Christians in the Cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria - (Christians in the City: Studies in Contemporary Global Christianity) by Stéphan de Beer

Book Synopsis

Taking a glimpse into the impact of Christianity in one of Africa's largest and fastest-evolving megacities, located in the Gauteng City-Region, this book explores how faith shapes the city and its society.

Addressing a scarcity of religious scholarship in the field of urban studies, the book focuses on the Johannesburg-Pretoria corridor and Christian faith expressions in this evolving megacity. Stéphan de Beer highlights how city and faith are in conversation and explores various expressions of Christian faith in an ever-changing urban landscape.

Connecting socio-spatial change in post-apartheid South African cities with the changing Christian landscape, the connections and disconnections between Christian faith expressions and urban change are interrogated. Chapters feature wide coverage across both cities, including places like Soweto and Sandton, Sunnyside and Soshanguve, and everything in between. Examining these contexts where global migration and Christian faith increasingly co-exist, the book provides valuable insights to students of religion, sociology and urban studies.

Review Quotes

'Conveyed by one of the world's rapidly growing metropolitan regions and Christian faith populations, this textured and systematic examination of South African urban congregations pulsates with rich dynamisms. This is cutting-edge analysis, dispatched from a frontline context of urban and religious expansion and reconfiguration.'
R. Drew Smith, Professor at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and Co-Convenor of Transatlantic Roundtable on Religion and Race, USA

'Stéphan de Beer has shown with this gallery of ten portraits of Christians in a South African megacity corridor between Johannesburg and Pretoria, that he is one of the most original and insightful urban theologians in the world today. This compelling work of local research on the dynamic convergence of African urban space and Christian faith deserves a global readership.'
William Storrar, Director of the Center of Theological Inquiry, USA