The Kingdom of God in Africa: A History of African Christianity

by Mark Shaw, Wanjiru M. Gitau

African Christianity is not an imported religion but rather one of the oldest forms of Christianity in the world. In The Kingdom of God in Africa, Mark Shaw and Wanjiru M. Gitau trace the development and spread of African Christianity through its two-thousand year history, demonstrating how the African church has faithfully testified to the power and diversity of God’s kingdom. Both history students and casual readers will gain greater understanding of how key churches, figures and movements across the continent conceptualized the kingdom of God and manifested it through their actions. The only up-to- date, single-volume study of its kind, this book also includes maps and statistics that aid readers to absorb the rich history of African Christianity and discover its impact on the rest of the world.

Genres: History

424 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 31, 2020

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. ^6

Mark Shaw is professor of historical studies and director of the Centre for World Christianity at Africa International University. He studied World Christianity at the University of Edinburgh, UK, (MTh), and church history at Westminster Theological Seminary, Pennsylvania, USA, (ThD).

Also publishes as Mark R. Shaw.

Reviews

[Edwin David · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely essential text for anyone interested in Church history or in the current state of the church in Africa.

[William Cayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive survey of the history of African Christianity, this book makes two unique contributions. First, we are taken from pre-Christian times through the present from the perspective of the those on the African continent. Second, the story is told through the lens of believers' efforts to embody the Kingdom of God. Some efforts at realizing and witnessing to the Kingdom went well and some did not, but through the story runs the thread of understanding uniquely African Christianity. This telling of the African Christian story is essential reading for understanding the broader history of Christianity, and the use of Kingdom perspective provides a unique perspective on the work of the faithful through the centuries.