Spirit-Filled World: Religious Dis/Continuity in African Pentecostalism

1.            The Spirit of Dis/continuity                                                                                                                         

Pentecostalism and the Continuity Debate

Terminology and Presuppositions

Spiritual Power and Spirituality

The Argument of this Book

2.            Pentecostalism in the Sub-Sahara                                                                                                           

Africa in the Twenty-First Century

Reasons for the Growth of African Pentecostalism

Globalization and the Religious Context

3.            Pentecostalism in a South African Township                                                                                       

Soshanguve and the Research Project

Pentecostalism in Soshanguve

African Popular Religion and Christian Responses

Methodological Issues and Challenges

PART 2: A SPIRIT-FILLED WORLD                                                                                                                               

4.            The Ambiguity of Ancestors                                                                                                                       

The Traditional Role of Ancestors

Urban Burial Rituals

Confrontation with Evil Spirits

5.            Witchcraft, Spirits, and Misfortune                                                                                                          Witchcraft and Manipulation of Power

Familiars, Evil Spirits, and Demons

Witchcraft a Cause of Sickness

Christian Responses to Misfortune

                Concepts of Prosperity and Success

6.            Divination, Healing and Deliverance                                                                                                        

                Healers, Diviners, and Witchdoctors

                Christian Responses to Divination

                Symbolic Healing and Rituals of Power

PART 3: THE SPIRIT IN A SPIRIT WORLD                                                                                                  

7.            Translating the Spirit World                                                                                                                        

African Spirits and Christianity

The Significance of Deliverance

The Southern African Debate

Responsible Syncretism

Intercultural Theology

8.            The Power of the Spirit                                                                                                                                

Power, Life-Force, and the Spirit

Biblical Perspectives on Spirit Manifestations

Biblical Concepts of Power and the Spirit