Theology has a rich tradition across the African continent, and has taken myriad directions since Christianity first arrived on its shores. This handbook charts both historical developments and contemporary issues in the formation and application of theologies across the member countries of the African Union. Written by a panel of expert international contributors, chapters firstly cover the various methodologies needed to carry out such a survey. Various theological movements and themes are then discussed, as well as biblical and doctrinal issues pertinent to African theology. Subjects addressed include: * Orality and theology * Indigenous religions and theology * Patristics * Pentecostalism * Liberation theology * Black theology * Social justice * Sexuality and theology * Environmental theology * Christology * Eschatology * The Hebrew Bible and the New Testament The Routledge Handbook of African Theology is an authoritative and comprehensive survey of the theological landscape of Africa. As such, it will be a hugely useful volume to any scholar interested in African religious dynamics, as well as academics of Theology or Biblical Studies in an African context.

What if there was a key that made every prayer more effective--something that would bring all prayers into agreement with the heart of God every single time? This type of praying does exist, says bestselling author and prophetic leader James W. Goll, and it's called prophetic intercession. It is the humble act of holding the needs of people before God while leaning into God's heart for them. There is nothing mystical or elite about this kind of praying, and it's for the new Christian and the most seasoned prayer warrior. All you need is to learn to lean into your heavenly Father and pray what you see and hear in alignment with his heart, empowered by the Holy Spirit. God wants you to align your heart with his. He wants you to pray more effectively in these turbulent times, and he wants you to help usher in the fullness of his purposes on the earth. Are you ready?

More than fifty years ago, a reporter for Guideposts magazine set out to gather information about a strange new occurrence happening all over the country. John Sherrill, a skeptic when it came to speaking in tongues and the baptism with the Holy Spirit, was determined to retain his objectivity while digging out the facts. What he found would change his life. With more than 2.5 million copies sold, this classic work is the story of one man's journey from skepticism to a life-changing relationship with God. Filled with historical and biblical accounts of speaking in tongues, this is also the deeply personal and moving story of how you, too, can walk in the power of the Spirit day by day. Now includes a new epilogue and update on how to lean on the Holy Spirit for unity in an increasingly divisive world.

This book diligently examines the threefold nature of man -- spirit, soul, and body.

Foundational Teaching from Bestselling Author John Eckhardt We are currently experiencing the greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit the world has ever known. God is raising up a new generation of people willing to move in kingdom authority--and you can be part of it! Join bestselling author John Eckhardt, world-renowned apostle and teacher, as he clarifies the gift and functions of apostolic ministry. Observing the roots of our biblical heritage, Eckhardt explores the function of an apostle--both the office and also the gifting every believer carries. With keen insight he reveals how the apostolic dimension affects all aspects of the local church and how apostolic leadership points the way toward fulfillment of the Great Commission. Now is the time to respond to the call. Receive your apostolic commissioning and watch for breakthrough in the hearts around you.

The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG), a church of Brazilian origin, has been enormously successful in establishing branches and attracting followers in post-apartheid South Africa. Unlike other Pentecostal Charismatic Churches (PCC), the UCKG insists that relationships with God be devoid of 'emotions', that socialisation between members be kept to a minimum and that charity and fellowship are 'useless' in materialising God's blessings. Instead, the UCKG urges members to sacrifice large sums of money to God for delivering wealth, health, social harmony and happiness. While outsiders condemn these rituals as empty or manipulative, this book shows that they are locally meaningful, demand sincerity to work, have limits and are informed by local ideas about human bodies, agency and ontological balance. As an ethnography of people rather than of institutions, this book offers fresh insights into the mass PCC movement that has swept across Africa since the early 1990s.

What are spiritual gifts? Author and pastor Sam Storms has spent several decades teaching on the topic of the spiritual gifts and equipping believers in the faithful practice of God's gifts. Yet there remains a great deal of confusion about the nature of the gifts and how they best function in the body of Christ. In this comprehensive guide to the spiritual gifts, Storms addresses the many bizarre and misleading interpretations that abound and confronts the tendency to downplay the urgency of spiritual gifts for Christian living and ministry. He explains how spiritual gifts, both the more miraculous and the somewhat mundane, are given to build up the body of Christ. God has graciously provided these "manifestations of the Spirit" so that believers might encourage, edify, strengthen, instruct, and console one another, all with a view to an ever-increasing, incremental transformation into the image of Jesus Christ. Throughout this guide, Storms unpacks the glorious truth that there is a supernatural and divine energy or power that fills and indwells the body and soul of every born-again believer. God does not call upon us to speculate about the nature of this power or to embrace it as a mere idea. His desire is that we avail ourselves of it to partner with him in his purposes on the earth. His desire is that we cry out to him that he might intensify, expand, increase, and deepen the manifestation of this power through us in ever more demonstrative and tangible ways in our lives. Understanding Spiritual Gifts is useful as a reference to address common questions about the gifts, but it also serves as a training manual for using and exercising the gifts in ministry. It is perfect for any individual or group who wants to grow in their understanding of the gifts for today.

Use your spiritual authority to cancel the devil’s plans!

In our day, a powerful revelation has been released, teaching all believers how to enter the realm of breakthrough prayer and Kingdom authority—the Courts of Heaven.

As a believer operating in the courts of heaven, you have been granted the legal right to issue divine restraining orders against satan and his demons!

Through revelatory insights, Biblical examples, and supernatural testimonies, Dr. Francis Myles invites you to enter Heaven’s courtrooms, step into your place of spiritual governance, and release divine restraining orders that destroy the schemes of the enemy!

• This groundbreaking teaching will empower you to:
• Restrain the devil’s power against your life.
• Increase your spiritual authority as a judge in the Courts of Heaven.
• Identify and overcome the “Delilah Spirit” that aims at your destiny.
• Apply practices modeled by key biblical figures to issue divine restraining orders.

This book extrapolates a uniquely Pentecostal and incarnational Spirit Christology, inspired by piqued interest in the Holy Spirit and for the purpose of ecumenical dialogue. The method employed is Pentecostal in its emphasis on the Spirit, incarnational in its consideration of the life of Jesus, and Spirit Christological in its uniting of the two. The aim is to supersede the five-fold gospel model by systematizing Pentecostal praxis into a cohesive and identity-giving Spirit Christology. The book distinguishes the components of Pentecostal identity through an investigation of past and current Pentecostal voices, juxtaposes them against secular and other denominational categories, and ultimately arrives at a distinctly Pentecostal conceptualization of Spirit Christology that translates ecumenically and generationally. In fact, this project is the first constructive Spirit Christological endeavor developed by a Pentecostal and dedicated to the specific, Pentecostal issue of fusing holiness for living and power for witness. It is solidly ecumenical, utilizing the theology of Edward Irving, James D. G. Dunn, Karl Barth, Colin Gunton, and David Coffey, and it is the only text that brings these voices together in one volume. A Spirit Christology will be beneficial to a diverse audience of undergraduate and graduate students, as well as academic professionals. The development and explanation of a Pentecostal and incarnational Spirit Christology will be a unique and valuable addition to a variety of classes, including courses on the doctrine of Christ, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, contemporary theology, and recent Pentecostal theology. Furthermore, the content draws from Pentecostal, Reformed, and Catholic traditions, a conglomerate that will appeal to an ecumenical audience.

In the first critical study of the major theologians of pentecostalism, one of the fastest growing and most influential religious traditions in the world, Christopher A. Stephenson establishes four original categories to classify pentecostal theologians' methodologies in systematic/constructive theology. The four categories are based respectively on: the arrangement of biblical texts; the relationship between theology and Christian spirituality; doctrine concerning the kingdom of God; and pneumatology as a basis for philosophical and fundamental theology. Stephenson analyzes each methodological type and suggests a pentecostal theological method that builds on the strengths of each. He then offers his own, original contribution, arguing for a reciprocal relationship between pentecostal spirituality and doctrine that follows the pattern of lex orandi, lex credendi, and develops a doctrine of the Lord's supper as a demonstration of this reciprocal relationship. Types of Pentecostal Theology provides critical insight into such fundamental issues as the relationship between theology and philosophy, the dynamic between scripture and tradition, and the similarities and differences between recent pentecostal theology and other currents in contemporary theology.

Pentecostalism is one of the fastest-growing religious movements in the world. Groups in the United States dominated early Pentecostal histories, but recent global manifestations have expanded and complicated the definition of Pentecostalism. This volume provides a nuanced overview of Pentecostalism's various manifestations and explores what it means to be Pentecostal from the perspectives of both insiders and outsiders. Leading scholars in the field use a multidisciplinary approach to analyze the historical, economic, political, anthropological, sociological, and theological aspects of the movement. They address controversies, such as the Oneness-Trinity controversy; introduce new theories; and chart trajectories for future research. The Cambridge Companion to Pentecostalism will enable beginners to familiarize themselves with the important issues and debates surrounding the global movement, while also offering experienced scholars a valuable handbook for reference.

The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG), a church of Brazilian origin, has been enormously successful in establishing branches and attracting followers in post-apartheid South Africa. Unlike other Pentecostal Charismatic Churches (PCC), the UCKG insists that relationships with God be devoid of 'emotions', that socialisation between members be kept to a minimum and that charity and fellowship are 'useless' in materialising God's blessings. Instead, the UCKG urges members to sacrifice large sums of money to God for delivering wealth, health, social harmony and happiness. While outsiders condemn these rituals as empty or manipulative, this book shows that they are locally meaningful, demand sincerity to work, have limits and are informed by local ideas about human bodies, agency and ontological balance. As an ethnography of people rather than of institutions, this book offers fresh insights into the mass PCC movement that has swept across Africa since the early 1990s.

With your mouth you are either going to give God dominion over you, or you're goint to give Satan dominion over you. Quit talking the devil's language and start talking God's language.

Pentecostalism has become the fastest growing Christian movement, particularly outside Europe, and Allan Heaton Anderson is one of the foremost scholars of this phenomenon. His innovative interpretation of Pentecostalism focuses on the serious contribution made by both western and Majority World participants in its development. In this second edition of his leading introductory course book, Anderson presents an updated global history of the movement, which addresses significant events and changes in recent years, and surveys important theoretical issues such as gender and society, as well as politics and economics. The book also offers a comprehensive explanation of the significance of Charismatic Christianity throughout the world, plus its effect upon the globalisation of religion and its transformation in the present century. This new edition will be an important resource for those studying Pentecostalism, Charismatic Christianity, theology and sociology of religion.

The most powerful forces in the world are both exhilarating and terrifying. Awesome and terrible. Life-giving and life-threatening. In order to unleash the positive attributes of these powers, one must also confront the imposing components of them. But the ultimate example of this phenomenon is the awesome fame of the almighty God.

My Fame, His Fame is a call for believers to heed the example of the prophet Habakkuk by stepping to their watch on the ramparts and calling for a revelation of God's mighty acts to be repeated in our time. It is an inspiring reminder that our lives are to be lived for one aim: to increase the fame of the Famous One. Readers will encounter a radically different--and far better--approach to achieving success in life and will walk away inspired and equipped to live for the purpose of His fame.

Rooted in Habakkuk 3:2 "Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy," My Fame, His Fame will spur the reader to usher in the fame of God. It will be organized into four parts based on Habakkuk's story: I) The Legend, II) The Proclamation, III) The Knowledge, IV) The Request.

From Justin Bieber, to Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann, to the controversial documentary Jesus Camp (2006), the New Apostolic Reformation's influence can be seen everywhere in mainstream America. Beginning with an examination of the Latter Rain, Church Growth and Shepherding movements, this book explores how the new Reformation has become one of the most powerful movements in modern evangelical Christianity and a major influence on American political and cultural life. The author describes the New Apostolic Reformation's organization, how the movement spread and its national and international objectives.

In The Pastor, Eugene H. Peterson, the translator of the multimillion-selling The Message and the author of more than thirty books, offers his life story as one answer to the surprisingly neglected question: What does it mean to be a pastor?

When Peterson was asked by his denomination to begin a new church in Bel Air, Maryland, he surprised himself by saying yes. And so was born Christ Our King Presbyterian Church. But Peterson quickly learned that he was not exactly sure what a pastor should do. He had met many ministers in his life, from his Pentecostal upbringing in Montana to his seminary days in New York, and he admired only a few. He knew that the job's demands would drown him unless he figured out what the essence of the job really was. Thus began a thirty-year journey into the heart of this uncommon vocation--the pastorate.

The Pastor steers away from abstractions, offering instead a beautiful rendering of a life tied to the physical world--the land, the holy space, the people--shaping Peterson's pastoral vocation as well as his faith. He takes on church marketing, mega pastors, and the church's too-cozy relationship to American glitz and consumerism to present a simple, faith-filled job description of what being a pastor means today. In the end, Peterson discovered that being a pastor boiled down to "paying attention and calling attention to 'what is going on right now' between men and women, with each other and with God." The Pastor is destined to become a classic statement on the contemporary trials, joys, and meaning of this ancient vocation.

Winner of the Pneuma Book Award 2018, from The Society for Pentecostal Studies. Pentecostalism is the most rapidly growing branch of Christianity since the 20th century, yet it does not lend itself well to a singular doctrine and there is, therefore, no single comprehensive account of Pentecostal theology worldwide. In this volume, Wolfgang Vondey suggests an account of Pentecostal theology that is genuine to Pentecostals worldwide while allowing for different adaptation and explication among the various Pentecostal groups. He argues that Pentecostal theology is fundamentally concerned with the renewal of the Christian life identified by the transforming work of the Holy Spirit and directed toward the kingdom of God. The book unfolds in two main parts illustrating the full gospel story and theology. Eleven chapters identify the spiritual underpinnings and motivations for Pentecostal theology, formulate a Pentecostal theology of action, translate, apply, and exemplify Pentecostal practices and experiences, and integrate Pentecostal theology in the wider Christian tradition.

Using the concept of a "religious market", this volume explores how African Traditional Religions and churches within Prophetic Pentecostalism in Zimbabwe seek to attract and retain members and clients. Chapters provide extensive coverage of two of the leading churches, namely, Emmanuel Makandiwa's United Family International Church (UFIC) and Walter Magaya's Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries (PHD). Contributors also explore the strategies adopted by Pentecostalism in general, while others focus on African Traditional Religions. They show that although Prophetic Pentecostalism has gained a significant share of the market in Zimbabwe and in Southern Africa in general, it is not without controversy. In particular, it has been associated with the abuse of women and exploiting members and clients for financial gain. Innovation and Competition in Zimbabwean Pentecostalism is an important contribution to understanding the marketization of religion.