Abstract
Onongha discusses the evolution of Nigerian Pentecostalism within the few decades of its existence into a powerful political force, nationally and on the continent. He explores the reasons for the success and vitality of this phenomenon, tracing its historical roots to indigenous churches and its appeal to a keen comprehension of local worldviews and aspirations. Its unabashed quest for power, both spiritual and political, is evident in its theology and methodology. This has led to Nigerian Pentecostalism attaining a king-making role, possessing tremendous grassroots people power. Onongha concludes by highlighting the potentials of this movement for transforming national ethos and fortunes, and provides cautions for Pentecostal leaders as they become inexorably immersed in the murky waters of Nigerian politics.
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Notes
- 1.
Ogbu Kalu, African Pentecostalism: An Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008), 222.
- 2.
Asonzeh Ukah, “African Christianities: Features, Promises and Problems,” Institut fur Ethnologie und Afrikastudien, Johannes Gutenberg Universitat, Mainz, Germany, 2007, 7.
- 3.
See also Kelvin O. Onongha, Pentecostalism in Nigeria: Phenomenon, Prospects and Problems to Mainline Churches (Ilishan Remo, Nigeria: Babcock Consulting, 2011), 67–84.
- 4.
David O. Oyedepo, The Healing Balm (Lagos, Nigeria: Dominion Publishing House, 1996), 40–41.
- 5.
Bolaji E. Idowu, African Traditional Religion (London: SCM Press, 1973), 139.
- 6.
Kalu, African Pentecostalism, 197.
- 7.
Paul Gifford, “Evil, Witchcraft, and Deliverance in the African Pentecostal Worldview,” in Pentecostal Theology of Africa, ed. Clifton R. Clarke (Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2014), 129. [112–131].
- 8.
Ibid., 123.
- 9.
Wilhelmina Kalu, Nimi Wariboko, and Toyin Falola, Christian Missions in Africa Vol 2: Success, Ferment, and Trauma: The Collected Essays of Ogbu Uke Kalu (Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 2010), 378.
- 10.
Richard Burgess, Nigeria’s Christian Revolution: The Civil War Revival and its Pentecostal Progeny: 1967–2006 (Oxford: Regnum Books, 2008), 286.
- 11.
Kalu, African Pentecostalism, 213.
- 12.
Pew Research Center, “Historical Overview of Pentecostalism n Nigeria,” October 5, 2006, http://www.pewforum.org/2006/10/05/historical-overview-of-pentecostalism-in-nigeria/ (accessed October 24, 2016).
- 13.
Kalu, African Pentecostalism, 212.
- 14.
Gina Lende, “The Rise of Pentecostal Power: Exploring the Politics of Pentecostal Growth in Nigeria and Guatemala,” PhD dissertation, Norwegian School of Theology, 2014, 139–140.
- 15.
Ruth Marshall, Political Spiritualities: The Pentecostal Revolution in Nigeria (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2009), 202.
- 16.
Lende, “Rise of Pentecostal Power,” 115.
- 17.
Onongha, Pentecostalism in Nigeria, 31.
- 18.
Olufunke Adeboye, “Pentecostal Challenges in Africa and Latin America: A Comparative Focus on Nigeria and Brazil,” Afrika Zamani 11/12: 2003–2004; 150 [136–159].
- 19.
“Pentecostalism in Africa: Of Prophets and Profits,” The Economist October 4, 2014, 15–16.
- 20.
Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, “African Pentecostal/Charismatic Christianity: An Overview,” Lausanne World Pulse Archives 08: 2006, http://www.ausanneworldpulse.com/themedarticles-php/464/08-2006 (accessed August 23, 2016).
- 21.
Richard Burgess, “Pentecostals and Political Culture in Sub Saharan Africa: Nigeria, Zambia, and Kenya as Case Studies,” in Global Pentecostal Movements: Migration, Mission and Public Religion ed. Michael Wilkinson (Leiden, Netherlands: BRILL, 2012), 23.
- 22.
Birgit Meyer, “Christianity in Africa: From African Independent to Pentecostal-Charismatic Churches,” Annual Review of Anthropology 33: 2004, 460.
- 23.
Lende, “Rise of Pentecostalism,” 144.
- 24.
John F. Macauley, “Africa’s New Big Man Rule? Pentecostalism and Patronage in Ghana,” African Affairs, 112: 446; 2012, 1.
- 25.
Ruth Marshall, “‘God is not a Democrat:’ Pentecostalism and Democratisation in Nigeria.” In The Christian Churches and the Democratisation of Africa ed. Paul Gifford (Leiden, Netherlands: E. J. Brill, 1995), 257.
- 26.
See Lende, “Rise of Pentecostalism,” 104.
- 27.
Meyer, “Christianity in Africa,” 466.
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Onongha, K. (2018). Pentecostalism, Power, and Politics in Nigeria. In: Afolayan, A., Yacob-Haliso, O., Falola, T. (eds) Pentecostalism and Politics in Africa. African Histories and Modernities. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74911-2_18
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