Ghana`s New Christianity, New Edition ? Pentecostalism in a Globalising African Economy

"Gifford knows his subject totally, has vast and wide-ranging sympathy for his subjects (though without being uncritical), and explores these themes with admirable intelligence. This book is simply the best thing out there." ?Philip Jenkins

"Gifford's is an uncompromising, hard-nosed study . . . [N]o one can again look at the subject without at least a respectful nod in his direction." ?Lamin Sanneh

In Ghana's New Christianity, Paul Gifford considers the explosion of Christianity in sub-Saharan Africa by focusing on one place: Greater Accra, Ghana. Gifford examines every dimension of these new churches and mega-churches, including their discourse, theological vision, worship, rituals, music, media involvement, use of the Bible, finances, and clientele. Ghana's New Christianity sets religious devotion into Ghana's political and economic situation and focuses on how fervent belief in success and wealth in the here and now can provide motivation to change in circumstances where it is so easy to despair. No other book brings forth the complex nature of Africa's new Christianity with such clarity or offers such a searching analysis of its power to tackle Africa's predicament.

. . . a vibrant work that brings the reader into the plastic chair pews of these new churches, within earshot of the illustrious pastors who are so famous throughout Ghana. Gifford knows his subject intimately and has produced an insightful work about the biblical hermeneutics that are shaping the future of Christian beliefs.September 2009