Developing the Scholarship of Ecclesiastical and Ecumenical Engagements in African Pentecostal Studies

Abstract

Engaged scholarship (also known as scholarship of engagement) is an approach to developing knowledge that values the interactions between the academy and the relevant communities. This article uses this approach to develop the scholarship of the ecclesiastical and ecumenical engagement (EEE) framework as an approach to Pentecostal studies in the African context(s). This paper argues that knowledge systems in African Pentecostal studies cannot be developed without taking into cognizance the relevant Pentecostal communities, such as churches and ecumenical organisations; otherwise, such studies become disengaged with reality or simply become epistemologies of the ivory tower. The contribution of this study is that the EEE framework can enhance African Pentecostal studies through knowledge developed from the local churches and African Pentecostal ecumenical bodies =. The study makes further propositions on the possibility of using the EEE framework for the development of Pentecostal union in the African context. The aspects of engaged scholarship are studied using a literature review in qualitative research to apply them to ecclesiastical and ecumenical engagement within the broader context of African Pentecostal studies. The purpose of the study is to demonstrate that the EEE framework plays an important role in ensuring that knowledge systems are informed by experiences from the churches and ecumenical bodies within the context of Pentecostal studies in Africa. The study found that the EEE framework can play a role in bridging the gaps between the practitioners of faith and the academy through engagement with African Pentecostal churches and ecumenical organization within African Pentecostal studies.