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Christianity, Wealth, and Spiritual Power in Ghana

Author: Karen Lauterbach

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-11-25

Total Pages: 221

ISBN-13: 3319334948

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This book centers around mid-level charismatic pastors in Ghana. Karen Lauterbach analyzes pastorship as a pathway to becoming small “big men” and achieving status, wealth, and power in the country. The volume investigates both the social processes of becoming a pastor and the spiritual dimensions of how power and wealth are conceptualized, achieved, and legitimized in the particular context of Asante in Ghana. Lauterbach integrates her analysis of charismatic Christianity with a historically informed examination of social mobility—how people in subordinate positions seek to join up with power. She explores how the ideas and experiences surrounding the achievement of wealth and performance of power are shaped and re-shaped. In this way, the book historicizes current expressions of charismatic Christianity in Ghana while also bringing the role of religion and belief to bear on our understanding of wealth and power as they function more broadly in African societies.

Book Synopsis Christianity, Wealth, and Spiritual Power in Ghana by : Karen Lauterbach

Download or read book Christianity, Wealth, and Spiritual Power in Ghana written by Karen Lauterbach and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-11-25 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book centers around mid-level charismatic pastors in Ghana. Karen Lauterbach analyzes pastorship as a pathway to becoming small “big men” and achieving status, wealth, and power in the country. The volume investigates both the social processes of becoming a pastor and the spiritual dimensions of how power and wealth are conceptualized, achieved, and legitimized in the particular context of Asante in Ghana. Lauterbach integrates her analysis of charismatic Christianity with a historically informed examination of social mobility—how people in subordinate positions seek to join up with power. She explores how the ideas and experiences surrounding the achievement of wealth and performance of power are shaped and re-shaped. In this way, the book historicizes current expressions of charismatic Christianity in Ghana while also bringing the role of religion and belief to bear on our understanding of wealth and power as they function more broadly in African societies.

Ghana's New Christianity

Author: Paul Gifford

Publisher: C. Hurst & Co. Publishers

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13:

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In sub-Saharan Africa over the last two decades there has been an explosion of Christianity. This book sets out to identify its particular character, focusing on a particular place: Greater Accra, the capital of Ghana. Paul Gifford examines a wide range of Accra's new churches, giving priority to mega-churches. Every dimension -- discourse, theological vision, worship, rituals, music, media involvement, use of the Bible, conventions, finances, clientele -- is analysed. Gifford argues that this Christianity is not otherworldly: its emphasis is on success, achievement, wealth here and now. Yet within this general orientation there is diversity. At one end of the spectrum are churches that, building on the traditional religious imagination, see demonic forces everywhere blocking personal success. In the churches the key factor is the special 'man of God' who is understood to have the 'anointing' to conquer these forces, to 'reverse the curse' that is holding the believer back. At the other end is a strain of this new Christianity that discounts spiritual forces and sees victory resulting from the believer's own education and skills, and from transforming culture.The book also joins the debate over the role of this Christianity in modernizing economic and political structures. It sets the scene by describing Ghana's political and economic situation in the decades when these churches were proliferating, and outlines the current debate on the reasons for Africa's economic plight. It is argued that although focusing on success and wealth can provide motivation in circumstances where it is so easy to despair, the pervasive emphasis on miracles militates against any natural fostering of a new work ethic. As for their political role, some churches are easily co-opted; others challenge the government, but for 'spiritual' reasons that provide little incentive to grapple with issues of governance; by contrast, Gifford finds one important church encouraging change of the entire political culture. No other book has set forth the complex nature of Africa's new Christianity with such clarity, or offered such a searching analysis of its power to tackle Africa's predicament.

Book Synopsis Ghana's New Christianity by : Paul Gifford

Download or read book Ghana's New Christianity written by Paul Gifford and published by C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. This book was released on 2004 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In sub-Saharan Africa over the last two decades there has been an explosion of Christianity. This book sets out to identify its particular character, focusing on a particular place: Greater Accra, the capital of Ghana. Paul Gifford examines a wide range of Accra's new churches, giving priority to mega-churches. Every dimension -- discourse, theological vision, worship, rituals, music, media involvement, use of the Bible, conventions, finances, clientele -- is analysed. Gifford argues that this Christianity is not otherworldly: its emphasis is on success, achievement, wealth here and now. Yet within this general orientation there is diversity. At one end of the spectrum are churches that, building on the traditional religious imagination, see demonic forces everywhere blocking personal success. In the churches the key factor is the special 'man of God' who is understood to have the 'anointing' to conquer these forces, to 'reverse the curse' that is holding the believer back. At the other end is a strain of this new Christianity that discounts spiritual forces and sees victory resulting from the believer's own education and skills, and from transforming culture.The book also joins the debate over the role of this Christianity in modernizing economic and political structures. It sets the scene by describing Ghana's political and economic situation in the decades when these churches were proliferating, and outlines the current debate on the reasons for Africa's economic plight. It is argued that although focusing on success and wealth can provide motivation in circumstances where it is so easy to despair, the pervasive emphasis on miracles militates against any natural fostering of a new work ethic. As for their political role, some churches are easily co-opted; others challenge the government, but for 'spiritual' reasons that provide little incentive to grapple with issues of governance; by contrast, Gifford finds one important church encouraging change of the entire political culture. No other book has set forth the complex nature of Africa's new Christianity with such clarity, or offered such a searching analysis of its power to tackle Africa's predicament.

Gender, Social Change and Spiritual Power

Author: Jane E. Soothill

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 277

ISBN-13: 9004157891

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Against a backdrop of debate concerning the role of Pentecostalism as a mediator of 'modernity', this book examines the interaction between charismatic Christianity, spiritual power and gendered social change in contemporary Ghana.

Book Synopsis Gender, Social Change and Spiritual Power by : Jane E. Soothill

Download or read book Gender, Social Change and Spiritual Power written by Jane E. Soothill and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2007 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Against a backdrop of debate concerning the role of Pentecostalism as a mediator of 'modernity', this book examines the interaction between charismatic Christianity, spiritual power and gendered social change in contemporary Ghana.

The Political Economy of Heaven and Earth in Ghana

Author: Charles Prempeh

Publisher: African Books Collective

Published: 2023-09-30

Total Pages: 472

ISBN-13: 9956553905

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In March 2017, the president of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa-Akufu announced his intention to build a national cathedral to the people of Ghana. The announcement elicited watertight counter arguments that morphed into two a priori re-litigated assumptions: First, Ghana is a secular country and second, religion and state formation are incompatible. Informed by a frustrating paradox of an overwhelming religious presence and concurrent pervasive corruption in the country, public conversation reached a cul-de-sac of “conviction without compromising.” In The Political Economy of Heaven and Earth in Ghana, Charles Prempeh deploys the national cathedral as an entry point to provide both interdisciplinary and autoethnographic understanding of religion and politics. The book shows the capacity of religion, when properly cultivated and curated as a worldview to answer the why questions of life, will foster personal, moral, collective and ontological responsibility. All this is needed to stem the tide against corruption, commodity fetishism, environmental degradation (illegal mining—galamsey), heritage destruction and religious exploitation. Prempeh recuperates a historical fact about the mutual inclusivity between religion and politics—politics helping to manage differences, while religion provides a transcendental reason for unity to be forged for human flourishing. Separating the two is, therefore, ahistorical and an obvious threat to the intangible virtues that answers, “why and how” questions for public governance.

Book Synopsis The Political Economy of Heaven and Earth in Ghana by : Charles Prempeh

Download or read book The Political Economy of Heaven and Earth in Ghana written by Charles Prempeh and published by African Books Collective. This book was released on 2023-09-30 with total page 472 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In March 2017, the president of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa-Akufu announced his intention to build a national cathedral to the people of Ghana. The announcement elicited watertight counter arguments that morphed into two a priori re-litigated assumptions: First, Ghana is a secular country and second, religion and state formation are incompatible. Informed by a frustrating paradox of an overwhelming religious presence and concurrent pervasive corruption in the country, public conversation reached a cul-de-sac of “conviction without compromising.” In The Political Economy of Heaven and Earth in Ghana, Charles Prempeh deploys the national cathedral as an entry point to provide both interdisciplinary and autoethnographic understanding of religion and politics. The book shows the capacity of religion, when properly cultivated and curated as a worldview to answer the why questions of life, will foster personal, moral, collective and ontological responsibility. All this is needed to stem the tide against corruption, commodity fetishism, environmental degradation (illegal mining—galamsey), heritage destruction and religious exploitation. Prempeh recuperates a historical fact about the mutual inclusivity between religion and politics—politics helping to manage differences, while religion provides a transcendental reason for unity to be forged for human flourishing. Separating the two is, therefore, ahistorical and an obvious threat to the intangible virtues that answers, “why and how” questions for public governance.

Wash and Pray: African Theological Discourse on COVID-19

Author: Harvey Kwiyani

Publisher: Missio Africanus

Published:

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13:

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In the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Africa faced a unique set of challenges that sparked a profound spiritual response among its people. Wash and Pray: African Theological Discourse on COVID-19 delves into the heart of this response, exploring the intersections of faith, culture, history, and the pandemic that gripped the world from 2019 to 2022. The book demonstrates that for many Africans, the pandemic was not just a medical crisis but also a spiritual battle. As such, the book invites the reader to witness the historicising of the pandemic in Africa through this landmark resource for current and future generations, ensuring that the narratives of African Christianity in the face of COVID-19 and other pandemics are not lost. The chapter contributions offer diverse perspectives from Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, and the UK, each contextualising the African Christian response to the pandemic. In essence, this monograph paints a rich tapestry of African theological discourse during a global crisis, ultimately affirming that faith and science, when harmonised, can lead to a resilient and thriving community.

Book Synopsis Wash and Pray: African Theological Discourse on COVID-19 by : Harvey Kwiyani

Download or read book Wash and Pray: African Theological Discourse on COVID-19 written by Harvey Kwiyani and published by Missio Africanus. This book was released on with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Africa faced a unique set of challenges that sparked a profound spiritual response among its people. Wash and Pray: African Theological Discourse on COVID-19 delves into the heart of this response, exploring the intersections of faith, culture, history, and the pandemic that gripped the world from 2019 to 2022. The book demonstrates that for many Africans, the pandemic was not just a medical crisis but also a spiritual battle. As such, the book invites the reader to witness the historicising of the pandemic in Africa through this landmark resource for current and future generations, ensuring that the narratives of African Christianity in the face of COVID-19 and other pandemics are not lost. The chapter contributions offer diverse perspectives from Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, and the UK, each contextualising the African Christian response to the pandemic. In essence, this monograph paints a rich tapestry of African theological discourse during a global crisis, ultimately affirming that faith and science, when harmonised, can lead to a resilient and thriving community.

Faith in African Lived Christianity

Author:

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2019-09-16

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13: 9004412255

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Faith in African Lived Christianity – Bridging Anthropological and Theological Perspectives offers a comprehensive, empirically rich and interdisciplinary approach to the study of faith in African Christianity. The book brings together anthropology and theology in the study of how faith and religious experiences shape the understanding of social life in Africa. The volume is a collection of chapters by prominent Africanist theologians, anthropologists and social scientists, who take people’s faith as their starting point and analyze it in a contextually sensitive way. It covers discussions of positionality in the study of African Christianity, interdisciplinary methods and approaches and a number of case studies on political, social and ecological aspects of African Christian spirituality.

Book Synopsis Faith in African Lived Christianity by :

Download or read book Faith in African Lived Christianity written by and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2019-09-16 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Faith in African Lived Christianity – Bridging Anthropological and Theological Perspectives offers a comprehensive, empirically rich and interdisciplinary approach to the study of faith in African Christianity. The book brings together anthropology and theology in the study of how faith and religious experiences shape the understanding of social life in Africa. The volume is a collection of chapters by prominent Africanist theologians, anthropologists and social scientists, who take people’s faith as their starting point and analyze it in a contextually sensitive way. It covers discussions of positionality in the study of African Christianity, interdisciplinary methods and approaches and a number of case studies on political, social and ecological aspects of African Christian spirituality.

Crashed Realities? Gender Dynamics in Nigerian Pentecostalism

Author: Itohan Mercy Idumwonyi

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2023-12-18

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 9004545700

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Crashed Realities? explores the lived realities women Pentecostals encounter in male-founded Pentecostal churches. Idumwonyi demonstrates the gender dynamics at play in Nigerian Pentecostalism by exploring the ‘drama’ that played out in the wake of the nomination of the first woman Pentecostal archbishop in Nigeria and the subsequent attempt to 'erase' her from a significant leadership position and the pages of history. This case underscores how Pentecostalism, which presents as egalitarian, engages in and perpetuates gender disparity, revealing the realities that are crashed every day. This book further explores the profound ambiguities that result from an underlying commitment to patriarchy, making the calls to inclusivity illogical. In contrast, she proposes the advantages of the Pentecost Experience as favorable background to gender inclusivity and, in turn, human flourishing.

Book Synopsis Crashed Realities? Gender Dynamics in Nigerian Pentecostalism by : Itohan Mercy Idumwonyi

Download or read book Crashed Realities? Gender Dynamics in Nigerian Pentecostalism written by Itohan Mercy Idumwonyi and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2023-12-18 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Crashed Realities? explores the lived realities women Pentecostals encounter in male-founded Pentecostal churches. Idumwonyi demonstrates the gender dynamics at play in Nigerian Pentecostalism by exploring the ‘drama’ that played out in the wake of the nomination of the first woman Pentecostal archbishop in Nigeria and the subsequent attempt to 'erase' her from a significant leadership position and the pages of history. This case underscores how Pentecostalism, which presents as egalitarian, engages in and perpetuates gender disparity, revealing the realities that are crashed every day. This book further explores the profound ambiguities that result from an underlying commitment to patriarchy, making the calls to inclusivity illogical. In contrast, she proposes the advantages of the Pentecost Experience as favorable background to gender inclusivity and, in turn, human flourishing.

Christianity, Politics and the Afterlives of War in Uganda

Author: Henni Alava

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2022-03-10

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 1350175838

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Christianity, Politics and the Afterlives of War in Ugandasheds critical light on the complex and unstable relationship between Christianity and politics, and peace and war. Drawing on long-running ethnographic fieldwork in Uganda's largest religious communities, it maps the tensions and ironies found in the Catholic and Anglican Churches in the wake of war between the Lord's Resistance Army and the Government of Uganda. It shows how churches' responses to the war were enabled by their embeddedness in local communities. Yet churches' embeddedness in structures of historical violence made their attempts to nurture peace liable to compound conflict. At the heart of the book is the Acholi concept of anyobanyoba, 'confusion', which depicts an experienced sense of both ambivalence and uncertainty, a state of mixed-up affairs within community and an essential aspect of politics in a country characterized by the threat of state violence. Foregrounding vulnerability, the book advocates 'confusion' as an epistemological and ethical device, and employs it to meditate on how religious believers, as well as researchers, can cultivate hope amid memories of suffering and on-going violence.

Book Synopsis Christianity, Politics and the Afterlives of War in Uganda by : Henni Alava

Download or read book Christianity, Politics and the Afterlives of War in Uganda written by Henni Alava and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2022-03-10 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christianity, Politics and the Afterlives of War in Ugandasheds critical light on the complex and unstable relationship between Christianity and politics, and peace and war. Drawing on long-running ethnographic fieldwork in Uganda's largest religious communities, it maps the tensions and ironies found in the Catholic and Anglican Churches in the wake of war between the Lord's Resistance Army and the Government of Uganda. It shows how churches' responses to the war were enabled by their embeddedness in local communities. Yet churches' embeddedness in structures of historical violence made their attempts to nurture peace liable to compound conflict. At the heart of the book is the Acholi concept of anyobanyoba, 'confusion', which depicts an experienced sense of both ambivalence and uncertainty, a state of mixed-up affairs within community and an essential aspect of politics in a country characterized by the threat of state violence. Foregrounding vulnerability, the book advocates 'confusion' as an epistemological and ethical device, and employs it to meditate on how religious believers, as well as researchers, can cultivate hope amid memories of suffering and on-going violence.

Religious Organisations in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia

Author: Carole Rakodi

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2024-02-05

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 0429825102

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This book explores the links between religion, states, social welfare and social change in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Building on the author’s previous analysis of how religious beliefs, practices and values influence social behaviour and relationships, especially within families, this book focuses on the organisational characteristics of religions and societies. The book considers how Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Buddhist organisations working in different contexts express the religious values of charity and compassion in practical activities to improve social welfare. Drawing on extensive empirical research, the book maps the organisations involved, identifying the factors that explain their choice of activities, sources of funding and modes of organisation, and highlighting similarities and differences between the religious traditions. It considers the involvement of religious actors in school-level education, as well as in international humanitarian relief and reconstruction, and addresses the claim that religious organisations have distinctive features that give them comparative advantages. Finally, the book reviews research on the roles of religious values and organisations in resisting or promoting social change, focusing on women’s movements, especially their campaigns for changes in family law, and the quest for social and legal recognition for sexual and gender minorities. The book’s wide coverage of two subcontinents in the Global South and several important religious traditions will be of interest to researchers and students in the fields of sociology, international development, religious studies, anthropology and area studies, as well as to those engaged in policy and action who are looking to improve their understanding of the complex social, cultural, political and religious contexts in which they work.

Book Synopsis Religious Organisations in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia by : Carole Rakodi

Download or read book Religious Organisations in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia written by Carole Rakodi and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2024-02-05 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the links between religion, states, social welfare and social change in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Building on the author’s previous analysis of how religious beliefs, practices and values influence social behaviour and relationships, especially within families, this book focuses on the organisational characteristics of religions and societies. The book considers how Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Buddhist organisations working in different contexts express the religious values of charity and compassion in practical activities to improve social welfare. Drawing on extensive empirical research, the book maps the organisations involved, identifying the factors that explain their choice of activities, sources of funding and modes of organisation, and highlighting similarities and differences between the religious traditions. It considers the involvement of religious actors in school-level education, as well as in international humanitarian relief and reconstruction, and addresses the claim that religious organisations have distinctive features that give them comparative advantages. Finally, the book reviews research on the roles of religious values and organisations in resisting or promoting social change, focusing on women’s movements, especially their campaigns for changes in family law, and the quest for social and legal recognition for sexual and gender minorities. The book’s wide coverage of two subcontinents in the Global South and several important religious traditions will be of interest to researchers and students in the fields of sociology, international development, religious studies, anthropology and area studies, as well as to those engaged in policy and action who are looking to improve their understanding of the complex social, cultural, political and religious contexts in which they work.

Contemporary Discourses in Social Exclusion

Author: Aminkeng A. Alemanji

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2023-01-01

Total Pages: 254

ISBN-13: 3031181808

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This book looks into different forms of social exclusion in different societies or contexts. It is important to note that in some cases, social exclusion is fueled by the deprivation of economic resources, political and social rights. In contrast, social constructs or cultural norms constitute significant factors in other cases. At the subject (macro) level, this book opens up an avenue where researchers from different subjects can look into how central issues of their subject can be understood through the lenses of social exclusion. For example, historical perspectives of social exclusion, sociological perspectives of social exclusion, religiosity and social exclusion, gender perspectives of social exclusion, educational perspectives of social exclusion, etc. At the thematic (micro) level, this book looks into how specific themes like racism, the corona virus pandemic, albinism, media, sexuality and gender intersect with social exclusion. In doing all these, the book also provides a much-needed multidisciplinary and methodological understanding of issues of social exclusion.

Book Synopsis Contemporary Discourses in Social Exclusion by : Aminkeng A. Alemanji

Download or read book Contemporary Discourses in Social Exclusion written by Aminkeng A. Alemanji and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-01-01 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book looks into different forms of social exclusion in different societies or contexts. It is important to note that in some cases, social exclusion is fueled by the deprivation of economic resources, political and social rights. In contrast, social constructs or cultural norms constitute significant factors in other cases. At the subject (macro) level, this book opens up an avenue where researchers from different subjects can look into how central issues of their subject can be understood through the lenses of social exclusion. For example, historical perspectives of social exclusion, sociological perspectives of social exclusion, religiosity and social exclusion, gender perspectives of social exclusion, educational perspectives of social exclusion, etc. At the thematic (micro) level, this book looks into how specific themes like racism, the corona virus pandemic, albinism, media, sexuality and gender intersect with social exclusion. In doing all these, the book also provides a much-needed multidisciplinary and methodological understanding of issues of social exclusion.