Earthly Ministry Research Articles

Ecumenical Footprints in Nigeria: Pathways and Detours in Search of Christian Unity

The unity of the Persons of the Trinity is the source and highest exemplar of Christian unity which all ecumenical initiatives seek. During his earthly ministry, our Lord Jesus Christ prayed for the unity of Christians (John 17:21). This prayer of Jesus furnishes us with the fundamental inspiration for the ecumenical movement in all its dimensions of expression. Right from the beginning, the Christian church has experienced rifts in both the West and the East. The modern ecumenical movement is an attempt to restore Christian unity against the background of 16th century divisions attendant upon the Protestant Reformation. It is also conducted in hindsight of the Protestant Reformation that the 19th and 20th century missionary activities of Christian churches from Europe in Nigeria took place. Several historical factors have shaped the successes and failures of significant missionary endeavors. This article highlights a few of those historical factors in a bid to identify the roots of discord and footprints of ecumenism at the beginning of the establishment of Christian churches in Nigeria. The goal intended to be realized through this historical excursus is to engender a livelier ecumenical hope for Christian unity in Nigeria while maintaining the already-achieved progress made so far, as well as countering further divisions.

Why Did Jesus’ Disciples Fail to Cast Out the Deaf and Mute Spirit? (Mark 9:14–29)

On the basis of a close reading of the pericope of the healing of the boy with a mute spirit as it is recorded in Mark 9:14–29, I argue that Mark intended Jesus’ enigmatic answer “this kind can can come out only through prayer and fasting” (Mark 9:29, NRSV) to be a lesson for his readers on how to prepare for exorcisms. Like the disciples who failed to cast out the mute demon while Jesus’ was being transfigured, so too Mark’s readers must prepare for exorcisms by prayer and fasting, for Jesus is not present with them the way he was for his disciples during most of his earthly ministry.

Matt 25:14-30: A Critical Look at the ‘Third Servant Syndrome’ in the Light of Theological Studies in Nigeria

During his earthly ministry, Jesus used parables to convey his message to his listeners, one of which is found in Matt 25:14-30. This parable not only draws the reader's attention to the surprise of the master's sudden return, but it also emphasizes the servants' behavior during the time the master has been away, and it is here that we find the ‘third servant syndrome’. It refers to the tendency to keep one's meager talents hidden rather than exploring the risky possibilities of adding value to them and this is the aim of this article. It finds out that this tendency is common in Nigerian theological circles, where it is often seen as a theologian's goal to faithfully pass on what one has received to others. However, in the Parable of the Talents, Jesus demonstrates that commitment to faithfulness, defined as passing on the tradition exactly as received, is equivalent to unfaithfulness because the Master expects the recipient to invest the talent and pass it on with interest at the end of one's tenure. Using the rhetorical and contextual methods of exegesis, this article examines the causes of the third servant syndrome in Nigerian theological circles and advocates for the replacement of an unproductive servile understanding of faithfulness with a first or second servant understanding of faithfulness that recognizes that in order to be truly faithful to the tradition, the theologian must work to add value to it in order to pass on more than what one has received. As a contribution to knowledge, many have written on this text, but known has taken time to read the text from the perspective of the third servant syndrome. Hence, it will add to already existing literature on the subject matter and open more windows for future research.

An Examination of the Role of the Holy Spirit in the Ministry of Jesus in Luke 4:18-19 with an Emphasis on Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches in Ghana

It is important to state that many Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians in Ghana are confounded by why Jesus in his capacity as God would need the empowerment of the Spirit in his earthly ministry. This presupposes that God sent him for a purpose and he needed divine approval and empowerment in order to carry out that purpose. Jesus sets the stage for today’s Christians and ministers of the gospel to acknowledge the fact that fulfilling a God-given task depends on how one aligns with the Spirit of the Lord. The emphasis on the anointing of kings, priests, and prophets in the Old Testament to carry out their individual assignments is an important theology that Luke also affirms in his narrative in Luke 4:18-19. This paper contends that the Holy Spirit in the ministry of Jesus is a vital theological element to be considered especially at the time when many who claim to be prophets and messengers of God are exhibiting various spiritual dynamics. The paper concludes that understanding the Holy Spirit in the ministry of Jesus is critical to shaping the perspective of Christian ministers today. Keywords: Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches in Ghana, Holy Spirit, Jesus’ Ministry, Anointing.

A Contextual Analysis of Θεραπεία (Healing) of a Centurion’s Servant In Luke 7:1-10 in Relation to Healing Practices in the Christ Apostolic Church, Ibadan, Nigeria

Healing and health are fundamental to human life. People go to any extent to seek healing. When orthodox medicine fails, people do not hesitate to go to prayer houses and even herbalists to procure healing. The centrality of healing features prominently in Jesus' earthly ministry. In compliance with Jesus' instruction to his followers to preach the gospel and heal the sick, the CAC has made healing one of its major preoccupations. However, there are cases of ministers using extra-Biblical means to perform healing such as the sale of anointing oil, handkerchief, and water. Also, ministers seek gratification from beneficiaries of healing and other abuses that were not witnessed during Jesus' ministry. Therefore, this study investigated healing in Luke's Gospel and its application in Christ Apostolic Church to ascertain the degree of compliance to Jesus' command. The study adopted a mixed method comprising hermeneutical and exegetical methods to analyse the text to bring out the essential meaning of healing in the Bible in relation to the practice of the CAC, and a descriptive method of a survey type was employed. The results of the interview were qualitatively analysed. The study concluded that healing is a fundamental aspect of the liturgy and practice of the CAC, which helps in bringing members to salvation. Therefore, the study recommended that the church's authority should ensure strict compliance with the principles and techniques of healing adopted by Jesus in Luke's Gospel.

An African American Christology Based on an Archetypal Folk Chanted Sermon Close

ABSTRACT This essay discloses an African American Christology, derived from first-hand experience of the sermonic “close” in traditional Black “folk” preaching, which recounts the crucifixion, and celebrates the empty tomb. I use the term “disclose” because I believe that this theology has been cultivated in the crucible of the Black church experience. I cannot claim to be its originator but am endeavouring to document and critically refine it. This African American Christology portrays Jesus as divinely conceived for the redemption of humanity through his earthly ministry, unjust suffering via crucifixion, subsequent resurrection and his ultimate vindication. Jesus’ earthly ministry demonstrated solidarity with the oppressed and the brutal suffering of Jesus holds a particularly significant valance for the enslaved and their descendants. I argue that this resource can be deployed to respond to the current reality of challenges facing the African American and other marginalized communities.

An African American Christology Based on an Archetypal Folk Chanted Sermon Close

ABSTRACT This essay discloses an African American Christology, derived from first-hand experience of the sermonic “close” in traditional Black “folk” preaching, which recounts the crucifixion, and celebrates the empty tomb. This African American Christology portrays Jesus as divinely conceived for the redemption of humanity through his earthly ministry, unjust suffering via crucifixion, subsequent resurrection, and his ultimate vindication. Jesus’ earthly ministry demonstrated solidarity with the oppressed and the brutal suffering of Jesus holds a particularly significant valance for the enslaved and their descendants. I argue that this resource can be deployed to respond to the current reality of challenges facing the African American and other marginalized communities.

Paul’s Three Paths To Salvation

Paul’s Three Paths To Salvation

What Jesus Did, Does and May Do in Future: Gospel Miracles, Human Augmentation, Transhumanism and the Future of New Testament Studies

The quest of New Testament studies for a well-resourced future would be substantially aided by its explicit abandonment of a narrow methodological focus in favour of building links with other disciplines and by its acknowledgment that exegetical insights may arise from examining the impact of biblical texts down the centuries. In the potential appropriation of Jesus by Christian transhumanists interested in human bodily enhancement, for example, the healings of his earthly ministry are ignored because they are understood to restore human bodies to a previous form (a position recognizable in much of New Testament scholarship) rather than augment them to a new one. Building on deaf nineteenth-century interpretations which see the mental abilities of the deaf man in Mk 7.32-37 as being enhanced beyond human norms by Jesus, this article examines the healings of three blind men (Mk 8.22-26, Mk 10.46-52 and Jn 9.1-41). While the Johannine blind man is explicitly said to be blind from birth (whatever New Testament translations have often been made to say!), this article proposes that Blind Bartimaeus in Mk 10 should also be viewed this way. While their becoming sighted restores them to a common human pattern, their lack of prior sighted-experience means that it is their ability to see instantly that strongly implies the presence of an augmentative element to their healings. A postscript notes the different attitudes to the permission required to transform the human body within these narratives and suggests transhumanists consider the ethical implications of each story carefully before they incorporate the earthly Jesus into their arguments.

The Ending of Luke Revisited

Many assume that the ending of Luke's Gospel, compared with the ending of Acts, is just not that interesting. In contrast, I argue, through narrative analysis and comparison with the ending of Acts, that the ending of Luke's Gospel reflects a profoundly sophisticated and nuanced kind of closure. The ending makes connections to the opening chapters, fulfills long-standing narrative expectations, offers resolution through eyewitness encounters with the risen Jesus, and closes with a scene of leave taking and blessing. Although the ending alludes to events yet to take place (in Acts), these features serve more to bridge the two volumes than to generate irresolution. Yet the two endings have real differences: Luke's Gospel narrates a departure for Jesus, whereas Acts does not clarify the fate of Paul. Acts 28 draws attention to unresolved tensions around salvation for Israel in ways Luke 24 does not. For these reasons, the ending of Luke's Gospel offers greater closure to the story of Jesus's earthly ministry than Acts does to the story of global witness. Whereas the story of Acts is one of beginnings (Acts 1:1), the story of Luke's Gospel is primarily one of things fulfilled (Luke 1:1, 4).

The Ending of Luke Revisited

Many assume that the ending of Luke’s Gospel, compared with the ending of Acts, is just not that interesting. In contrast, I argue, through narrative analysis and comparison with the ending of Acts, that the ending of Luke’s Gospel reflects a profoundly sophisticated and nuanced kind of closure. The ending makes connections to the opening chapters, fulfills long-standing narrative expectations, offers resolution through eyewitness encounters with the risen Jesus, and closes with a scene of leave taking and blessing. Although the ending alludes to events yet to take place (in Acts), these features serve more to bridge the two volumes than to generate irresolution. Yet the two endings have real differences: Luke’s Gospel narrates a departure for Jesus, whereas Acts does not clarify the fate of Paul. Acts 28 draws attention to unresolved tensions around salvation for Israel in ways Luke 24 does not. For these reasons, the ending of Luke’s Gospel offers greater closure to the story of Jesus’s earthly ministry than Acts does to the story of global witness. Whereas the story of Acts is one of beginnings (Acts 1:1), the story of Luke’s Gospel is primarily one of things fulfilled (Luke 1:1, 4).

A rational explanation of some miracles of Christ healing blindness

AbstractDuring his 3‐year earthly ministry, Jesus Christ performed miracles that showed his ability to heal. The canonical Gospels report five separate cases in which Jesus healed blind people. Although Science prefers not to give its opinion and most miracles fall outside rational interpretations, it is certainly possible that some of them might be clarified with non‐divine answers. Did Jesus possess medical skills? Undoubtedly, he was a healer whose time was consumed with encounters with sick people. Following the persecution of Jewish newborns by the King Herod, Mary fled with Jesus to Egypt. According to the Jewish perspective (Talmud), Jesus brought his magic powers from Egypt. He returned to the land of Canaan at the age of 30 and started preaching. His mission ended with Jesus being 33 when he died. Although Christ did not always touch the afflicted in healing, at least in four of the five above mentioned miracles involving the blind, he touched them. But, isn't it possible that Jesus also had the ability to perform a “couching” technique with his own fingers? Taking into account that cataracts were undoubtedly very common in ancient Egypt and that ancient Egyptians and Babylonians used the “couching” procedure to dislodge the cataract away from the pupil, we should consider the possibility that Jesus learned this technique in Egypt.

Mapping Angels in Early Modern Amsterdam

Abstract The angel was a recurrent marginal embellishment on hundreds of maps made in seventeenth-century Amsterdam, whose innovative commercial mapmaking dominated the international market. This essay explores how the mapmakers adapted pervasive conventions of cartographic angelology as a means to explore the expanding possibilities as well as the limitations of their own practice. The peculiar pictorial partnership between cartographers and their guardian spirits was a means to delineate cartography as inspired work. However, an interrogation of the implications of this spiritual service tracks the angels’ descent as downfall. The migrations of this ubiquitous visual device across numerous maps and representations of Amsterdam reveal the various ways that spirits were enlisted into their earthly ministry to the global mapping enterprises of the Dutch trading empire.

The Virtual Body of Christ in a Suffering World by Deanna A. Thompson

Reviewed by: The Virtual Body of Christ in a Suffering World by Deanna A. Thompson Rhoda Schuler The Virtual Body of Christ in a Suffering World. By Deanna A. Thompson. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2016. 131 pp. At the core of this slim volume is Thompson's self-described conversion to a new way of thinking about the virtual age in which we live. She wrote the book "because my experience of being supported by a virtual network since my diagnosis [with stage-four breast cancer in December 2008] has converted me to a new reality; I have . . . [become] an unabashed advocate for the under-appreciated ability of virtual spaces to help incarnate healing love in the lives those who suffer" (9, emphasis added). She weaves together the language of conversion, testimony, and witness throughout the book. Thompson makes her case for the power of social media to communicate an incarnational "healing love" in an introduction and five chapters. First, she presents a brief testimony about her illness, the benefits of social media during her treatment, a summary of the book, and an appeal to the reader to "be converted to the surprising ways that virtual connectivity can help us better care for one another" (12). The five chapters are accessible yet grounded in the work of experts in social media and the internet, biblical scholarship, and Lutheran theology. In chapter one she asserts that "the digital revolution is here to stay" (10) and draws on the work of sociologists to name both strengths and issues with this new world. She argues in the second chapter that St. Paul, through his letters, was "virtually present" to the early Christian communities and that his imagery of the church as the body of Christ is significant for understanding "the new model of community" that Paul introduced (33). This new model, according to Thompson, "has not just been about local communities [End Page 356] of faith but also about . . . the virtual body of Christ, a body that is wedded to but also transcends specific, individual incarnations of church" (47). Luther's theology of the cross introduces the third chapter, where Thompson states, "Luther's theology understands suffering descriptively, rather than prescriptively, as an inevitable consequence of incarnational living" (55). The digital world enables the followers of Jesus to engage in incarnational living that reaches out to the marginalized, just as Jesus did in his earthly ministry. Each of the first three chapters includes a brief section of personal "testimony" that provides experiential support for her argument to seek the positive benefits of social media for the good of the body of Christ. Thompson begins the fourth chapter by addressing the objections and concerns of the skeptics; without dismissing potential dangers, she makes a case for the value of digital tools to "expand," "enhance," and "augment"—some of her favorite verbs—the reach of the Christian community. This chapter then discusses the importance and value of corporate worship, closing with a challenge to see online worship as an opportunity for "bounded openness," a phrase borrowed from theologian Serene Jones, in the spirit of St. Paul (93). In the final chapter Thompson begins with concrete examples of positive uses of social media by congregations as "places where weak ties are becoming strong ties" (101), a sociological concept introduced early in the book. She also acknowledges issues of privacy, lack of internet access for those in lower socio-economic brackets, and the shallowness of "click activism" (102-07). To close, she returns to the language of testimony: "I am here to testify to the power of virtual supports . . . It is important for Christians to recognize that the body of Christ has always been a virtual body and that, in this digital age, incarnational living must be understood as incorporating virtual as well as face-to-face interactions" (110). I take issue with Thompson's equating of "the body of Christ" with the phrase "virtual body"—a phrase far more mundane than "mystical body," which better captures the biblical witness. To speak of the body of Christ as virtual seems to rob it of all transcendence and misses the church's claim to be the body of Christ...

Revisiting High Priesthood Christology in Hebrews

Abstract This paper revisits the author’s research on the christology of Hebrews completed in the 1970s in the light of subsequent research. It concentrates, in particular, on the way key problems of interpretation have been handled. These include the extent to which the author’s atonement day typology dictates a soteriology which reduces Christ’s death to a preparatory event and depicts a heavenly offering as the salvific event or, conversely, whether the author employs atonement day typology selectively to interpret Jesus’ death as salvific. It also addresses the associated problems created by parts of the book which report Jesus’ appointment at high priesthood as occurring after his death at his exaltation and other parts which appear to imply that he was acting as a high priest already during his earthly ministry.

The Nicene Creed: A Round Table Discussion

This article explores the relation between the NT writings and the Nicene Creed by means of an imaginary round table discussion involving the authors of the NT. This teases out the origins of the different clauses of the creed. The participants also point to four weak points of the creed: (1) its downplaying of the theme of Christ dying for our sins; (2) its failure to identify God as the God of Israel; (3) its silence about the earthly ministry of Jesus, jumping from his birth to his crucifixion; (4) its omission of the ethical dimension. They end by affirming what the creed actually does state.

Drawing a Connection between Coptic Christianity, their St Mark Tradition, and Contemporary AICs: A Conversation with Coptic Bishop Markos

This article raises a question from the assertions that Mark’s memories of his martyrdom can provide an alternative theology for the African Independent Churches (AICs). Can there be a link with the Gospel of Mark from the African perspective? The AICs have been contending with matters of faith and culture, which bear a strong presence in their theology. Much has happened in attempting to answer the questions relating to their faith. This article tries to create an alternative narrative for the makeup of such theology. An interview with Bishop Markos has been a key factor in the founding of such a possibility. To Markos, St Mark, the Egyptian Coptic Church and the ancient Christian experience with their popes and bishops will inform such a theology. They were proud of their linear and orthodox connection to the times of Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry two thousand years ago. Egypt and Alexandria—as situated in Africa—have compelled me to test such an allegation. Markos is the author of several books, and he has travelled extensively on the African continent in an attempt to understand the AICs. He introduced and discussed the relationship between Pope Shenouda III and the AICs for the formation of the Organisation of African Independent Churches (OAIC). This essay is an exploration of oral tradition. The Africans’ claiming a connection with early Christianity through the Coptic Church has triggered a curiosity to perform more research.

Jesus’ Philoi vs. Jesus’ Douloi: Conflicts over the Paraclete’s Function and Authority in the Johannine Community

This study discusses the Paraclete-related texts in the Fourth Gospel concerning the competition for authority between the Beloved Disciple’s written testimony and the Paraclete’s prophetic messages. The Johannine community experienced an internal conflict between the two groups, i.e., Jesus’ friends and Jesus’ slaves. Each group held its view on the function and authority of the Paraclete. The former understood the Paraclete as a reminder to the disciples of what Jesus already taught during his earthly ministry, as well as an interpreter of such teachings; it promoted the authority of the written tradition through the Beloved Disciple’s testimony. The latter, nevertheless, viewed the Paraclete as intending to reveal new teachings beyond those of the earthly Jesus; it advocated the authority of prophetic activities in the community, relying on the Paraclete. The evangelist supported the friend group, contending for the reliability and authority of Jesus’ tradition via the Beloved Disciple’s tradition preserved in the Gospel.

Corruption in Nigeria: a culture or retrogressive factor?

This research work, corruption in Nigeria: a culture or retrogressive factor presented corruption as a curse and a complex social, political and economic phenomenon that affect all facets and the fabric of Nigerian society. Scholars and Nigerian government do not offer any realistic practical recipes in dealing with the pressing problems of corruption, economic hardship and underdevelopment in Nigeria in the 21st century. Nigerians, especially leaders, politicians, civil servants, academia, some Christians and some religious leaders, found it difficult to practice the Christian values, which Jesus Christ himself exhibited perfectly during his earthly ministry. The proper examination of these problems engaged the aim of this paper. The method of approach is descriptive and phenomenological approaches based on the review of related literature.Keywords: corruption, culture, bribe, extortion, policy, traditional gift, church, religion and social change

The immanence and transcendence of God in Adamic incarnational Christology: An African ethical reflection for the public

This article argues that the transcendence and immanence of God amplified in Christ should influence African believers� private and public ethics. It accomplishes this by engaging transcendence and immanence of God in the traditional African worldview. The African traditional worldview in many respects believes the transcendent God whose immanence is mediated by lesser spiritual intermediary powers. In responding to this view of God�s transcendence and immanence, we discuss the amplified transcendence and immanence of God in the Adamic incarnational Christological model. This model argues that in the incarnation, God�s transcendence and immanence is amplified by his assumption of our human mode of existence as the New Adam for our redemption. That is, even though God has always been transcendent and present within his creation before the incarnation, his immanence within humanity is amplified by God becoming man in and through Jesus Christ as the New Adam. The ascension of Jesus Christ does not diminish God�s presence within Christians. God continues to have his personal presence within believers through the dynamic presence of the Holy Spirit among them. The transcendence and immanence of God (amplified in Christ) therefore is brought to bear in the private and public ethics of Christians. In contrast to the limited immanence of human beings, God�s immanence is infinite. That is, there is nothing human beings can do which is outside of God�s reach and knowledge. It is from this perspective that African Christians are encouraged to live lives conscious of the infinite-immanent God, who sees both their private and public lives. The private and public life of believers should resemble God�s character and behaviour demonstrated by Jesus Christ, God incarnate, in his earthly ministry. Thus, the transcendence and immanence of God amplified in Christ influences African believers to live as the true ambassadors of Christ who exhibit exemplary ethical behaviour within the public sphere. The article reflects on the role of theological ethics in informing public ethics. As such it is theologically intradisciplinary but focusing on intertheological disciplines and their relationship to public space regarding ethics. It seeks to engage and influence public ethical behaviour in a context corruption and disregard of other human beings� entitlements.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The article challenges the privatisation of Christianity to take a public role in order to influence the public. This approach contributes to shifting African Christians from being passive in the context of unethical behaviours to being active agents who influence the public. As such, it contributes to public, practical theology and public ethics.