Mafanikio Theology

Tamie Davis offers a significant contribution to the discourse on the prosperity gospel by illuminating a crucial dimension of African Christian experience: the interconnectedness of life and the holistic nature of God’s blessings. Drawing from a local Tanzanian mafanikio theology, Davis presents a contextual understanding of a God who is deeply involved in the everyday lives of people, desiring their well-being and success.

Harvey Kwiyani, PhD
Executive Director, Missio Africanus

With ethnographic rigour and theological depth, Davis has enabled the voices and practices of Tanzanian women to be heard in their mafanikio theology, which critiques the profligate prosperity gospel and offers a constructive alternative. Don’t read this book to learn about Tanzanian women; read it to learn from them.

Rev. David Williams, PhD
Development and Training Director,
Church Mission Society, Australia

Tamie Davis narrates a grassroots story of women whose social positions nevertheless identify their middleclass status, yet whose contribution to spiritual insight is overlooked. This is an important trajectory in the emerging perspectives on the demographic transition of the continent in the twenty-first century, the place of Christian faith in shaping that transformation and therefore the agency of African Christians in determining the future of the continent.

Wanjiru Gitau, PhD
Assistant Professor of World Christianity and Practical Theology,
Palm Beach Atlantic University, Florida, USA

Through ethnographic study and interviews with Tanzanian women, Tamie’s attentive listening discloses a new understanding of and approach to what we have commonly called prosperity theology. I warmly recommend Tamie’s work not only for the new understanding it offers but also for how this is rooted in the lived experience of Tanzanian women seeking to be faithful to God.

Cathy Ross, PhD
Lead, Pioneer Mission Leadership Training Centre,
Church Mission Society
Canon Theologian, Leicester Cathedral, UK

1. Abbreviations
2. Chapter 1 Introduction
3. 1. 1.1 “Just have more faith in God and he will heal you.”
   2. 1.2 Statement of the Problem and Objectives
   3. 1.3 Significance of the Study
   4. 1.4 Research Design
   5. 1.5 Research Question
   6. 1.6 Definition of Terms
   7. 1.7 Assumptions and Limitations of the Study
   8. 1.8 Conclusion and Outlook
4. Chapter 2 Literature Review
5. 1. 2.1 Origins of the Prosperity Gospel in Africa
   2. 2.2 Defining the Prosperity Gospel in Africa
   3. 2.3 Effects of Prosperity Theology
   4. 2.4 Conclusion
6. Chapter 3 Methodology
7. 1. 3.1 Introduction
   2. 3.2 The Research Process
   3. 3.3 Methods of Data Collection
   4. 3.4 Ethical Considerations
   5. 3.5 The Researcher
   6. 3.6 Capturing and Analysing Data
   7. 3.7 Theological Method
   8. 3.8 Conclusion
8. Chapter 4 Understanding Mafanikio Theology
9. 1. 4.1 Participant Demographics
   2. 4.2 Translation Notes for Mafanikio
   3. 4.3 What Is Mafanikio?
   4. 4.4 Scope of Mafanikio
   5. 4.5 Limits of Mafanikio
   6. 4.6 Purpose of Mafanikio
   7. 4.7 Features of Mafanikio
   8. 4.8 Conclusion
10. Chapter 5 Locating Mafanikio Theology
11. 1. 5.1 Historically: Charting between Two Trends
    2. 5.2 Culturally: The Problem of Passivity
    3. 5.3 Biblically: The Hermeneutics of Mafanikio Theology
    4. 5.4 Conclusion
12. Chapter 6 Mafanikio Theology as Prosperity Theology and Discipleship
13. 1. 6.1 Mafanikio Theology in the Landscape of Prosperity Theology
    2. 6.2 Mafanikio Theology as Discipleship
14. Chapter 7 Mafanikio Theology as an African Theology
15. 1. 7.1 Un-African?
    2. 7.2 Too African?
    3. 7.4 Conclusion
16. Chapter 8 Mafanikio Theology’s Holism in Global Perspective
17. 1. 8.1 Introduction
    2. 8.2 Rene Padilla and Integral Mission
    3. 8.3 Ubuntu: Holism in Africa
    4. 8.4 Threats to Mafanikio Theology’s Claim to Holism
    5. 8.5 Mafanikio Theology and the Cross
    6. 8.6 Conclusion
18. Chapter 9 Conclusion
19. 1. 9.1 “What Is the TAFES Women’s Theology of Prosperity?”
    2. 9.2 Original Contributions of this Research
    3. 9.3 The Significance of Mafanikio Theology
    4. 9.4 Recommendations for Further Research
20. Chapter 10 Afterword: Advancing the Mission Conversation in Australia
21. 1. 10.1 Pleasure, Pain . . . and Prosperity
22. Appendixes
23. Bibliography