Charismatic Healers in Contemporary Africa

Congratulations to Sandra Fancello (Anthology Editor), Alessandro Gusman (Anthology Editor)for this remarkable book.

Based on ethnographic studies conducted in several African countries, this volume analyses the phenomenon of deliverance – which is promoted both in charismatic churches and in Islam as a weapon against witchcraft – in order to clarify the political dimensions of spiritual warfare in contemporary African societies. Deliverance from evil is part and parcel of the contemporary discourse on the struggle against witchcraft in most African contexts. However, contributors show how its importance extends beyond this, highlighting a pluralism of approaches to deliverance in geographically distant religious movements, which coexist in Africa. Against this background, the book reflects on the responsibilities of Pentecostal deliverance politics within the condition of 'epistemic anxiety' of contemporary African societies – to shed light on complex relational dimensions in which individual deliverance is part of a wider social and spiritual struggle.

Spanning across the study of religion, healing and politics, this book contributes to ongoing debates about witchcraft and deliverance in Africa.

Link to the publisher

Christianity in Ivory Coast: read Bony Guiblehon

As I'm getting ready to go to Ivory Coast for field research, let's thank Professor Bony Guiblehon (Bouaké University / IMAF) for this very good piece of research (among many others):

Guiblehon, B. “LES JEUNES ET LE MARCHÉ DE LA SPIRITUALITÉ PENTECÔTISTE EN CÔTE D’IVOIRE”. European Scientific Journal, ESJ, Vol. 8, no. 24, Oct. 2012 (link)

The main objective of this paper is to question the Pentecostal spirituality market filled by a generation of young pastors who position themselves in the Ivorian religious audience. Indeed, the market of spirituality arose in the 1990s in the context of socio-economic crises, political and religious freedom, showing a new generation of self-proclaimed servants, "pastors", "bishops", "doctors" , "apostles", "prophets" ... in the Pentecostal movement. These young people perceive spirituality as an opportunity for self-recognition, social dignity and professional integration. To reach their goal, they put on the religious market products such as theology of prosperity and healing, they are involved in communication enterprise, take care of their style ( look) and leadership to meet the social and spiritual expectations of people experiencing the anguish of life pressure. Mobilizing social marketing strategy they capture potential believers and financial resources that could contribute to their personal success 

(link)

GLOPENT, European Research Network on Global Pentecostalism

As Alexandre Antoine (EPHE-PSL) is going to defend tomorrow his PhD Thesis on the History of the Assemblies of God in France (1909-1968), it's time to highlight this stimulating European research network on Pentecostalism:

The European Research Network on Global Pentecostalism (GloPent) is an interdisciplinary academic networking initiative coordinated by experts on Pentecostal and Charismatic movements at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the University of Basel, the University of Birmingham, the University of Cambridge, the University of Heidelberg, SOAS University of London, and the University of Uppsala.

We are interested in:

• Networking active research about Pentecostal and Charismatic movements worldwide, with a special focus on Africa, Asia, and Latin America
• Promoting scientific exchange through our conferences, our journal PentecoStudies, our mailing list, and our website
• Giving scholars a wider platform to introduce their work in Pentecostal Studies by providing bibliographies, papers, news, and links
• Providing academic information about global Pentecostalism to the European academia
• Providing study resources for the scholarly community, such as our dedicated GloPent Web Search Engine on Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements
• Facilitating discussion on theory and method in Pentecostal Studies
• Stimulating academic publications in Pentecostal Studies

Link

Protestantism in Spain: tribute to Frances Luttikhuizen

As Protestantism (mainly Evangelical/Pentecostal) is growing in Spain, let's not forget Frances Luttikhuizen, an English Philology lecturer, writer, and researcher of Protestantism, who passed away in Barcelona this last summer 2022.

Her main fields of interest included the history of translation, linguistic awareness, Cervantes' works, and the Spanish Reformation.

Among Luttikhuizen’s most important works is the book España y la Reforma Protestante (Spain and the Protestant Reformation, 2018, 468p (link), of which Spanish theologian José Moreno Berrocal has said it is “a work that represents a before and after in the studies of the Reformation in Spain (...).

There is a wealth of data and ideas that will make this book a constant and obligatory reference work”. 

Some reviews of this book are available, mostly in Spanish, including in this History of Philosophy publication (link)

Thank you Evangelical Focus for this obituary (link)

Nepali Pentecostal Christians

Let's thank Samuele POLETTI for this remarkable piece of research just released in the TERRAIN review :

"Miracles matter and the matter of miracles, The miraculous reshaping of world and self among Nepali Pentecostal Christians".

The author skillfully demonstrates how the overlapping of everyday life with the biblical narrative acts as an imaginary device that supports the conversion of unprivileged people in a context in which they do not enjoy much freedom of choice.

Fulfilling the promise of a better life, the production of the miracles that I present provides a glimpse of what it might mean to “live in a book”.

Link

Prosperity Gospel : at least 5 varieties

Who did not hear about Prosperity Gospel ? However, even if it's easy and simple to remember, the label misleading.

The more I read (for example, Blessed, from Kate Bowler, and Coleman, The Globalization of Charismatic Christianity) and the more I do field research (In France, Congo, Madagascar Burkina Faso etc), the more I come to realize that there is at least FIVE distinct theologies behind the "Prosperity Gospel" label. In a nutshell, let me share these varieties with you:

-A magico-religious variety

-A performative variety (Word of Faith)

- A gift /countergift version (Mauss)

-A contract variety (Covenant, Laws of the Kingdom)

-A postcolonial version

To be followed....

A much needed book to understand Health and Wealth Gospel

The CEIA, located in Lognes, near Paris, is the biggest Evangelical meeting in France. Last year, the main theme was Health and Wealth Gospel. Not surprising!

This growing movement, mostly popular within some Charismatic circles, is taking roots in France. The two biggest Evangelical congregations in Paris, which are Charisma Eglise Chrétienne and Paris Centre Chrétien, could be described as linked to Prosperity Gospel.

This is why Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel (Oxford University Press, 2013), authored by Kate Bowler, is not only needed in America. It is also a great tool for a better understanding of a world-wide movement much more diverse than what most people think.

Good review to be read here (link).

A new leading figure of the European research field on African churches

Remember Annalisa Butticci’s name : as the Padova International Conference on Pentecostalism reaches its end today, she’s the one to be praised (along with her mentor Enzo Pace) for boosting studies on Pentecostal and immigrant churches in Latin Europe.

 After having completed her Ph.D in Sociology and Methodology for Social Science Research from the Catholic University of Milan (Italy), she conducted an ambitious field work, both in Nigerian immigrant churches and in Nigeria (she spent 8 months in Lagos), and she just achieved an amazing task in organizing such a large and successful conference in Padova. (Click to continue)

Kingdom Theology : a shift within Health and Wealth Gospel?

As a keynote speaker at the 2012 Padova international conference on Pentecostalism (Italy), I was glad to present my paper today (Friday 8th of June, 2012).

I was not the only one : several fascinating studies have been presented, including one describing a theological schift occuring within the Health and Wealth Gospel trend in Nigerian Pentecostalism.

 Click to continue

Religion studied by social sciences: the visual turn

As I attended the first day of "Pentecostals, politics of space and power", the Padova international Conference organized by Professor Enzo Pace and Annalisa Butticci, let's highlight one inspiring concept emphasized by Annalisa Butticci : contemporary teaching and science are facing a "visual turn".

Less texts, more images. Social sciences have to adapt!

It makes all the more relevant "Na God", the picture exhibit realized by gifted photographer Andrew Esiebo (pictured left).

Pentecostals, politics of space and power (Padova, 7-9 June 2012)

Pentecostals in Italy? Nothing really new, as Pentecostals spread in the motherplace of Catholicism since the beginning of the XXth Century.

However, this italian pentecostal landscape is rapidely changing through African first-generation immigrants, mainly from Ghana and Nigeria. More and more new African Pentecostal Charismatic Churches are now spreading in cities like Milano, Pavova or Rome.

This is one of the reasons why scholars Enzo Pace and Annalisa Butticci have successfully conducted a 4 years research project on African Pentecostal churches in Italy. The coming Padova Conference (7-9 June, 2012) aims to share the results of this project, as well as boosting comparisons and further studies.