Growing through the storms: The history of the evangelical movement in Ethiopia, 1941--1991

This dissertation presents the history of the evangelical Christian movement as a dynamic faith movement that developed outside the structure of the established Ethiopian Orthodox Church and thereby highlights the historicity of the new dimension of Christianity by offering a contextual examination of its surprising expansion over the last 50 years.; Principally, the dissertation provides historical explanations as to how a faith movement that half a century ago was associated with the people of peripheral regions of south and southwestern Ethiopia has grown to national prominence. By addressing this question, I reconstruct the history of the evangelical movement in Ethiopia by telling the story from a "holistic" perspective. Such an approach helps to recognize both the local and national dynamics that have shaped considerably the character and changing faces of the evangelical movement as well as identify the key factors contributing to the rapidity of its expansion. By spelling out the significant role the native agency has played in the crucial years of its development, I argue that the primary impetus for the remarkable growth of evangelical Christianity came from local actors (insiders) rather than from Western missionaries.; I make the case that what has facilitated the growth of the evangelical faith in Ethiopia is the long presence of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and its rich fund of experience, which has served as an indigenous resource base for the modern day evangelical enterprise. I also show that the encounters of the established forms of the Christian faith and the newer dimension, albeit conflictual, have a transformational influence that shaped their identity and animated their religious commitment to build strength from within and expand.; Encounters with Marxism under military rule have also reinforced this situation. Subject to hostile environment yet benefiting from the disorienting state of affairs that derived from the failed experiment of socialism, evangelical Christians embarked on spreading an even more militant faith that stood as a countervailing force against the Marxist ideology. The absence of hierarchical structures that allowed agility in deploying timely responsive systems and the creation of vast underground networks were crucial elements that helped the faith to survive as well as thrive in those challenging times.; Evangelical Christians have long been considered religious outsiders and their faith as mete haymanot, foreign religion viewed as a cult. The lack of proper understanding of the essential characteristics of the faith and the conditions of its rise and development in Ethiopia is a major contributing factor.; By bringing out the newer dimension of Christianity into scholarly focus, the work fills not only a crucial gap in the national historiography, but provides fresh illuminations in our grasp of a poorly understood yet highly expansive religious movement with enormous social, demographic, and political implications.