African Christianity: Its Public Role

Abstract

Paul Gifford examines African Christianity in the mid-1990s against the back ground of the continent's current social, economic, and political circumstances. Gifford sheds light on the dynamics of African churches and churchgoers, and assesses their different contributions to political developments since 1989. He also evaluates the churches' role in promoting a civil society in Africa. Detailed analyses of the state of the churches in Ghana, Uganda, Zambia, and Cameroon suggest more general patterns operating widely across sub-Saharan Africa.