DOCSLIB.ORG

Party Politics and New Religious Movements in Weak States

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Party Politics and New Religious Movements in Weak States Deus ex Machina? New Religious Movements in African Politics Elizabeth Sheridan Sperber Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2017 © 2016 Elizabeth Sheridan Sperber All rights reserved ABSTRACT Deus ex Machina? New Religious Movements in African Politics Elizabeth Sheridan Sperber The majority of political science research on religion and politics examines how reli- gious variables influence political outcomes. Either implicitly or explicitly, this literature posits a one-way causal arrow from religion to politics. This dissertation argues that in many developing countries, however, religious and political change have been endogenous (interrelated). This is particularly true in weak states, where established religious groups mobilized to promote third wave democratization. In such contexts, politicians simultane- ously faced heightened political competition and established religious groups mobilized to demand accountable democratic governance after the Cold War. Under these conditions, I argue that politicians faced incentives to intervene in the religious sphere, and to actively propagate conversionary religious movements. In doing so, politicians sought to cultivate both moral authority and new constituencies that would compete with the established “watch dog” religious groups. I term this strategy “politicized propagation,” and argue that it is an important mechanism undergirding the endogenous relationship between religious and political change in the region. Although the theoretical argument advanced in this dissertation is general, I assess the argument empirically by focusing on the explosive rise of pentecostal (born again) Christianity in many, but not all, sub-Saharan African states in recent decades. To what extent have changes in the religious landscape — i.e., the rapid growth of pentecostal churches — occurred as a result of dynamic political conditions, and previous ‘church’- state relations (where the term church refers broadly to established religious institutions)? I engage these questions using targeted case studies and quantitative analysis. Specifically, I examine the degree to which a country’s pentecostal population share (in 2010) is predicted by that country’s (i) level of political competition during the 1990s and 2000s, and (ii) history of church-led mobilization for third wave democratization. The evidence reveals a strong and significant positive correlation between these political context variables and pentecostal population shares in the region. Moreover, through a controlled comparison of born again movements (i.e., charismatics and pentecostals), I am able to adjudicate between the appeal of born again doctrine, and the organizational features of pentecostal churches, such as decentralized network structures, and freedom from transnational oversight and rigid training requirements for leader, which make pentecostal churches more accessible and malleable allies than established, hierarchical religious institutions with significant transnational oversight. My findings refute alternative explanations for cross-national variation in the rise of pentecostalism, as well as the null hypothesis that political and religious change were not endogenous in sub-Saharan states. The latter half of the dissertation examines causal process mechanisms through a detailed study of church-state relations in Zambia, a predominantly Christian nation, where I collected quantitative and qualitative data in 2011 and 2013. My analyses of these data reveal that Zambia’s ruling party systematically targeted local pentecostal churches with cash grants, media permits, urban land plots, and political appointments between 1991 and 2011. Moreover, I find that the government was significantly more likely to allocate perks, such as lucrative tax breaks or church business licenses, in the lead up to national elections. This evidence provides strong suggestive support for the theory of politicized propagation. Zambians’ subjective perceptions of the relationship between different religious groups and the state are consistent with the theory of politicized propagation, but also belie the wide- ranging motivations of pentecostal converts. I conclude with reflections on the impact of politicized propagation, and the ability of the dissertation’s main argument to illuminate the politics of born again Christian movements in Latin America, as well as Islamic movements in sub-Saharan Africa. Contents List of Tables . iv ListofFigures ..........................................v Acknowledgements . vi Dedication . ix 1 A Theory of Politicized Propagation 1 1.1 Dual Renewalist Movements . 10 1.1.1 Defining features . 10 1.1.2 Origins and evolution of Christian movements in sub-Saharan Africa . 12 1.1.3 Political crises, mobilization and religious change . 18 1.2 Theoretical Frameworks, Revisited . 25 1.2.1 Conceptual intervention . 25 1.2.2 Substitute spirituality . 27 1.2.3 Politicized propagation . 29 1.2.4 Preliminary evidence . 32 1.3 Research Strategy . 33 1.3.1 Cross-national evidence . 35 i 1.3.2 Subnational evidence . 38 1.4 Scope Conditions and External Validity . 39 2 Endogeneity in Religion and Politics: Cross-National Evidence 42 2.1 Factors Affecting pentecostal Growth in sub-Saharan Africa . 44 2.1.1 Doctrine . 44 2.1.2 Social context . 45 2.1.3 Globalization and mass media . 46 2.1.4 Foreign evangelism . 47 2.2 Evaluating Explanations for Variation in pentecostal Population Share Across African Countries . 50 2.2.1 Data and methods . 51 2.2.2 Results . 56 2.2.3 Robustness . 59 2.3 Confounding Characteristics? The Role of Leaders’ Personal Identities . 64 2.3.1 Sincere pentecostal believers? . 64 2.3.2 Other individual-level factors of leaders . 69 2.4 Conclusion . 76 3 Church-State Relations in Zambia’s State Records 79 3.1 Case Selection . 82 3.2 Zambia’s Political Context . 85 3.3 Analysis of Government Records from Zambia . 90 3.4 Business Licenses . 92 ii 3.5 Tax Breaks . 96 3.5.1 The real value of PBO status . 97 3.5.2 Benefits for other religious institutions . 99 3.6 Local Government Appointments . 100 3.7 Media Licenses . 103 3.8 Exceptions that Prove the Rule: Zambia’s Third Term Debate . 107 4 Perceiving Politics and Religion: Qualitative Evidence from Zambia 113 4.1 In Leaders’ Own Words . 116 4.2 Political Gospels, According to Parishioners and Pastors . 131 4.2.1 Research strategy . 132 4.2.2 Findings . 137 4.3 Conclusion . 145 5 Conclusion: Politicized Propagation in Other Contexts 146 5.1 External Validity . 152 5.1.1 Latin America . 152 5.1.2 Islamic movements in Sub-Saharan Africa . 153 5.2 Broader Implications . 158 5.3 Conceptual Connections: Nationalism . 160 5.4 Closing Thoughts . 164 Bibliography 166 iii List of Tables 1.1 Comparing Pentecostalism and Charismatic Catholicism . 13 2.1 Summary Statistics for Key Variables, SSA . 56 2.2 Electoral Competition and Rel. Mobilization and pentecostalism, SSA . 57 2.3 Assessing Catholic Activism Separately, SSA . 60 2.4 Favored Models Excluding Possible Outliers, Angola and Ghana . 62 2.5 Rel. Mobilization, Electoral Contestation and pentecostal Growth . 63 2.6 Rel. Mobilization, Electoral Contestation and Charismatic Population Size . 64 iv List of Figures 1.1 Religious Change Over Time in Sub-Saharan Africa . .8 1.2 Renewalist Doctrines . 12 1.3 Comparing Catholic to Overall Population Growth . 20 1.4 Catholic Growth Across Regions, 1980-2012 . 21 1.5 Relating Regulation of Religion and Religious Competition . 26 1.6 Politicized Propagation: Applied Theory Diagram . 32 1.7 Electoral Contestation and pentecostal Population Share Across Regions . 34 2.1 Re-Examining the Role of Foreign and Domestic Evangelism . 49 2.2 Electoral Contestation and pentecostal Population Share Across Regions . 53 2.3 Did Catholic Population Size Influence Catholic Political Involvement? . 61 3.1 Maps of Zambia . 83 3.2 Allocation of Business Licenses to pentecostal Churches, Lusaka Province . 94 3.3 Elections and the Timing of Tax Breaks for pentecostal Churches . 98 3.4 Tax Breaks for Other Religious Organizations . 100 3.5 Local Government Appointments: Backgrounds Mentioned . 103 v Acknowledgements My journey towards this project began in college, and was encouraged by three out- standing mentors, each of whom pushed my thinking and interest in research to new levels. As Chair of Brown University’s Africana Studies Department, and as the advisor of my undergraduate honors thesis, Anthony Bogues instilled in me a transformative appreciation for the power of academic scholarship, especially when it challenges conventional wisdom. Similarly, Mary McKay provided life-changing mentorship, support, and inspiration, partic- ularly with respect to pursuing research questions that actually matter to the communities one studies. And, lastly, there is Fred Ssewamala, a giant in my eyes, from whom I have learned so much, and who, like Mary and Tony, continues to influence my sense of myself, my duties, and my privileges as an academic. The support of these three extraordinary people means more to me than I can say. Additionally, during my time as a Ph.D. student at Columbia, it was my incredible great fortune to work with Al Stepan, Jack Snyder, Kimuli Kasara, and Macartan Humphreys. Al is not only a world-renowned scholar with unrivaled passion for democracy, religious tolerance, and intellectual clarity, but also a giving teacher and extremely dedicated advisor. His classes helped
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Tracing the “Spirit”: the Role of Poverty, Revival, And
    TRACING THE “SPIRIT”: THE ROLE OF POVERTY, REVIVAL, AND INCLUSIVITY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH by DANIELLE LYNN CLAUSNITZER (Under the Direction of IBIGBOLADE ADERIBIGBE) ABSTRACT Since the first Pentecostal Revival in Wales in 1904, a series of factors have influenced the growth of Pentecostalism around the world. As missionaries carried this message of the Pentecost first to the United States and later to West Africa, the theological and social benefits of Pentecostalism became abundantly clear. When this message of equality in turn reached hinterland Nigeria, it affected a permanent shift in religious sensibility, consequently revealing the potency and universality of the Pentecostal message. Recognizing the clear Pentecostal influence that has pervaded Nigerian culture throughout its history as well as in the postcolonial period, this thesis will argue that the socioeconomic status of its constituents, the role of revival in spreading the Pentecostal message, and the inclusivity and access to God provided in the theological understanding of glossolalia all provided the impetus for the overwhelming and continued growth of this Pentecostal denomination into the postcolonial era. INDEX WORDS: Religion, Religious Studies, African Traditional Religion, Christianity, Pentecostalism, Nigeria, Xenoglossy, Glossolalia, and Christ Apostolic Church. TRACING THE “SPIRIT”: THE ROLE OF POVERTY, REVIVAL, AND INCLUSIVITY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH by DANIELLE LYNN CLAUSNITZER Bachelor of Arts, Dickinson College, 2014 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF ARTS ATHENS, GEORGIA 2016 © 2016 Danielle Lynn Clausnitzer All Rights Reserved TRACING THE “SPIRIT”: THE ROLE OF POVERTY, REVIVAL, AND INCLUSIVITY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH by DANIELLE LYNN CLAUSNITZER Major Professor: Ibigbolade Aderibigbe Committee: Carolyn Jones Medine Sandy D.
    [Show full text]
  • Pentecostal Profits: the Prosperity Gospel in the Global South
    University of Lethbridge Research Repository OPUS http://opus.uleth.ca Theses Arts and Science, Faculty of 2014 Pentecostal profits: the prosperity gospel in the global south MacTavish, Ron Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Religious Studies, 2014 http://hdl.handle.net/10133/3527 Downloaded from University of Lethbridge Research Repository, OPUS PENTECOSTAL PROFITS: THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH Ron MacTavish B.A. History, University of Alberta, 1973 B.Ed. (with distinction), University of Alberta, 1974 B.A. (with great distinction), University of Lethbridge, 2012 A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies Of the University of Lethbridge In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF ARTS Religious Studies University of Lethbridge LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA, CANADA © Ron MacTavish, 2014 PENTECOSTAL PROFITS: THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH RON MACTAVISH Approved: * (Print Name) (Signature) (Rank) (Highest Date Degree) _______________________ ____________________ ________ _______ ________ * Supervisor _______________________ ____________________ ________ _______ ________ * Thesis Examination Committee Member __________________________ _____________________ ________ ________ ________ * Thesis Examination Committee Member __________________________ _____________________ ________ ________ ________ * Thesis Examination Committee Member __________________________ _____________________ ________ ________ ________ * Thesis Examination Committee Member __________________________ _____________________ _________ ________ ________ * Chair, Thesis Examination Committee Abstract: This study explores the link between the development of the so-called prosperity gospel and the explosive growth of Pentecostalism in the Global South. It examines the evolution of the prosperity gospel as a strand of Pentecostalism in its country of origin, the United States. It then investigates the dramatic acceptance of the theology in selected pockets of the Pacific Rim, Latin America and Africa.
    [Show full text]
  • Pentecostalism, Social Life, and Political Economy on the Zambian Copperbelt
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO Ambitious Obligations: Pentecostalism, Social Life, and Political Economy on the Zambian Copperbelt A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology by Naomi Haynes Committee in charge: Professor Joel Robbins, Chair Professor Suzanne Brenner Professor Robert Cancel Professor Thomas Csordas Professor Jeremy Prestholdt Professor Rijk van Dijk 2012 The dissertation of Naomi Haynes is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically: ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Chair University of California, San Diego 2012 iii ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Copyright Naomi Haynes, 2012 All Rights Reserved ! Table of Contents Signature Page……………………………………………………………………... iii Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………... iv List of Figures…………………………………………………................................ vi A Note on Bemba Orthography and Pseudonyms…………………………………. vii Map……………………………………………………………………………........ ix Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………........ x Vita…………………………………………………………………………………
    [Show full text]
  • African Pentecostalism and Its Relationship to Witchcraft Beliefs
    Onongha: African Pentecostalism and Witchcraft 45 KELVIN ONONGHA African Pentecostalism and Its Relationship to Witchcraft Beliefs and Accusations: Biblical Responses to a Pernicious Problem Confronting the Adventist Church in Africa Introduction The subject of witchcraft accusations once used to be a major discourse all around the world; especially in Europe and its colonies in North Amer- ica (Jennings 2015:1). During that era, which curiously continued through the period of the Enlightenment and the Reformation, notable men like Martin Luther and John Calvin are reported to have believed in the exis- tence of witches and spoken forcefully in support of their extermination (Kors and Peters 2001:262-262). Indeed, Luther is reported to have stated concerning witches, “There is no compassion to be had for these women; I would burn all of them myself, according to the law, where it is said that priests began to stone criminals to death” (263). In the succeeding centuries this phenomenon was eclipsed by the suc- cess of the missionary endeavor, which resulted in Africa, Latin America, and Asia emerging as collaborators on the global mission stage. However, in recent times, the subject of Witchcraft accusations has again resurfaced on the missions radar to the extent that the American Society of Missiol- ogy (ASM) dedicated an entire track of its annual missions conference to discussing this emergent phenomenon. Besides the ASM conference, the International Bulletin for Missionary Research (IBMR), in 2014 devoted an en- tire edition of its widely-read journal to articles on this same theme, high- lighting reports from various regions of the world faced with this problem.
    [Show full text]
  • Ogbu Kalu and African Pentecostalism
    Richard Burgess (2019forthcoming) Ogbu Kalu and African Pentecostalism. In Andrew Atherstone and David Ceri Jones (eds.), Evangelicalism and its Historians, Routledge Studies in Evangelicalism Professor Ogbu Kalu, who died unexpectedly in 2009, was one of the leading African scholars working within the field of African church history. A native of Nigeria, Kalu worked for almost thirty years as a church historian at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, before his appointment in 2001 as Henry Winters Luce Professor of World Christianity and Mission at McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, Illinois. During his career he published over 150 articles and book chapters, as well as 18 books and edited volumes, on a wide range of subjects.1 Kalu’s earliest research was on Protestant religious practices in Jacobean England, although he soon turned his attention to the history of Christianity in Nigeria and Africa more widely. However, it was his latter research and publications on African Pentecostalism that cemented his reputation as a world class scholar. Kalu was born in 1942 in Ohafia (now in Abia State) and studied at the Hope Waddell Training Institute, Calabar, a legacy of nineteenth and twentieth-century Presbyterian missionaries to Nigeria. In 1963, soon after Nigeria achieved its independence from Britain and joined the Commonwealth, Kalu left Nigeria to study history in Canada at McMaster University and the University of Toronto, where he earned a PhD in history in 1970. He subsequently obtained a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1974 and a Doctor of Divinity honoris causa in 1997 from the Presbyterian College, Montreal, Canada.
    [Show full text]
  • African Pentecostalism: Features, Promises and Problems
    Institut für Ethnologie und Afrikastudien Department of Anthropology and African Studies Arbeitspapiere / Working Papers Nr. 79 Asonzeh Ukah African Christianities: Features, Promises and Problems 2007 The Working Papers are edited by Institut für Ethnologie und Afrikastudien, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Forum 6, D-55099 Mainz, Germany. Tel. +49-6131-3923720; Email: [email protected]; http://www.ifeas.uni-mainz.de Geschäftsführende Herausgeberin/ Managing Editor: Eva Spies ([email protected]) African Christianities: Features, Promises and Problems1 Asonzeh Ukah Universität Bayreuth, Germany ([email protected]) Introduction In contemporary times, the most widely known things about Africa seem to be the “breaking bad news” that the global media disseminate about the continent and its many peoples. Africa is a continent of poverty, disease, corruption, wars, and political instability. Some know of portions of Africa as objects of tourist curiosity. Indeed, very few know that Africa is the land with the largest amount of natural resources and the continent with the largest numbers of practising Christians. Africans are a deeply religious people, where there are many religious traditions, the three most important being indigenous religions, Christianity and Islam. These religions fuse in creative ways to produce rich and innovative religious cultures and lifestyles for the diverse populations of the continent. For many Africans today, religion provides significant identity resource; more significantly, in the period of rapid social change with unprecedented distortions to economic, social and political lifestyles, religion offers a veritable means of anchor and stability and a pathway to meaningful social existence. It is estimated in 2005 that Christians constitute 46% (or 400 million) of the total population of the continent of nearly 890 million, a rise from 9% in 1900.2 Africa represents the fastest increase in Christian population worldwide.
    [Show full text]
  • African Pentecostalism in America: a Study of a Nigerian Charismatic Church in South Florida
    Florida International University FIU Digital Commons FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations University Graduate School 3-26-2020 African Pentecostalism in America: a Study of a Nigerian Charismatic Church in South Florida Uchenna Regina Onwumelu [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd Part of the Other Religion Commons Recommended Citation Onwumelu, Uchenna Regina, "African Pentecostalism in America: a Study of a Nigerian Charismatic Church in South Florida" (2020). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 4386. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/4386 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the University Graduate School at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Miami, Florida AFRICAN PENTECOSTALISM IN AMERICA: A STUDY OF A NIGERIAN CHARISMATIC CHURCH IN SOUTH FLORIDA A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in RELIGIOUS STUDIES by Uchenna Onwumelu 2020 To: Dean John Stack School of International and Public Affairs This thesis written by Uchenna Onwumelu and entitled African Pentecostalism in America: A Study of a Nigerian Charismatic Church in South Florida, having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to you for judgment. We have read this thesis and recommend that it be approved. __________________________________ Erik Larson ___________________________________ Iqbal Akhtar ____________________________________ Albert Wuaku, Major Professor Date of Defense: March 26, 2020 The thesis of Uchenna Onwumelu is approved. _____________________________ Dean John Stack School of International and Public Affairs _________________________________ Andres G.
    [Show full text]
  • African Initiated Christianity and the Decolonisation of Development
    African Initiated Christianity and the Decolonisation of Development This book investigates the substantial and growing contribution which African Independent and Pentecostal Churches are making to sustainable development in all its manifold forms. Moreover, this volume seeks to elucidate how these churches reshape the very notion of sustainable development and contribute to the decolonisation of development. Fostering both overarching and comparative perspectives, the book includes chapters on West Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, and Burkina Faso) and Southern Africa (Zimbabwe and South Africa). It aims to open up a subfield focused on African Initiated Christianity within the religion and development discourse, substantially broadening the scope of the existing literature. Written predominantly by scholars from the African continent, the chapters in this volume illuminate potentials and perspectives of African Initiated Christianity, combining theoretical contributions, essays by renowned church leaders, and case studies focusing on particular churches or regional contexts. While the contributions in this book focus on the African continent, the notion of development underlying the concept of the volume is deliberately wide and multidimensional, covering economic, social, ecological, political, and cultural dimensions. Therefore, the book will be useful for the community of scholars interested in religion and development as well as researchers within African studies, anthropology, development studies, political science, religious studies, sociology of religion, and theology. It will also be a key resource for development policymakers and practitioners. Philipp Öhlmann is Head of the Research Programme on Religious Com- munities and Sustainable Development, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Research Associate, University of Pretoria, South Africa. Wilhelm Gräb is Head of the Research Programme on Religious Communities and Sustainable Development, Humboldt- Universität zu Berlin, and Extra- ordinary Professor, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
    [Show full text]
  • Christian Fundamentalisms and Women's Rights in the African Context
    Christian Fundamentalisms and Women’s Rights in the African Context: Mapping the Terrain Jessica Horn Introduction1 “If Pentecostal churches continue to grow in numbers and activism, the Christian Fundamentalisms long-range political impact of Africa’s vibrant Pentecostal community will become increasingly difficult to ignore.” The PEW Forum on Religion and Women’s Rights in and Public Life2 the African Context: M apping “The time has come for us as a women’s movement and as feminists the Terrain to talk about our non-negotiables and the fact that we should not let the church define our rights.” Solome Nakaweesi-Kimbugwe, Ugandan feminist and human rights defender3 This case study explores the dynamics of Christian fundamentalisms in sub-Saharan Africa and the impacts of fundamentalist doctrine, advocacy and mobilization on women’s rights in the African context. It aims to begin to elucidate the ways in which activists understand and define Christian fundamentalisms, highlight the agendas and some of the impacts of fundamentalist activity on women’s rights in different contexts, understand the strategies used by fundamentalists, and consider possible counter-fundamentalist strategies that can be pursued. The case study focuses on fundamentalism in Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity, as well as fundamentalist actors in mainline Protestant churches. The working definition of religious fundamentalism used here is a morally conservative ideology based on, and justified by, a particular interpretation of scripture that seeks to promote and establish itself as hegemonic. While there is a great deal of debate among African feminists and other progressive activists around the growing impact of Christian fundamentalisms, there has been comparatively little research and written analysis on the agendas, trends and mobilizing tactics of Christian fundamentalist actors.
    [Show full text]
  • Pentecostalism and Charismatic Movements in Nigeria: Factors of Growth and Inherent Challenges Matthews A
    The WATS Journal: An Online Journal from West Africa Theological Seminary Volume 3 | Number 1 Article 5 September 2018 Pentecostalism and Charismatic Movements in Nigeria: Factors of Growth and Inherent Challenges Matthews A. Ojo Follow this and additional works at: https://place.asburyseminary.edu/watsjournal Part of the Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, and the Christianity Commons Recommended Citation Ojo, Matthews A. (2018) "Pentecostalism and Charismatic Movements in Nigeria: Factors of Growth and Inherent Challenges," The WATS Journal: An Online Journal from West Africa Theological Seminary: Vol. 3 : No. 1 , Article 5. Available at: https://place.asburyseminary.edu/watsjournal/vol3/iss1/5 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at ePLACE: preserving, learning, and creative exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in The AW TS Journal: An Online Journal from West Africa Theological Seminary by an authorized editor of ePLACE: preserving, learning, and creative exchange. Renewal3/1 :74-94 © 2016 West Africa Theological Seminary Pentecostalism and Charismatic Movements in Nigeria: Factors of Growth and Inherent Challenges MATTHEWS A. OJ0 KEYWORDS: Pentecostalism, Charismatic movement, Leadership, Church planting, Matthews A. Ojo is the Vice Chancellor of Bowen University in Nigeria. He is a Professor of Religious Studies and renowned scholar of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity in Africa. PENTECOSTALISMAND CHARISMATICMOVEMENTS IN NIGERIA Introduction Since about 1986, i.e. in the past 46 years and within our own generation, we have witnessed certain fundamental changes in the way Christianity is perceived and practiced in Nigeria, and in other parts ofWest Africa. The most substantial change is associated with a kind of spirituality brought into existence by the rise of Pentecostal and Charismatic movements.
    [Show full text]
  • The Pentecostal-Charismatic Movement in Zambia: Oral History of Its Emergence, Evolution, Development and Ethos (1940S-2010S)
    The Pentecostal-Charismatic movement in Zambia: Oral history of its emergence, evolution, development and ethos (1940s-2010s) Item Type Thesis or dissertation Authors Makukula, Nelson Citation Makukula, N. (2018). The Pentecostal-Charismatic movement in Zambia: Oral history of its emergence, evolution, development and ethos (1940s-2010s). (Doctoral disseration). University of Chester, United Kingdom. Publisher University of Chester Rights Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States Download date 04/10/2021 18:37:04 Item License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/ Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10034/621720 J11876 THE PENTECOSTAL-CHARISMATIC MOVEMENT IN ZAMBIA: ORAL HISTORY OF ITS EMERGENCE, EVOLUTION, DEVELOPMENT AND ETHOS (1940s-2010s) By NELSON MAKUKULA A Thesis Submitted to The University of Chester For the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Theology and Religious Studies University of Chester UK October 2018 J11876 Author Declaration I hereby declare that the work contained in this dissertation is my own original work, and that I have not previously in its entirety, or in part submitted it at any university for a degree. .................................................... ..................................... Signature Date i J11876 Dedication This dissertation is a dedication to my wife, Salome who has constantly and persistently encouraged my pursuit of scholarly excellence for nearly ten years. I hope that this thesis will prove to be a useful resource for people in both the church and academy who are attempting to discern the importance of Pentecostalism in Zambia in the present, and in its influence on future generations. ii J11876 Acknowledgements Involvement in Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity has been the personal inspiration that has provided me with the opportunity of studying the history of the emergence, evolution, development and ethos of Zambian Pentecostal-Charismatic churches, as presented in this PhD thesis.
    [Show full text]
  • New African Pentecostalism and Social Cohesion in South Africa
    Towards Pentecopolitanism: New African Pentecostalism and social cohesion in South Africa Chammah Kaunda* Abstract This article evaluates the challenges that militate against the full engagement of New African Pentecostalism (NAP) in the process of social cohesion in South Africa. It argues that this new religious phenomenon in South Africa has been preoccupied with the promotion of internal social cohesion within its ecclesiastical boundaries to the neglect of national social cohesion. Employing the notion of ‘religious cosmopolitanism’ (Cahill 2003) as theoretical underpinning, the article proposes a new concept termed Pentecopolitanism, as an ethical frame for New African Pentecostal engagement in democratisation and social cohesion in South Africa. The notion of Pentecopolitanism is envisaged to function as an antidote against sectarianism and fundamentalism within NAP and a framework for its constructive engagement with pluralism in the current South African search for national social cohesion. Pentecopolitanism is a philosophy which arises out of the need for recognition of the social function of religion, so as to enable human beings to discover their humanity through the humanity of others. Keywords: Social cohesion, Pentecopolitanism, South Africa, Black Africans, New African Pentecostalism * Chammah J. Kaunda (Ph.D.) is currently a Post-doctoral Research Fellow in the College of Humanities, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Kaunda’s professional interests cover a wide range of topics within the African Theology with a focus on the intersection of African Religious Traditions and Christianity, Politics, Theological Education, African Pentecostal Theology, African Ethics, Missiology and Ecumenical Theology. 111 Chammah Kaunda Introduction The ideological machines of today are religious, and they assume in many cases the functions of the guardian of the public (moral) order, the platform of political conscience and the refuse of a bruised and disarticulated sociability.
    [Show full text]