Media, Gender and Religion: The Emergence of a Proliferation of Female Pastors in Nigeria

Abstract

Religion has always been part and parcel of every society and Christianity per se, has become an established religion worldwide. More so is that Nigeria is home of several church denominations, including some of the most established and renowned Pentecostal Christian ministries of the world. One unique aspect of the Pentecostal Churches in Nigeria is the increased prominence of women pastors, either as overseers of churches or as power-wielding wives of overseers. There are even calls for the ordination of female priests by the orthodox churches; but the school of thought is divided over whether women should be allowed as much involvement in evangelism and ministerial duties. This paper examines the involvement of the media in providing a platform that allows female pastors to successfully advance their ministries like their male counterparts. This paper concludes that the media have greatly actually influenced the proliferation of the female pastors in Nigeria and calls for an understanding in the Nigerian Catholic and Anglican Churches; and the need for their women to join their female colleagues in other denominations in using the media in matters of evangelism and salvation . Key word s : Media, Gender, Religion, Emergence, Proliferation