Tesfaye Gabbiso, prominent Ethiopian soloist, began composing song texts and tunes as a young lad in the early 1970s during a period of social and political upheaval in Ethiopia. This national ferment strengthened a creative surge among a generation of youth as the Ethiopian revolution (1974–91) was taking hold. An explosion of indigenous spiritual songs was one result. The indigenous song style was in contrast to the imported and translated European hymnody that had earlier been sung in Ethiopia's evangelical churches. Because of his testimony, both in life and song, Tesfaye was imprisoned for seven years during the revolution, during which time he continued to compose and sing. Thus, his songs reflect suffering, endurance, and hope in the "Babylons, Meantime, and Zions" of life experience. The human voice in song, rooted in the flow of the missio Dei, is perhaps the greatest testimony that may be lived out, whether in a prison cell or in the larger complex world. A special feature of this book is the inclusion of 104 of Tesfaye's songs (Cassettes 1–7) in English translation. This study is valuable as a cross-cultural textbook, offers rich lyrics, and embodies a challenge to Christian commitment in the arts.

The author argues that identity politics eliminates Ethiopians' in-between spaces and identities and defines in-between spaces as political, social, religious, and geographical spaces that enable Ethiopians to co-exist with equity, solidarity, and justice. The elimination of in-between spaces and in-between identities creates either-or class, religious, ethnic, and gender categories. Therefore, the author proposes an in-between theology that invites Ethiopians to a new hybrid way of being to resist fragmented and hegemonic identities. The author claims that postcolonial discourse and praxis of in-between pastoral care disrupts and interrogates hegemonic definitions of culture, home, subjectivity, and identity. On the other hand, in-between pastoral care uses embodiment, belonging, subjectivity, and hybridity as features of care and praxis to create intercultural and intersubjective identities that can co-construct and co-create in-between spaces. In the in-between spaces, Ethiopians can relate with the Other with intercultural competencies to live their difference, similarity, hybridity, and complexity.

The Routledge Companion to Christianity in Africa offers a multi-disciplinary analysis of the Christian tradition across the African continent and throughout a long historical span. The volume offers historical and thematic essays tracing the introduction of Christianity in Africa, as well as its growth, developments, and effects, including the lived experience of African Christians. Individual chapters address the themes of Christianity and gender, the development of African-initiated churches, the growth of Pentecostalism, and the influence of Christianity on issues of sexuality, music, and public health. This comprehensive volume will serve as a valuable overview and reference work for students and researchers worldwide.

Instead, Eshete shows, it was a genuine indigenous response to cultural pressures.--Liza Debevec "Journal of Religion in Africa"