Across the past twenty years major change has taken place in the structure of global society with respect to the nature of migration. The predominant pattern since at least the eighteenth century had been for peoples to move to and settle in Western countries permanently, with relatively little substantive interchange with their former homelands, hence adopting the modes of articulation characteristic of their new societies (a process expressed with respect to the USA, for example, as "Americanization"). This pattern has now changed, and there is considerable interaction between homeland and migrant peoples. One of the places this has become especially important is in religious exchanges. While some negative effects of this process may grab headlines, there have also been extensive positive interactions, not least among African peoples, especially with respect to pentecostal and allied religious movements. The chapters in this book illustrate the variety of these exchanges. Contributors include: Wale Adebanwi, Edlyne Anugwom, J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, Marleen de Witte, Laura Grillo, Susan M. Kilonzo, Samuel Krinsky, Géraldine Mossière, Philomena Njeri Mwaura, Joel Noret, Ebenezer Obadare, Damaris S. Parsitau, Mei-Mei Sanford, Linda van de Kamp, and Rijk van Dijk.

A rich ethnography of lived religious experiences in Lagos, offering a unique look at religious pluralism in Nigeria's biggest city.

Faith-based organisations (FBOs) have long been recognised as having an advantage in delivering programs and interventions amongst communities of the same faith. However, many FBOs today work across a variety of contexts, including with local partners and communities of different faiths. Likewise, secular NGOs and donors are increasingly partnering with faith-based organisations to work in highly-religious communities. Development Across Faith Boundaries explores the dynamics of activities by local or international FBOs that cross faith boundaries, whether with their partners, donors or recipient communities. The book investigates the dynamics of cross-faith partnerships in a range of development contexts, from India, Cambodia and Myanmar, to Melanesia, Bosnia, Ethiopia and Afghanistan. The book demonstrates how far FBOs extend their activities beyond their own faith communities and how far NGOs partner with religious actors. It also considers the impacts of these cross-faith partnerships, including their work on conflict and sectarian or ethnic tension in the relevant communities. This book is an invaluable guide for graduates, researchers and students with an interest in development and religious studies, as well as practitioners within the aid sector.

Arguably the single most important element in Abrahamic cross-confessional relations has been an ongoing mutual interest in perennial spiritual and ethical exemplars of one another’s communities. Ranging from Late Antiquity through the Middle Ages, Crossing Confessional Boundaries explores the complex roles played by saints, sages, and Friends of God in the communal and intercommunal lives of Christians, Muslims, and Jews across the Mediterranean world, from Spain and North Africa to the Middle East to the Balkans. By examining these stories in their broad institutional, social, and cultural contexts, Crossing Confessional Boundaries reveals unique theological insights into the interlocking histories of the Abrahamic faiths.

Mission is the practice of cultivating relationships across boundaries for the sake of fostering conversations in word and deed about the nature of God's Good News. To understand the boundaries that need to be crossed, the book draws on the concept of context.

When to say yes, when to say no to take control of your life.

The ambiguity concerning the interpretation of the ‘physical body’ in religious thought is not peculiar to any given religion, but is discernible in the scriptures, practices, and disciplines in most of the world’s major religious traditions. This book seeks to address the nuances of difference within and between religious traditions in the treatment and understanding of what constitutes the body as a carrier of religious meaning and/or vindication of doctrine. Bringing together an international team of contributors from different disciplines, this collection addresses the intersection of religion, gender, corporeality and/or sexuality in various Western and Eastern cultures. The book analyses instances when religious meaning is attributed to the human body’s physicality and its mechanics in contrast to imagined or metaphorical bodies. In other cases, it is shown that the body may function either as a vehicle or a hindrance for mystical knowledge. The chapters are arranged chronologically and across religious orientations, to offer a differentiated view on the body from a global perspective. This collection is an exciting exploration of religion and the human body. As such, it will be of great interest to scholars in religious studies, theology, Islamic studies, South Asian studies, history of religions and gender studies.