A Problem of Presence: Beyond Scripture in an African Church

322 Pages·2007·2.555 MB·English

by  Matthew Engelke

A Problem of Presence
the anthropology of christianity
Edited by Joel Robbins
1. Christian Moderns: Freedom and Fetish in the Mission Encounter,
by Webb Keane
2. A Problem of Presence: Beyond Scripture in an African Church,
by Matthew Engelke
3. Reason to Believe: Cultural Agency in Latin American Evangelicalism,
by David Smilde
A Problem of Presence
beyond scripture in an african church
Matthew Engelke
university of california press
berkeley los angeles london
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University of California Press
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London, England
© 2007 by Th e Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Engelke, Matthew Eric.
A problem of presence : beyond Scripture in an African
church / Matthew Engelke.
p. cm. — (Th e anthropology of Christianity ; 2)
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
isbn 978-0-520-24903-5 (cloth : alk. paper)
isbn 978-0-520-24904-2 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Masowe weChishanu Church. 2. Masowe, Johane.
I. Title.
BX8095.E54 2007
289.9'3—dc22 2006023890
Manufactured in the United States of America
16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Th is book is printed on New Leaf EcoBook 50, a 100%
recycled fi ber of which 50% is de-inked post-consumer
waste, processed chlorine-free. EcoBook 50 is acid-free
and meets the minimum requirements of ansi/astm
d5634–01 (Permanence of Paper).
In memory of my father,
Edwin Paul Engelke, Jr.

contents
list of illustrations ix
acknowledgments xi
map of zimbabwe xv

Introduction 1
1 / Up in Smoke: Humility, Humiliation, and

the Christian Book 46

2 / Th e Early Days of Johane Masowe 79
3 / Th e Question of Leadership: Th e Friday Message

after Johane 109

4 / Mutemo in Th ree Portraits 138
5 / Listening for the True Bible: Live and Direct Language,

Part I 171
6 / Singing and the Metaphysics of Sound: Live and Direct Language,

Part II 200

7 / Th e Substance of Healing 224

Conclusion 244
notes 253
references 267
index 291

illustrations

1. A Friday apostolic in his church garments, Chiweshe District 4

2. Johane Masowe 111

3. Th e author and Godfrey Nzira in Harare 131
ix