This collection consists of eleven essays, broadly concerned with the inter-relation between Christianity and the state in Uganda from the early twentieth century to the present day. The essays are of a consistently high quality, often the synthesis of doctoral dissertations undertaken over the last two decades, revised and brought up to date for this volume. With the exception of two of the editors, all the essays are by Ugandans. One of the great values of this collection is that it provides a forum through which Ugandan historians and theologians can disseminate their scholarship in an area often dominated, as far as publishing opportunities are concerned, by western scholars. The contributions range widely, from colonial history (there is a fascinating piece by Alex Kagume on ethnicity and gender issues and the contribution of the Churches in creating new horizons and new divisions in colonial Ankole) to the complexities of Church-State relations in independent Uganda (for example, a detailed examination by Zac Niringiye of the Anglican Church of Uganda's troubled relations with the state from the fall of the Amin regime to the early years of Museveni and the National Resistance Movement government). An essay by Paddy Musana on the Pentecostal movement is particularly important in that the scholarly historical study of Pentecostalism in Uganda (as opposed to discussions of its recent effect on society) is still in its infancy. Musana skilfully demonstrates the diverse origins of Pentecostal Churches from missionary endeavours during the colonial period to the proliferation of Ugandan initiatives after independence. He traces a progression from persecution (under Amin), a disavowal of involvement in politics (‘a dirty game’), to an increasing desire actively to ‘cleanse’ the nation by creating a Christian political sphere, for example ‘by voting the right people into various positions of political responsibility’(p. 109). Pentecostals can, nevertheless, be seen as colluding with political power, in what Musana calls ‘silent praise’. Pentecostals often evidence an authoritarian theology of leadership (whether in Church or State) – a tendency by no means confined to Pentecostals in Uganda. There is a useful essay by a government spokesman, Ofwono-Opondo, justifying the NRM's policy on religion, arguing persuasively that the state zealously supports freedom of religion and the separation of Church and State, but that it has a duty to intervene to prevent confessional conflict or popular discontent against church leaders, which can lead to public disorder. At times, Opondo becomes overly defensive – for example in his suggestion that the Anglican bishop Zac Niringiye has abandoned his role as a church leader to become an activist motivated by hostility to the government. Niringiye himself gently critiques such hypersensitivity in a well-judged and nuanced afterword. There are a number of interesting essays with a theological focus – for example, Alfred Olwa's analysis of Bishop Kivengere's sermons about politics and reconciliation, in which he shows how traditional Balokole (Revival) spirituality is widened and deepened into a penetrating social and political analysis of Uganda's political turmoil. Christian Mbabazi discusses, movingly, the theological and practical issue of the rehabilitation of female child-soldiers in the conflict in Northern Uganda. There are a number of essays on ‘prophetic ministry’ which show how all the Churches have failed in their different ways consistently to exercise a ministry to the oppressed or to speak truth to power. One of the ways in which Pentecostalism has increasingly taken a role in political life has been in its attention to ‘prophecy’, which can at times resonate with theologies of liberation, but at times takes on somewhat bizarre forms, such as the case cited by Edison Kalengyo. During the 2001 presidential elections, Robert Kayanja, leader of the Rubaga Centre Miracle Cathedral, ‘prophesied’ that one of the five candidates would die before voting day (p. 219). When no such death took place, Kayanja speculated that powerful prayer may have caused God to relent. The biggest gap in this collection, acknowledged by the editors (p. 3), but not explained, is the failure to engage the Roman Catholic Church in the enterprise. This is a very regrettable limitation of the book, since the Catholic communion is the biggest numerically in Uganda, and has a history of Church-State relations very different from the dominant Anglican focus of these contributions. The Catholic impact on Ugandan life is consequently underplayed and inadequately assessed. This omission is symptomatic of the way in which ‘Protestant’ and ‘Catholic’ have functioned in separate compartments throughout Uganda's history. A number of contributors do speak appreciatively of Fr Emmanuel Katongole's seminal work of political theology, The sacrifice of Africa (Grand Rapids, Mi 2011). It is regrettable that the editors were unable to include a contribution by Katongole, and other Catholic historians and theologians. Another omission is any sustained discussion on sexual ethics, perhaps on the grounds that this is not central to Church-State relations. Rosette Muzigo-Morrison criticises the Churches for failing to uphold Christian standards of marriage in their silence about the marital affairs of the present Kabaka of Buganda. She contrasts this with the leading role which the Churches have played in the debate about homosexuality. It is notable that this volume avoids including an essay on this topic, even though it illuminates the power of the Churches to influence (for better or for worse) the moral climate in which the state operates. Nevertheless, the essays which we do have in this collection are a very significant contribution to a scholarly and critical analysis of Christian involvement in the social and political life of the nation. The editors are to be congratulated on producing a very comprehensive and impressive bibliography which includes articles and unpublished dissertations.