Reading New Testament Exorcism Stories in Dialogue with African Pentecostalism: An Illustration from Mark 1.21–28

Abstract

Pentecostalism is of growing influence in Africa and elsewhere in the Majority World, and one of the factors explaining its success is its ability to integrate elements of religious belief and practice that are prominent in Africa, such as belief in spirits and the practices of healing and deliverance. This calls for approaches to biblical interpretation that take seriously these concerns and practices. This essay first outlines the growth of Pentecostalism as a context for biblical interpretation in Africa, and then turns to a literary and exegetical analysis of Mark 1.21–28, to illustrate an engagement using historico-grammatical analysis but informed by the context of African Pentecostalism. Finally, a series of reflections is offered on the significance and the challenge of this kind of interpretation and its importance in the contemporary African context.