Elements of African Traditional Religion in Christ Apostolic Church, Southwestern Nigeria
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ELEMENTS OF AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION IN CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH, SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA BY B.A. Hons. (Ìbàdàn), M.A. (Ìbàdàn) A Thesis in the Department of Religious Studies, Submitted to the Faculty of Arts in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ÌBÀDÀN UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY MAY, 2012. CERTIFICATION my direct supervision in the Department of Religious Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Ìbàdàn, in partial fulfilment for the award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Religious Studies. ………………………………… SUPERVISOR M.A. (Ìbàdàn), Ph.D. (Ìbàdàn). UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY ii DEDICATION I dedicate this work to God Almighty for His mercies and grace throughout the study. UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to God for the opportunity He gave me to carry out this research. I am particularly appreciative of His material providence and protection during my tour of the different places to get facts for the work. work. His deep concern for my progress helped me all the way. He also gave me a lot of freedom and flexibility, which advanced my thoughts and findings. I am greatly indebted to you. In addition, I appreciate the motherly role pla painstakingly guided my thoughts especially in relation to writing my abstract. I commend his sense of perfection. Furthermore, I appreciate the Department of Religious Studies for making some resources at its disposal necessary for this research available, such as the library and staff members who were consulted in the course of this research. I am also thankful to Dr. Pic Charles Onwochei of the Department of Religious Studies, University of Jos, for his concern and encouragement during the study. Furthermore, I appreciate the time sacrificed by Prof. H.D. Dan Fulani and Prof. Musa Gaiya to read through this work. - love on me. I wish th -laws, Fo financial supports. UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY her love for me, keen interest about this work and its completion. You are valuable resources in our home. Thank You iv UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No Title Page i Certification ii Dedication iii Acknowledgements iv Table of Contents v Abstract vi CHAPTER ONE: GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the Study 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem 3 1.3 Purpose of the Study 5 1.4 Scope of the Study 5 1.5 Significance of the Study 7 1.6 Research Methodology 8 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 Introduction 9 2.1 History, Beliefs and Doctrinal Emphasis of African Indigenous Churches 9 2.2 Christ Apostolic Church 24 2.3 Conclusion 26 CHAPTER THREE: CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH, SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA 3.0 Introduction 27 3.1 Precious Stone Society and its affiliation with the Faith Tabernacle of U.S.A. 27 3.2UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY 9 Great Revival 33 3.3 The 1930 Great Indigenous Pentecostal Revival 38 3.3.1 Causes of the Great Indigenous Pentecostal Revival of 1930 38 vi 3.3.2 - 41 3.3.3 The - 48 3.3.4 50 3.3.5 Efon- 51 6 Revival 52 3.4 The Significance of the 1930 Great Revival in Southwestern Nigeria 52 3.5 Events leading to the Emergence of Christ Apostolic Church 56 3.5.1 Problems arising from the Great Indigenous Pentecostal Revival of 1930 56 3.5.2 De-affiliation of Precious Stone Society from the Faith Tabernacle U.S.A. and Affiliation with the Apostolic Church, Great Britain 60 3.5.3 Emergence of Christ Apostolic Church 70 3.6 Growth and Development of Christ Apostolic Church 71 3.6.1 Christ Apostolic Church from 1943 to 1970 71 3.6.2 Christ Apostolic Church from 1970 to 2005 76 3.7 Organisation and Administration of Christ Apostolic Church 77 3.8 Doctrinal Emphasis of Christ Apostolic Church as reflected in the Thirteen Tenets 79 3.9 Conclusion 83 CHAPTER FOUR: AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGIOUS ELEMENTS IN CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH, SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA 4.0 Introduction 84 4.1 84 4.2 Spiritualization of the Head 94 4.3UNIVERSITY Spiritualization of Pregnancy OF Conception IBADAN LIBRARY104 4.4 Spiritualization of Photograph and Object 109 4.5 Spiritualization of the Earth 113 4.6 Conclusion 119 vii CHAPTER FIVE: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGIOUS ELEMENTS IN CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH, SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA 5.0 Introduction 120 5.1 Problems associated with the use of African Traditional Religious Elements in Christ Apostolic Church, Southwestern Nigeria 120 5.2 Prospects of African Traditional Religious Elements in Christ Apostolic Church, Southwestern Nigeria 125 5.3 Conclusion 138 CHAPTER SIX: SUMMARY AND GENERAL CONCLUSION 6.0 Introduction 139 6.1 Summary of Study 139 6.2 Recommendations 140 6.3 General Conclusion 142 References 144 Appendices 157 UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY viii ABSTRACT The Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) has a reputation for high spiritualism, but it also has a subtle link with African traditional religion (ATR). Studies on the church have ‟ ‟ x the ATR elements appropriated in CAC in terms of the objects used, the procedures involved in their use and the functions associated with them. x - interviews were conducted with purposively sampled 60 pastors (10 from each city) and 120 laity (20 from each city). A total of 360 copies of a questionnaire were administered to the same number of respondents. A ten- week participant observation monitoring was also conducted. Data were subjected to content analysis and simple descriptive analysis. Four ATR elements were adopted in CAC: spiritualisation of the head, pregnancy conception, photographs/objects and the earth. Across all these elements, water, olive oil and Psalms/songs were utilised, albeit differently. For the head, spiritual washing with water and consecration with olive oil occurred. For conception, consecrated water was drunk and rubbed on the tummy. Water was sprinkled on photographs, handkerchiefs, mantles, land and all forms of property. Barren women, carrying dummy/symbolic babies, sprinkled water or olive oil on their tummies while chanting psalms or songs spiritedly. Pregnant women prayed naked in the mid-night, chanting psalms and songs. Five types of chanting were identified: psalms/songs associated with warfare, imprecations, power, spiritual beings and supremacy of God. The ATR belief in the spiritualisation for destiny fulfilment was slightly modified in the CAC context where the head was believed to be spiritually empowered to accept its fortunes and reverse negative situations. In ATR and CAC, using spiritually treated water and chanting was believed to be capable of bringing about conception. While the spiritualisation of photographs/objects in ATR was done to manipulate situations positively or negatively, it was done in CAC for positive effects. The spiritualisation of the earth in ATR was to manage metaphysical forces, but it was used in CAC to spiritually influence blessings and protection. About seventy percent of the respondents believed that the head could harbour evil or good, and therefore needs to be spiritually treated while 88% believed that sanctified water and oil could cure ill-luck. About eighty percent believed that barrenness transcends medical reasons, and should be spiritually handled, 78.8% believed that praying on photographs/objects had positive effects, and 69.2% believed that evil and good forces are resident in the earth, and could be positively or negatively engaged. TheUNIVERSITY appropriation of some natural OF and synthetic IBADAN elements used LIBRARY in ATR in CAC shows a link between the church and the religion. Thus, the concepts of spiritual manipulation and protection enhancement are evident in the procedures of both ATR and CAC. Keywords: Christ Apostolic Church, African Traditional Religion, spiritualisation. Word count: 474 ix CHAPTER ONE GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the Study Though Christianity came to Southwestern Nigeria through the various missiona with the basis for life and sustenance both physically and spiritually. Despite the fact that African Traditional Religion is not a proselytizing religion1 like Christianity and Islam, it has its adherents who are fully committed to its tenets. When Christianity came, it wielded a lot of influence on the people that conversion into it was enormous. However, the mission Christianity that was popular then appeared incomplete in satisfying the myriad physical and spiritual desires of the people. No wonder Ogbu U. Kalu describes it as not wielding enough spirituality as would satisfy the desires of the people. He portrays it as a faith that begins and terminates in the church building where hymns are sung, lessons are read and portions are recited from the scriptures, prayers are offered while lessons and sermons are administered. He feels that the Christianity that the foreign missionaries brought was not effectively taking care of every moment and every area of the lives of Nigerian Christians under all circumstances.2 We infer that with this, the deep emotions of the Nigerian Christians were too overwhelming for the formal liturgies introduced by the missionaries. The effects on them were that they were emotionally malnourished and spiritually thirsty because they were for x UNIVERSITY -British OF and British IBADAN era, Christian missionariesLIBRARY in Nigeria did not have available resources to bring about a balance with vital resources of life in terms 1 G. I. Onah, The meaning of peace in African traditional religion. Retrieved on April10, 2011 from http://www.afrikaworld.net/afrel/chinwenwoye.htm 2 O. U. Kalu, 1986. African Church historiography: An ecumenical perspective. Paper presented at a workshop on African Church History on August 3, 1986 in Kenya. 20. 1 of accomplishments, health, and total or holistic well-being as traditional religion and Islam had.3 Ogbu U. Kalu also opines that Mission Christianity did not emphasize enough spirituality in a spiritually active culture and worldview, such as Nigeria.4 With the emergence of the African Indigenous churches in the early Twentieth Century, a new twist emerged whereby the churches practiced Christianity based on the recognition of the values of the indigenous societies that accommodated them.