Included in this total are 1,253,041 classical pentecostals. The new pentecostal movement in nigeria and the politics. The history of nigeria before independence in order to understand the current nigerian politics and society, three dominant characteristics need to be taken into account. Until this day however, there is detailed authentic record of what actually happened in those wonderful months of 1930 through 1933. Academic dean, international theological seminary, accra, ghana introduction the earliest contact between ghana and christian missionaries was the late 15th century when roman catholic missionaries accompanied the earliest portuguese traders to the gold coast. Allan anderson, a former pentecostal minister and authority on global pentecostalism, aims to make more visible the nonwestern.
These churches come with different names and are founded by different persons. An introduction to pentecostalism globalcharismaticchristianity global pentecostalism and charismatic christianity in all its diversity is the fastest expanding religious movement in the world today. At first, the growth of pentecostalism was due to the efforts to break. The national temple which is located in olorundaketu, a suburb of ikorodu in lagos state, seats over 100,000 worshippers in a service. Do you know the difference between the modern day pentecostals and the conservatives. From the interviews conducted, there were indications little or no resemblance to the origin often referred to in acts that pentecostal churches in nigeria are a. The origins of pentecostalism and its global spread in the. The deeper life bible church is founded in 1975, and soon becomes one of nigerias largest neopentecostal churches, with an estimated. The global pentecostalism is interwoven with various forms of independent churches in nigeria. It is the forum wherein the collegiality of the nigeria catholic bishops, as successors of the apostles in union with the pope, is. Paying particular attention to four influential sourcespersonalities, cultural historical antecedents, growth, and discoursei will demonstrate the embeddedness of pentecostalism in the ethos of time and place that is nigeria in the last 125 years. When i was a college student in the late 1950s, one sunday evening several friends and i paid a visit to a pentecostal church in the area of franklin and eastern in grand rapids, michigan. A challenge to mainline churches article pdf available in mediterranean journal of social sciences 56. In order to understand the presence and impact of pentecostalism in nigeria, we examine briefly the religious arena in nigeria before the explosion of the contemporary pentecostal spirituality.
The portuguese brought christianity with them but were unable to successfully plant christianity because of their involvement in slave trade. Increased privileges for leaders, leadership visibility and leadership style have tended to encourage other aspirants to form similar organizations. In doing this we shall adopt the following outline. List of all pentecostal churches in nigeria, founders. This paper focuses on the pentecostal movement in nigeria, and how the different forms and shape it has assumed is making it difficult for practicing christians to actually preach the authentic message of the gospel of christ. This, it must be remembered, is our concern in this booklet in obedience to the command of the apostle, try the spirits, whether they are. We shall first define what we mean by pentecostalism, and trace its modern origin and its inroad into the roman catholic church, after which we shall examine why some catholics drift to pentecostal. The history of pentecostal and charismatic movements history.
Tensions have only intensified since the restoration of democracy in 1999, with the divide between christian south and muslim north playing a central role in the countrys electoral politics, as well as manifesting itself in the religious warfare waged by boko haram. A pastor of the westminster chapel in london pentecostalism in nigeria was occasioned by the feeling by referred to speaking in tongues as the last vomit of satan many that the mainline churches such as anglicans, hyatt, 2006. The fourth section overviews the various perspectives of the prosperity gospel and. Pentecostalism is similar to the charismatic groups, but it came about earlier and separated from the main church branches. Mass media and christian evangelisation in the digital age. Its only in newsprint that people get away with generalizations and hasty conclusion like this, do a proper research and write a better article or. There are no available statistics on the population of the pentecostals and. In recent times, there is really no challenge in knowing the detailed history of christianity in nigeria, same goes for pentecostalism. The paper discusses the main trends in history of church growth and development in nigeria. Recalling the holy spirits descent upon the first christians in jerusalem on the day of pentecost, or. Faith tabernacle congregation and the emergence of. The discussion will conclude with an exploration of the role that prophecy has recently played in the revitalization of the pentecostal movement.
It believes in a personal experience with god through the baptism of the holy spirit. Pdf the phenomenal growth of pentecostalism in the. Pentecostalism simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Geographical, historical and political profiles of nigeria. In congo brazzaville, ghana, and nigeria movements that could be classified as pentecostal had all taken on different african names. The history of pentecostal and charismatic movements. In the 1980s, pentecostals become active in the christian association of nigeria. The first attempts to bring christianity to the area where the modern country is today date back to the 1470s and 1620s. The pentecostal movement in nigeria, like elsewhere, is a distinctly christian. The main thrust of this paper is to attempt a projection into the future of prosperity gospel in nigeria with a view to suggesting what should be the most appropriate and reasonable course of actions toward the phenomenon in this 21st century. Pentecostalism in nigeria pentecostalism is a charismatic protestant christian movement that emphasizes a personal encounter with jesus christ as savior and healer, with the potential for converts to be born again as christians. Nigerian pentecostalism emerged in the 1970s as universityeducated, charismatic youth began creating their own spaces for worship. The catholic bishops conference of nigeria, cbcn, is the organ of unity, communion and solidarity for the millions of catholics spread across the thirtysix states of nigeria and the federal capital territory.
Pentecostalism linked the history of the african independent churches to the beginning of indigenous pentecostalism in nigeria. Historical overview of pentecostalism in nigeria pew research. Burgess introduction by the middle of year 2000, pentecostalism in india has grown to approximately 33. For christians, this event commemorates the descent of the holy spirit upon the followers of jesus christ, as described. Jones form the church of god in christ in lexington, mississippi. Foreign pentecostal denominations such as the welsh apostolic church 1931, the assemblies of god 1939 and the foursquare gospel. Twenty years ago, only a handful of bishops allowed that. Laymen and pastors and mostly schismatic groups from the existing.
Not content to remain in mainline churches, holiness followers formed new religious communities committed to seeking perfection in christ and experienced a renewed outpouring of the holy spirit much like the early church experienced in the book of acts. Historical overview of pentecostalism in nigeria pew. Pentecostal denominations include the assemblies of god and the church of god in. Pentecostalism has roots in the 19thcentury holiness movement, which promoted intense personal piety. Particular attention is paid to goings on in nigeria and ghana where the. Department religion and african culture, adekunle ajasin university, akungba akoko, ondo state, nigeria. Mission christianity though brought christianity to nigeria. However, their affiliations with slave trade made it difficult to plant the religion in the country as they were more interested in the lucrative slave business than being on the missionary field. Chapter three an overview of the historical development of the. It is a business enterprise plain and simple, the greatest beneficiary being the founder and his family.
A history of pentecostalism in britain religion and. Pentecostalism emerged through multiple pathways that were mediated through culture, history, religious nationalism, and the economic and political dynamics of. Sep 18, 2008 do you know at all what pentecostalism means, do you know how many brand of pentecostals we have in nigeria. Exploring the charism of the prophecy the term prophecy has several meanings in contemporary pentecostal usage. In april 2006, pentecostal evangelist uma ukpai expresses dismay over the absence of credible opposition to obasanjos bid for a third term. Pentecostalism and the challenges facing muslimchristian. The analysis explores the complex and contradictory place of pentecostalism in the owerri crisis, looking at the problematic relationship of pentecostalism to structures of inequality rooted in patronclientism and focusing on the ways in which disparities in wealth and power in nigeria are interpreted and negotiated through idioms of the. Pentecostalism is a holistic faith, and the belief that jesus is healer is one quarter of the full gospel. Pdf nigerias pentecostal churches and the tribunal of. History of the pentecostal movement christian assemblies. On the other hand, the history of christianity in nigeria dates back to the 15th century when the portuguese brought the religion along with them. A branch of the redeemed christian church of god in edgbaston, central england. A challenge to mainline churches article pdf available in mediterranean journal of social sciences 56 april. Mission christianity though brought christianity to nigeria could not present a befitting christianity that match the worldview of the people.
Coming so far, it is obvious that pentecostalism in nigeria is nothing short of modernday fraud. Isichei, a history of christianity in africa from antiquity to the present, 45. First, the spread of islam began a millennium ago, predominantly in the north but later on extended to southwestern nigeria. Nigeria, south africa, india, and the philippines believe that god will grant material prosperity to all.
Pentecostalism is a faith within evangelical christianity. The new pentecostal movement in nigeria and the politics of. Over the course of its history in nigeria, the work of crwm has. Founded in 1976, the association initially includes only catholic and mainline protestants, but by 1988 it incorporates churches associated with the pentecostal fellowship of nigeria, a pentecostal umbrella group. The term pentecostal is derived from pentecost, the greek name for the jewish feast of weeks. In virtually every nook and cranny of the states, you see different churches. History of the apostolic church nigeria believers portal.
Particular attention is paid to goings on in nigeria and ghana where the pentecostal and charismatic movement have had the greatest. Throughout its history, nigeria has been plagued by religious divisions. However, despite all the efforts of the portuguese missionaries, there was not much fruit from this. Pentecostalism in the contemporary nigerian s ociety should be sought for outside doc trinal domain. The history of church growth and development in nigeria is divided into five periods namely. Pentecostalism is a charismatic protestant christian movement that emphasizes a personal encounter with jesus christ as savior and healer, with the potential for converts to be born again as christians.
The apostolic church nigeria is one of the first pentecostal churches in nigeria. The history of christianity in nigeria can be traced back to the 15th century, when the portuguese were the first europeans to arrive the shores of the region via the atlantic. The colonial government was shaken a great revival had begun, which would signal the definitive beginning of modern pentecostalism in nigeria. Thousands of pentecostal churches have sprung up in nigeria since 1970. It believes in a personal experience with god through the baptism of the holy spirit acts 2. Pentecostals cite four major reasons for believing in divine healing. The church of pentecost in ghana and abroad from bethel temple, seattle to bethel church of indonesia. Pentecostalism is a charismatic protestant christian movement that emphasizes a personal encounter with jesus christ as savior and healer, with the potential. Pentecostalism, nigeria, pentecostalism, prosperity gospel when i was first ordained, the archdeacon in a large, eastern nigerian diocese told me, we young clergy were praying for bishops who would allow us to worship in charismatic ways. Nigeria, south africa, india, and the philippines believe that god will grant material prosperity to all believers who have enough faith alexander, signs and wonders, 6364. For in many respects for in many respects pentecostal churches fall short of th e biblical. Towards sustaining mission in the catholic archdiocese of jos christianity has heralded a phase of religion that thrives on mission the mandate to evangelize or reach out to people who do not know jesus christ, his divinity and work of salvation. Christianity in nigeria had gone through a lot of stages and the roles of these stages. The pentecostal movement grew out of the holiness revival of the second half of the nineteenth century.
Pentecostalism in nigeria religious literacy project. History and impact of pentecostalism in the nigerian society. Critical analyses of church politics and crises within the. We have to categorise and identify the nature of pentecostalism, its influence and impact on christianity in the country. Pentecostalism suffered from a ritualization of pentecostal history that included a white racial bias that ignored the central influence of black culture on pentecostal worship and theology, and in his view, the more serious distortion of a persistent. Pentecostalism or classical pentecostalism is a protestant christian movement that emphasises direct personal experience of god through baptism with the holy spirit. Through its very many manifestations or streams, pentecostalism has long enjoyed a presence in britain since. The aim of this paper is to examine the phenomenon of pentecostalism in nigeria today and its effects on the catholic faithful. The origin and growth of pentecostalism in nigeria as well as. To describe the pentecostal religion as only otherworldly or thisworldly is inaccurate, and it ignores what is common to the movement before and after 1980. The main aim of this paper is to assess the impact of pentecostalism in the nigerian society taking into consideration the. Do you know at all what pentecostalism means, do you know how many brand of pentecostals we have in nigeria.
He stated in the nineteenth century, prophetic figures emerged in one place after another the movement could be regarded as the first response by africans. Stephen hunt analyses the history of the pentecostal movement in the united kingdom. It is equally reported how early pentecostals methodists, baptists, etc. A transnational history of pentecostalism in west africa. In this second edition of his leading introductory course book, anderson presents an updated global history of the movement, which addresses signi. The fastestgrowing and largest charismatic congregations all preach. Pentecostalism and the challenges facing muslimchristian relations in nigeria global pentecostal networks and the problems of culture. Christianity in nigeria before pentecostalism ogunrinade adewale o. Pentecostalism is a phenomenon that has engulfed the entire world for quite some time now and nigeria is not an exception. Pentecostalism, charismatic religious movement that gave rise to a number of protestant churches in the united states in the 20th century and that is unique in its belief that all christians should seek a postconversion religious experience called baptism with the holy spirit. Pentecostal fellowship of nigeria president ayo oristejafor demands that the federal government guarantee the safety and property of christians eyoboka, feb. The history of the pentecostal movement is history that many of us have lived through and been eyewitnesses of. Therefore, the cradle of modern christianity in nigeria is the kingdom of warri because of the arrival of. The phenomenal growth of pentecostalism in the contemporary nigerian society.
1241 917 868 1124 1019 1128 505 436 198 725 763 146 276 283 39 413 631 862 480 798 863 336 921 1320 412 363 1110 692 132 1072 1422 1269 1248 754 1026 803 1295 459 587