Agencies of capitalism : evaluating Nigerian Pentecostalism using African moral philosophies

Abstract

The parallel existence of turbo-casino or monopoly capitalism and the commodification of the gospel among the Nigerian Neo-Pentecostals in recent times may be beyond rumour. The alleged accompanying socio-moral and socio-economic damages may have put about forty million Nigerian Pentecostal Christians in a high risk of manipulation, extortion, and exploitation. Logically, it makes no sense for the government, ecumenical bodies, and other stakeholders to address the issues except the claims against the pulpit entrepreneurs and capitalists are scholarly validated. With this background, it is the purpose of this research to investigate the existence of socio-moral abnormalities, the causes, and effects among the Nigerian Neo-Pentecostals. Under the lens of African moral philosophies namely Philosophical Consciencism, Ujamaa, and Ubuntu, this thesis focuses on three (3) churches which represent the Classical, Contemporary, and Paradigm Neo-Pentecostalism, respectively. They are the Lifaworld Church (LFC), Paholag Church (PHC), and Daystar Christian Centre (DCC). The research used literature, media, and fourteen (14) relevant and available interviewees to gather information on these churches. The outcome revealed that unaccountability, fraudulent fundraising styles, sales of miracles and healings, personalisation of the churches as family businesses, nepotism, tribalism, staff and associates’ exploitation, corruption via a pastoral elitist alliance with the political class, abuse of spiritual authority, and poor corporate social responsibility, all exist in the LFC, PHC and possibly the Neo-Pentecostals in general. Using their style of leadership, lifestyle, cultural and western influence, and prosperity theology, the LFC and PHC leaders were categorized as agents of turbo-monopoly capitalisms, while the paradigm church DCC was categorized under the responsible capitalism. Thus, this research upheld that not all Neo-Pentecostals are agencies of turbo-monopoly capitalism and that the paradigm Neo-Pentecostal practices should be emulated and improved upon by most Neo- Pentecostal churches in Nigeria. Alongside many recommendations, the ultimate submission of this research is that the causes of Pentecostal capitalism, ranging from greed to selfishness are founded on ‘lack of love’ towards the sheep; as 1Corinthians 13:13 sustained where there is love, turbo and monopoly capitalisms which validate abnormal socio-moral activities among Nigerian Neo-Pentecostal pastors can be eradicated.