The first chapter of this book deals with the history of Christian mission activity in Western
Kenya and points out the particularities of the missionaries as well as the mission churches.
Within this context the history of the African Independent Churches (AICs) is placed which
appear as a mergence of various traditions and motivations: the pursuit of independence from
the colonial power and the mission churches connected with it the preservation of traditional
African religiousness and the absorption of Pentecostal piety with its heavy emphasis on the
gifts of the spirit. In the following chapters the stance of AICs towards involvement in
political debates is explored and discussed. This is done on the basis of semi-structured
interviews with local leaders as well as bishops and representatives of church networks.
Another topic is the contribution of AICs to the inculturation of the Christian faith in the
African context - especially in view of the academic African Theology and the Pentecostal
Churches. The last part of the book deals with the question of the future of the AICs and their
ecumenical relations - this is done in the context of the rapid expansion Neo-Pentecostal
groups and movements.
