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Pentecostalism: a Comparative Study of African and African American Churches in Springfield

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Pentecostalism: a Comparative Study of African and African American Churches in Springfield BearWorks MSU Graduate Theses Summer 2021 Pentecostalism: A Comparative Study of African and African American Churches in Springfield Emmanuel Kumah Missouri State University, [email protected] As with any intellectual project, the content and views expressed in this thesis may be considered objectionable by some readers. However, this student-scholar’s work has been judged to have academic value by the student’s thesis committee members trained in the discipline. The content and views expressed in this thesis are those of the student-scholar and are not endorsed by Missouri State University, its Graduate College, or its employees. Follow this and additional works at: https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses Part of the African American Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Ethnic Studies Commons Recommended Citation Kumah, Emmanuel, "Pentecostalism: A Comparative Study of African and African American Churches in Springfield" (2021). MSU Graduate Theses. 3646. https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/3646 This article or document was made available through BearWorks, the institutional repository of Missouri State University. The work contained in it may be protected by copyright and require permission of the copyright holder for reuse or redistribution. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PENTECOSTALISM: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF AFRICAN AND AFRICAN AMERICAN CHURCHES IN SPRINGFIELD A Master’s Thesis Presented to The Graduate College of Missouri State University TEMPLATE In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts, Religious Studies By Emmanuel Kumah July 2021 Copyright 2021 by Emmanuel Kumah ii PENTECOSTALISM: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF AFRICAN AND AFRICAN AMERICAN CHURCHES IN SPRINGFIELD Religious Studies Missouri State University, July 2021 Master of Arts Emmanuel Kumah ABSTRACT This thesis is a comparative ethnography of two forms of black Pentecostalism, an African American congregation and an African immigrant congregation. The goal of this project is to show the similarities and differences between these Pentecostal groups. By observing members and interviewing them about worship practices, glossolalic utterances, and gender, the project reveals that although these two groups historically have a common root, there are both real parallels and differences between them because they developed independently from each other. This fieldwork at the African American Deliverance Temple Ministries and the African immigrant Redeemed Christian Church of God revealed that women do not only constitute the majority but also occupy pastoral and many other sensitive leadership positions. The study found that women used their positions to resist male domination. Church mothers in both churches serve as advisors. However, the black church requires these church mothers to live sanctified lives, while in the African immigrant church, they are elevated to this position due to their age. A closer observation of their worship reveals that ecstatic worship in the African American church involves the use of flags, shouting, and moaning, while shouting and moaning are considered a distraction in the African immigrant church unless there is a call and response during preaching. The ethnography reveals that the understanding and effectiveness of glossolalia differs between these groups and among members of the same church. Ultimately, glossolalia characterizes African immigrant worship while the African American church does not pay attention to it. KEYWORDS: Pentecostalism, sanctification, tongues speaking, glossolalia, spirituality, women, ethnography, religious marketplace, Holy Spirit iii PENTECOSTALISM: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF AFRICAN AND AFRICAN AMERICAN CHURCHES IN SPRINGFIELD By Emmanuel Kumah A Master’s Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College Of Missouri State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts, Religious Studies July 2021 Approved: John Schmalzbauer, Ph.D., Thesis Committee Chair John Llewellyn, Ph.D., Committee Member Mark D. Given, Ph.D., Committee Member Julie Masterson, Ph.D., Dean of the Graduate College In the interest of academic freedom and the principle of free speech, approval of this thesis indicates the format is acceptable and meets the academic criteria for the discipline as determined by the faculty that constitute the thesis committee. The content and views expressed in this thesis are those of the student-scholar and are not endorsed by Missouri State University, its Graduate College, or its employees. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dr. Schmalzbauer, it has been a privilege studying and working with you. This thesis began with you as a conversation at a time when all hope was lost, and push had come to shove. Out of the conversation came a thesis on black and African immigrants; a topic that was entirely new to you. Nonetheless, you accepted the challenge and pushed me to do what I was interested in. You inspired me to chart the crossroads of religion, sociology and black history. I cannot thank you enough Dr. Llewellyn. You were not only an academic advisor and a professor I assisted but also a father. Many times, you contacted other professors on my behalf and even helped put together my committee. You always called me to your office in addition to our scheduled meetings to ask about the progress of this work. Your contribution is deeply appreciated, Dr. Given, you always listened to me. You were the first to accept the task of working with me. Through conversations with you and in your class came a chapter of this thesis. Further, I could not have done this without the support of my fellow 2018-2020 classmates: Kayla Jenkins, Lindsey Argo, Cameron Enochs, Victoria Armstrong, Jonathan Bowman, Anna Redmond, Andrew Hickman, Tyler Cochran, and Kendall Mayo. My profound gratitude goes to Mom and Uncle, David and Gifty Ulzen. The sacrifices you made afforded me the opportunity to further my education. You generously sowed into my life and I can never forget such love. Often I found myself reflecting on our shared joy during the long nights of calls while writing this thesis. To my friends, Lynette and Kofi: Lynette, in every season of this journey, you were always there to challenge me to push harder, pray, and dream bigger; Kofi, you laid aside your academic readings to intermittently help me in putting ideas together. Your editing skills came in handy as well. Without your help, this thesis would have been replete with grammatical errors. My heart is filled with much joy and I am eternally grateful to you all. May God bless you. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter One, Introduction 01 Chapter Two, Pentecostalism and the Religious Marketplace 14 The Marketplace Theory of Religion 16 Application of the Marketplace Theory of Religion 22 The Influence of Race and Ethnicity on the Religious Marketplace 25 Chapter Three, Methodology 33 Reasons for Ethnography 36 My Relationship with DTM and RCCG 39 The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) 41 Rev. Dr. Enoch Adeboye and the Global Spread of the RCCG 48 Redeemed Christian Church of God, Springfield 51 Deliverance Temple Ministries (DTM) 55 COGIC Exit and the Birth of Deliverance Temple Ministries 57 Deliverance Temple Organizational Structure 64 Purpose of the Study 66 Chapter Four, Take Women Out and the Church is Empty 71 The Church: A Niche for Black and African Women’s Resistance to Patriarchy 75 The Women’s Department and Male Voices 81 Church Mothers, the Physical and Spiritual Backbone of the Church 84 Chapter Five, Connecting the Past to the Present 91 Holy Spirit Baptism and Interpretation of Tongues 95 Shouting, Moaning, and Clapping 101 Pentecostal’s Identity: Shouting, or Tongues- Speaking? 103 Worship 107 Chapter Six, Conclusion 117 References 125 Appendices 137 Appendix A. Human Subjects IRB Approval 137 Appendix B. Questionnaire 138 Appendix C: Deliverance Temple Manual 141 vi CHAPTER ONE, INTRODUCTION The Pentecostal plant of Ghana, the author insists, is not an imported tree, but a homegrown body. The blossoming Ghanaian Pentecostal tree is fed by the soil, water, and air of indigenous African beliefs and their encounter with modernity, colonialism, Western Christianity and civilization, and globalization. — K. Asamoah-Gyadu1 Profuse research on the history of Pentecostalism traces the origins of the movement from North America to its spread in the Global South and Asia. The common assumption that Pentecostalism originated in the United States focuses on the role of language in cultural diffusion. As sociologist Peter Berger notes, “people do not use language innocently” without the “cultural freight of cognitive, normative, and even emotional connotations.”2 David Martin concludes that “to attend a Pentecostal or evangelical church in Latin America or virtually anywhere else is to encounter an enhanced understanding of English and increased contact with the Anglo-American world.”3 Some scholars trace the origins of Pentecostalism to the experience of Pentecost in the Upper Room as recorded in the Bible (Acts 2:1-4), while David Martin also describes Pentecostalism as an extension of American Methodism and Evangelical Awakenings (revivals), 1 Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, Contemporary Pentecostal Christianity: Interpretations from an African Context (Oxford, UK: Regnum Books International, 2013), xvii. 2 Peter L. Berger, a sociologist and Protestant theologian, argues that the “Hellenistic phase of Anglo-American civilization” does not mean imperialism
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