Abuse, power and discourse in the public trial of Timothy Omotoso

Abstract

Exposure of gender-based violence (GBV) has recently received attention from both scholars and the public. However, GBV within Christian discourse, and specifically as it occurs among pastors of the new Prophetic Pentecostal Churches (PPC), is yet to be explored in detail. This article begins to address this research gap by highlighting the difficulty of proving sexual and spiritual abuse in a secular court of law, as shown in the public trial of Timothy Omotoso. The study uses critical discourse analysis (CDA) as the methodology to examine aspects of the trial and the social media discourse commenting on the trial. In doing so, the article highlights three different discourses surrounding the Zondi trial, namely the discourse of GBV in Pentecostalism; the secular legal discourse and how it reshapes faith, spirituality and the abuse of believers; and the public trial victims endure on social media if they chose to come forward to testify against a church leader. By examining these discourses, the study shows how each of these need to be taken seriously and should inform pastoral care given to victims who experienced GBV by Christian leaders. Using the findings from Zondi’s testimony, this article proposes a framework of pastoral care that can support people who experience GBV within a Christian context and consider bringing their abusers to trial.Interdisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article is an interface between GBV and Pentecostalism in a public trial of Timothy Omotoso through CDA. The article proposes a pastoral care as a remedy for those undergoing trauma of abuse.

Neo-Pentecostalism and gender-based violence before and during COVID-19 in South Africa

“…Without reinventing the wheel, Kgatle and Frahm-Arp (2022:2) stated that 'the figures on GBV in South Africa are terrible, over 53 293 sexual offences were reported to police between 2019 and 2020'. Lamentably, 'the latest police figures show that 10 818 rape cases were reported in the first quarter of 2022.…”

“…Their case is a classic illustration of the horrifying acts and crimes committed by neo-Pentecostal pastors in South Africa (Banda 2021b:4;Kgatle & Frahm-Arp 2022). Pastoral actions of this nature can function as a catalyst for men who are tempted to engage in similar behaviours.…”

Spiritual Fathering in Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity in Southern and Western Africa: Toward an Inclusive Model

“…Dube (2018, 6) states that "the practice conflicts with the roles of biological parents who may see their role and material benefits from their children hijacked by foxy 'spiritual parents.' " An extreme example was evident in the testimonies that came out during the Timothy Omotoso trial in which 20 to 30 girls were forced to leave their homes and families to stay with their "spiritual father" (Kgatle and Frahm-Arp 2022). In this case, spiritual fathering competed with biological fathering instead of complementing it.…”

War on women

“…The case of Pastor Timothy Omotoso demonstrated this, where he was accused of abusing his office as a pastor when counselling young girls and women. Kgatle and Frahm-Arp (2021:2) report how the case received wide public attention and illustrates how victims of GBV at the hands of church leaders face added challenges and need a particular kind of pastoral care and counselling. Kgatle and Frahm-Arp (2021:6) offer a framework of pastoral care to victims of sexual abuse by Christian leaders, assuring them that their abuse was not divinely inspired, is not biblical and is not acceptable.…”