Abstract:
This book investigates the substantial and growing contribution which African
Independent and Pentecostal Churches are making to sustainable development
in all its manifold forms. Moreover, this volume seeks to elucidate how these
churches reshape the very notion of sustainable development and contribute to
the decolonisation of development.
Fostering both overarching and comparative perspectives, the book includes
chapters on West Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, and Burkina Faso) and Southern Africa
(Zimbabwe and South Africa). It aims to open up a subfield focused on African
Initiated Christianity within the religion and development discourse, substantially
broadening the scope of the existing literature. Written predominantly by scholars
from the African continent, the chapters in this volume illuminate potentials and
perspectives of African Initiated Christianity, combining theoretical contributions,
essays by renowned church leaders, and case studies focusing on particular churches
or regional contexts.
While the contributions in this book focus on the African continent, the
notion of development underlying the concept of the volume is deliberately
wide and multidimensional, covering economic, social, ecological, political, and
cultural dimensions. Therefore, the book will be useful for the community of
scholars interested in religion and development as well as researchers within
African studies, anthropology, development studies, political science, religious
studies, sociology of religion, and theology. It will also be a key resource for
development policymakers and practitioners.
