The Primal Pentecostal Imagination

Variants, origins and importance

Authors

• Paul Gifford University of London

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30676/jfas.116520

Abstract

This paper addresses the religious world-view that is characteristic of a great many of the Pentecostal Churches currently flourishing in Africa. In the opinionof the author, this world-view, which sees spiritual forces active in everyday events, is the greatest single reason for their success. This world-view comes in different but related forms, and three different forms currently found in Kenya are outlined here. These forms have obvious links to local religious thinking, but are also dependent for their expression on certain Western thinking. Finally it is claimed that this world-view, though in most studies of Pentecostalism virtually ignored, has important socio-political effects and merits serious discussion.

Keywords: Pentecostalism, Africa, world-view, socio-political effects