This groundbreaking volume offers a pioneering Pentecostal theology of materiality, rooted in an African theological perspective that affirms the cultural, religious, and biblical dimensions of material experience. Bridging theology and the lived realities of African Pentecostalism, the book examines how material practices-ritual objects, spaces, and embodied expressions-are not peripheral but central to Pentecostal faith and worship. Through a historical and theological analysis, the book highlights how the materiality of religion, often overlooked in theological discourse, is vital to understanding both classical Pentecostalism and the emergence of new prophetic churches across Africa. It argues that sacred texts, particularly the Bible, must be taken seriously in any theological account of religious materiality. At the same time, it asserts that Pentecostal spirituality is shaped as much by the visible and tangible as by the spiritual and unseen. With its interdisciplinary scope, this book is essential reading not only for Pentecostal scholars and theologians, but also for researchers in religious studies, anthropology, and sociology. It invites readers to rethink materiality as a theological category, offering fresh insights into how African Pentecostalism redefines the relationship between the sacred and the material world.
Chapter 1. Pentecostalism and Materiality: An African Theological Perspective.- Chapter 2. Materiality of religion in the Christian tradition.- Chapter 3. an African theological perspective: a theoretical framework.- Chapter 4. Materiality of religion in the context of Pentecostalism.- Chapter 5. The practice of materiality of religion in new prophetic churches.-Chapter 6 Pentecostal theology of materiality: an African cultural context.- Chapter 7 a theology of materiality: an African Pentecostal experience.- Chapter 8 a biblical critique of materiality in new prophetic churches.- Chapter 9 developing a Pentecostal theology of materiality in an African context.
Mookgo Solomon Kgatle holds a PhD in Theology and is a Professor of Missiology at the College of Human Sciences, UNISA. He is interested in the history, mission, and theology of African Pentecostalism. He has published several peer-reviewed articles and books in the field. He is the founder and president of the Southern African Society of Pentecostal Studies. He is an NRF-rated scholar and appeared in the 2025 Scopus list of the Top 2% of Scientists worldwide. He received visiting scholarships to the University of Birmingham and Oxford University (2020 23). He won several other awards including the Unisa Principal Award for excellence in research (2024).
