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The book is a significant new analysis of African Pentecostal theology of humanity. In particular, it offers a new, more comprehensive interpretation of African Pentecostal theology of humanity 'in Christ', which author Chammah J. Kaunda views in terms of becoming, transcending and flourishing. The book takes an interdisciplinary approach, fostering dialogue with African studies and Pentecostal studies, but also with a broad spectrum of disciplines and approaches: post-colonial studies, theology, religious studies, cultural anthropology, and philosophy. The aim is to construct a new conceptual metaphor, the poetics of mysticality, materiality and plasticity. In the Bemba (Zambian) notion of Muntu, the author identifies not only a metaphor but also a local African resource for excavating and understanding the deeper roots of African Pentecostal theology of humanism.
Anyone interested in African Pentecostalism, World Christianity, Christian spirituality, African theology, and the sociology of religion will find in this book a wide range of interesting and fresh perspectives.
About the author
Chammah J. Kaunda obtained a PhD in African theology and Christianity from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. He is currently Assistant Professor of World Christianity and Mission Studies at the United Graduate School of Theology, Yonsei University, Korean Republic. He is also Extraordinary Professor in the Department of Religion and Theology at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. His current research interests focus on Afri-Pentecostalisticity in its critical engagement with decoloniality, poetics of mysticality and materiality, and the intellectual history of African theological ideas. Kaunda draws on various theoretical approaches including critical Africana theories, African philosophy and theology, decolonial theology, black liberation theology, missiology, ecumenism anthropology, and political, gender, and ecological theologies. He has authored over 100 (and counting) peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters for internationally renowned journals and book publishers. He also co-edited over six volumes, authored one book, and co-authored one book. He has been a guest editor for various academic journals. In 2018 he was recognized in the list of the top 10 most published researchers under 40 at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Report
"The Paradox of Becoming offers an important and creative new perspective on Pentecostal theology that will challenge existing ways of thinking in this field. The author offers a bold statement for a Pentecostalicity that has critical insights and implications for how we think about identity and being human that is rooted in African worldviews, but with applications for all people across the globe. This is a must read!" -Anthony G. Reddie, Director of the Oxford Centre for Religion and Culture, Regent's Park College, The University of Oxford
