Christianity among the African people, whether on the soil of Africa or in diaspora, is perceived and defined differently by different people. For instance, among African traditional religious people and Muslims, Christianity is a foreign religion that must not be allowed to thrive in Africa. To several Africans who profess Jesus, Christianity is good, but it is not adequate and effective enough to handle all human needs. Still, among some Western Christians and missionaries, African Christianity is superficial and lacks total commitment to Christ. Of course, the Africans are a cultural people with profound religious inclinations. Their traditional religion (ATR) has tremendously shaped their worldviews and socioeconomic and political activities. Consequently, when traditional Africans are converted to Christianity, they do not break ties with their traditional religions completely. The examination of relevant biblical texts on syncretism, however, reveals that God condemns the worship of many gods and places a curse on anyone who offers sacrifices to carved images and bows to them in worship. Therefore, this work investigates the root cause of religious syncretism among African people. In the attempt to find answers to why the average African Christian finds it difficult, if not impossible, to abandon his/her traditional religious belief systems completely to embrace Christianity, the author concludes that unless the issues surrounding the African forgotten and secret covenants are exposed and decisively addressed in the light of biblical teaching, syncretism will continue to be a stigma on the fabric of African Christianity. Therefore, to overcome the threats of syncretism in African Christianity, there is a need to establish a sound theological and missiological framework that can address the problems associated with the African worldviews and belief systems. This task must be carried out under the searchlight of Scriptures.

The dynamic witness of the Black church is an essential part of Christian history. In this groundbreaking two-volume work, Walter R. Strickland II presents a theological-intellectual history of African American Christianity. Volume 1, a narrative history, explores five theological anchors of Black Christianity from the 1600s to the present.

Explore the modern-day impact of slavery and colonialism in this panoramic Black history for anti-racist readers of 1619 Project and Caste. The companion book to a groundbreaking exhibition on African American history and culture—with 150 powerful illustrations of people and objects. This powerful collection of essays brought to life with more than 150 illustrations investigates the intertwined legacies of slavery, freedom, and capitalism. In Slavery’s Wake frames the history of slavery in a global context to show how it created systems of oppression that continue to shape the world today. Compelling essays from key historians and scholars trace the contemporary resonances of slavery but also the history of freedom-making, from abolitionism to enslaved and colonized people asserting their humanity to the Black Lives Matter movement. The history is humanized by: Art reflecting on liberation, including the gorgeous artwork of Daniel Minter Historic and contemporary artifacts that represent enslavement and resistance Poignant interviews of descendants of formerly colonized and enslaved people sharing their lived experiences This book posits that current matters of freedom and equality are only made possible by understanding how past injustices have defined the present, making it an essential read for anyone engaged in social justice. Poignant and insightful, In Slavery's Wake examines the long shadow of slavery and looks toward building a freer future beyond it.

On 6 September 1966, inside the House of Assembly in Cape Town, Dimitri Tsafendas stabbed to death Hendrik Verwoerd, South Africa’s Prime Minister and so-called “architect of apartheid”. Tsafendas was immediately arrested and before he had even been questioned by the authorities, they declared him a madman without any political motive for the killing. In the Cape Supreme Court, Tsafendas was found unfit to stand trial on the grounds that he suffered from schizophrenia and that he had no political motive for killing Verwoerd. Tsafendas spent the next 28 years in custody, making him the longest-serving detainee in South African history. For most of his incarnation he was subjected to cruel and inhumane treatment by the prison authorities. From 2009 to 2018, Harris Dousemetzis extensively researched the assassination of Verwoerd and the life of Tsafendas. For this research, he travelled to South Africa, Mozambique, Greece, France, and Turkey, and interviewed about 150 people who either knew Tsafendas or Verwoerd or were involved with the case of the assassination. He discovered about 12,000 pages of documents on the case, most of them previously unpublished, in archival collections in South Africa, Portugal and the UK. Dousemetzis collaborated with prominent South African jurists, psychiatrists and psychologists, and concluded his research, by writing the Report to the Minister of Justice in the Matter of Dr. Verwoerd’s Assassination. The report conclusively proved that Tsafendas had assassinated Verwoerd for political reasons and that the apartheid authorities had orchestrated a massive operation to declare him insane and apolitical. This ground-breaking report and this book corrected the historical record regarding Verwoerd’s assassination and Tsafendas. The Man Who Killed Apartheid, based on Dousemetzis’s groundbreaking research, chronicles in detail Tsafendas’s life and conclusively demonstrates that he was a perfectly sane and deeply political person with a long history of political activism. At the same time, the book exposes the lie at the heart of apartheid’s posture on the assassination of Hendrik Verwoerd and provides a rare picture of how the racist regime operated and what it was like to live and die under apartheid.

In 2023, Reuel Khoza unsealed a letter to the future, which he had written in 1999 when he was chair of Eskom, at the time recognised as the best power utility in the world. It was an optimistic letter, expressing hopes that have since been dashed by corruption and maladministration – by a failure of ethical leadership. Khoza has written about leadership before – considering the importance of intelligence, emotional intelligence and social awareness. Now he broadens his focus to explore the role of spirituality – a ‘faith quotient’ – in transformational leadership. The Spirit of Leadership is about faith in humanity and, above all, faith in God. It is about being an African and a Christian, and a strong believer in the virtues of ubuntu, Africa’s philosophy of humanness. It is about ancestral wisdom and modern leadership. It is about progress through ethical behaviour and good governance in business. Finally, it is about innovations of the spirit that are needed to save South Africa – and indeed the world – from a spiral of despair. This is a vital and timely book for a country that needs to rediscover its moral compass.

This remarkable collection of essays explores the role of African Christianity in God’s mission around the world. Featuring the contributions of African scholars and mission practitioners from throughout sub-Saharan Africa and the diaspora – including both men and women, veteran scholars, and fresh new voices – this volume provides a diverse perspective on missiology as understood and practised by African Christians. Engaging such wide-ranging topics as gender violence, globalization, Westernization, peacebuilding, development, Pentecostalism, urban missiology, theological education, and African Christianity in Europe, this volume ambitiously bridges the gap between academic and practitioner perspectives, engaging both theological discourse and the hands-on reality of how God’s mission is taking shape in Africa and beyond. This book offers an empowering look at the work God is accomplishing in and through the African church.

Focusing on the work of contemporary African women researchers, this volume explores feminist perspectives in relation to African Indigenous Religions (AIR). It evaluates what the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians’ research has achieved and proposed since its launch in 1989, their contribution to the world of knowledge and liberation, and the potential application to nurturing a justice-oriented world. The book considers the methodologies used amongst the Circle to study African Indigenous Religions, the AIR sources of knowledge that are drawn on, and the way in which women are characterized. It reflects on how ideas drawn from African Indigenous Religions might address issues of patriarchy, colonialism, capitalism, racism, tribalism, and sexual and disability-based discrimination. The chapters examine theologies of specific figures. The book will be of interest to scholars of religion, gender studies, Indigenous studies, and African studies.

Practical Theology and Mission Studies: Understand, contemplate and do! South African Perspectives is an academic book that consists of theoretical contributions from lecturers and research associates of the Department of Practical Theology and Mission Studies at the Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria (UP). Practical theology is multifaceted. It is present in a wide variety of locations and environments. It is also unlike Missiology to be idle or remain ‘pie in the’ sky. Even Missiology, or as at the University of Pretoria, Mission Studies, remains an applied ‘practical’ theological discipline. These theological disciplines emphasise the significance of the context or specific circumstances in which it operates, seeking to recognise the presence of the divine and understand its calling within the complexities of everyday life. Practical Theology remains contextual. Thus, this book focuses on the South African context since epistemology from a South African viewpoint involves comprehending the lived experiences and knowledge systems of individuals from this side of the world. The present-day experience, known as the context, influences individuals’ perspectives and the development of theological beliefs through the interplay of culture, social position, and societal transformation within a specific setting. As a collective, the fields of inquiry that come into play within this book are research methodology, practical theology, liturgy, homiletics, pastoral care and counselling, children’s ministry, youth ministry, diakonia, community development, mission studies, missional theology, missional diaconate, and missional leadership. The various chapter contributions discuss different methodologies, indicating the rich variety within Practical Theology and Missiology. Prof. Jacques W. Beukes (editor) Jacques is an associate professor in the Department of Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology at the University of South Africa (UNISA). Previously, he was an associate professor in Practical Theology at the University of Pretoria.