Fascinating article on the African church and prosperity doctrine. Read the whole thing because the whole health wealth doctrine takes on a different flavor in sub Saharan Africa. Here are a couple of quotes:
Similar scenes unfold every day in countless venues throughout sub-Saharan Africa, where prosperity-tinged Pentecostalism is growing faster not just than other strands of Christianity, but than all religious groups, including Islam. Of Africa's 890 million people, 147 million are now "renewalists" (a term that includes both Pentecostals and charismatics), according to a 2006 Pew Forum on Religion and Public life study. They make up more than a fourth of Nigeria's population, more than a third of South Africa's, and a whopping 56 percent of Kenya's.
And:
Spiritual insight is needed to judge the movement, says Synan. But skeptical Westerners should re-examine their own attitudes before criticizing Africa's church. We're just as prone to materialism, says Bacote, and to the "illusion of controlling our own destiny versus merely surviving."
This article is well worth the read. Africa and South America are on the move. They will also be different than the churches in Europe or America. Read the rest.
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