A History of Christianity in Africa: From Antiquity to the Present (Paperback)

by Elizabeth Isichei (Author) "North Africa is part of the Mediterranean world, and it is, in a sense, artificial to analyse the growth of Christianity there in isolation from..." (more)
Key Phrases: South Africa, Sierra Leone, African Christians (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
The word encyclopedic seems somehow inadequate for a book whose subject spans 2,000 years on a continent as large and diverse as Africa, a continent where--by some estimates--Christianity is expanding at a rate roughly double that at which it is declining in the Western world. But it is probably the best word available to convey the scope and style of Isichei's book, which is informative and readable and will surely become an important reference for historians and others interested in Africa, in Christianity, or in both. But as important as what it contains is what it does. Much of Christianity's history in Africa and elsewhere is inscribed in the tragic consequences of its confusion and entanglement with European culture and colonialism. By chronicling diverse African struggles to disentangle and encounter it anew, and by teasing out a thread of descent that predates colonialism, Isichei lays a foundation for a more conscious and critical encounter with Christianity's enculturation outside Africa as well as in. That is a welcome contribution to the understanding of Africa and Christianity, a corrective to a history of interpretation that has too often confused them with their "inventions" by the West. Steve Schroeder --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
This study of the development of Christianity in Africa begins in antiquity and shows how North Africa produced some of the most influential intellects of the time. The author looks at how colonialism revived Christianity in the fifteenth century and how missionaries began work in the eighteenth, and finally how social factors have influenced the nature of the faith in modern Africa. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 420 pages
• Publisher: Africa World Press (March 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865434433
• ISBN-13: 978-0865434431
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,025,152 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly enormous story, January 4, 2008

By	Brian Griffith (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of Christianity in Africa: From Antiquity to the Present (Paperback)

Isichei conveys one of the most dramatic stories of recent history. It is a gigantic tale of passion and creativity, as African Christians claimed independence from colonial churches, launched a myriad of indiginized "new religions", and formed the largest movements of popular Christianity in the modern world.