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.
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