Africa
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From Discipline to Leverage: The Marketisation of Fasting and Prayer
This essay examines how fasting and prayer are increasingly instrumentalised inNigeria—politically and ecclesially—and argues for a recovery of asceticism as formation incompassion rather than a technique of leverage. Introduction In June 2025, reports emerged from Nigerian media indicating that the Nigerian Ministry of Agriculture issued a nationwide call for prayer and fasting to address the issue of famine within the country. This appeal for prayer and fasting provoked significant controversy, as numerous Nigerians utilised social media platforms to accuse the government of attempting to divert attention from its fiduciary responsibilities.[1] Critics contended that the government was neglecting critical issues such as inflation and the escalating poverty levels by promoting national…
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Cultural and Structural Barriers to Women’s Leadership in African Pentecostalism
IntroductionPentecostalism has emerged as one of the most vibrant and transformative religious trends in Africa, especially in Nigeria, where it has experienced explosive growth, redefining religious practices, social norms, and political participation.[1] As Pentecostal churches focus on spiritual empowerment, personal revelation, and charismatic authority, women are still faced with systemic limitations to leadership. Both cultural factors, involving patriarchal tradition, gendered expectations, and biblical literalism, and structural factors, including institutional structures, doctrinal limitations, and church hierarchies, are barriers to these.[2] The irony is that women are the largest group of Pentecostal followers and contribute significantly to expanding the church, yet they are not allowed to lead due to cultural views of…
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Lamentation of Dehumanisation: Theological Resistance and the Sacredness of the Accused Child
Atlanta, Georgia “If there’s somebody out there like that has him, I just wish they knew that somebody here loves him; that a whole lot of people love him. This whole community loves him and they want him back, too.” Camille Bell.[1] On the 21st of October 1979, nine-year-old Yusuf Bell ran an errand for an elderly neighbour at a nearby grocery store. He never returned home to his mother, who called out for him. His body was later found in an abandoned school building eighteen days later.[2] His cause of death was classified as a brutal hit on his head and strangulation. Yusuf was one of the thirty African-American…
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Mercy Under A Boundary: Toward A Spirituality Of Safeguarding In African Church Life
Introduction In March 2025, I was privileged to be one of the presenters at the Theology and Canon Law project (TCLP) Symposium in London under the theme — “Law & Religion in Times of Crisis, Challenges and Change.” As usual, my paper focused on the socio-religious injustice of witchcraft abuses and violence against societies’ most vulnerable, with the title — “Law, Religion, and Crisis: The Weaponisation of Witchcraft Accusations Against Older Women in Three African Countries.” That same day, I developed a new interest in the spirituality of safeguarding when I heard it from Dr Helen Costigane, one of the symposium’s keynote speakers. Her paper was titled “Law and religion:…
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Between True Hope and Empty Promises: Navigating Miraculous Claims in Pentecostal Leadership
Introduction “The language of hope and the ethos of amazement have been partly forfeited because they are an embarrassment. The language of hope and the ethos of amazement have been partly squelched because they are a threat.”[1] Walter Brueggermann’s above statement suggests today’s culture stifles expressions of hope and wonder, hindering growth and appreciation for life. His stance resonates with this essay, which explores the impact of false hope perpetuated by some Pentecostal pastors in Nigeria on pastoral practice and congregational life. This issue presents a significant ethical and existential dilemma within the movement. As Ebenezer Obadare illustrates in Pastoral Power, Clerical State, bereaved families often seek miraculous interventions from…
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Dancing in chains of traumatic suffering: a life-style in discipleship?
I reflect on the paradox of performing a discipleship ‘dance’ during ongoing suffering and trauma. The metaphor of the dance has been used extensively to describe the dynamic relationship between God and the disciples. It has been growing in popularity liturgically and academically over the past decade. Many studies reveal that dance therapy is promising for the alleviation of psychological trauma but is very dependent on the therapist, patients and their groups (Tomaszewski et al, 2023). However, most people I know in the UK dance exclusively during joyful and celebratory occasions. In pastoral ministry, I have recently realized that the very notion of Human-Divine ‘dance’ as a model of authentic…
