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.
