In this book, Ogbu Kalu provides an overview of Pentecostalism in Africa. He shows the amazing diversity of the faith, which flourishes in many different forms in diverse local contexts, and demonstrates that African Pentecostalism is distinctly African in character, not imported from the West.

This book makes a significant contribution to the study of African Pentecostalism, by reflecting on their output. Deviating from the widespread phenomenon of scholars from the Global North being dominant voices on African Pentecostalism, this volume brings together African scholars from diverse academic disciplines and African/Diasporan to showcase how they’ve helped to shape the field. This volume addresses the lacuna in the available scholarship by undertaking detailed analyses of how scholarship and exemplifies the various areas where African scholars have made and continue to make contributions. The included chapters engage in methodological debates on African Pentecostalism from the continent as well as from African diaspora, and is a must read for scholars working on Pentecostalism.

African Pentecostalism is one of the most vibrant expressions of Pentecostalism in the world today. There are over 100 million Pentecostals in Africa, and the movement continues to grow. So significant is the Pentecostalization of global African Christianity, it is referred to as an African reformation. No serious study of global Pentecostalism can be conducted without a critical look at African Pentecostalism. In Pentecostalism: Insights from Africa and the African Diaspora, Clifton R. Clarke explores the historical and theological factors behind the phenomenal growth of African Pentecostalism. Clarke provides insightful elucidation on critical religious, theological, philosophical, political, and social issues that have shaped the movement. His extensive account examines such topics as: theological method for the study of African Pentecostalism, African Pentecostalism and Islam, Pan-Africanism and African Pentecostalism, the African Pentecostal understanding of God, and Christ and the Holy Spirit. What is the cause of this African Pentecostal revival? Clarke points to such features as its vibrant approach to worship and a robust emphasis on the Holy Spirit, its aggressive evangelism and church growth strategies, and its ability to tap into African imagination and felt needs in a way that is culturally relevant and contemporary--all of which has contributed to African Pentecostalism's global attraction. ""As Pentecostal Christianity sweeps over the continent of Africa, Dr. Clarke's book comes in response to the demand of African Christian needs. Accordingly, he explores critical issues that pose challenges to the people of the continent and other Africans living in the diaspora through an African Pentecostal hermeneutical lens and viewpoint. This book will be an invaluable companion to people who want to understand the contemporary movement of God in Africa."" --OPOKU ONYINAH, The Church of Pentecost, Accra, Ghana ""Clarke, in this book, captures well the connections between the socio-economic situation in Africa, the spirituality and epistemology of its people, and the emerging limit-transcending theology of the Pentecostal movement. The book invites us to take a fresh look at African Pentecostal theology and to turn to its author as a major voice and guide in the crafting of this heady theology."" --NIMI WARIBOKO, Boston University, Boston, USA ""Pentecostalism constitutes the growing edges of world Christianity. Clifton Clarke is clearly one of its non-Western leading voices. In writing on Pentecostal theology from African perspectives in this volume, Clarke, as a critical insider, makes up for the lack of theological material on African Pentecostalism. This is a work of solid worth that will serve both the Christian Theological Academy and the world church immensely."" --J. KWABENA ASAMOAH-GYADU, Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon, Ghana Clifton R. Clarke, PhD Associate Dean, William E. Pannell Center for African American Church Studies and the Associate Professor for Black Church Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary. His previous publications include African Christology (Pickwick, 2011), Pentecostal Theology in Africa (Pickwick, 2013), and the Islamic Dilemma: A Pentecostal Response to Global Jihad (High Bridge, 2015).

This book is a pneumatological reflection on the use and abuse of the Spirit in light of the abuse of religion within South African Pentecostalism. Both emerging and well-established scholars of South African Pentecostalism are brought together to reflect on pneumatology from various approaches, which includes among others: historical, biblical, migration, commercialisation of religion, discernment of spirits and human flourishing. From a broader understanding of the function of the Holy Spirit in different streams of Pentecostalism, the argument is that this function has changed with the emergence of the new Prophetic churches in South Africa. This is a fascinating insight into one of the major emerging worldwide religious movements. As such, it will be of great interest to academics in Pentecostal Studies, Christian Studies, Theology, and Religious Studies as well as African Studies and the Sociology of Religion.

Although African scholars have made a significant contribution to the study of African Pentecostalism, very few studies have reflected on their output. Most of the contemporary publications on the widespread phenomenon of African Pentecostalism create the impression that only scholars from the Global North have contributed to the field. This volume addresses the lacuna in the available scholarship by undertaking detailed analyses of how African scholars from diverse academic disciplines and African/Diasporan context have helped to shape the field. The included chapters provid fresh data on new themes and perspectives in the field.

This book examines the complex and multifaceted nature of African Pentecostal engagements with genders and sexualities. In the last three decades, African Pentecostalism has emerged as one the most visible and profound aspects of religious change on the continent, and is a social force that straddles cultural, economic, and political spheres. Its conventional and selective literal interpretations of the Bible with respect to gender and sexualities are increasingly perceived as exhibiting a strong influence on many aspects of social and public institutions and their moral orientations. This collection features articles which examine sexualities and genders in African Pentecostalism using interdisciplinary methodological and theoretical approaches grounded within traditional African thought systems, with the goal of enabling a broader understanding of Pentecostalism and sexualities in Africa.

In 2006, the contemporary American Pentecostal movement celebrated its 100th birthday. Over that time, its African American sector has been markedly influential, not only vis-à-vis other branches of Pentecostalism but also throughout the Christian church. Black Christians have been integrally involved in every aspect of the Pentecostal movement since its inception and have made significant contributions to its founding as well as the evolution of Pentecostal/charismatic styles of worship, preaching, music, engagement of social issues, and theology. Yet despite its being one of the fastest growing segments of the Black Church, Afro-Pentecostalism has not received the kind of critical attention it deserves. Afro-Pentecostalism brings together fourteen interdisciplinary scholars to examine different facets of the movement, including its early history, issues of gender, relations with other black denominations, intersections with popular culture, and missionary activities, as well as the movement’s distinctive theology. Bolstered by editorial introductions to each section, the chapters reflect on the state of the movement, chart its trajectories, discuss pertinent issues, and anticipate future developments. Contributors: Estrelda Y. Alexander, Valerie C. Cooper, David D. Daniels III, Louis B. Gallien, Jr., Clarence E. Hardy III, Dale T. Irvin, Ogbu U. Kalu, Leonard Lovett, Cecil M. Robeck, Jr., Cheryl J. Sanders, Craig Scandrett-Leatherman, William C. Turner, Jr., Frederick L. Ware, and Amos Yong