The Church in Angola: A River of Many Currents

What we know of Africa has been refracted through the lens of Western civilization, and that knowledge has been and continues to be woefully inadequate. The Christian church, a strong center of influence and presence in Africa, is a window into that magnificent continent. Particularly in Angola, on the western edge of Africa, Christianity has deep roots and has been an important part of Angolan history. In 1991 the Catholic church celebrated the 500th anniversary of the baptism of the first converts in Angola. The Church in Angola begins with the last quarter of the nineteenth century, a time when the Catholic church began to revive its strength and a time when the Protestant missionaries began to arrive. Rather than the story of denominational missions, of which there have been many - Methodist, Baptist, United Church of Christ, United Church of Canada, and Lutheran among them - Lawrence Henderson views the Church as One, recognizing the many endeavors of each but seeing the effort as a whole. Additionally, he focuses on the Angolans themselves rather than on foreigners in Angola. Understanding the Church as human and divine, the author places it in its sociopolitical context, noting the various historical periods through which it has passed; and finally, he places his vision of the Church as One in its theological context, proclaiming that the Angolan experience has implications for the Church everywhere. An in-depth, up-to-date, relevant, and historical portrait of the church in Angola, this is also a personal and human exploration by a man who, with his family, spent twenty-two years living in Angola and observing and loving its people.