The Origins of the New Churches Movement in Southern Ethiopia, 1927-1944

This study describes the beginnings of a movement which has created another face for Ethiopian Christianity. The expatriate missionary-evangelists, who in 1927 were encouraged by Emperor Haile Selassie to work in southern Ethiopia, intentionally by-passed the Orthodox model and made a fresh start. Three of the many facets of the movement comprise the body of the book. There is the religious backdrop of Orthodox Christianity and the expatriates' fundamentalist traditions; then the praxis and polity of their work; finally the post-Occupation outcome which confirmed their choices. Since its beginning in 1932 the New Churches Movement has impacted every part of Ethiopian society: religious, political and socio-economic. It demonstrates that a fresh start can be complementary rather than competitive. The movement's success encourages missionary-evangelists to continue making new beginnings

Aesthetics · African studies · Ancient history · Anthropology of religion · Archaeology · Art · History of religions · Movement (music) · Political science · Sociology · African history and culture analysis · Gender Studies · History · Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology · Religion, Society, and Development