A Problem of Presence: Beyond Scripture in an African Church“Matthew Engelke has crafted a fascinating, insightful, and sensitive study of the ways in which the Friday Masowe attempt to achieve religious transcendence. Drawing thoughtfully on the findings of other researchers across a wide spectrum of sociological and theological contexts, A Problem of Presence makes a valuable contribution to the comparative study of Christianity, and to the anthropology of religion in general.”—Webb Keane, author of Christian Moderns: Freedom and Fetish in the Mission Encounter “In this impressive work, Engelke describes the Friday Masowe of Zimbabwe with real ethnographic sensitivity and adds wide resonance through authoritative and unpretentious theoretical elaboration. A Problem of Presence is a model of how to make an apparently oblique socio-cultural phenomenon illuminate very wide problems, without sacrificing ethnographic complexity and texture.”—James Clifford, author of The Predicament of Culture |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Humility Humiliation andthe Christian Book | 46 |
2 The Early Days of Johane Masowe | 79 |
Th e Friday Messageafter Johane | 109 |
4 Mutemo in Three Portraits | 138 |
Live and Direct LanguagePart I | 171 |
Live and Direct LanguagePart II | 200 |
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Common terms and phrases
Acholi African ancestors ancient Hebrew argue authority become Bible Bretten Bulawayo called chapter Chitungwiza Christian church history claim colonial Comaroff congregation Crapanzano culture direct faith discussion divine elders Emmanuel emphasis example Friday apostolics Friday churches Friday message God’s Goromonzi Gospel Harare healers healing Holy Spirit honey human Hunyani Hwimbo immaterial important Jesus Johane Masowe Johane’s John the Baptist Juranifiri Santa Kambarami Keane language live and direct Marcus material mbira meaning mission missionaries mitatu Moffat Mudyiwa mumiriri mutemo muteuro Mzilikazi n’anga native NAZS Nyatsime Nyota Nzira object one’s Pageneck pebble political practice preach problem of presence prophets relationship religion religious ritual role Sandros Scripture semiotic ideology sense sermons Setswana Shembe Shimmer Shona Shoniwa singing Southern Rhodesia speak spirit mediums suggest theology things tion told tolics Tutu understand vaimbi Venn verses weChishanu Weegirl witchcraft witches written word Zezuru Zimbabwe Zimbabwe’s Zimbabweans