Each volume of the Understanding World Christianity series analyzes the state of Christianity from six different angles. The focus is always Christianity, but it is approached in an interdisciplinary manner--chronological, denominational, sociopolitical, geographical, biographical, and theological. Short, engaging chapters help readers understand the complexity of Christianity in the region and broaden their understanding of the region itself. Readers will understand the interplay of Christianity and culture and will see how geography, borders, economics, and other factors influence Christian faith. In this exciting volume, Paul Kollman and Cynthia Toms Smedley offer an introduction to Eastern African Christianity that has been desperately needed by scholars, students, and interested readers alike. Rich in experience and knowledge, Kollman and Toms Smedley introduce readers to the vibrancy of Eastern African Christianity like no other authors have done before.
Paul Kollman is associate professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame. He has also taught at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and the Philosophy Centre in Jinja, Uganda, and was previously a fellow of the Erasmus Institute at Notre Dame. He has published, among other projects The Evangelization of Slaves and Catholic Origins in Eastern Africa (2005). Cynthia Toms Smedley is an assistant director of the Center for Social Concerns and the director of Social Concerns Seminars at the University of Notre Dame. She has lived and taught in China and East Africa.
Contents Introducing the Fortress Press Series Understanding World Christianity Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Geographical Eastern Africa: Christianity, the Land, and its Peoples 2. Chronological Christianity's Unfolding in Eastern Africa 3. Denominational Christianity's Varieties in Eastern Africa 4. Sociocultural Christianity and Social Transformation in Eastern Africa 5. Theological The Shape of Christian Theology in Eastern Africa 6. Biographical Important Figures in Eastern African Christianity Conclusion Index
"Christianity has been growing in Africa at a geometric rate, and soon the continent will be home to one out of every four Christians in the world. Increasingly, Africans claim ownership of the question of what it means to be a Christian in the world today. So Christians worldwide need to know more about the character of the faith in places like eastern Africa. This book is a very timely and useful resource, whether you are a student just beginning to explore the topic, a more advanced scholar looking to move deeper into some of its finer points, or just a curious-minded reader with new African neighbors in church or down the street. Understanding World Christianity: Eastern Africa is a fine addition to a very important series." --Joel A. Carpenter, Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity, Calvin College "This landmark study of Christianity in eastern Africa excels in breadth, depth, and insight. The history it discloses is rich beyond imagination, its standpoint bracingly ecumenical (Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Quakers, Moravians, Pentecostals, African Independent Churches), its critiques boldly realistic. Most of all is the heartfelt empathy for all that the book describes. The authors succeed brilliantly in explaining what they call the vitality, the variety, and the volatility of their subject." --Mark Noll, McAnaney Professor of history emeritus at the University of Notre Dame, co-author of Clouds of Witnesses: Christian Voices from Asia and Africa "Like a striking, stained glass window, Paul Kollman and Cynthia Toms Smedley successfully piece together a myriad of fragments-dark, light, and colorful-of the stories of Christianity in eastern Africa into one compelling, interpretive whole. This work is groundbreaking in the world-Christianity perspective the authors advocate and demonstrate-remarkably comprehensive, yet concise and highly readable. It scrutinizes the past through the lens of present realities, rightfully noting missionary contributions while prioritizing African responses and initiatives that have primarily shaped contemporary expressions of Christian faith. It also analyzes the local region of eastern Africa in relation to the broader world-Christian movement, past and present. Artfully crafted and insightfully narrated, this telling of the story of Christianity in eastern Africa is essential reading for anyone interested in the ongoing development of Christian tradition worldwide." --Diane Stinton, Mission Studies professor and Dean of Students, Regent College "This work is amazing both in its breadth and wide-ranging scholarship. Congratulations to Kollman and Toms Smedley for this splendid book, the result of solid and extensive scholarship, presented here in a comprehensive, yet accessible way. Readers, scholars, and students will find this a very helpful introduction to the complex history, presence, and performance of Christianity in eastern Africa in its vitality, variety, and volatility." --Emmanuel Katongole, University of Notre Dame "This balanced and readable volume explores the 'vitality, variety, and volatility' of Christianity in eastern Africa. With lively prose and meticulous documentation, it covers the historical, theological, and social issues essential to understanding the nature of contemporary eastern African Christianity. The authors have produced an excellent book, useful for both specialists and generalists alike." --Dana l. Robert, director of the Center for Global Christianity and Mission, Boston University School of Theology "This meticulously researched and comprehensive book eloquently unveils and analyses the variety, vitality, and volatility of Christianity in eastern Africa, which has grown exponentially since the late nineteenth century. It highlights the prominent role Christianity has played in sociopolitical transformation of individuals and communities and in the development of theological thinking. This is the first book to draw out the historical development and character of Christianity in eastern Africa and relate it to the dynamics in world Christianity. The authors also provide biographies of key Christian personalities whose experiences disclose significant aspects of eastern African Christianity. Written in a readable style, this book will be an invaluable resource for students and lecturers across a range of disciplines, including church history, African history, religious studies, missiology, and theology. It will interest anyone interested in the dynamics of Christianity in Africa." --Philomena Mwaura, Kenyatta University
