book Information
ISBN 9781032175799
Author Philipp OEhlmann
Format Paperback
Page Count 356
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 494g