The Role of Prophecy in the Growth and Expansion of the Synagogue Church of All Nations

Amanze, James N.

doi:10.7833/112-0-91

Cited by 5 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…For Droz and Gez (2015), gift exchanges, offering, and tithing are a form of ritualized bonding between believers and God. The critical point here is that quest for wealth-oriented mystical manipulation, which is a reflection of TASS, is a specific aspect of multiple strands of African Christianity in contemporary Nigerian society (Amanze 2013;Magezi and Magezi 2017). One may say that culture is an interwoven set of beliefs and practices that define people's way of life.…”

Section: The Gospel Of Prosperitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unlike DNA, culture is not innate or embedded in the chromosomes, but like DNA, it is a reflection of ancestral faces 19 . African Christianity is not immune to local epistemologies of wealth acquisition (Amanze 2013). For Kangwa (2016), African churches, including Nigerian churches, embody a culture of continuity by reproducing an identifiable character and regaining a pneumatic and charismatic religiosity that existed in traditional African society with their prophetic energy.…”

Section: The Gospel Of Prosperitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Where Is the Money? The Intersectionality of the Spirit World and the Acquisition of Wealth

Lazarus

2019

Religions

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This article is a theoretical treatment of the ways in which local worldviews on wealth acquisition give rise to contemporary manifestations of spirituality in cyberspace. It unpacks spiritual (occult) economies and wealth generation through a historical perspective. The article ‘devil advocates’ the ‘sainthood’ of claimed law-abiding citizens, by highlighting that the line dividing them and the Nigerian cybercriminals (Yahoo-Boys) is blurred with regards to the use of magical means for material ends. By doing so, the article also illustrates that the intersectionality of the spirit world and the acquisition of wealth (crime or otherwise) is connected with local epistemologies and worldviews, and its contemporaneity has social security benefits. Therefore, the view that the contemporary manifestations of spirituality in cyberspace signify a ‘new-danger’ and an ever-increasing outrage in Nigerian society is misplaced. I conclude that if people believe all aspects of life are reflective of the spiritual world and determined by it, the spiritual realm, by implication, is the base of society, upon which sits the superstructure comprised of all aspects of life, especially wealth. Inferentially, this conceptual position that the spirit world is the base of society is an inversion of Orthodox Marxist’s theory of economic determinism.

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Section: The Gospel Of Prosperitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Gospel Of Prosperitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Where Is the Money? The Intersectionality of the Spirit World and the Acquisition of Wealth

Lazarus

2019

Religions

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The rapid growth of Christianity in Africa is well documented (Togarasei, 2015; Amanze, 2013; Kalu, 2008). As Amanze (2013:1) notes, much of the growth is taking place in African Initiated Churches (AICs) and Pentecostal-charismatic Churches. While recent studies about African Christianity focus much on the last three decades (Amanze, 2013; Sanneh, 2008; Jenkins, 2007), AICs in Sub-Saharan Africa started to make an impact in the 1950s.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As Amanze (2013:1) notes, much of the growth is taking place in African Initiated Churches (AICs) and Pentecostal-charismatic Churches. While recent studies about African Christianity focus much on the last three decades (Amanze, 2013; Sanneh, 2008; Jenkins, 2007), AICs in Sub-Saharan Africa started to make an impact in the 1950s. A good example of an African Initiated Church in sub-Saharan Africa that has grown rapidly is the Lumpa Church which was founded by Alice Lenshina in 1955 in Zambia (Anderson, 2001:136).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prophecy, Divination and Gender Justice in the Lumpa Church in Zambia

Kangwa¹

2018

Feminist Theology

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This article examines the role of Prophecy and divination in the success of the Lumpa Church of Alice Mulenga Lenshina in Zambia. Concurring with James Amanze (2013), the article argues that the rapid growth of Christianity in Africa is to a large extent due to its engagement with prophecy and divination. Strong growth in African Christianity takes place mainly in the African Initiated Churches (AICs) which are Pentecostal-charismatic in their outlook. In these Churches the emphasis is on the prophetic ministry of the Church, evident in the performance of divination, healing and in predictions of the future. A good example is the Lumpa Church of Lenshina. Taking this Church as a case study, the article argues that Lenshina’s success and that of her Church are based on the fact that divination, prophecy and a search for gender justice were taken seriously.

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Problematizing Confession and Forgiveness in Prophetic Pentecostal Christianity: A Case Study of Rabboni Centre Ministries

Frahm-Arp

2024

J. Study Relig.

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During COVID lockdown the practice of confession was one of the aspects of the services at Rabboni Centre Ministries, a Prophetic Pentecostal Church, which changed significantly. People had to write their confessions and e-mail them to the church. These were then read out in the middle of various weekday services by a pastor who assured people that the Prophet and God forgave them. The Prophet and founder, Lesego Daniel proclaimed in January 2022 that people can only be set free through this public form of confession, thus making confession far more important in the church than it has ever been. Using discourse analysis this article examines the theological understanding of confessions expressed by followers in early 2023 and finds that they believed that their forgiveness was primarily dependent on the grace of the Prophet. Only some people believed that forgiveness from God was also necessary. Jesus Christ was not mentioned in any of the confessions and was not understood as the one who saves believers from sin and God's judgment. Confession and forgiveness were understood to be the central mechanism that allowed people to be restored to the Rabboni community and the Prophet. Using Bourdieu's notions of habitus, dispositions, and symbolic violence as a theoretical lens, this article argues that the church has established its own habitus in which the symbolic violence of dependence on the Prophet for forgiveness is understood as part of the disposition and power dynamics within the habitus of the church. By using this theoretical lens, the article aims to answer the question why believers conform to the teaching of the Prophet which makes them so dependent on him.

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The Role of Prophecy in the Growth and Expansion of the Synagogue Church of All Nations

Cited by 5 publications

References 2 publications

Where Is the Money? The Intersectionality of the Spirit World and the Acquisition of Wealth

Where Is the Money? The Intersectionality of the Spirit World and the Acquisition of Wealth

Prophecy, Divination and Gender Justice in the Lumpa Church in Zambia

Problematizing Confession and Forgiveness in Prophetic Pentecostal Christianity: A Case Study of Rabboni Centre Ministries

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