AbstractThis article introduces Religion & Development as a new transdisciplinary journal focusing on the nexus between religion and development. It outlines the motivation for establishing the new periodical along three central themes: the move towards sustainable development as dominant development paradigm; the reinvigoration of the post-development debate; and the emerging academic, policy and practice field of religion and development. The discussion proceeds to highlight the envisaged task of the journal as well as its transdisciplinary and collaborative span. Moreover, it delineates Religion & Development’s core editorial policies, before setting the scene for the contributions of the journal’s first issue.

AbstractMore than half a century has passed since the first monographs on African Christian prophetism were published. The prophetic element was only the most dramatic and prominent part of developments that sought to bring the biblical material alive in ways that had not been experienced in the ecclesiology of Western mission Christianity. The ministries of African charismatic figures of the early 20th century were oriented towards the biblical phenomenon of the prophetic, and the related issue of divine or faith healing, sometimes even to the neglect of the use of bio-medical resources. The developments have been interrogated in religious studies, theology, and the sociology and psychology of religion showing how important these churches have been in the African public sphere.

AbstractThis book uniquely bridges biblical exegesis and lived African reality. Readers gain fresh hermeneutical tools to interpret miracles in the gospels and pauline signs without rationalist bias. By engaging West African spiritual contexts, it validates local miracle claims and challenges cessationism. Scholars, pastors, and students receive a culturally relevant framework for understanding the miraculous as dynamic, contextual, and theologically sound - essential for those ministering where supernatural worldviews dominate and Scripture meets daily spiritual experience.

AbstractThis article examines the portrayal of prophetism in the works of J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu and compares it with the depiction of prophetism by the author of the gospel of Luke. Prophetism is a recurrent religious phenomenon in the Christian faith, particularly in Africa. Many scholars have undertaken seminal works on the subject, depending on the popularity and effect of the experience on contemporary Christianity. Many Christian denominations have suffered schism due to the erupting of prophetic ministry and have also benefitted from the phenomenon by negotiating for religious innovations that resonate with the worldview of members of the congregation. Often, the questions asked are whether these strands of prophetism are aligned with the biblical philosophy of prophetism and which genre of the Bible contemporary prophetism reflects. This study engages the narrative research method to discuss critically how Asamoah-Gyadu writes about prophetism in contemporary African Christianity and how the author of Luke portrays it and draws lessons for scholars, contemporary prophets, and Christian denominations in which the experience is not common.

Abstract"Babel is everywhere! Migrant readings from Africa, Europe and Asia" sets out to explore the intersection between religion, identity and migration. It does so by telling entangled histories between diaspora/s and homeland and by analysing biblical in-roads to issues and challenges of migration. It also explores hyphenated identities and takes a close look at the role of migrant religion specifically regarding issues of mission, of identity formation and of ecclesial and societal formation. This book challenges static notions of diaspora, stable identities and Western-centred notions of Christianity and offers kaleidoscopic insights from Pentecostal, migrant and intercultural perspectives.

AbstractHow do African Pentecostals theologize about pandemics, evil, and hope? What are the religio-theological lessons that can be drawn from COVID-19 and the history of pandemics in Africa? This book draws from African theological, philosophical, historical, and practical theological perspectives to discuss the discourses and responses to pandemics in African socio-cultural contexts. Their authors, from diverse perspectives, look at the relevance of African eschatological and apocalyptic attitudes to pandemics to illustrate how sometimes, Christians seem powerless in the face of evil and suffering. In other words, theodicy, as it relates to public health issues continues to be a live issue within the African religious sphere. The collection of essays offers responses to issues of God's omnipotence, theodicy, and hope, in difficult times. The collection proposes a Christian theological framework for ministry in the African context in times of suffering and evil.

AbstractDespite the popularity of religion in African settings such as Ghana, reports of moral decline abound. This article reviews traditional, mission, and Christian theological perspectives of morality in Ghana. Using interviews, surveys, and content analysis of vehicle slogans, it examines what Ghanaians today consider to be values in terms of virtues and vices. It explores implications for Christian mission involvement in shaping morality in education and the public sphere.

AbstractReligion and life, both private and public, remain strongly linked in Africa. This was recently expressed in a prayer vigil organized by Ghana Airways when the staff and management invited a London-based Ghanaian evangelist, Lawrence Tetteh, to lead a 'healing and deliverance' service aimed at exorcizing evil spirits from the affairs of the airline and releasing it from its predicaments. The organization of a healing and deliverance session by a public corporation, it is argued, is symptomatic of the quick African resort to the sphere of religion in the search for solutions to life's difficulties. Religious functionaries including Pentecostal/Charismatic pastors are important in Africa as purveyors of powerful prayers, potent medicines, and amulets for protection against evil. The Pentecostal 'healing and deliverance' ministry has become popular in African contexts like that of Ghana because it takes African worldviews of mystical causality seriously. This Christianity promises Christian alternatives to the search for security that drives people into the courts of other religious functionaries.

AbstractThis article reflects on integrity as a virtue of Christian leadership. It defines integrity, explores what the Bible has to say about it and why it is an essential characteristic for leaders to possess.

AbstractChristianity in Africa has changed in several ways since the rise of the independent church movement early in the twentieth century. Among the changes that have taken place is the way in which Christianity is instrumentalised against the forces of evil that impair human efforts at flourishing. In contemporary Pentecostal/charismatic Christianity with its emphasis on prosperity and well-being, imprecatory prayers and curses have become important in dealing with the shortfalls of this gospel of success and upward mobility. The use of curses, although justified by its exponents by appeal to various scriptures, also resonates with African traditional systems of thought in which sources of evil are cursed in libation prayers to remove them as obstacles to human self-actualisation believed to be promised by God.

AbstractChildlessness is an issue of deep religious concern in Africa. Men, women and couples with problems of sexuality and childlessness make use not only of the resources of traditional African religions but also of the many Pentecostal/charismatic churches and movements that have burgeoned throughout sub-Saharan Africa in the last three decades. Initially this was the domain of the older African independent churches, as far as the Christian response to childlessness is concerned; the new Pentecostals have taken on the challenge too. Based on the same biblical and traditional worldviews that events have causes, these churches have mounted ritual contexts that wrestle with the issues of sexuality and childlessness. In pursuing this salvific endeavor, however, the needs of those who may never have children seem to have been neglected by the churches considered here and represented by the Pure Fire Miracle Ministries, a Ghana/Nigeria charismatic church located in Ghana. This partial approach to 'healing' childlessness has led to one-sided interpretations of what it means to be fruitful and prosperous and deepened the troubles of the childless.

AbstractThis article argues that the shift of the central axis of Christian faith from the northern to the southern continents is truer of the Pentecostal movements and denominations than the mainline churches. Africa has moved to center stage in the presence and practice of Christianity, particularly with the massive growth being experienced within the Pentecostal family. Among the Pentecostal movements proliferating in the sub-region of West Africa are the charismatic churches or ministries which emerged from the late 1970s. The attraction these hold for the indigenous people lies in the fact that they have replaced the cerebral Christianity of the traditional western mission denominations with one that takes seriously the activity of the Holy Spirit. Using an example from Ghana, I draw attention to the fact that women are playing a central role in these burgeoning charismatic churches. This in itself is very significant considering that in the history of African Christianity the role of women has mostly been restricted, marginalized, or both. It is the prophet-healing churches which first gave women prominence in ministry. However, their functions were very controlled due to the many taboos placed on them; in addition, they were justified either from scripture or from the traditional code. The charismatic churches have initiated a shift from this restrictive paradigm. They are proffering a theology that waives the restrictions on women. The role of women in the mission of the church has in these ministries been made equal to that of men, and it is in this area among others that the new churches have much to contribute to Christian mission in Africa.

AbstractThis paper explores the practices, teachings, positive benefits, problematic aspects and perils associated with anointing with oil in recent African Pentecostal/charismatic ministries and churches. With particular focus upon the author’s first-hand encounters with these phenomena in Ghana and Nigeria, various anointing practices and teachings are commended and critiqued in terms of biblical precedents and sacramental theological insights.

AbstractThis article examines some of the changes that have taken place within world Christianity in the last century, particularly in Africa, and as reflected in various articles of the International Review of Mission (IRM) over the past 100 years. These changes include a shift in the demographic centre of Christianity from the North to the South, and the rise and development of Pentecostalism. This relates to Africans becoming disenchanted with aspects of mission Christianity that were unable to work with indigenous enchanted worldviews.

AbstractChristian religious innovation has been ongoing in Africa since the early 20th century. It started with indigenous charismatic prophets calling on people to turn over their old deities and submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ. The ministries of these itinerant prophets led to mass conversions culminating in the formation of what became known as the African independent/instituted/initiated churches (AICs). For the best part of the 20th century the AICs defined what counted as Christian in an African indigenous sense. The argument of this article is that the acronym AICs has, since the closing decades of the 20th century, acquired a much broader meaning to include the new Pentecostal/charismatic movements and churches that have burgeoned across the continent. Their trademarks include youthful urban-centred congregations, media-driven ministries, and the preaching of a gospel of prosperity. The contributions of both the classical AICs and the contemporary Pentecostals to African Christianity have been phenomenal. As Christian churches, however, we ought to evaluate them not just in terms of numerical or sociological impact, but most especially in terms of transformational discipleship. There is much to celebrate in transformational discipleship as far as the ministries of these African Reformation movements are concerned, but there as yet remain areas of concern that need to be dealt with for the optimization of Christian impact in Africa.

AbstractAll Pentecostal churches begin as ecumenical revival movements. Pentecostals do not want to found new churches, but bring life to existing ones. Pentecostalism has blossomed in many parts of the world, including Africa, as an ecumenical enterprise. Its emphasis on the experience of the Spirit, lack of formal liturgical structures and versatile ecclesiology means that, where it is found, Pentecostalism is able to bring together people from across denominations. This paper describes the ecumenical orientation of African Pentecostalism, based on its history, mission and theological focus as observed in Ghana.

AbstractThis article responds to a simple question: What are the distinctive contributions of Pentecostalism to the making of world Christianity? We cannot touch on every conceivable point in the discussion, and thus for our purposes I identify seven major interrelated areas that ought to stimulate our thoughts in reflecting on Pentecostalism as a global movement influencing world Christianity today. This article is devoted neither to global pentecostal statistical returns, as important as that may be, nor to the different types of pentecostal/charismatic movements in the world. Rather, I focus on the critical importance of the experience of the Holy Spirit as the religious core of this stream of Christianity and the practical ways in which the Spirit has inspired pentecostal activity in the world.

AbstractIn Ghana, as with other African religious and cultural contexts, religion is a survival strategy. It is a dynamic phenomenon, which at every level of appropriation has been experiencing certain innovations informed by existential and supra-mundane needs. Some of these innovative appropriations of religion in contemporary Ghana include pilgrimages to religious sites in search of God's intervention for healing. Roman Catholicism, mainline Protestantism and Pentecostalism, the three main streams of Christian expression in Ghana have all had their members develop penchants for such pilgrimages although patronage is never denomination specific. In this article we examine some of the innovative ways in which healing pilgrimages have developed in the various Christian traditions and what implications these have for understanding religion in a contemporary African religio-cultural context.

AbstractThis article discusses the role of mega size African Pentecostal/charismatic prophets and charismatic figures in the public response to Covid-19. There were responses to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in late 2019, and in Africa, a lot of these were religious. This article examines the intersection between religion and the Covid-19 pandemic, in the context contemporary African charismatic-prophetism. The data is sought mainly from oral and media sources of the various charismatic figures at the center of the discussion. The same religious interpretations that inform the understanding of events in society and human life in Africa were extended to the interpretation, diagnosis, and response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The charismatic power and influence of Pentecostal/charismatic church leaders, such as Emmanuel Makandiwa of Zimbabwe, was evident through the public role that the prophets played as these churches articulated their responses to the pandemic as a public health issue with spiritual implications.

AbstractThe rise of immigrant churches and African-led churches in the Diaspora is one of the most important developments to occur in world mission at the end of the 20th century. Most of these churches are made up of Africans who felt left out in the historic churches of the West. A number of these are of Pentecostal/charismatic persuasion and have developed into some of the most dynamic religious communities in the countries where they exist. Additionally, a new type of African-led church has emerged in the diaspora in Europe. This article is a case study of two well-known African diaspora mega-churches in Europe, the Church of the Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God for all Nations based in Kyiv, Ukraine led by Sunday Adelaja, and the London-based Kingsway International Christian Center led by Matthew Ashimolowo. Using the conversion narratives of the born-again experience and the subsequent redemptive uplifts that people testify to have experienced through these churches, the article discusses the importance of these developments within the context of mission and migration in the diaspora.

AbstractThis is an edited version of a paper delivered at the Consultation of the Lausanne Theology Working Group in partnership with the WEA Theological Commission, "The Whole Church," held in Panama City, Panama, 26-30 January 2009. The following article was written and accepted prior to the news that Pastor Sunday Adelaja is under investigation for fraud. Even if it transpires that Pastor Sunday is guilty in some way, we cannot judge the whole church, or the whole work of God, on the basis of failings...

AbstractOral Roberts is perhaps the first North American Pentecostal preacher to have a truly global ministry. Th is article discusses his influence on Pentecostalism in Africa through the holding of evangelical healing crusades around the world and also hosting a worldwide media ministry through the use of radio, television, and the distribution of books and magazines. Th rough these visits and media ministry, Oral Roberts inspired and influenced many leading Pentecostal leaders in Africa, including the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa of Nigeria and Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams of Ghana. An important and enduring influence of the ministry of Oral Roberts in Africa, this article suggests, is in the theology of “Seed Faith,” founded on the principle of sowing and reaping, which was an important feature of what later became known as the prosperity gospel. In studying the ministry of Oral Roberts and its influence on the African Christian context, we have an important case study on the globalization of Christianity as a world phenomenon and its appropriation as a local stream of Christianity.

AbstractLe nombre de dirigeants chrétiens de stature mondiale qui ont récemment dû confesser leurs fautes morales et s’en repentir ou se retirer de leurs fonctions de dirigeants en raison d’une incartade morale, est ahurissant. Au cœur du problème se trouve l’incapacité de ces dirigeants à faire de l’intégrité un...

AbstractKwame Bediako of the Akrofi-Christaller Memorial Institute of Theology, Mission and Culture based in Akropong-Akwapim in Ghana, was a stalwart in the field of African Christianity and Theology. He was called home to glory in June 2008 at the age of 63 years. Converted from atheism whilst studying for a doctorate degree in French and African literature at the University of Bordeaux in France, Bediako embraced a conservative evangelical faith. He went on to do a second PhD in Theology under the tutelage of Andrew F. Walls in Aberdeen. Bediako returned to Ghana in 1984 to found the then Akrofi-Christaller Memorial Center for Mission Research and Applied Theology. Through that initiative, now a fully accredited tertiary theological educational institute, Bediako pioneered a new way of doing theology through his emphasis on mother-tongue hermeneutics, oral or grassroots theology, and the study of primal religions as the sub-structure of Christian expression in the majority Two Thirds World. These ideas are outlined in his major publications, Theology and Identity, Christianity in Africa, Jesus of Africa, and the many forceful and insightful articles scattered in local and international journals in religion and theology. For many years to come, although living in glory, Bediako's evangelical intellectual heritage will continue as a leading reference point for all those seeking to understand Africa's place in the history of world Christianity.

AbstractLa pandémie de COVID-19 a obligé le monde à faire face à l’un des phénomènes les plus énigmatiques de la vie humaine : la réalité du mal et de la souffrance. Il existe de nombreuses sources de mal dans le monde. D’un point de vue biblique, le mal vient en...

AbstractPublished Inagural Lecture delivered as a Fellow of Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, Thurday March 31, 2016.

AbstractMuch is now being made of the fact that the numerical strength of the church is in the global south. This development raises important questions and critical issues for institutions like the Oxford Center for Mission Studies that are dedicated to serving world Christianity but in particular to resource that of the global south with quality theological education. Formal theological education developed early in the West but with time many institutions have come to pursue it as a mere academic discipline rather than a means for resourcing churches. New horizons must emerge and be pursued. The missing link in such education is the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. He is the only Person who can fill the church with life so that Christ will increase as the church seeks to become his aroma in the world. This address extends a call to those benefitting from formal theological education to remain aware that without the experiential aspects of it mediated by the Spirit, it may be impossible for the church to live in the world as the Church of Christ.

AbstractThis paper examines the way in which, within an African religious and spiritual context, athletes – and in particular footballers of Ghana – employ religious functionaries and religious means from a variety of traditions in an attempt to achieve sporting success. Specific examples and case studies illustrate and contextualise this search. The connections of this mode of searching for success with traditional African views of causality and with a Pentecostalist/charismatic prosperity ethic are explored, and its consequences are assessed.

AbstractThis response to Birgit Meyer’s Sensational Movies engages the book as a study of how Pentecostal ideas are transferred into popular entertainment and back into the church. It explores the close connection between the video films and interventionist theology, in which the power of God may be invoked to deal with supernatural evil in the lives of people. In closing, a number of virulent issues for Christian life and theology in Ghana are identified. Among these are: the omnipresent and hyperactive nature of supernatural evil in the African religious imagination; the demonization of traditional religion as a ‘demonic doorway;’ the creation of Christian ritual contexts for dealing with the effect of demons; the idea that money, power, and wealth are impossible to obtain merely through hard work; and the close relationship between prosperity and evil.

AbstractChristian conversions relate to making adjustments in religious belief, faith, and orientation towards God. This creates new communities of converts based on shared religious experiences. The Old Testament understanding of conversion as turning from other gods towards Yahweh comes to fulfillment in the New Testament where conversion means accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Thus although in the Christendom era and in non-Western cultures such as Africa attempts were made to link religion with national identity, in conservative evangelical Christianity the idea of conversion as a personal “born-again” experience has been strongly sustained. Conversion is connected to national identity only to the extent that countries may be predominantly Christian. In terms of religious identity the emphasis may be placed more on the community of faith than religious orientation as part of a political establishment.

AbstractEditor's Note This article was a part of a special series called ‘The Global Conversation’ jointly published by Christianity Today International and the Lausanne Movement in the months leading up to Cape Town 2010: The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization to help prepare the global church for the issues to be addressed at the Congress. Each lead article had several commissioned responses, and was published by dozens of publications around the world. For thousands of believers in Ghana, “Jericho Hour” is the place to be on a Thursday morning. Founded in 1998, this prayer meeting—where “giant solutions await your giant problems”—is hosted by Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams in the Prayer Cathedral on Accra’s Spintex Road. Three thousand make their way there to...

AbstractHow have African Christians responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, which broke out at the beginning of 2020 and has affected every aspect of human life? Globally, the responses to the pandemic have ranged from the scientific to the religious. Many believe that it is simply a conspiracy wreaked on the world by a satanic medical scientist or that it is an apocalyptic signal. In Africa, the religious responses to the pandemic have been fascinating. This article discusses six such responses, considering what they reveal about the intersections between Christianity, faith, and the ubiquitous presence of evil.

AbstractThis article constitutes a preliminary attempt at reflecting upon Ghana's journey with a particular tradition within the Christian faith. The author discusses the relevance of Jesus in the contemporary Evangelical / Pentecostal Churches by taking a closer look at how the person of Christ and other elements of evangelical spirituality are appropriated within the indigenous cultural matrix of the country.

AbstractThis paper examines the growing significance of Roman Catholic grottos and popular Prayer Centres in Ghana. The Grottos and Prayer Centres discussed are all considered by pilgrims to be places of supernatural encounter and expressions of popular piety. The immediate inspiration behind the presentation is two recent apparitions, one of Jesus Christ and the other of his mother Mary, which have appeared at two different locations in Ghana. In both cases, images of the apparitions were left imprinted on the locations of appearance. The two locations have subsequently attracted large numbers of people from across different Christian denominations.

AbstractThe rise of African immigrant communities in the diaspora, especially in Europe and North America, have contributed significantly to the renewal of Christian presence in those contexts. There are significant numbers of the membership of African immigrant congregations who are economic migrants and whose immigration statuses have not been regularized. The average undocumented migrant lives a very difficult life due to the inability to provide authentic papers for work. This affects the lives of immigrants in several ways, including access to healthcare and education for children. In those circumstances the temptation to survive by assuming false identities is very strong. The mission of immigrant churches includes the provision of ‘protection’ for their vulnerable members who need to survive a physically precarious diaspora. That African immigrants often reinterpret their problems in terms of attacks from supernatural forces and envious witches at ‘home’ in Africa informs the approach of the leadership to care and counselling. This paper proposes to identify the pastoral problems of African immigrant Christians within the context of situation ethics and how the inability to regularize their stay in Europe and North America affects Christian morality and mission in ‘alien lands’.

AbstractEditor's Note This Cape Town 2010 Advance Paper was written by J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu as an overview of the topic to be discussed at the related session on “Poverty, Prosperity and the Gospel.” Responses to this paper through the Lausanne Global Conversation were fed back to the author and others to help shape their final presentations at the Congress. This essay reflects on aspects of the Gospel of Prosperity and how it is mediated through contemporary African Christianity.  The teaching that, in addition to salvation, the Christ event also brings with it prosperity in health, wealth and general success is associated mainly with neo-Pentecostalism.  These movements started burgeoning...

AbstractThis article reflects on migration in the prosperity hermeneutics of contemporary Pentecostals. Prosperity, involving human flourishing in both its spiritual and physical senses is a predominant theme in Pentecostal preaching. In most of Africa this theme resonates with the life ambitions of the upwardly mobile youth in particular. This is because it addresses major concerns regarding the tragedies of poverty and failure in leadership with its attendant social problems on the continent. A lot of the people who risk their lives on the Mediterranean Seas in search of a "better country" do so on Christian prophetic inspiration. The association of living in the West in particular with prosperity and flourishing has found its way into contemporary Pentecostalism's discourses of prosperity as one of the several ways in which God blesses his children. Abraham is usually the iconic biblical example in the prosperity hermeneutics of migration. Thus, international migration may ultimately have economic implications, but for a lot of African Pentecostals, living in the developed West in particular could be a sign of God's favour, blessing and divine breakthrough. In this study, I consider prosperity preaching in these movements in order to help readers appreciate the relationship between migration and prosperity as an important dimension of contemporary Pentecostal religion.

AbstractDans le combat spirituel, les croyants, confrontés à un mal surnaturel sensé entraver le progrès et l’épanouissement humains, exercent l’autorité qu’ils ont dans le Christ. Cet article étudie, sous un angle africain, la relation entre le combat spirituel et la mission chrétienne. Croyances en la causalité mystique Dans le...

AbstractPentecostalism in Africa has evolved as different streams characterized by particular modes of articulating the Christian message. The older independent churches were known for their emphasis on healing and prophecy and the classical Pentecostals talked much about speaking in tongues and holiness. Although these themes are present in contemporary Pentecostal discourse the new churches are best known for their messages of empowerment and prosperity that are meant to address the aspirations of Africa’s upwardly mobile youth. Using the writings of two of the movements most influential leaders from Ghana, this article discusses the ways in which the story of the Patriarchs, especially Jacob, has been reinterpreted to fit into the message of upward mobility and the principles that are meant to lead up to it. It is argued here that although the authors did not intend to misapply Scripture, by reinterpreting the schemes of Jacob in terms of the principles of success, they fail to take account of the element of ‘grace’ which is able to turn the worst of sinners into saints. Jacob did not succeed because he applied the principles of success but because God touched him with his grace during the time of wrestling with the angel.

AbstractThis article examines the emergence of megachurches as a global phenomenon and their implications as new ecclesial communities for mission. Megachurches are extraordinarily or abnormally large congregations, mainly belonging to the conservative evangelical or Pentecostal/charismatic streams of Christianity. Historically associated with North America, there are now megachurches in Africa,...

AbstractThe rue of the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement in African countries like Ghana had inspired new ways of dealing with the challenges of life. A critical area of operation for the movement is the “healing and deliverance” ministry, through which supernatural evil is confronted in order that Christians may be freed to enjoy the abundant provision,) of God in Christ. Systems of “shrine slavery” in Ghana, also found in various forms among certain sub‐Saharan African peoples, offer examples from traditional religions of how such institutions may stigmatize victims and generations after them, sometimes perpetually. In keeping with the prophetic declaration by the prophet Ezekiel that, “The sins of the fathers shall be no more be visited on their children”, the Pentecostal/Charismatic ministry of “healing and deliverance” provides a Christian ritual context in which the enslaving effects of generational curses resulting from the sins of one's ancestry may be dealt with. This is in order that those born‐again in Christ, in keeping with the objective of Christian mission, may experience fullness of life in Christ. The phenomenon of “healing deliverance”, discussed here from a Ghanaian perspective, serves as a ministry of restoration in the hands of Africa's new Pentecostal/Charismatic movements and churches as they seek to provide holistic pastoral care to their followers.

AbstractPublished Ephraim Amu Memorial Lecture delivered 2017.

AbstractThe rise of the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement in African countries like Ghana has inspired new ways of dealing with the challenges of life. A critical area of operation for the movement is the 'healing and deliverance' ministry. One of its main aims is to help people deal with inherited guilt through rituals for healing the past. The worldview of mystical causality that underlies a system of shrine slavery among the Ewe of Ghana called Trokosi, offer one example from traditional religions, of how such traditional institutions may stigmatise victims and generations after them, sometimes perpetually. Vestiges of such stigmatisation still remain even in places where shrine slavery has been abolished by law. In keeping with the prophetic declaration by Ezekiel that the sins of the fathers shall no more be visited on their children (Ezekiel 18), the Pentecostal/Charismatic ministry of 'healing and deliverance' provides a Christian ritual context in which the enslaving effects of generational curses resulting from the sins of one's ancestry may be broken. Pentecostals believe that it is through the 'deliverance' that the born again Christian may experience fullness of life in Christ.

AbstractPentecostalism and its recent progenies, the Charismatic movements, have within the last three decades moved from the periphery to the center of Christian life in Africa (Asamoah-Gyadu 2005; Gifford 1998). An unprecedented use of the mass media by these relatively new religious collectivities has contributed significantly to the visibilities they enjoy. This paper looks at the relevance of visual media in contemporary African Pentecostal/Charismatic Christianity. I will first place the movements in question in their proper religious context and then examine how they have colonized public space through an extensive appropriation of modern media technologies, and what this teaches us about this type of African Christianity. The sub-Saharan African country, Ghana, is the immediate geographical context for the study. In this paper, “Pentecostalism” refers to the spirituality of Christian churches and movements, which in continuity with occurrences in the Acts of the Apostles, value, affirm, and consciously encourage the experiential presence of the Holy Spirit as part of normal Christian life and worship. The coterminous expression “Charismatic” usually refers to historically younger streams of Pentecostal groups that function within existing historic mission denominations as “renewal movements.” Drawing their members mainly from among disenchanted youths of historic mission churches, several of these charismatic renewal groups have since the late 1970s been incorporated as autochthonous churches operating in urban settings in Africa. In Ghana, the new churches are popular referred to as, Charismatic ministries (CMs).

AbstractA number of the African new religious movements in question are involved with media production and, when that happens, the content of the programmes tends to ‘reflect the media theology of the institution’. In this chapter, the authors look at the images that Africa’s new Pentecostal/charismatic movements and their leaders in particular carve for themselves through their media programmes. On the bestowal of prestige by the media, Hiebert has noted: The mass media bestow prestige and enhance authority of individuals and groups by legitimizing their status. In addition to being constantly featured as news items in the print and electronic media, Pentecostal/charismatic leaders and their churches also covet media attention. The authors attempt to image Africa’s new Pentecostal/charismatic churches as portrayed through various mass media programmes and the implications that such images hold for the nature of African church life. Africa’s Pentecostal/charismatic churches have stirred other new religious movements on the continent to emulate their media use.

AbstractOne of the global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is the religious responses that it has generated. For contemporary Pentecostalism in particular, which is a religion that preaches and teaches a theology of human flourishing through the principles of prosperity, the negative effects of the coronavirus on people proved a theologically challenging endeavor. Pronouncing curses on evil or blaming Satan for it in human life has always been part of the means to achieve health and wealth for contemporary Pentecostals. This is very much the case in Africa where the instrumentalist use of religion as a means of personal and communal survival and wellbeing already exists. Thus, the contemporary Pentecostal health-and-wealth gospel, although appeals to the Bible for theological legitimacy, also resonates very much with the African worldview. In the midst of the pandemic, however, the monolithic understanding of flourishing preached by some Pentecostals came unstuck. In this article, we discuss African contemporary Pentecostal responses to the pandemic in order to show how the reality of evil can challenge existing understanding of life’s challenges and the need to be holistic in our responses to them.

AbstractThird World Christianity has been experiencing exponential growth since the turn of the twentieth century. Nowhere is this renewal in Christianity more visible than Africa, where religious innovations led by indigenous Christians have mostly been Pentecostal in character. The Pentecostal movements leading the current renewal of Christianity in African countries like Ghana are autonomous, independent of both the established historic mission denominations and the older classical Pentecostal churches like the Assemblies of God. Ghanaian Pentecostalism in its various streams has adapted the global Pentecostal culture to suit the needs of the local context in ways that have changed the nature and direction of Christian mission. The traditional themes of healing, deliverance, prosperity and empowerment associated with the global Pentecostal movement have been synthesized with traditional worldviews, giving Pentecostal Christianity an added relevance in African context. This has yielded massive responses. In Pentecostal movements under discussion, therefore, one finds the ingenious ability of indigenous Christians to appropriate a phenomenon of global significance for local consumption.

AbstractL’apparition de la pandémie de Covid-19 pourrait, pendant des générations, constituer un point de référence pour de nombreuses initiatives, problématiques, institutions sociales, et même pour la foi chrétienne. Parmi les problématiques mises en exergue par la pandémie, on trouve les promesses bibliques de prospérité et de bien-être, dans la...

AbstractPreamble: Expensive Christianity Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!  Come buy wine and milk without money and without cost (Isaiah 55:1). Christianity has become economically expensive in Africa today and that is partly because of...

AbstractThe outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic may for generations constitute a point of reference for many endeavors, issues, and social institutions, including the Christian faith. One of these issues relates to biblical promises of prosperity and wellbeing as they affect matters of health and flourishing. ‘When you have life...

AbstractThe author reflects on the relationship between evangelism and encounters of the Holy Spirit and evil spirit based on the context of Pentecostalism in Africa. He looks at the significance of the ministries of healing and exorcism in African Pentecostal evangelism. He discusses the notion of spiritual warfare, which involves healing and exorcism, among Pentecostals. He explains the factors that make the theology of divine intervention through exorcism an essential part of evangelism.

AbstractLamin O. Sanneh of the Yale Divinity School passed on in January 2019 at the age of seventy-six years. He would go down in history as one of the pioneering authors in the field of World Christianity. Sanneh’s impressive legacy of Christian scholarship includes his being a co-founder with Andrew F. Walls of the Yale-Edinburgh Conference that is held annually, alternating between the Yale and Edinburgh schools of divinity. Lamin Sanneh wrote a lot on both Christianity and Islam and this reflection on his legacy focuses on how Africa is presented in his works. The translation of the Scriptures, Lamin Sanneh noted, enhanced the place of Christianity in Africa and contributed directly to the reform, renewal and revival of the faith on the continent. He celebrated western missionaries for their work in promoting translation, but what purpose would that have served without indigenous assimilation of Christianity? In this work, we discuss the place of Africa in World Christianity as the continent and her Christians appear in Sanneh’s writings on World Christianity.

AbstractThis article explores the importance of Spirit-empowered scholarship for theological education. It argues that given the overwhelming presence of Christianity in such non-Western contexts as Africa and the options in these new heartlands of Christianity for theological scholarship and education that accounts for the experience of the Spirit, it is appropriate for theological education to pay attention to these developments. This is imperative for the African context in which Pentecostalism with its emphasis on the experience of the Spirit is influencing virtually every area of Christian life including what is meant by theology and theological education.

AbstractThe development of Christianity as a non-Western religion since the middle of the 20th century has generated changes that distinguish it from the expressions of faith inherited from the West. Christian religious innovation and new ways of expressing the faith have become the hallmarks of African Christianity. One way in which these religious changes are discernible is the use of “signs and tokens”, that is, physical substances that in the hands of religious functionaries acquire a sacramental value and that for example serves as support to the sorts of interventionist ministries associated with Pentecostal/charismatic ministries. A classic example of the new sacramental substances is the widespread use of the anointing oil. The anointing oil has become an important “point of contact” in African Christian rituals of healing and supernatural interventions. The use of oil for anointing is not necessarily new in the historic Christian traditions. However, in contemporary African Christianity, it has been reinvented and instituted in healing and deliverance and exorcism rituals that go beyond what was familiar in the older religious traditions. In this essay, we reflect on new sacraments also re-designated as signs and tokens such as the reinvention of the anointing oil as a therapeutic substance in contemporary forms of African Christianity. The new ritual order and the perception of sacraments as therapeutic substances helps us to understand what non-Western Christians, through popular religious innovations, consider important in a faith whose liturgical standards were originally set by Western missionaries.

AbstractThis is an edited version of a paper delivered at the Consultation of the Lausanne Theology Working Group in partnership with the WEA Theological Commission, ‘The Whole Gospel', held in Chiang Mai, Thailand 2008. I. Introduction This article examines the inseparable relationship between the Holy Spirit and the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The subject matter is considered from the viewpoint of contemporary Christianity in the global south, particularly, African-led Pentecostal/ charismatic Christianity. We will look at how these African churches,...

Abstract‘Methodism was born in song’, so says the opening sentence of the preface to the 1933 edition of the Methodist Hymn Book. That edition, inherited from the Wesleyan Missionary Society from the early nineteenth century, is still in use in many Methodist Churches of British descent in Africa. Using the West African country of Ghana as a case study, this article reflects on select ‘hymns of the Holy Spirit’ in the hymn book. Through these hymns of the Spirit, we capture some of the main theological underpinnings of Wesleyan pneumatology as understood within an African context in which Methodism remains a formidable denomination. The influence of Methodism on Christianity in Africa has been through its hymn-singing culture. The Wesleyan theology of the Holy Spirit as the source of regeneration, sanctification, and empowerment is evident in the pneumatological hymns in the collection.

AbstractContemporary Pentecostal/charismatic Christianity in Africa has adopted new and innovative symbols that fits its theology of prosperity, empowerment, and upward mobility. This article focuses on one of them: the eagle. The features and behavior patterns of the eagle help contemporary Pentecostals to use its symbolic features in articulating a pneumatology of upward mobility, elevation, success and prosperity. The pneumatology of the eagle is a global contemporary Pentecostal phenomenon. In this pneumatology, the eagle, with its powers of vision, longevity, strength, height and renewal, appears in contemporary Pentecostal prosperity discourses as a symbol of aspiration, which appeals very strongly to the sensibilities of upwardly mobile young people who tenaciously embrace the new charismatic fervour.

AbstractThis article examines the transnational significance and impact of the Church of the Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God for all nations (Embassy of God), a Nigerian-led Pentecostal church based in Kyiv, Ukraine. It shows that the church’s uniqueness lies both in its huge following and in the fact that the majority of its members are white Eastern European. In this sense, it represents a “negative instance” of current trends within African-led migrant churches, where membership is pre- dominantly African. The church’s popularity is explained in terms of its Pentecostal spirituality, which satisfies the spiritual hunger fostered by socialism in Eastern Europe and challenges the staid religiosity of older denominations such as the Eastern Orthodox Church. Its deliberate pursuit of a transnational agenda is evident in the extensive foreign engagements of its leader, Sunday Adelaja, its international media ministry, the growing network of pastors attached to its ministry and its global missionary vision.

AbstractIn spiritual warfare, believers exercise their authority in Christ over supernatural evil which is believed to impede human progress and flourishing. This article explores the intersection between spiritual warfare and Christian mission from an African perspective. Mystical causality beliefs In the African context, generally, there is a strong belief...

AbstractPublished Inaugural Lecture in Commemoration of the Promotion to the Position of Full Professor in 2009.

AbstractThe major heartlands of Christianity have, since the middle of the 20th century, shifted gradually from the West to the global South and East. This shift has resulted not only in Christianity becoming the dominant religion of Africa, but also in its transformation into a primarily non-Western faith. This article contends that in line with that development, Africa has become one of Christianity’s most dynamic and vibrant hubs, with independent indigenous and Pentecostal/charismatic churches, movements, and ministries leading the way in this dominance. In their spirituality, these are waves and streams of Christianity that emphasize the importance of the biblical Pentecost, the deployment of spiritual gifts in worship, and a general experience of the Holy Spirit as normative to the expression of Christianity. Thus, we can no longer talk about World Christianity, either in practice or in relation to the ecumenical movements of the 21st century, without accounting for the presence of Pentecostal/charismatic believers.

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has forced the world to face one of the most enigmatic phenomena in human life—the reality of evil and suffering. There are many sources of evil in the world. From a biblical viewpoint, evil comes ultimately from Satan, who ‘prowls around like a roaring lion looking...

AbstractReviewed by: J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu PhD, Professor of Contemporary African Christianity and Pentecostal Theology, Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon. Accra. Ghana. E-mail: asagyadu@hotmail.com

AbstractWhat has come to be known as the prosperity gospel is mainly associated with contemporary Pentecostal teachings. Contemporary Pentecostals are distinguished from classical Pentecostals by their emphasis on the prosperity gospel with its focus on material things as indicators of divine favor: Concerns  The prosperity gospel simply teaches that...

AbstractThis article reflects on the relationship between the experience of the Holy Spirit which defines Pentecostalism and theological education which has normally been associated with the academic impanation of theology. I will argue that the Pentecostal/charismatic movement has always been suspicious of academic theological education on the basis of the argument that it often neglects spiritual experience by imparting head knowledge to the neglect of matters of the Spirit. In the same vein members of the historic mission churches-both Catholic and Protestant, have often chided Pentecostals for neglecting theological education preferring 10 build churches and provide leadership on the basis of experience

AbstractThe use of herbs has been the main means of curing diseases in traditional Africa and this continued through the colonial period to present times. Widely held traditional views that interpreted certain diseases as caused by supernatural agents meant that, although some ailments could be naturally caused, in most cases, shrine priests and diviners were needed to dispense herbal preparations for clients. Christian missionaries mostly – though by no means all – denounced herbal medicines as evil, looking on them as pagan because of the close relationship between herbs and agents of local divinities. At the emergence of the African independent church movement at the beginning of the twentieth century, herbal medicines acquired a sacramental value, and today they are obtained from churches and local prophets as therapeutic substances infused with spiritual power for healing. The sacramental interpretation of herbs has been extended to those obtained from prayer places and grottoes under the supervision of historic mission denominations, a phenomenon that has virtually transformed the image of herbs and herbal medicines in African therapeutic systems.

AbstractChristian pilgrimages to Jerusalem have increased greatly within the last decade. Figures are difficult to come by, but from the United States, many parts of Europe, and Africa, Christian pilgrims visit the Holy Land in large numbers. On a recent visit in May 2015, the author was amazed at...

AbstractChristianity in Africa owes its massive growth of the last 50 years to the Independent and Pentecostal/ charismatic churches. The relationships between these churches and the older mission-founded churches are strained. Ethnic and social factors contribute to the divisions. Christian unity in Africa will require conversion to Christ. The strong African tradition of communal life is destroyed by external forces and inter-African conflicts in which members of the same churches have fought one another. Healing is only possible through reconciliation, which calls for conversion from the sin of breaking the community and neglecting the sanctity of human life. The Global Christian Forum offers a new model of working towards Christian unity, which may be particularly meaningful for Africa.

AbstractPublished Kwame Bediako memorial lecture delivered July 7, 2009, British Council Hall, Accra, Ghana.

AbstractThe word conversion has a multitude of meanings within religions. For Pentecostal Christianity in particular it is spoken of essentially as an external act of religious change. In Pentecostalism, therefore, to convert is to move to the Christian faith and it usually implies making a personal decision for Jesus Christ. In the Church of the Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God for all Nations, a majority of its members have gone through this transition and in the process presented their human bodies to God as temples within which His Spirit now comes to dwell. The metaphor of the body is particularly strong in Pauline thought and it is one that enables a useful appreciation of conversion in Pentecostal spirituality.

AbstractHow is the African Church transforming the global mission landscape, and what can the world learn from its theology? In this episode of the Lausanne Movement Podcast, Bishop Professor Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu delves into the influence of African Christianity on the global Church. From its vibrant growth to its unique theological contributions, he shares invaluable perspectives on how Africa shapes the mission and future of global Christianity. Main Points: 1. Africa’s Vibrant Christian Growth: Explore the factors behind the rapid expansion of Christianity across Africa. 2. Unique Theological Contributions: Understand how African theology offers new perspectives on Scripture and mission. 3. Global Influence of African Christianity: Learn how Africa’s Church is shaping the future of global mission efforts. 4. Navigating Challenges: Unpack challenges facing the African church, from urbanization to socio-political issues. 5. Hope for the Global Church: Be inspired by Africa’s role as a prophetic voice and a source of renewal for the global Church. If this episode inspired you, subscribe to the Lausanne Movement podcast for more conversations like this. Don’t forget to leave a review and visit lausanne.org to explore more resources and join the global mission movement. Guest Bio: Bishop Prof. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu has devoted his life to serving Christ and the people of Ghana. He currently serves as the Presiding Bishop of the Ghanaian Methodist Church, following a distinguished academic career as a professor at Trinity Theological Seminary in Ghana. Bishop Kwabena, a valued contributor to the Lausanne Movement, brings practical insights and lived experience to his work with the Lausanne Theological Working Group. His academic achievements are equally noteworthy, including his recognition as a fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.

AbstractHow is the African Church transforming the global mission landscape, and what can the world learn from its theology? In this episode of the Lausanne Movement Podcast, Bishop Professor Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu delves into the influence of African Christianity on the global Church. From its vibrant growth to its unique theological contributions, he shares invaluable perspectives on how Africa shapes the mission and future of global Christianity. Main Points: 1. Africa’s Vibrant Christian Growth: Explore the factors behind the rapid expansion of Christianity across Africa. 2. Unique Theological Contributions: Understand how African theology offers new perspectives on Scripture and mission. 3. Global Influence of African Christianity: Learn how Africa’s Church is shaping the future of global mission efforts. 4. Navigating Challenges: Unpack challenges facing the African church, from urbanization to socio-political issues. 5. Hope for the Global Church: Be inspired by Africa’s role as a prophetic voice and a source of renewal for the global Church. If this episode inspired you, subscribe to the Lausanne Movement podcast for more conversations like this. Don’t forget to leave a review and visit lausanne.org to explore more resources and join the global mission movement. Guest Bio: Bishop Prof. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu has devoted his life to serving Christ and the people of Ghana. He currently serves as the Presiding Bishop of the Ghanaian Methodist Church, following a distinguished academic career as a professor at Trinity Theological Seminary in Ghana. Bishop Kwabena, a valued contributor to the Lausanne Movement, brings practical insights and lived experience to his work with the Lausanne Theological Working Group. His academic achievements are equally noteworthy, including his recognition as a fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.

AbstractThis volume examines Pentecostal/charismatic renewal in an African context. Ghanaian Pentecostalism in its modern charismatic form has become the most visible expression of renewal within indigenous Christianity. The book first articulates the contribution of the older African initiated churches (AICs) to local Christianity arguing that, in spite of a present decline, the AICs have left an enduring theological imprint on indigenous Christian expression. Furthermore, it accounts for the rise of the new independent churches, the charismatic ministries. These have been proliferating across the West Africa sub-region since the late 1970s. In addition to this, the book explores how the emphases of the new Ghanaian charismatics—internationalism, transformation, prosperity, healing and deliverance—provide useful insights into the nature of modern African Pentecostal spirituality.

AbstractJ.B. DANQUAH MEMORIAL LECTURES 2023 (Series 56) - Day 1 SPEAKER: Reverend Professor J. KWABENA ASAMOAH-GYADU, PhD., D.D (HC) FGA President, Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon, Ghana THEME: AFRICAN POLITICS AND THE MYSTICAL REALM: RELIGION AND GOVERNANCE IN POSTCOLONIAL GHANA SUB-TITLE: HEALING OUR POLITICS: Travailing and Prevailing in Prayer for Supernatural Interventions in the Ghanaian Public Sphere CHAIRMAN: PROF. KOFI OPOKU NTI, FGA President of the Academy

AbstractPentecostalism is the fastest growing stream of Christianity in the world. The real evidence for the significance of Pentecostalism lies in the actual churches they have built and the numbers they attract. In Africa, Pentecostalism has virtually become the representative face of Christianity with even historic mission denominations 'pentecostalising' their otherwise formal liturgical structures to survive. This work interprets key theological and missiological themes in African Pentecostalism by using material from the live experiences of the movement itself.

AbstractMany churches have adopted consumerism and made prosperity the evidence of God’s blessing. J. Kwabena Asamoah (Ghana) first explains the prosperity gospel before showing how the church must return to a biblical understanding of poverty and prosperity, reflecting the true gospel of grace. This presentation was part of the...

AbstractThis presentation dealt with Spirit-empowerment and the transformation of Christianity in Africa. Spirit-empowered Christianity is now the representative face of Christianity on the continent, and this has global implications. The enchanted African Pentecostal/charismatic formular “in the power of the Holy Ghost” is commonly used in situations needing divine interventions. Not only is the growth and dynamism of contemporary Pentecostalism explained in terms of “the power of the Holy Ghost”, but also it is in that power that Pentecostalism could be said to have spread and impacted the world. This paper explores the explosion of African Pentecostal Christianity and how it is reshaping spirituality beyond the continent today.

AbstractIn this lecture delivered at The Sanneh Institute, Rev. Prof. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu explores the meaning of lived theology, how faith is experienced, practiced and embodied in everyday African Christian life.

AbstractPentecostalism is the fastest growing stream of Christianity in the world. The real evidence for the significance of Pentecostalism lies in the actual churches they have built and the numbers they attract. In Africa, Pentecostalism has virtually become the representative face of Christianity with even historic mission denominations 'pentecostalising' their otherwise formal liturgical structures to survive. This work brings to a wider audience the insights and analysis from the author's book, Contemporary Pentecostal Christianity: Interpretations from an African Context. It interprets key theological and missiological themes in Ghanaian Pentecostalism by using material from the live experiences of the movement itself.

AbstractPNEUMATOLOGY IN AFRICA: THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ASET CONFERENCE 2021: MARCH 5TH-6TH Speaker: Rev. Prof. J. Kwabena Asamoah Baeta-Grau Professor of African Christianity and Pentecostal Theology Director: Center for the Study of Christianity in Africa Trinity Theological Seminary, Accra, Ghana

AbstractKeynote Address By Rev. Prof. Kwabena Asamoah - Gyadu @Conference 2022 - THE OGBU UKE KALU CENTRE FOR CHRISTIANITY AND AFRICAN CULTURE

AbstractThis is a scholarly piece of work, presented in a simple, readable style that should make it easily accessible and beneficial to all, scholars and non-scholars alike. In this book, Asamoah-Gyadu returns to many familiar themes; he dialogues with other scholars in the field and also engages with the leaders of Charismatic/Pentecostal Christianity themselves. He consistently allows them to speak for themselves. Though an ordained minister of the Methodist Church, Ghana, Asamoah-Gyadu often points out how the mission-founded churches in Ghana have fallen behind their Charismatic/Pentecostal counterparts and the need for the former to learn from the latter. It is clear that this learning process has already started.

Abstract"Methodism was born in song," so says the opening sentence of the preface to the 1933 edition of the Methodist Hymn Book. Wesleyan hymnody has always been a primary source of Methodist theology. Although now abandoned in Western Methodist traditions, that antiquated hymnbook is still cherished by non-Western Methodists as an important source of Wesleyan theology. The hymn book is still in print in many non-Western contexts. Focusing on hymns related to the Holy Spirit in the 1933 edition of the Methodist Hymn Book, this lecture proposes to examine Wesleyan pneumatology from its poetic renditions to arrive at a theology of the Spirit and how it has shaped Methodist beliefs globally. When Ghanaian, Nigerian, or Brazilian Methodists sing the hymns of the Spirit today, they are also accessing what the Holy Spirit meant in terms of both belief and experience in the theology of the Wesleyan tradition. The lecture will draw out the pneumatological implications of Wesleyan hymns of the Spirit for Methodism and World Christianity today.

AbstractJ. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu writes authoritatively but yet with a pastor's heart. Although informed by long and deep study of Pentecostal and charismatic movements around the world, here is no mere theoretical tone but a relevant contemporary reflection on the works of the Holy Spirit in a complex world.

AbstractKwabena Asamoah-Gyadu explores the transformative role of the Holy Spirit in African Christianity, shedding light on how indigenous African movements arose in response to the need for a deeper spiritual experience. He reflects on the Holy Spirit’s inclusive presence at Pentecost, reminding believers that Africa has always been part of God’s global mission. With the Spirit as the driving force behind the remarkable growth of Christianity in Africa today, Gyadu emphasizes the power of the Holy Spirit to unite and empower all believers on God’s mission. Talk Outline 00:00 Introduction and Greetings 01:05 The Rise of Spirit Empowered Christianity in Africa 04:18 The Inclusive Spirit of God 06:46 The Promise of the Holy Spirit 07:25 Indigenous Movements and Global Impact 08:36 Conclusion: A Call to Unity and Expansion This recording is from the Fourth Lausanne Congress, held in Incheon, South Korea in September 2024. This gathering brought together global church leaders to collaborate on mission strategies for advancing the gospel. Through plenary sessions, table group discussions, and collaborative workshops, the Congress focused on addressing critical gaps in global mission today. Speaker's Bio Rev Prof Kwabena Asamoah is an ordained minister for the Methodist Church Ghana and a professor at Trinity Theological Seminary Ghana.

AbstractThis presentation was given at the Lausanne Global Consultation on Prosperity Theology, Poverty, and the Gospel in Atibaia, Brazil, from 30 March – 2 April 2014.

AbstractThis article encourages researchers of religion, media and culture to develop new, global, comparative conversations about the meaning and purpose of public scholarship. Key terms like “religion”, “media”, “publicness” and “scholarship” can be understood and articulated differently in different social, cultural and geographical locations, and dialogue across our academic contexts is needed to help explore these parallels and divergences. This article shares three reflections from scholars who have lived and worked in west Africa, southern Europe and south-east Asia. Each contributor has been asked to address two questions: How do religious communities engage public audiences? And how can (or should) scholars communicate with the public? The conclusion to the article identifies some of the central themes of their responses: secularity, colonial legacies, globalization, power, vulnerability, and the intended audience of our public interventions.

AbstractThis is the author’s response to the comments offered by J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, Rosalind I. J. Hackett, Duane Jethro, Stefanie Knauss, David Morgan, and Don Seeman on Birgit Meyer’s book Sensational Movies. It addresses the entanglement of Africa and the West; positive and negative evaluations of African tradition and culture; the importance of a comparative stance towards imaginaries and the imagination in religious studies; the role of sound in relation to the visual; and material religion.

AbstractCombines empirical data and original analysis in a uniquely detailed account of Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa This comprehensive reference volume covers every country in Sub-Saharan Africa, offering reliable demographic information and original interpretative essays by indigenous scholars and practitioners. It maps patterns of growth and decline, assesses major traditions and movements, analyses key themes and examines current trends. Key Features - Profiles of Christianity in every country in Sub-Saharan Africa including clearly presented statistical and demographic information - Analyses of leading features and current trends written by indigenous scholars - Essays examining each of the major Christian traditions (Anglicans, Independents, Orthodox, Protestants, Roman Catholics, Evangelicals, Pentecostals/ Charismatics) - Essays exploring key themes such as faith and culture, worship and spirituality, theology, social and political engagement, mission and evangelism, religious freedom, inter-faith relations, slavery, anthropology of evil, and migration Contributors Afe Adogame, Princeton Theological Seminary, USA James N. Amanze, University of Botswana Jacqueline Andoche, University of Reunion Solomon Andriatsimialomananarivo, Langham Partnership Coordinator for Literature in Francophone Africa J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon, Accra, Ghana Valerie Aubourg, Catholic University of Lyon Deji Isaac Ayegboyin, University of Ibadan, Nigeria Anthony Balcomb, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Elias Kifon Bongmba, Rice University Luciano Chanhelela Chianeque, Catholic University of Angola Evaristi Magoti Cornelli, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Rodney Curpanen, Pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Mauritius Simon Kossi Dossou, All Africa Conference of Churches’ Special Envoy to West and Central Africa Musa W. Dube, University of Botswana Anthony Egan, SJ, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg Amélé Adamavi-Aho Ekué, Ecumenical Institute at the Château de Bossey in Switzerland Tibebe Eshete, Michigan State University Emmanuel Foro, Hekima University College in Nairobi, Kenya Tharcisse Gatwa, Protestant Institute of Arts and Social Sciences, Butare, Rwanda Mary N. Getui, Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Kenya Wanjiru M. Gitau, Africa International University Todd M. Johnson, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, USA Chammah J. Kaunda, University of South Africa, Pretoria Malebogo Kgalemang, University of Botswana Ralph Lee, Holy Trinity Theological College of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Addis Ababa Hany Longwe, University of Livingstonia in Malawi Nicta Lubaale, Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC) Tinyiko Maluleke, University of Pretoria Ukachukwu Chris Manus, The National University of Lesotho Esther Mombo, St. Paul's University, Limuru, Kenya Jean-Gottfried Mutombo, United Evangelical Mission, Dortmund, Germany Richard Nnyombi, Ugandan Catholic priest Setri Nyomi, Senior Pastor at the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana Elijah Obinna, Hugh Goldie Lay/Theological Training Institution, Arochukwu, Nigeria Francis Anekwe Oborji, Pontifical Urban University in Rome Mercy Amba Oduyoye, Trinity Theological Seminary, Accra, Ghana Michael Adeleke Ogunewu, Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso Cephas N. Omenyo, University of Ghana, Legon Isabel Apawo Phiri, University of KwaZulu-Natal John S. Pobee, University of Ghana Kenneth R. Ross, Edinburgh University School of Divinity Christof Sauer, Evangelische Theologische Facultiet, Leuven, in Belgium Daniel Seifemichael, Ecumenical Relations Office of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church The Rt Revd James Tengatenga, University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, USA Isaias Paulo Titoce, United Seminary of Ricatla in Mozambique Frans Veerman, Director of the World Watch Research Unit of Open Doors International Gina A. Zurlo, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, USA

AbstractThis volume gives an overview of one hundred years of Pentecostal history in Africa and addresses the movement of the Holy Spirit in nations such as Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan. The work also discusses the clash between Pentecostalism and Islam in Nigeria. The growth of Spirit-empowered Christianity has been nothing short of phenomenal. From a handful of believers in the early twentieth century to over six hundred million people in almost every culture and denomination today, those who embrace the Holy Spirit and His gifts are now the fastest-growing religious group in the world. But if any generation ceases to emphasize the Holy Spirit's power, the movement likely will lose its distinction. This third of four volumes is an authoritative collection from more than two dozen leaders and scholars of the Spirit-empowered movement in Africa. Focusing on the history and future of the movement, these world-renowned scholars address the theological and cultural challenges facing Pentecostals in Africa, and offer insights on how to meet them.

AbstractIn the last fifty years, the history of World Christianity has been disproportionally shaped, if not defined, by African Pentecostalism. The objective of this volume is to investigate and interrogate the critical junctures at which World Christianity invigorates and is invigorated by African Pentecostalism. The essays of the thinkers gathered here examine the general relationships between World Christianity and Africa and the specific interplays between World Christianity and African Pentecostalism. Scholars from multiple disciplines, continents, and countries evaluate how the theological scholarship and missional works of eminent African intellectual Johnson Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu have contributed to the scholarly understanding of how Global Christianity has been mediated by its reception in Africa. They also investigate how African Pentecostalism has been shaped by its contact with the diverse forms of Christianity in Africa and the rest of the world. With contributions from: Opoku Onyinah, Harvey C. Kwiyani, Kirsteen Kim, Craig S. Keener, Charles Prempeh, Kenneth R. Ross, Trevor H. G. Smith, Vivian Dzokoto, Chammah J. Kaunda, Felix Kang Esoh, Patrick Kofi Amissah, Caleb Nyanni, Marleen de Witte, Oluwaseun Abimbola, Philomena Njeru Mwaura, Faith Lugazia, Dietrich Werner, and Allan H. Anderson.

AbstractWELCOME TO THE METHODIST CHURCH GHANA OFFICIAL YOUTUBE CHANNEL. THIS CHANNEL PROVIDES YOU WITH A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO ACCESS PROGRAMMES AND INFORMATION OF THE METHODIST CHURCH GHANA.