African Initiated Christianity and the Decolonisation of Development

"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

"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

"With its focus on African Initiated Christianity, [the volume] richly and innovatively elucidates a subfield of the religion and development discourse. ... a reference book, ideally suited to inform yourself about African Initiated Churches, from the perspective of the actors themselves." - Moritz Fischer,Intercultural Theology Journal of Mission Studies (ZMISS), 2021