On Challenges towards Societal Transformation in Nigeria (original) (raw)
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Religion and the Making of Nigeria
2016
Selee, and Mike Van Dusen. I am grateful to these special friends for their kindness and generosity over the years. Seun Ajayi is a blessing and a joy-thank you, Seun, for your kind hospitality during my second residency at the Wilson Center. The research for this book proj ect required extensive archival work, and I would like to thank the archivists and librarians who provided assistance during the early stages of my research. I am particularly grateful to the archivists and librarians of the Wilson Center Library; the Library of Congress; Rhodes House Library, Oxford; Center for Mission Studies, Oxford; and the University of Ibadan Library. I would also like to thank my colleagues at Bowdoin College's Africana Studies Program and History Department for their collegiality and friendship. Bowdoin College's Committee for Faculty Development provided supplementary funding to support a critical sabbatical leave in 2012-2013. I am grateful to the college for this generous support. Jacob Olupona, the editor of the series in which this book is published, along with his colleagues, Dianne Stewart and Terrence Johnson, believed that this work can make an impor tant contribution to Africanist scholarship and at the same time encourage a serious dialogue on religious reconciliation in a post-9/11 world. I am indebted to them for their steadfast support for this work. The remarkable professional expertise of Miriam Angress, associate editor at Duke University Press, is second to none. Miriam diligently marshaled the manuscript through vari ous stages in the publication pro cess with exceptional professionalism. I am grateful to Miriam for her kindness and support. I should also thank two anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and critiques of the manuscript. Acknowl edgments xi Many relatives and friends in Nigeria, the United States, and the United Kingdom opened the doors of their homes to me while I was conducting field and archival research for this book. My expression of thanks does not adequately capture the extent of my gratitude to these special people. I am particularly grateful to Segun and
2015
Election tension and economic corruption in Nigeria are almost becoming a socio-economic and political epidemic influenza in the sense that Nigeria’s politico-economy is rapidly being affected due to moral decadence in the society. The withdrawal of Christians from politics is rather posing more problem than solution. Therefore, using the exposition approach, this paper sought to challenge and sensitize the church pastor (priest) in Nigeria to play the role of national transformation especially in relation to Christian ethics and electioneering process. The paper argued based on the premise that the pastor’s role in the promotion of moral values, ethical reorientation, epitomization of righteousness in the Society and civic education will act as an antidote to moral decadence, political demagogue and economic sabotage in Nigeria. This work was concluded on the presupposition that the role of the Nigerian Church pastor in national transformation is very key to the development of Nige...
The Transformation of Aladura Christianity in Nigeria
2015
This is an inquiry into the transformation of Aladura Christianity, particularly the C&S, TCLA, and CCC in Nigeria. Aladura Christianity emerged in the southwest of Nigeria in 1918 when a few members of an Anglican church in Ijebu Ode formed a prayer group as a response to the influenza epidemic, which defied orthodox and traditional medicines. The group metamorphosed into Precious Stone Society (PSS). There are four major strands of Aladura churches, namely the Cherubim and Seraphim (C&S), the Church of the Lord Aladura (TCLA), Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), and Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) and countless number of minor ones. Between 1920s and 1960s, Aladura Christianity became the most prominent independent Christian formation on the religious landscape in Nigeria. This drew the attention of scholars like Edward Geoffrey Parrinder, Harold Turner, John Peel, and Robert Mitchell who did their study between the 1950s and late 1960s, and whose respective study formed the foundation of study on Aladura Christianity in Nigeria. The emergence of the new Pentecostal churches in the 1970s marked yet another phase in the history of Christianity in Nigeria's religious market. But the Pentecostal dominance of the media and social landscape in Nigeria drew the attention of scholars of religion at the neglect of the Aladura, and impressed that Aladura Christianity has waned, as if they are almost wiped out xxv worship and programmes in chapter four of this study. The procession and recession during elaborate worship, the recitation of psalms and other biblical passages during worship, sermon, and offering are modeled after the mainline churches. The Aladura started as a prayer group and blessed water for use according to divine instruction. Today, they incorporate various liquids and solid objects in their spiritual solutions to life crisis situations of members and visitors. These, to some extent, support the conclusion of this study on the churches' synthesized beliefs and practices that provided their unique identity among Christian groups. Migration and globalization combined to influence the self transformation of the churches. Chapter eight of the study revealed that members of the churches in the diaspora and those that have immigrated back to Nigeria and who have acquired cultural capital in the diaspora share their experiences in church administration and evangelism at their local churches and international general conference meetings for better ways of doing things in their churches. In chapter six there is a great deal of mediatized evangelism and information dissemination. Megaphone is used during street-walk evangelism, and that television, radio, print media, cyberspace, and modern telecommunication system are widely in use among the churches. The churches use media technologies to reposition themselves in the competitive religious market. These are evidenced in chapters four and six of the study. In chapters four, six and seven, this study revealed that the dynamic changes in the larger society influence the purchase and use of modern musical instruments, modern lectern, crucifix, candle stand, modern architecture, interior and exterior decoration of prayer house with high technology materials, and the use of media technologies for evangelism, information generation and dissemination.
Contemporary Language of Giving in the Nigerian Church
Critical Perspective on Language, Literature and Cultural Discourse , 2020
For academics, publications form a core part of their profession. Their level of intellectual productivity is marked by the quality and quantity of publications. A call for papers is therefore a call to duty and an opportunity to share or test one's ideas or even showcase, as it were, one's discoveries, inventions, philosophy or, simply put, knowledge. Given the rigour expected of any serious intellectual input and output, it is always a thing of great joy to see one's paper published in a reputable journal or a book whose editors have attained credibility and relevance. Editors also have a sense of fulfillment when contributing authors have so much confidence in them as to decide to use their (editors') platforms for conveying and purveying their own ideas or findings to a larger audience. Our joy, therefore, as editors knew no bound when we successfully edited Perspectives on Conducting and Reporting Research in the Humanities. The success was enormous, so much so that within a very short time all the copies of the bookover a thousandwere exhausted. Lecturers and students alike literally rushed to have their copies as they spoke about the book in very glowing terms. Many sought in vain for more copies. Encouraged by this outstanding success and patronage, wethe editorsthought of producing a second book. This time, it would be one that deals directly with issues of language, literature, culture and discoursal acts. Contributing authors must be seasoned academics who can marry theoretical formulations and postulations with practical exemplifications in a beautifully convincing manner. They should also have clearly defined central arguments with evidence of engagement with the larger body of literature in the chosen fields. The result of our vision and aspiration is what is contained in the book you are reading. Articles poured in their numbers, but we were very selective as we insisted in abiding by the criteria spelt out above. The authors reside in Nigeria, Ghana, the Republic of Benin, The Gambia and South Africa. The papers are as varied as the topics and the authors' backgrounds. They are rich in content, well-researched and should further stimulate debate and cross-fertilization of ideas. They range from-re-telling‖ old notions with refreshing reflections and insight to reorientation of issues in language and related matters. It has been a great pleasure working with Professors D. D. Kuupole and T. A. Alabi. I have co-edited five other books with colleagues in the academia. Prof. D. D. Kuupole has done much more. Prof. T. A. Alabi was a prime motivator in fulfilling our dream of seeing Perspectives on Conducting and Reporting Research in the Humanities in print. It has been great pleasure working with these scholars of great talent. I also thank all authors for their invaluable contributions.
A Critical Look At Contemporary Nigerian Christianity
2009
For over one hundred and sixty years of Christian flourish in Nigeria, it has recorded remarkable progress, especially in terms of evangelism, structural expansion, and numerical strength. However, recent trend in its manifest and latent practices show signs of contradistinction leading to significant reduction in practical living and sanctity of its teachings, and ways of its founder. From our phenomenological method and qualitative analysis, some of these shortcomings are specifically observed in recent astronomic proliferation of churches; materialism and commercial ministry; declining spiritual commitment; fraud and criminality; rivalry and confusion and, unhealthy Moslem-Christian relations. These are identified as teething challenges which Christendom in Nigeria must confront to reposition its flourish in this part of the world.
Culture and the Contemporary Religious Dynamics in Nigeria
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, 2017
The role of religion and culture in socioeconomic development cannot be underestimated. Coupled with socioeconomic advancement, the postcolonial and contemporary African society is characterised by unprecedented rise in the level of religious movements with diverse contradicting beliefs championed by so called spiritual and religious leaders. The overwhelming socioeconomic downturn in the society has meant that people have turned to religion for solutions to their problem but the church has not really lived up to expectation which writer like Soyinka portrayed in his text. Considering the above mentioned, this study textually analysed Wole Soyinka' s The Trials of Brother Jero from a postcolonial theoretical perspective with the aims of exploring religious dynamics vis-à-vis cultural /moral degradation as portrayed in the text. It further resonate the place of culture in the contemporary religious environment. Moral degradation is captured from the characters of brother Jero, the old prophet, Jeroboam and the drummer boy where lack of respect for elders, covetous exploitation by spiritual leaders, materialism, falsehood and deceit are exemplified in religious setting as depicted in the text. All these delinquencies are contrary to indigenous cultural and moral values of the