Paul Gifford's latest book was sold out in Nairobi. While this may indicate local appeal, this review suggests the book should be of equal interest internationally. As a renowned scholar of religion in Africa, Gifford brings a wealth of experience to the Kenyan scene. Previous works focused on the public role of African Christianity, and most recently he examined Ghana's contemporary Christianity. His newest contribution brings a breadth of experience to the task of understanding Christian churches in Nairobi and their perceived public role. In his introduction, Gifford lays out his parameters and goals sufficiently to counter many critiques; therefore, this review is constrained to providing a brief overview and an evaluation confined by his own self-limitations. Gifford aims to demonstrate the richness of African Christianity and its role in public and political spheres. He does not explore the internal dynamics of churches, but instead selectively uses key churches, which for him represent the wider Christian culture across Kenya, to elucidate his arguments on how they are entwined in complex private and public webs of seeking, maintaining, and using power. The political consists not of the formal domains of elections, parliaments, or political parties, but rather the public entities more often interfacing with the average citizen, such as the police, courts, health clinics, banks, and schools. This empirical study utilizes his own first-hand experiences and observations, yet numerous footnotes suggest he also relied heavily on the two leading national newspapers, The Daily Nation and The Standard to provide additional evidence.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Steven Lichty (2009) studied this question.