God-talk rhetoric and the abuse of Women in Neo-Pentecostalism: developing the Pentecostal theology of hearing from God

Abstract

One of the tenets of neo-Pentecostalism is the claim of "hearing from God", particularly by neo-Pentecostal pastors and prophets in Africa. It is for this reason that even during the sermon presentation in Neo-Pentecostalism there is an element of “thus says the Lord”. This notion is theorised here as a God-talk rhetoric to apply to neo-Pentecostalism. The intersectionality of God-talk rhetoric and abuse of women within neo-Pentecostalism has been explored in previous studies. The contribution here is the development of the Pentecostal theology of hearing from God in addressing these abuses. The background to this study will be given by exploring the notion of "hearing from God" in the context of the broader Pentecostal movement. The article will also introduce God-talk rhetoric as a theoretical framework for this study. The cases where pastors used this framework to abuse women will also be highlighted using the case study method. The research question is how do Pentecostals understand the notion of hearing from God given the abuses? What is the Pentecostal theology of hearing from God that can help address women's abuse and other abuses? The article attempts to answer these questions to develop a Pentecostal theology of hearing from God.