Reading the Bible in the African context: Assessing Africa’s love affair with prosperity Gospel

Ntozakhe Cezula

doi:10.17570/stj.2015.v1n2.a06

Abstract

The aim of this article is to examine Bible reading in the African context and the willingness and enthusiasm to embrace prosperity gospel in Africa. To achieve this objective, a discussion on the developments in biblical interpretation in Africa will first be presented. This will be done by examining three historical periods: colonial, independence and democratisation periods. This will be followed by an outline of migrations that have taken place from traditional religions to different versions of Christianity in different times in Africa. These migrations will be examined in connection with Bible translation. The relationship between prosperity gospel and African people in Africa will be discussed by considering the tools prosperity gospel uses to appeal to African people, namely the religio-cultural and socio-economic factors. The article will then provide its assessment of contextual reading in the prosperity gospel and a conclusion will follow.

Highlights

The aim of this article is to examine two distinct but related phenomena, namely; Bible reading in the African context on the one hand and the willingness and enthusiasm to embrace prosperity gospel in Africa on the other
An outline of migrations that have taken place from traditional religions to different versions of Christianity in different times in Africa will be presented. It will examine the relationship between prosperity gospel and African people in Africa by considering the tools prosperity gospel uses to appeal to African people, namely the religio-cultural and socio-economic factors
Before we investigate what could be the causes of the growth of prosperity gospel in Africa, let us outline what prosperity gospel entails

Summary

Introduction

The aim of this article is to examine two distinct but related phenomena, namely; Bible reading in the African context on the one hand and the willingness and enthusiasm to embrace prosperity gospel in Africa on the other. An outline of migrations that have taken place from traditional religions to different versions of Christianity in different times in Africa will be presented. It will examine the relationship between prosperity gospel and African people in Africa by considering the tools prosperity gospel uses to appeal to African people, namely the religio-cultural and socio-economic factors. The interest of the article is Bible reading in Africa, why prosperity gospel is popular in Africa and the effects thereof. Such a study needs its own space and time. The article will provide its assessment of contextual reading in the prosperity gospel and finish with a conclusion

Bible reading in Africa

A Story of Two Ways

Ecclesial migrations since the colonial era in Africa

Prosperity Gospel in Africa

Should contextual reading take responsibility?

Findings

Conclusion