All religion is based on a belief in the existence of invisible forces which influence human destiny. So important is belief of this sort in contemporary thought, the authors argue, that many Africans appear to believe that the widely attested malaise of their public life may be explained largely by reference to these invisible forces. Among the evidence for this assertion is the rapid growth of movements of religious renewal or revival which are to be found in all parts of Africa today. Some of the ideas articulated by and within these movements may be construed as a critique of the way in which power is organized. This article discusses what power is and how it is represented from various points of view before examining the political implications of the growth of new religious movements in Africa, Bibliogr., notes, ref