View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of Birmingham Research Archive, E-theses Repository AFRICAN PNEUMATOLOGY IN THE BRITISH CONTEXT: A CONTEMPORARY STUDY By CHIGOR CHIKE A thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Philosophy, Theology and religion College of Arts and Law The University of Birmingham November 2011 1 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT The large numbers of Africans that have come to live in Britain in the last few decades have necessitated a better understanding of African Christianity. Focusing on Pneumatology, this study sets out to achieve such understanding by first undertaking a research of a church in London with a congregation made up of mostly Africans. This fieldwork yielded twelve concrete statements or “pattern-theories” on what the church members believe about the Holy Spirit. At that point, a review of existing literature was used to understand these “pattern-theories” more deeply. A second fieldwork was then carried out whereby two of these twelve “pattern-theories” were tested on a larger number of Africans drawn from four different Christian denominations. The second phase enabled the study to achieve a wider understanding based on a more diverse population of Africans. Through the analysis of the findings from both phases of the fieldwork, the study advances five factors which determine African Pneumatology. These are their day to day experience of life, the Bible, their African worldview, the African traditional concept of God and the worldwide Pentecostal movement. The study also suggests that the Doctrine of the Trinity is a key factor determining African Pneumatology. 2 Dedication To Chinyere 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am indebted in this work to many people who have supported me all the way through. I would like to thank my Supervisor, Dr Mark Cartledge, for his guidance and support from the outset. I thank peers and staff of the University of Birmingham for the opportunity and support they have given me. I greatly appreciate the work done by Jane Freeman and Agata Jezak who patiently proofread the completed dissertation and suggested many corrections. I want to thank my colleague and friend, Revd Dave Wade for his emotional support during my curacy at St Luke’s Church, the period most of the work was carried out. I am also much grateful to the Church of England for their financial support during my studies at the University. I am greatly indebted to my wife, Obi, and my children for the patience and understanding they had for me whilst conducting this study. Finally, I want to thank the Almighty God for making it all possible. 4 CONTENT Chapter 1 Introduction. 1 1.1 Background . 1 1.2 The Aim of the Study . 3 1.3 Terminology . 3 1.4 The Significance of the Study. 6 1.5 Key Sources . 8 1.6 Structure . 8 Chapter 2 Methodology . 10 2.1 Introduction . 10 2.2 Philosophical Considerations. 10 2.3 The Research Process . 26 2.4 Interpretation of Findings . 36 2.5 Research Ethics . 43 2.6 Conclusion . 48 Chapter 3 Inductive Empirical Study: A Congregation . 50 3.1 Introduction . 50 3.2 A description of Mount Zion and its context . 50 3.3 The Identified Patterns . 61 3.4 Conclusion . 98 Chapter 4 Literature Review . 101 4.1 Introduction. 101 4.2 Rationale . 102 5 4.3 The Deity of the Holy Spirit . 104 4.4 The Personhood of the Holy Spirit . 113 4.5 The Holy Spirit and Worldview . 123 4.6 Empowerment by the Holy Spirit . 140 4.7 The Holy Spirit and the Bible . 156 4.8 Conclusion . 166 Chapter 5 Deductive Empirical Study: Interviews . 169 5.1 Introduction . 169 5.2 Pattern Theories . 170 5.3 East London Methodist church . 172 5.4 St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church . 183 5.5 St John’s Church of England Church . 196 5.6 Amazing Grace Pentecostal Church . 208 5.7 Conclusion . 222 Chapter 6 The Anatomy of African Pneumatology . 227 6.1 Introduction . 227 6.2 The Spirit within the Trinity – A Historical Overview 228 6.3 Factors affecting Participants’ Pneumatology . 233 6.4 The Trinity as Dogma . 257 6.5 Conclusion . 262 6 Chapter 7 Conclusion . 266 7.1 Summary . 266 7.2 Methodology . 271 7.3 Recommendation for Practice . 272 7.4 Areas for Future Research . 273 Appendix 1: Consent Form . 274 Appendix 2: Interview Protocol . 275 Appendix 3: Participants’ pseudonyms and personal characteristics . 277 Bibliography . 279 7 ABBREVIATIONS AIC African Initiated Church ESRC Economic and Social Research Council FGBMFI Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International KICC Kingsway International Christian Centre KJV King James Version RCCG Redeemed Christian Church of God UCC&S United Church of the Cherubim and Seraphim WCC World Council of Churches 8 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background I came to live in the United Kingdom from Nigeria in 1992 not aware that my move was part of a very wide trend. A study has shown that the number of people who came to settle in Britain in the 1990s was unprecedented (Somerville and Cooper 2010: 124). The factors behind this trend have been the growth of international students, the rise in asylum applications, the increase in family reunification and economic migration (Somerville and Cooper 2010: 124). Even though a significant number of those immigrants were white people, a high percentage came from Asia or Africa. Hence, Somerville and Cooper (2010: 124) in their study of immigration trends in the United Kingdom note that “since 1990, sustained immigration flows have diversified the ethnic, linguistic, and religious composition of the British population.” One result of this trend has been the large number of African Christians in Britain. Africans in the African continent have often been described as a very religious people (Kalu 2002: 122). It would appear that they have brought this religiosity with them to the UK and perhaps passed it on to their children (Adogame 2004: 505). Many British cities can boast of a large church either founded by an African or having a congregation that has Africans in the majority. In London, there are well known churches like Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC) founded by the Nigerian Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo, which is now believed to be the largest single congregation in Western Europe (Burgess 2008: 32). Others include, Glory House, led by two Nigerians, the 1 Odulele brothers, Trinity Baptist Church led by Francis Sarpong, a Ghanaian, El-Shaddai Ministries led by the Zambian, Dr. Ramson Mumba, New Covenant Church led by Paul Jinadu, Bethany Fellowship International led by John Blackson, Lighthouse Chapel International led by Bishop Dag Heward-Mills and Christ Faith Tabernacle led by Apostle Alfred Williams (Olofinjana 2010:38-41). Perhaps even more significant are the hundreds of small congregations spread across the country meeting in community centres, school halls or church buildings belonging to other denominations. These are often set up and led by men and women who have a day job, but work as pastors in the evenings and at weekends. In addition to churches set up in this country, many well established churches in Africa have branched out in a major way into Europe, including here in Britain. These include the Victory Bible International Church, the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), the Praise Valley Temple, the Mountain of Fire, the Gospel Faith Mission International, the Deeper Life Christian Ministry, the International Central Gospel Church, the House on the Rock and the Church of Pentecost (Olofinjana 2010:38-41). These churches have successfully set up several congregations around the country and are continuing to grow. This trend is reflected in the growth of the African membership of the traditional denominations. In East London, where I carried out the fieldwork of this research, I noticed that many congregations of Church of England, Roman Catholic and Methodist churches have a sizeable African proportion and a good number of these churches have Africans in the majority. There has also been an increase in the number of Africans in the leadership or exercising a recognised ministry in those congregations. The most high profile of these is the current Archbishop of York, Dr. John Sentamu, who is originally 2 from Uganda. These high profile positions, in addition to the numerous priests and ministers of African origin, are making Africans a more significant force in those denominations here in Britain. This reality makes it important to understand the nature of African Christianity. 1.2 The Aim of the Study The present study aims to understand the nature of the belief held by African Christians, focussing on what they believe about the Holy Spirit. “Pneumatology”, which is used in the title of this study, technically refers to the study of spirits or the Spirit – (“Pneuma” means “spirit” and “logos” means “word” or “study”). However, it is common practice in Christian theology to use the term “Pneumatology” to refer to the doctrine or study of the Holy Spirit and this is the way I use the term in this study. The doctrine of the Holy Spirit is an important subject in the context of African Christianity because churches founded by Africans often put emphasis on the person and work of the Holy Spirit (Anderson 2004: 103; Asamoah-Gyadu 2007: 341).