It appears like response to supernatural power worldview within the Pentecostal phenomenon in the... more It appears like response to supernatural power worldview within the Pentecostal phenomenon in the Church in Nigeria is posing a serious challenge to the mainline denominations—the missionary churches. Asamoah-Gyadu observed that the experiential and versatile nature of Pentecostalism has allowed African Christians to take their spiritual destiny into their own hands by deploying within local contexts a religion with a global outlook1. It appears like Pentecostalism has gotten hold of the worldview of the African. If Asamoah-Gyadu's comment is on the affirmative, we could say that the orthodox missionary Churches need to have good understanding of the cursors of Pentecostal activities within the African Church in order to know the strength, weakness and opportunities therein. Also, understanding of the central question this movement is attempting to answer is significant as well. It is against this background, this paper seeks to do an introductory theological analysis of Pentecostal activities and their implications on Nigerian mainline Churches. The method adopted is a theological method of engagement with the theological framework of the Sovereignty of God—interpretive method with a theological framework. The reason for choosing this method is rooted in the assumption that the Pentecostal phenomenon is a way of responding to the question of the ontology of evil, evil spirits, supernatural power, and the quest for what Randee Ijatuyi-Morphe call " the pursuit of life and wholeness " 2 in Africa. Thus this quest for life and its wholeness defines the meaning and purpose of life in the activities of Pentecostalism herein researched. This paper is limited to some of the leading activities of indigenous Pentecostals and charismatic evangelical movements. The scope of the paper is also limited to some activities that describe the means of communicating with the supernatural, act of possessing and controlling power, and concept of development and empowerment in Pentecostal theology. This is achieved by defining some key terms, a brief historical background and contemporary context, exploring the nature and characteristics, issues of implications and a discourse on the sovereignty and Lordship of God, and recommendations and conclusion.
With the active involvement of women in the church and home, there is a need to study God’s desig... more With the active involvement of women in the church and home, there is a need to study God’s design for the relationship between men and women. In reaffirming the divine order of this relationship, discussing the biblical gendered roles has been one of the major contending issues. So emerging ecclesiologies in Africa are beginning to challenge the traditional understanding of male headship in the church. Therefore, the article argues that the ontology of men and women’s relationship provides a better framework for understanding the nature of authority and submission in the church. This article states fairly the biblical foundation for the ontology of male and female relationship in the church from both the complementarian and egalitarian views. Also, this article presents the male and female relationship in contemporary African ecclesiology. Furthermore, the article contends that the application of the biblical foundation for the relationship between men and women provides a strong f...
It appears like response to supernatural power worldview within the Pentecostal phenomenon in the... more It appears like response to supernatural power worldview within the Pentecostal phenomenon in the Church in Nigeria is posing a serious challenge to the mainline denominations—the missionary churches. Asamoah-Gyadu observed that the experiential and versatile nature of Pentecostalism has allowed African Christians to take their spiritual destiny into their own hands by deploying within local contexts a religion with a global outlook1. It appears like Pentecostalism has gotten hold of the worldview of the African. If Asamoah-Gyadu's comment is on the affirmative, we could say that the orthodox missionary Churches need to have good understanding of the cursors of Pentecostal activities within the African Church in order to know the strength, weakness and opportunities therein. Also, understanding of the central question this movement is attempting to answer is significant as well. It is against this background, this paper seeks to do an introductory theological analysis of Pentecostal activities and their implications on Nigerian mainline Churches. The method adopted is a theological method of engagement with the theological framework of the Sovereignty of God—interpretive method with a theological framework. The reason for choosing this method is rooted in the assumption that the Pentecostal phenomenon is a way of responding to the question of the ontology of evil, evil spirits, supernatural power, and the quest for what Randee Ijatuyi-Morphe call " the pursuit of life and wholeness " 2 in Africa. Thus this quest for life and its wholeness defines the meaning and purpose of life in the activities of Pentecostalism herein researched. This paper is limited to some of the leading activities of indigenous Pentecostals and charismatic evangelical movements. The scope of the paper is also limited to some activities that describe the means of communicating with the supernatural, act of possessing and controlling power, and concept of development and empowerment in Pentecostal theology. This is achieved by defining some key terms, a brief historical background and contemporary context, exploring the nature and characteristics, issues of implications and a discourse on the sovereignty and Lordship of God, and recommendations and conclusion.
With the active involvement of women in the church and home, there is a need to study God’s desig... more With the active involvement of women in the church and home, there is a need to study God’s design for the relationship between men and women. In reaffirming the divine order of this relationship, discussing the biblical gendered roles has been one of the major contending issues. So emerging ecclesiologies in Africa are beginning to challenge the traditional understanding of male headship in the church. Therefore, the article argues that the ontology of men and women’s relationship provides a better framework for understanding the nature of authority and submission in the church. This article states fairly the biblical foundation for the ontology of male and female relationship in the church from both the complementarian and egalitarian views. Also, this article presents the male and female relationship in contemporary African ecclesiology. Furthermore, the article contends that the application of the biblical foundation for the relationship between men and women provides a strong f...
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