Religion and Poverty

Peter J. Paris is the Elmer G. Homrighausen Professor of Christian Social Ethics Emeritus at the Princeton Theological Seminary. He is the author of Virtues and Values: The African and African American Experience, The History of the Riverside Church in the City of New York, and The Spirituality of African Peoples: The Search for a Common Moral Discourse. Jacob Olupona is Professor of African Religious Traditions at the Harvard Divinity School.

• Foreword / Jacob Olupona ixAcknowledgments xxiIntroduction / Peter J. Paris 1Part 1. The Roots and Impact of Poverty An Ethical Mapping of the Transatlantic Slave Trade / Katie G. Cannon 19Feminization of Poverty Across Pan-African Societies: the Church's Response-Alleviative or Emancipatory / Barbara Bailey 39Part 2. Challenges of the Global and Informal Economices The Informal Economy and the Religion of Global Cities / Takatso A. Mofokeng 69A Theological Perspective on the Effects of Globalization on Poverty in Pan-African Contexts / Lewin L. Williams 88Part 3. Religious Strategies for Liberating the Poor African Traditional Religion and the Concept of Poverty / Elizabeth Amoah 111Religion and Poverty: Ritual and Empowerment in Africa and the African Diaspora / Linda E. Thomas and Dwight N. Hopkins 128The Bible and Poverty in African Pentecostal Christianity: The Bosadi (Womanhood) Approach / Madipoane Masenya 152The Struggle for Full Humanity in Poverty-Stricken Kenya / Nyambura J. Njoroge 166Part 4. The Ambiguous Relation of Religion and Poverty Poverty Among African People and the Ambiguous Role of Christian Thought / Kossi A. Ayezde 193Religion and Materiality: The Case of Poverty Alleviation / Esther M. Mombo 213Warm Bodies, Cold Currency: A Study of Religion's Response to Poverty / Anthony B. Pinn 228Part 5. Practical Theories for Combating Poverty Nyerere on Ujamaa and Christianity as Transforming Forces in Society / Laurenti Magesa 249Caribbean Issues: The Caribbean and African American Churches' Response / Noel Leo Erskine 272Africa's Poverty, Human Rights, and a Just Society / Simeon O. Ilesanmi 293Self-Initiation: A Necessary Principle in the African Struggle to Abolish Poverty / Peter J. Paris Contributors Index

“The volume’s pragmatic emphasis will be especially useful for an audience ranging from experts to general readers who are seeking a constructive approach to the study of ethics, theology, human rights, and poverty. Recommended.” - S. A. Johnson, Choice “[T]he collection as a whole is valuable for providing seculardevelopmentalists with insights into the importance of Africa’s cultural and religious heritage in devising policies to overcome the legacies of poverty.” - Kevin Ward, Leeds African Studies Bulletin “The collection of essays based on a series of seminars, lectures, and conferences, was quite novel in seeking to present a distinctively Pan-African approach to the complex global discourse on poverty…. The book is a vital contribution to the wider discourse on poverty in Africa and the African diaspora…. [Which] all those working towards poverty alleviation must read.” - Afe Adogame, Anthropos “The writers who contributed to Religion and Poverty used a diverse array of sources to support their arguments and to make intellectual connections…. Ultimately, [this book] offers a valuable contribution to the discourse on the role of religion in both creating and sustaining poverty. At the same time, this collection offers an honest and thoughtful view into the possibilities of religious organizations and their role in alleviating poverty throughout the world.” - Youseef J. Carter, The Journal of African American History “[T]he collection as a whole is valuable for providing secular developmentalists with insights into the importance of Africa’s cultural and religious heritage in devising policies to overcome the legacies of poverty.” - Kevin Ward (Leeds African Studies Bulletin) “The collection of essays based on a series of seminars, lectures, and conferences, was quite novel in seeking to present a distinctively Pan-African approach to the complex global discourse on poverty…. The book is a vital contribution to the wider discourse on poverty in Africa and the African diaspora…. [Which] all those working towards poverty alleviation must read.” - Afe Adogame (Anthropos) “The volume’s pragmatic emphasis will be especially useful for an audience ranging from experts to general readers who are seeking a constructive approach to the study of ethics, theology, human rights, and poverty. Recommended.” - S. A. Johnson (Choice) “The writers who contributed to Religion and Poverty used a diverse array of sources to support their arguments and to make intellectual connections…. Ultimately, [this book] offers a valuable contribution to the discourse on the role of religion in both creating and sustaining poverty. At the same time, this collection offers an honest and thoughtful view into the possibilities of religious organizations and their role in alleviating poverty throughout the world.” - Youseef J. Carter (Journal of African American History)