Spirits and Letters <subTitle>Reading, writing and charisma in African Christianity</subTitle> </titleInfo> <titleInfo> <title/> </titleInfo> <name type="personal"> <namePart>Kirsch, Thomas G.</namePart> <role> <roleTerm authority="marcrelator" type="text">creator</roleTerm> </role> </name> <name type="personal"> <namePart/> <role> <roleTerm authority="marcrelator" type="text">creator</roleTerm> </role> <role> <roleTerm type="text">Author</roleTerm> </role> </name> <typeOfResource>text</typeOfResource> <originInfo> <place> <placeTerm type="code" authority="marccountry">2:4</placeTerm> </place> <place> <placeTerm type="text">U.S.A</placeTerm> </place> <publisher>Berghahn Books</publisher> <dateIssued>2008</dateIssued> <issuance>monographic</issuance> </originInfo> <language> <languageTerm authority="iso639-2b" type="code">eng</languageTerm> </language> <physicalDescription> <extent>274tr.</extent> <extent>Hardcover, illustrations</extent> <extent>24cm</extent> </physicalDescription> <abstract>Studies of religion have a tendency to conceptualise 'the Spirit' and 'the Letter' as mutually exclusive and intrinsically antagonistic. However, the history of religions abounds in cases where charismatic leaders deliberately refer to and make use of writings. This book challenges prevailing scholarly notions of the relationship between 'charisma' and 'institution' by analysing reading and writing practices in contemporary Christianity. Taking up the continuing anthropological interest in Pentecostal-charismatic Christianity, and representing the first book-length treatment of literacy practices among African Christians, this volume explores how church leaders in Zambia refer to the Bible and other religious literature, and how they organise a church bureaucracy in the Pentecostal-charismatic mode...</abstract> <note type="statement of responsibility">Thomas G. Kirsch</note> <subject> <topic>Christianity -- Africa</topic> </subject> <subject> <topic>Church history</topic> </subject> <classification authority="ddc">289.94</classification> <classification authority="ddc">T454-K61</classification> <identifier type="isbn">9781845454838</identifier> <identifier type="uri">https://data.thuviencodoc.org/books/13280/s.jpg</identifier> <location> <url displayLabel="Cover Image">https://data.thuviencodoc.org/books/13280/s.jpg</url> </location> <recordInfo> <recordCreationDate encoding="marc">2024-0</recordCreationDate> <recordChangeDate encoding="iso8601">20260119071232.0</recordChangeDate> </recordInfo> </mods>