Abstract
Wanjiru Gitau, research fellow at the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California, examines how African millennials have impacted the landscape of Christianity through religious change. She provides a narrative of Nairobi Chapel under Oscar Muriu whose leadership turned a dying colonial church into a megachurch growth movement in a time of long-lingering economic, social, and political turbulence in Kenya. Focusing on the demographic of the millennial, Gitau expounds on the volatile youth bulge environment and its need for spiritual anchorage of hope and identity. It is this volatile ground that has become an opportunity to address a leadership crisis on African soil and which resonates well with the hearts of these millennials who have become incentivized to propagate the hope wrought by the gospel.
Gitau asserts that megachurches “emerge out of the margins, the message initially crystallizing within a demographic that is deeply affected by crosscurrents of social change.” From the author’s perspective, a church community evolves to a megachurch because it provides a reality map to guide its demographic in a volatile world. This argument is developed through a case study of which Gitau was an active participant for nine years. Thus, the book provides an emic perspective on megachurch Christianity. The author concludes that a better understanding of the roots of a megachurch can become a ground to steer such a church to preferred outcomes in its practices and hence its positive impact.
This is a useful graduate-level text with many strengths, including a good research framework, plus a unique and compelling story. One of the unique strengths of the book is its interdisciplinary approach to the understanding of megachurch Christianity. It is a helpful resource to graduate studies in theology, sociology, psychology, and intercultural studies. Though it does not probe deeply as to why Africa is the way it is in light of neo-colonialism, it is an extremely helpful resource in understanding megachurch Christianity in Africa. This scholarly work has won acclaim by becoming the recipient of “Christianity Today’s 2019 Book of the Year Award.”