Power and Faith

How evangelical churches are quietly shaping our democracy

Pontsho Pilane

ISBN:

9780624093084

Epub ISBN:

9780624093091

Publisher:

Tafelberg

Date Released:

February 2024

Price (incl. VAT):

R 295.00

Format:

Soft cover, 176pp


About this book:

‘What if I were to tell you that I used to belong to a religious cult? I’d tell you it was one of those evangelical churches, and then leave you to fill in the gaps yourself . . . Did I eat grass? Or maybe a snake? Was I sprayed with Doom?
‘Talking about spending most of my twenties serving in a white-led multi-racial megachurch feels like stepping on a piece of Lego. The pain was, is, obliterating. It demands my attention. It never leaves. It ebbs and flows. I am a former member of what I will call The Family.’
 
Journalist Pontsho Pilane’s experience at a powerful evangelical church changed the trajectory of her life and began her journey of deconstructing her faith. Part memoir, part social commentary, Power and Faith lays bare the myth that our constitutional values are safe from the tentacles of religious power.

Read extract

Readers say

‘Escaping traumatic experiences and seeking sanctuary very often throws one into the arms of a cult. This proves to be yet another illusion of trust, unravelling beliefs and the very notion of belonging.’

– Sipho Hlongwane, writer and journalist


‘Evangelicalism is dangerous and detrimental to sexual and reproductive health rights and access to services guaranteed by those rights. This is not only happening in the US but here in South Africa too. This book shows why the global advocacy for sexual and reproductive rights must continue with vigour.’

– Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, physician and author


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