‘Minding the pentecostal paradox’: Currents and cross‐currents in pentecostal studies in Africa (PenteSA)

Abstract

Employing the pentecostal paradox motif, this survey engages the literature on African Pentecostalism across a spectrum of disciplines in both humanities and social sciences. Utilising a thematic cluster as analytical approach, the study posits that African Pentecostalism represents a decolonial shift from an era of mere beliefs to the era of the dispensation of the Spirit. African Pentecostalism emphasises post‐indigenous and transrational appropriations of the gospel, situated within specific historical and cultural contexts. The study concludes by zooming in on the imperative for scholars on Pentecostal studies in Africa (PenteSA) to be mindful of 'the pentecostal paradox', urging them to recognise their roles as a prophetic vocation.