Abstract:
Nigeria is an example of developing countries characterised by mass poverty in the midst of
plenty. Coincidentally, the Nigerian church is stupendously rich. Pastor Emmanuel, a former
National Coordinator of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Germany, notes that the
annual revenue of the Nigeria church in 2014 is over ₦3 trillion while surprisingly, the national
budget is ₦4.69tn for the year. Gigantic buildings, exotic cars and private jets are the hallmarks
of the church’s wealth. Some pastors acquire jets ranging from ₦2.3 to ₦6.4 billion with
additional ₦8.4bn for maintenance and salaries annually. Surrounded by this ‘affluence’ are
thousands of poor, unemployed and barely surviving church members. This calls for the need
to examine what Lukan Jesus would have wanted the church to do with her wealth. This
article examines Lukan parables on the rich and the poor using narratological method. Thus,
the parables’ context, the characterisation and the plot is analysed, including lexical-syntactical
relationships. Finally, the lessons derived is used via socio-scientific reading of the Nigerian
situation to arrive at a theology of social action for the poor. Most parables are open-ended, a
literary device that ensures the readers take a decision, therefore the message focuses on the
church rather than individual Christians.
CONTRIBUTION : The article recommends that church-owned institutions should make education
accessible to the poor, rise against socio-economic policies that will impoverish people while
seeking economic independence of the poor. Finally, the church should also integrate the
differently-abled into the church.
