Death in a Church of Life (The Anthropology of Christianity) (Volume 8)

Death in a Church of Life is an extraordinary ethnographic study that delves into the healing power of caring and intimacy within a small, closely bonded Apostolic congregation during Botswana’s HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Through long-term fieldwork, Frederick Klaits uncovers the distinctly maternal ethos and "spiritual" kinship embodied in the church's nurturing fellowship practice.

This book provides a vivid picture of how members of Baitshepi Church make strenuous efforts to sustain loving relationships amid widespread illness and death, and shows that Christian faith is a form of moral passion that counters practices of divination and witchcraft with redemptive hymn singing, prayer, and the use of therapeutic substances.

With an online audio annex featuring examples of the church members' preaching and song, this book is a valuable contribution to the study of HIV/AIDS and will provoke new, creative, and sustainable ways of designing and implementing AIDS prevention and treatment policies.

Don't miss out on this groundbreaking work!