German-born evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, who attracted massive crowds in Africa during decades of preaching, is being mourned by millions of Christians across the continent following his death aged 79. Across the continent, huge week-long church rallies are now commonplace, characterised by mass mobilisation, big tents, colourful podiums, sophisticated public address systems, local language translators and, in some instances, evangelists who mimic Bonnke’s oratory and stage antics, including how he firmly gripped microphones. Africa’s best-known names on the African Christian scene such as Nigeria’s TB Joshua and Kenya’s Teresia Wairimu, a direct consequence of Bonnke’s early influence.
SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES
