African Initiated Christianity and the Decolonisation of Development

Philipp Öhlmann is Head of the Research Programme on Religious Communities and Sustainable Development, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Research Associate, University of Pretoria, South Africa. Wilhelm Gräb is Head of the Research Programme on Religious Communities and Sustainable Development, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Extraordinary Professor, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Marie-Luise Frost is a Researcher, Research Programme on Religious Communities and Sustainable Development, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Research Associate, University of Pretoria, South Africa.

• 1. Introduction: African Initiated Christianity and Sustainable Development Part I: Overarching Perspectives 2. Spirit and Empowerment: The African Initiated Church Movement and Development 3. The Challenge of Environment and Climate Justice – Imperatives of an Eco-Theological Reformation of Christianity in African Contexts 4. African Initiated Churches and Development from Below: Subjecting a Thesis to Closer Scrutiny 5. Distinguished Church Leader Essay: Theology in African Initiated Churches: Reflections from an East African Perspective Part II: Nigerian Perspectives 6. Distinguished Church Leader Essay: Roles of Women in African Independent and Pentecostal Churches in Nigeria 7. "A Starving Man Cannot Shout Halleluyah": African Pentecostal Churches and the Challenge of Promoting Sustainable Development 8. Approaches to Transformation and Development: The Case of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Nigeria 9. The Role of Pentecostalism in Sustainable Development in South West Nigeria 10. Aladura Churches as Agents of Social Transformation in South-West Nigeria 11. Distinguished Church Leader Essay: Aladura Theology: The Case of the Church of the Lord (Prayer Fellowship) Worldwide Part III: Ghanaian Perspectives 12. Distinguished Church Leader Essay: The Church of Pentecost and its Role in Ghanaian Society 13. An Evaluation of Pentecostal Churches as Agents of Sustainable Development in Africa: A Case of the Church of Pentecost 14. Pentecostalism and Sustainable Development: The Case of Perez Chapel International Sylvia 15. Distinguished Church Leader Essay: Healing a Strained Relationship between African Independent Churches and Western Mission-founded Churches in Ghana (1967–2017): The Role of Good News Theological Seminary, Accra, Part IV: Perspectives from Burkina Faso 16. Distinguished Church Leader Essay: Partnerships for Female Education in Burkina Faso: Perspectives from Evangelical Churches and FBOs 17. Investing in the Future Generation: New Pentecostal Charismatic Churches in Urban Zimbabwe Part V: Zimbabwean Perspectives 18. Investing in the Future Generation: New Pentecostal Charismatic Churches in Urban Zimbabwe 19. Pentecostal Charismatic Christianity and the Management of Precarity in Post-Colonial Zimbabwe Part VI: South African Perspectives 20. Distinguished Church Leader Essay: Cross-Cultural Development in South Africa: A Perspective from Below 21. Contested Development(s)? The Possible Contribution of the African Independent Churches in Decolonising Development. A South African Perspective

"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