Under the Shade Tree: Reading the Bible in Africa

World Christianity is concerned not with Christianity as a global cultural and theological monolith, but with local expressions of Christian faith around the globe. But Christianity's presence in and among the world's cultures is complex and contested. Evangelization has often been the religious arm of colonial expansion, and even authentically indigenous religious traditions have been swallowed up into linguistic and liturgical uniformity. Often neglected in the study of these phenomena is the meaning and role of the Bible and biblical interpretation in shaping local Christianities. Perhaps no modern expression of World Christianity more dramatically illustrates this neglect than African, especially sub-Saharan African Christianity. Under the Shade Tree investigates theologically and historically how the Bible was and is read in Africa and by Africans.
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