Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- List of Abbreviations -- Introduction -- The Mobile Phone and its Emergent Cultures -- Quest for Mobile Phone Theology in Africa -- Mobile Cultures, Corruption and the Church in Africa -- Chapter Outline -- Notes -- CHAPTER ONE - Media of Social Communications in Pre-Mobile phone Africa -- Oral Media -- Visits -- Meetings and Marketplaces -- Talking Drums -- Print and Electronic Media -- Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue per Radio-call -- Gospel Music -- Political Manipulation of Gospel Music -- Gospel Music and HIV / AIDS -- African Gilms with Religious Themes -- Hallelujah Films and Ecumenical / Interreligious Dialogue -- Concluding Remarks -- Notes -- CHAPTER TWO - Is the Mobile Phone Liberating Africa? -- The Mobile Phone as a Transformative Factor -- Mobile Phones and Africa's Communication "Revolution" -- Mobile Communication "Revolution" and the "Wealth Paradox" -- Mobile Phones and Poverty Alleviation -- Optimistic Signs -- Mobile phone as Globalisation: Have the Rules Changed? -- Sacrifices of the Poor at the Altar of Modernity -- Mobile Phone Mania -- Polarisation between the Rich and the Poor -- Online Beggars and Dependency Syndrome -- Feminisation of the Mobile Phone and African Women -- Amplifying the Voices of African Women -- which Mobiles are Suitable for African Women? -- Enganging Mobile in Health Issues -- Globalisation of African Traditional Healers -- Mobiles and Democratisation of Africa -- 'Paparazzi-boom' and Empowerment of Whistleblowers -- Spiritual Undertones of Mobile Communications -- Will the Rosary Survive? -- The Mobile Phone and the Idolatry of Work -- Faith Communities and Negotiation of Mobile Technologies -- Negotiation with Teleophone by Amish Church -- The 'Kosher' Cell-phone in Israel -- Concluding Remarks -- Notes.

CHAPTER THREE - Mobile Cultures and Ubuntu Paradigm of Solidarity -- Anatomy of Mobile Cultures -- Ubuntu Philosophy of Life -- Ubuntu-enhancing Mobile Cultures -- Solidarity in Sharing Mobile Handsets -- Crossing Social Divides and Interconnectedness -- The Mobile Question "Where are you?" -- Virtual versus Face-to-face Communication -- Youth-empowering Mobile Cultures -- Women and Subversion of Traditional Gender Roles -- Mobile Reinforcement of Social Integrity -- Mutual Empowerment between Migrant and Home Folks -- Anti-Ubuntu Mobile Cultures -- When 'Absent-presence' Overshadows Neighbour -- Intrusion of Public Order -- Serving Two Masters at Time -- The Youth now "hanging out" Digitally -- African Women: Digitally confined to the "Kitchen" -- Mobile Gossip and Intrusion of Private Life -- Mobile Addiction Tendencies -- Mobile Alibis and Denialist Attitudes of African Leaders -- Uncritical Consumption of Mobile-mediated Products -- Utilitarian Mobile Working Cultures -- Mobile Cultures and the Millstones of Migration -- "Absent Presence" and the Culture of Blame -- Fragility of Ubuntu Solidarity in Current Africa -- Concluding Remarks -- Notes -- CHAPTER FOUR - Mobile Cultures and Social Justice -- Media as "Gifts of God" -- The Concept of Social Justice -- Mobile Cultures and the Demands of Contributive Justice -- "Digital Divides" and the Demands of Distributive Justice -- Mobile Work Ethic and Commutative Justice -- Demands of Social Justice in Mobile Popular Narratives -- Fighting Graft by Mobile Theological Discourses in Tanzania -- Social Justice as Basic Key to True Peace -- "Domestic Justice" in African Church: Charity does not begin Abroad -- Concluding Remarks -- Notes -- CHAPTER FIVE - Reimagining Church Community in the Mobile Age -- The Mobile Phone and the Blurring of Religious Frontiers.

Virtual Communications vis-a-vis Ecclesial Community -- "Do It Yourself" Spirituality -- "Yes" to Jesus, "No" to the Church -- Virtual Internet Christian Communities -- High-tech Remote Participation in Worship -- Virtual / Face-to-face Communication and Church as God's Family -- Face-to-face Interaction in Ecclesial Communities -- Face-to-face Ecclesial Communities and Christian Witness -- Face-to-face Ecclesial Communities versus Dangers of Private Religion -- Church Pastors and the Quest for the Apostolate of Presence -- Mobile Cultures and Border-transcending Churches -- The Gospel of Prosperity and Church-going in Africa -- Quest for Solid Church Structures in Africa -- Envisioning Church-less African Christianity -- Concluding Remarks -- Notes -- CHAPTER SIX - Mobile Cultures and Pilgrim Status of the Church -- Mobile Cultures and Pastirak Care of Migrants -- Face-to-face Ecclesial Communities and Integration of Migrants -- Endorsement of Migration and Reverse Flow of Mission -- MIgrants as Embodiment of the Pilgrim Church -- Concluding Remarks -- Notes -- CHAPTER SEVEN - Biblical and Theological Insights into Mobile Cultures -- Biblical Insights into Mobile Cultures -- A "Beep" to the Righteous Heavenly Father -- Psalmists versus African Victims of Corruption -- The Passion Narrative of Jesus and Post-independence Africa -- Mountains for Mobile Technologies versus the Mountain of the Lord -- MOuntains as Symbol of Radical Transformation in Jesus Christ -- Quest for "Pperpetual Contact" with God -- Theological Insights into Mobile Cultures -- What has Christianity to do with the Mobile Phone? -- The Holy Trinity as Paradigm of Human Relationships -- "Imago Dei" as Paradigm for Crossing Divides in Society -- The Incarnation and the Crossing of the Divine-Human Divide -- The Incarnate Jesus Christ as the Border-creosser par Excellence.

The Incarnation and Social Mobility -- The Incarnation and the Quest for Integrative Church Communities -- The "Visio Dei": Overcoming Parochialism and Provincialism -- Concluding Remarks -- Notes -- CHAPTER EIGHT - "Where are you?" The Mobile Question and Its Implications in Africa -- "Where are you?" as God's First Question to Humanity -- "Where are you?" as Challenge to Respect HUman Dignity -- "Where are you?" as a Call to Conversion -- "Where are you?" as Mandate for Environmental Stewardship -- "Where are you?" and Africa's Enigmatic Christianity -- Against Compromising the Prophetic Voice -- Notes -- CHAPTER NINE - Looking Towards the Future -- Need for Meaningful Church-State Dialogue -- Dulles' Model of Dialogue with Christian Politicians -- Quest for Listening Leaders -- Redeeming Ubuntu Solidarity -- Notes -- Selected Bibliography -- Back Cover.