Studies in Theology

While the prosperity gospel is thought to be widespread in Africa, there has been little scholarship exploring the variations in prosperity theologies across the continent or the impact of such theologies at a grassroots level. In this study, Dr. Tamie Davis uses ethnographic methods, including participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups, to synthesize the prosperity (mafanikio) theology embraced by female graduates of the Tanzania Fellowship of Evangelical Students (TAFES). Taking an appreciative approach, Davis examines mafanikio theology's hermeneutical framework and historical and cultural influences, highlighting its commonalities and discontinuities with other prosperity theologies, and bringing it into conversation with global models of holism. In doing so, she demonstrates that this indigenous Tanzanian theology offers a holistic alternative to profligate versions of the prosperity gospel by emphasizing both human flourishing and devotion to Christ. Mafanikio theology thus integrates prosperity into a holistic life of discipleship, emphasizing biblical grounding, and encouraging hard work and perseverance.

If all beauty, truth, and goodness come from God through the Spirit, then how should we understand God's presence within other religions and human-made cultures that display these qualities? Christian theology needs to better understand how different religions, together with their cultural practices, can function as a channel through which the one, true God can reveal himself. In this erudite and thought-provoking work, Dr. Jalal S. L. delves into the revelatory presence of the invisible God, which manifests itself in diverse ways across cultures, traditions, and religions. Exploring biblical passages affirming the work and presence of the Spirit outside the church, this study provides a theologically informed perspective on religious experiences in the Indian context. Through examining how the omnipresent work of the Spirit may lead religious adherents to a deeper, contextual appreciation of God's character, the potential for diverse faiths to reveal the divine presence is uncovered. Scholars and theologians alike will find illuminating insights for recognizing and fostering the unrestricted work of the Spirit's inside and outside the church.

As humans, we all express our grief differently. Acknowledging this truth, Dr. James Harrichand examines Old Testament accounts of grief and mourning alongside the experiences of marginalized Guyanese and Vietnamese immigrant communities in Canada. He explores both biblical and pastoral theology through an anthropological lens, bridging the horizons of Scripture and culture in a hermeneutically and pastorally sensitive manner. Dr. Harrichand's focus on prosaic prayers in the Old Testament fills a significant gap in the scholarship, but this book is also significant for its immense practicality, sensitizing readers to grief's varied expressions and equipping culturally intelligent pastoral caregivers. He presents five compassionate intercultural care practices for coping with grief, grounding each in the living hope of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, the one who bore our griefs and carries our sorrows.

Mawlwῑ 'Imad-ud-Dῑn Lahiz – a devout Sufi Muslim convert, scholar and relentless seeker after the truth – holds an important place in the history of South Asian Christianity, particularly his role after the Great Agra Debate of 1854. Immersed in Urdu primary sources, Ibn Hikmat examines Lahiz's unique contributions to Christian-Muslim debates, especially on issues of abrogation, the textual integrity of the Bible, and the Trinity, Quran and Muhammad. This work challenges established narratives about the outcome of the Great Debate and broadens understanding of indigenous South Asian Christian theology. This well-presented argument for the theological impact of Lahiz meets a critical need in both historical and theological scholarship by recovering the voice of an indigenous South Asian Christian convert and challenges dominant, Western-centric narratives of nineteenth-century Muslim-Christian encounters.

There is an acute lack of a theology of worship in Baptist Russian-speaking contexts, with the ramifications of the Tsarist, and later Soviet, persecution limiting its development even to this day. While there is now opportunity to do so, developing a theology of worship in the local context is imperative. Filling this gap, Dr. Leonid Mikhovich considers the historical, religious, and political contexts that have influenced Russian-speaking worship. Drawing examples from the Baptist movement in Belarus, Dr. Mikhovich analyzes its various influences and explores conflict arising between local and foreign traditions within the process of adopting some Western structures for the Eastern situation. The results prompt reflection on the different expressions of worship and the underlying convictions present in respective cultural contexts, while also offering counsel for dealing with tensions between liturgical practices and authoritative voices in the Baptist tradition. As the first of its kind, worship and church history scholars will find this comprehensive study into traditional Russian-speaking worship invaluable for understanding its historical, theological, and cultural perspectives, and essential for mapping its future.

Following the Enlightenment, the church in the West has been influenced by secularization and the dualistic separation of the material and spiritual world. The privileging of reason alone as the final arbiter of truth has created a fact-faith divide, with long-lasting consequences. In this book, Dr. Trevor H. G. Smith proposes that the African church holds the remedy for this divide through what he calls their single-tiered ontology. This ontology views reality through a unitive perspective, where the seen and unseen, the natural and supernatural, are understood as integral to understanding the world. Employing the methodology of tacit observation, Dr. Smith brings Western cultural understandings of the world into conversation with African understandings to reveal that the African theologian's dedication to biblical truth provides a more fruitful apologetic approach to assist the global church in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.