Kingdom of God in Africa
A Short History of African Christianity
by: Mark Shaw

When reflecting on the continent where nearly one in five Christians live, most historical treatments have focused on missions or the social evolution from tribalism to nationalism.

This survey of Africa’s Christian centuries is organized around Augustine’s vision of the City of God and H. Richard Niebuhr’s conception of the kingdom of God in history. African Christianity, writes the author, has blended the sovereign rule of God, the redemptive reign of Christ, and the social emphasis of the kingdom of justice.

Part 1 looks at the church prior to the emergence of Islam; part 2, the medieval centuries of Islamic domination; part 3, the mission and colonial eras; part 4, the remarkable story of the twentieth-century Africa.