Christianity In Ghana Research Articles

‘A man’s gift will make room for him’: sources of wealth and legitimacy in charismatic Christianity in Ghana

ABSTRACT The moral practices and principles of accumulating and (re)distributing wealth in charismatic Christianity in Africa are controversial and contested. In Ghana, rich charismatic pastors are perceived as dubious figures and the legitimacy of their wealth is questionable. At the same time, a pastor’s wealth is a sign of his or her spiritual and charismatic gifts. In this article, I discuss the ways in which Ghanaian charismatic pastors, church members and the broader public understand different forms and shifting principles of wealth acquisition and (re)distribution within the religious field. The article highlights the dynamic and fluid nature of distinctions such as legitimate and illegitimate and argues that a moral economy approach is apt for capturing these tensions. Moreover, it is important to include religion and sources of spiritual power in the analysis of moral economies as these are crucial parts of social life and moral values in many African societies.

Examining pastor-prophet authority in neo-Pentecostal deliverance practices in Ghana

ABSTRACT A popular and growing feature of contemporary neo-Pentecostal Christianity in Ghana are regular deliverance practices in search for solutions to diverse forms of existential predicaments, known in Pentecostal diction as afflictions. Pastor-prophets have become very popular for these practices with thousands of deliverance seekers attending one deliverance service or the other in search for solutions that these pastor-prophets proffer. Using ethnographic semi-structured interviews, this article examines the phenomenon of deliverance practices within neo-Pentecostalism in Ghana, and particularly focuses on the authority of pastor-prophets around which the activities of deliverance evolve. Findings indicate that supernatural authority and attaining of breakthroughs over life’s predicaments, become the barometer and legitimacy for the authority of pastor-prophets.

Assessing Ghanaian Primal Consciousness: A Key Factor in Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity

The article examined the influence of the Ghanaian primal consciousness on Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity. Although the primal religion seems to have lost its physical presence in the Ghanaian religious space, its ideologies and tenets continue to be alive in the lives of many Pentecostal-Charismatic Christians. Relying on the researcher’s pastoral experience, personal observations and by paying attention to some sayings and proverbs of some Pentecostals, the study identified the extent to which primal consciousness affects Pentecostal Christianity in Ghana. It discovered that while some elements of the primal religion are closely related to Christianity and may thus positively affect it, others appear to be in opposition to biblical truth and may thus affect it negatively. The study posits that a good knowledge of the reality of the effect of the primal consciousness by Pentecostal-Charismatic churches would advance the Christian mission in Africa. The article adds to existing literature on the impact of the primal religion on Christianity. Keywords: Primal consciousness, Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity, Ghana, religion.

“Kakistocracy”: An Ethical Challenge to Christian Character Formation in Ghana

The pressing need to tackle the alarming erosion of moral standards in Ghana has been advocated. This comes in the wake of recent media reports of Ghana’s rapid deterioration in moral values. In a country where 71% of the population identifies as Christians, the moral character of the nation has witnessed inefficiencies, displayed by incompetent leadership at all levels, spanning from family units and chieftaincy, and education to religious and political spheres. This article argued that these degradations raise an ethical question for the Church in Ghana as far as the Character formation of the Church is concerned. The question that this article sought to address was, why is Kakistocracy on the ascendancy, if indeed 71% of Ghanaians are Christians? What is happening? Through a review of some existing literature, the article discussed the concept of Kakistocracy and the challenges it poses to Christian Character Formation in Ghana. Through the lens of the ethical theory of virtue ethics, as the conceptual taxonomy, this article argued that the degradation of moral values means the Church in Ghana has not been able to shape the moral character of its members. Worded differently, the Church’s influence on shaping her member’s moral character has been low, or adulterated. The article, therefore, challenges the Church to critically examine her Character Formation agenda. The paper affirmed that the Church’s nurturing ministry has been adulterated and shaken by unpredictable political, social, technological, and cultural developments in the country. This article further argued that the Church, as one of the socialisation institutions in Ghana, has a role to play in preparing leaders with moral fortitude in society. Therefore, an urgent need is to strategically (re)construct the Church’s Character Formation programme for its members. So that they would be able to steer the nation’s social transformation. Keywords: Kakistocracy, Nurturing, Christianity in Ghana, Character, Formation, Virtue Ethics.

The Nexus Between German Pietism and the Mission, Theology, and Spirituality of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana

While the Pentecostal Christianity on the continent of Africa in general and Ghana, in particular, continues to attract growth in terms of membership, the same cannot be said of the historic mission churches in the same breath. This development is partly because the Christianity introduced by the nineteenth-century European missionaries was enveloped in European culture making it almost impossible to resonate with its religio-cultural milieu. As a result, converts have great difficulty in identifying with their newly found faith as it also struggled to address their existential challenges. This development had translated into a situation where the Christian faith as introduced at the time failed to attract new converts while some of the existing ones made their way back into their former religion (syncretism). Other developments besides syncretism experienced by the historic mission churches were schism(s) as well as the emergence of Pentecostal Christianity in Ghana.

The Power of the “Knowing Women”

The Power of the “Knowing Women”

Neo-Prophetic Churches in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Narrative on the Ebenezer Miracle Worship Centre, Kumasi-Ghana.

In recent times, there has been an upsurge of Neo-Prophetic Christianity in Ghana, Sub-Saharan Africa. Churches that belong to this genre of Christianity appeal to the socio-religio-cultural worldviews of the African and Ghanaian people to bring meaning to their lives. In view of this, they have carved for themselves a niche in the religious space of Ghana. One of the churches that is of interest to this article is the Ebenezer Miracle Worship Centre, Kumasi, Ghana. Comparatively, whereas in the public space the church has gained much popularity, little in scholarship is known about its history and activities in the Ghanaian religious field. This article is a narrative on the church’s history, beliefs and activities. Using a qualitative approach, a phenomenological study is conducted. The two research principles of epoché and eidetic intuition are observed. The article significantly contributes to the scanty existing literature on the history of some prominent Neo-prophetic African Pentecostal Christian churches in Ghana.

Doing Public Theology in African Christianity: A Reflection on Communiques by Churches in Ghana

Faith in public life can be associated with Christianity in Ghana from the days of the early Western missionaries. Christian faith perspectives on matters of public concerns however, assumed a wider scope with the practice of regular issuance of communiques to governments and the people of Ghana by the churches. Christian ministry is expected to be holistic. A holistic approach in Christian ministry is considered to lead to the holistic development of the nation for the common good and the glory of God. Church leaders subsequently, bring their faith perspectives to matters of public concerns as a ministerial mandate to be in pilgrimage with the people. The study is a reflection on how the churches’ communiques are done and the factors that make the communiques theological in the public space. It further seeks to identify the contribution of the construction of communiques to public theology in Christianity in Ghana. The study as qualitative, examines both available primary and secondary sources. Copies of communiques of some selected churches, ecumenical bodies and joint communiques by ecumenical bodies are examined to appreciate insights of communiques by the churches. The study seeks to make a contribution to the theological construction of public theologies in Ghana and African Christianity. KEYWORDS: Public Theology, African Christianity, Communique, Common Good

Message of Biblical Apocalyptic Literature and its Relevance for Contemporary Christianity in Ghana

Undoubtedly, apocalyptic literature is among the difficult literature to understand and to interpret due to its literary genre and mode of communication which is often in the form of visions. Though weird symbols and images shrouded in secrets and coded language are the content of these visions, the literature [those in the Judeo-Christian Scriptures] has been both an inspiration and a mystery to Christians in particular and Ghanaian Christians in general. Apart from serving as a motivational tool for Christians to know that true authority and power belongs to God, and among others, the literature also offers hope to Ghanaian Christians of the impending judgment at the end of this age. Though the literature has not been rightly handled by some Ghanaian pastors and Christians, the unending effect has made people hope in the Lord. This paper, therefore, contributes to the general knowledge of apocalyptic literature and accentuates how its message in the Judeo-Christian scriptures have greatly influenced the beliefs, lifestyle, and thought pattern of Ghanaians in general, and contemporary Christianity in Ghana, in particular; making them live in consonance with the message of the biblical apocalyptic literature which encourage them to develop a certain kind of belief, thought pattern, and lifestyles different from an ordinary individual, and not otherwise. Keywords: Apocalyptic literature, apocalypse, apocalypticism, apocalyptic eschatology, Ghanaian Christianity

Sensational Movies, Video, Vision, and Christianity in Ghana, by Birgit Meyer

Sensational Movies, Video, Vision, and Christianity in Ghana, by Birgit Meyer

Declining membership and attendance in the traditional mainline churches in the western world: lessons for Christianity in Ghana

By all standards, people in the western world, especially Europeans, have proved themselves as a very religious people. Having broken away from their various primal religions to embrace Christianity many centuries ago, Europe has served as the centre of gravity of Christianity for over 1,000 years. America has become what it is today because of the influx of Christians from Europe who moved there in the early 1600s in search of a place to enjoy religious freedom. Since then, churches in the West have been experiencing growing membership and attendance. They have been at the forefront in sending missionaries to other parts of the world. Through their numerous books and other literature, they have helped to shape Christian theology and practice. Similarly, through their numerous Bible Schools and seminaries, ministers of the gospel have been trained. They have also sent out billions of dollars to support Christian activities globally. Actually, without the significant roles played by Europeans and Americans, Christianity would not have been that successful. However, over the last decades, the situation appears to be changing as Europe and North America seem to be losing their Christian heritage. Church membership and attendance appear to be declining

Commercialisation of Religion in Neo-Prophetic Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches in Ghana: Christian Ethical Analysis of their Strategies

Neo-Prophetic Pentecostal/Charismatic Christianity in Ghana has become business. It is typically characterised by the sale and purchase of assortments of religious items and services between churches and religious consumers. This practice is said to have experienced its exponential index in view of the utmost demand for miraculous mediation by desperate religious consumers to address their religio-psycho-social pickles. Irrespective of the abuses religious consumers are said to go through, coupled with the high cost the religious items and services are sold, one is curious to ascertain by what means the churches use to hook religious consumers to their offers. This paper thus, sets out to reveal and analyse some of the main strategies Neo-Prophetic Pentecostal/Charismatic churches in Ghana use to hook religious consumers onto their offers using Christian ethics as assessment criteria. The paper argues that the strategies the churches use are not in conformity with Christian ethics, thus, they are unethical. This is because it was revealed that the intentions that drive the strategies are mostly geared towards selfish, domineering and manipulative end. Keywords : Ghana, religion, commercialisation, Neo-Prophetic Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches, strategies, Christian ethics. DOI : 10.7176/JPCR/42-01 Publication date :March 31 st 2019

Commodification of the gospel and the socio-economics of neo-Pentecostal/Charismatic Christianity in Ghana

In Africa, religion, generally, has often been used as a medium to assuage difficulties in life. The pragmatic-oriented function of religion, as found in Africa’s economy of faith, makes religion a kind of an economic good/service that can be harnessed to deal with existential needs and aspirations. Operating within this worldview, and with the help of the media, some Ghanaian Pentecostal/Charismatic pastors-prophets have commodified the gospel by employing various means of marketing to advertise, brand, and package religion as a consumer or spiritual product that can be bought to solve life-debilitating issues. This article focuses on some of the contemporary practices of the neo-Pentecostal/Charismatic churches that are symptomatic of the commercialization and the commodification of religion. In so doing, the article attempts to tease out the positive and negative socio-economic implications of these practices. The work demonstrates that though there are some deleterious implications of the commodification of the gospel, the neo-Pentecostal/Charismatic churches, through such practices, have been able to raise substantial amounts of money to fund numerous social intervention projects that are helping transform the lives of people. Data used in this article was gleaned from the radio, television, and relevant literature.

Rethinking the Great Commission: Incorporation of Akan Indigenous Symbols into Christian Worship

AbstractSymbols are communicative tools with performative functions in all cultures. Apart from their decorative functions, non‐Christian symbols adopted into Christianity have had a tremendous impact on Christian life since the early times, especially in liturgical practices. Through Western missionary activities, Ghana inherited Christian biblical‐liturgical art as has been developed in the home countries of the missionaries. However, since the 1960s Adinkra symbols have been incorporated into Christian worship and theology, receiving attention within secular and religious circles because of their communicative potential. On the religious level, some churches have adopted them as logos or incorporated them into architectural designs and liturgical art. This paper seeks to investigate what motivates various missions to choose particular Adinkra symbol(s) and what they hope to achieve with them. Furthermore, it attempts a theological reflection on the communicative potential of artefacts in Ghanaian Christianity as a response to the “Great Commission. “We approach the subject from a historical, contextual, and theological perspective, using selected Roman Catholic and Methodist churches in Ghana as case studies. The study employed unstructured in‐depth interviews and photo elicitations to trace the relationship between visual arts and religion, with particular emphasis on Christian visual arts and how they have informed Christianity in Ghana.

Meyer, Birgit: Sensational Movies - Video, Vision, and Christianity in Ghana

Meyer, Birgit: Sensational Movies - Video, Vision, and Christianity in Ghana

Studying religion, audiovisual media, and the production of the ‘religious real’: introducing a review symposium on Birgit Meyer’s Sensational Movies (2015)

This article introduces a review symposium on Birgit Meyer’s book Sensational Movies: Video, Vision, and Christianity in Ghana (Oakland: University of California Press, 2015). It summarizes the structure and argument of the book, presents the six contributions to the review symposium as well as Meyer’s response, and in closing relates the religious use of audiovisual media to theoretical debates on documentary film in order to reflect on the production of what could be called the ‘religious real.’

Imagining tradition: heritage, culture and religion in contemporary Ghanaian cinema culture

This article is a response to Birgit Meyer’s chapter ‘Mediating Traditional Culture’ from her book Sensational Movies: Video, Vision, and Christianity in Ghana. It reflects on her argument about heritage as a dominant discourse in debates about religion and culture in the Ghanaian video film industry, raises questions about the dynamics of this politics of representation, and outlines the significance of her approach for theorising heritage. It draws on a series of observations about sites of culture and heritage in contemporary Ghana to frame a discussion about dominant themes that emerge in Meyer’s chapter, namely, chiefs and chiefly authority, the genre of the 'epic,' and audience perceptions of mediations of tradition and culture. It concludes by pointing out the usefulness and value that a focus on imaginaries, media, and mediation brings to the study of heritage.

Sumsum Akwankyεrε: Emerging Modes of Mediation and Appropriation of Spiritual Power in Sections of Ghanaian Christianity

Sumsum Akwankyεrε has become a common religious expression and mantra in Ghanaian Christianity particularly among Churches and groups who claim to be ‘prophetic’. Sumsum Akwankyεrε is an Akan expression that actually has multiple meanings. Some of the meanings are ‘spiritual direction’, ‘divine instruction’, or ‘spiritual ways’ etc. Prophets and leaders of this stream of Christianity in Ghana are not trusted by recognised and respected Pentecostals and Charismatics primarily because of their doctrinal orientation and modes of mediating and appropriating spiritual power in their ministries. At the core of Sumsum Akwankyεrε is the synthesis of traditional or primal religious beliefs and practices, proof-texts. The Sumsum Akwankyεrε phenomenon is influencing many young independent pastors and some Pentecostals and Charismatics as well. Even though practitioners of Sumsum Akwankyεrε are noted for their moral scandals, self-deification, leadership flaws, and theological malaises, their ministries seem to be pointing to some timeless theological and missiological questions and issues facing African Christianity in general. These are also yelling indications of the fact that a new phase with new questions, concerns and directions are beginning to dawn on African Christianity whether we take them serious or not.

Review: Gender, Social Change and Spiritual Power: Charismatic Christianity in Ghana, by Jane E. Soothill

Review: <i>Gender, Social Change and Spiritual Power: Charismatic Christianity in Ghana</i>, by Jane E. Soothill

African Proverbs Reveal Christianity in Culture: A Narrative Portrayal of Builsa Proverbs Contextualizing Christianity in Ghana. By W. Jay Moon. Eugene, Oregon, US, Pickwick Publications 2009. Pp. 220, $26.00.

African Proverbs Reveal Christianity in Culture: A Narrative Portrayal of Builsa Proverbs Contextualizing Christianity in Ghana. By W. Jay Moon. Eugene, Oregon, US, Pickwick Publications 2009. Pp. 220, $26.00.