In many communities across the world traditional beliefs and practices are passed down generations and are a feature of day-to-day life, despite the influence of outside sources. Focusing on Luo Muslims in Kenya, Dr Lawrence Oseje looks at the interaction of Islam and traditional Luo practices, especially those around death and burial. Dr Oseje’s research with Luo Muslims in Kendu Bay investigates the impact of the traditional Luo conceptualization of death with their current views, and provides new understanding of fundamental issues that affect the lives of ordinary Muslims. From his observation of this community, Oseje encourages a celebration of traditions and customs, showing that an appreciation of traditions and beliefs can help develop ministry to local communities. Dr Oseje’s findings result in a deepened understanding of cultures, how they develop from a blend of influences, and provides anthropological and missiological guidelines for cross-cultural ministry, particularly in times of bereavement.

In many communities across the world traditional beliefs and practices are passed down generations and are a feature of day-to-day life, despite the influence of outside sources. Focusing on Luo Muslims in Kenya, Dr Lawrence Oseje looks at the interaction of Islam and traditional Luo practices, especially those around death and burial. Dr Oseje's research with Luo Muslims in Kendu Bay investigates the impact of the traditional Luo conceptualization of death with their current view

In his widely acclaimed survey, John Mbiti sheds light on the survival and prosperity of African Religion in different historical, geographical, sociological, cultural, and physical environments. He presents a constellation of African worldviews, beliefs in God, use of symbols, valued traditions, and practices that have taken root with African peoples throughout the vast continent. Mbiti’s accessible writing style sympathetically portrays how African Religion manifests itself in ritual, festival, healing, the human life cycle, and interplay with the mystical and invisible world. The account embraces foundational traditions, while touching on elements that spawn transitions, including migration, the spread of Christianity and Islam, political-economic development, and modern communication. This popular introduction leaves readers with informed knowledge of the riches of African heritage.

This comprehensive reference volume covers every country in Sub-Saharan Africa, offering reliable demographic information and original interpretative essays by indigenous scholars and practitioners. It maps patterns of growth and decline, assesses major traditions and movements, analyses key themes and examines current trends.

We live at a time when religious diversity has become a fact of life in our globalized societies. Yet Christian engagement with Muslims remains complex, complicated by fear, misunderstanding and a history fraught with political and cultural tensions. These essays, drawn from the 2018 and 2019 Middle East Consultations hosted by the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary’s Institute of Middle East Studies, engage the need for a carefully developed theological understanding of Islam, its origins and its sacred text. Weaving together the work of christian scholars of Islam, the Bible, theology and missiology, along with the insights of ministry practitioners, this book combines scholarly exploration with pertinent ministry practice, offering a rich framework for the church to continue its conversation about its engagement with Muslim communities and its proclamation of Christ worldwide.

The historiography of African religions and religions in Africa presents a remarkable shift from the study of 'Africa as Object' to 'Africa as Subject', thus translating the subject from obscurity into the global community of the academic study of religion. This book presents a unique multidisciplinary exploration of African traditions in the study of religion in Africa and the new African diaspora. The book is structured under three main sections - Emerging trends in the teaching of African Religions; Indigenous Thought and Spirituality; and Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. Contributors drawn from diverse African and global contexts situate current scholarly traditions of the study of African religions within the purview of academic encounter and exchanges with non-African scholars and non-African contexts. African scholars enrich the study of religions from their respective academic and methodological orientations. Jacob Kehinde Olupona stands out as a pioneer in the socio-scientific interpretation of African indigenous religion and religions in Africa. This book is to his honour and marks his immense contribution to an emerging field of study and research.

A major historical study of Islam among the Swahili.

This book connects traditional religions to the thriving religious activity in Africa today.

Islam and Christianity are often presented as violent rivals facing each other across a gulf of insurmountable differences. Yet if Christians are to effectively engage Muslims with the gospel, they must learn to build bridges across this divide. This study explores the Muslim presence in Ghana, a nation once believed to be resistant to Islam, and analyses the missiological implications for Pentecostals, the fastest growing group of Christians in the country. Dr. Dieudonne Komla Nuekpe examines the shared spiritual heritage of Ghanaian Pentecostals and folk Muslims within the broader context of African traditional religion. He proposes that this shared heritage – with its emphasis on supernatural encounters and the spiritual realm – can provide common ground for Pentecostals seeking to peacefully and respectfully engage Muslims with the gospel. Identifying the existential, experiential, and theological needs at the heart of folk Islam, this book offers a practical guide for constructive Muslim-Christian engagement in Ghana and beyond. This study also challenges missiologists – both scholars and practitioners – to engage in critical contextualization that considers a culture’s indigenous religious practices when seeking to build bridges to the gospel.