Journal
Research
This collection brings together studies of charismatic and prophetic movements in Africa and beyond. It covers prophetic authority, spiritual abuse and trauma, spiritual warfare, ancestral cosmologies and the history of Pentecostalism. Each paper tests academic sources and fieldwork against Scripture from a Protestant perspective, seeking discernment without stigma.
9 posts in “Research”
Prophetic Authority Without Checks and Balances in New Prophetic Churches in Africa
Over the past two decades, a strand of African neo-Pentecostalism, often labelled New Prophetic Churches (NPC) or neo-prophetism, has concentrated spiritual authority in the person of a media-facing prophet little…
Mami Wata Sirens and Water Spirits in African and Diasporic Charismatic Churches
The figure of Mami Wata and of water spirits runs through the art, folklore, and cults of Atlantic Africa before becoming, in certain revival milieus, an operator of demonic diagnosis. This article traces that…
When the Body Slips Out of Control in Charismatic Cults
Ritual tremors and falls find an anthropological parallel in kundalini and possession, without erasing the theological differences
A critical genealogy traces a century of charismatic movements
From 1906 to the present, the study distinguishes between Pentecostalism, the charismatic renewal, and African prophetic movements without conflating them.
Christianisme charismatique africain et poids des ancêtres
Entre rupture proclamée et croyances persistantes, le pentecôtisme africain repense son rapport aux cosmologies héritées.
The pineal gland is not a spiritual “third eye."
An article distinguishes between established physiological facts and controversial hypotheses about endogenous DMT and their theological interpretation.
Sending Evil Back to the Sender. The “Back to Sender” Prayers of African Spiritual Warfare Put to the Test of the Bible
An investigation into the so-called Back to Sender prayers, their origin, social effects, and what Scripture teaches about divine vengeance.
Church or Cult? How to Recognise Spiritual Abuse and Leave
Church or cult? Self-styled apostles and prophets, spiritual abuse: 24 sourced questions to recognise control, talk about it and get out.
How to Recognise False Prophets and False Apostles
Self-proclaimed apostle or prophet, false prophet or man of God? What anthropology, psychology and the Bible say about testing their authority.