Journal of African Christian Biography: v. 7, no. 4

Abstract

The many emerging aspects of the phenomenon of Pentecostalism continue to invite new research. In this issue we offer full reviews of several important studies of Pentecostalism in Africa. Zimbabwean researcher Allan Anderson built a large body of work discussing Pentecostalism in Africa. His contributions to the field stand out in their fresh emic analysis of a phenomenon that continues to unfold. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu developed theological and ecclesial trajectories in the discussion of Pentcostalism in Africa. Drawing heavily from his Ghanaian context, Asamoah-Gyadu helped define some of the contours of the research which will continue to invite engagement in the future. Another seminal work mentioned in the Book Notes was written by Nigerian scholar Ogbu Kalu before his untimely death in 2009. His book built on Hollenweger’s work to establish a historical basis for African Pentecostalism as a legitimate genre for study in its own right. Kalu’s delineation of the different expressions produced a taxonomy that remains useful today. May the collection of articles in this journal inspire a deeper critical analysis of the phenomenon of Pentecostalism in Africa and yield new research in the future. To complete this issue, we honor the passing of a great father of African theology, Professor Laurenti Magesa, born in Tanzania, with an obituary by Nigerian Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator, SJ, and a history of his thought by Jean-Luc Enyegue, SJ, from French-speaking Cameroon.