Pentecostals and politics in Ghana’s Fourth Republic: From enclave to engagement

<p>Using a case study of six Pentecostal ministries, spanning four strands of Pentecostalism in Ghana, this study examines Pentecostals’ engagement with politics during the Fourth Republican era of Ghana’s political history (1993-present). The aim is to discern whether there is a new and distinctive Pentecostal political engagement different from that of Historic Mission Churches, and from its own past, and evaluate its significance. To address this, three practical areas of Pentecostal participation in politics are examined: (1) democracy; (2) political economy; and, (3) prophetic politics. The argument is that Pentecostals in Ghana have transitioned from an ‘enclave’ community to one of sustained political engagement. The study demonstrates that this transition entails both continuities and discontinuities in Pentecostal political engagement. The new elements that are highlighted are the development of a distinctive prophetic politics focussed on ‘divine prediction,’ which forecasts political happenings, and more active and unique ways of participating in Ghana’s democracy and economy that closely reference the democratic and national economic goals. The study evidences the academic value in widening studies on Pentecostal political engagement beyond prosperity teachings and enchanted world views to include Pentecostal practice, alongside Pentecostal theologies. The thesis contributes to advancing knowledge specifically in the areas of Pentecostals and politics, and Christianity and politics in Ghana, and West Africa more generally.</p>

Pentecostals and politics in Ghana’s Fourth Republic: From enclave to engagement

<p>Using a case study of six Pentecostal ministries, spanning four strands of Pentecostalism in Ghana, this study examines Pentecostals’ engagement with politics during the Fourth Republican era of Ghana’s political history (1993-present). The aim is to discern whether there is a new and distinctive Pentecostal political engagement different from that of Historic Mission Churches, and from its own past, and evaluate its significance. To address this, three practical areas of Pentecostal participation in politics are examined: (1) democracy; (2) political economy; and, (3) prophetic politics. The argument is that Pentecostals in Ghana have transitioned from an ‘enclave’ community to one of sustained political engagement. The study demonstrates that this transition entails both continuities and discontinuities in Pentecostal political engagement. The new elements that are highlighted are the development of a distinctive prophetic politics focussed on ‘divine prediction,’ which forecasts political happenings, and more active and unique ways of participating in Ghana’s democracy and economy that closely reference the democratic and national economic goals. The study evidences the academic value in widening studies on Pentecostal political engagement beyond prosperity teachings and enchanted world views to include Pentecostal practice, alongside Pentecostal theologies. The thesis contributes to advancing knowledge specifically in the areas of Pentecostals and politics, and Christianity and politics in Ghana, and West Africa more generally.</p>

The Orientation of Jesuit Churches in the Chiquitos Missions of Eastern Bolivia

The Jesuit missions in South America were an important factor in the evangelisation of the continent during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. However, although the history and cultural aspects of the distinctive settlements that the missionaries created for indigenous peoples have been examined extensively, studies that address issues relating to archaeoastronomy have only recently begun to appear, primarily in relation to the orientation of churches built for Guaraní peoples in the Jesuit Province of Paraquaria (Province of Paraguay). The current paper continues and complements these studies of the region with the first archaeoastronomical study of the nearby Jesuit missions of Chiquitos in eastern Bolivia, focusing on measurements taken at the ten mission churches, interpreted within the context of the surrounding landscape and the characteristics of the villages where the churches are located. Our results show that in contrast to the churches of the Province of Paraquaria, where north–south meridian orientations predominate, half of the studied Chiquitan Jesuit churches show potential canonical orientations that seem to be aligned to solar phenomena, with three exhibiting precise equinoctial orientation. In this paper I propose reasons for these orientations, including the possible relevance of illumination effects on significant internal elements within the churches – effects that were generally sought in Baroque church architecture.

The Migration of Christian Youth to Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches in Ghana: Implications for Mission Work

Recently, it appears the centre of gravity of Christian youth worldwide has shifted from the traditional or historic mission churches to Pentecostal, Neo-Pentecostal and Charismatic churches. This global phenomenon is also seen in a migration among Ghanaian Christian youth from mission or mainline churches to Pentecostal and Charismatic churches. What accounts for their migration and what could be done to prevent such mass movement? This paper argues that there are many factors that may determine the migration rate of the youth from historic mission churches. Interviews and literature study were the approaches employed for gathering of data. The paper draws attention to the fact that retaining the Ghanaian Christian youth in mission churches has become a major concern in a pluralistic church environment in Ghana. Key Words: Migration, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Historic Mission Churches, Youth

The East African Revival (1930–2000)

The focus of this chapter is on the East African Revival, one of the most powerful and enduring African conversionary movements of the twentieth century. From the mid-1940s through the late 1970s, the revival expanded well beyond East Africa as teams of missionaries and African leaders carried the message to an international audience, from Brazil to the Far East. The revival represented a recovery of the indigenous structure of the Church. As the revival spread under African impetus and leadership, it creatively melded with African tradition. Under lay, independent initiative within the mission churches, the Balokole (“saved ones”) formed communities of prayer and fellowship that emphasized repentance, public confession, testimony, and restitution. The revival broke down tribal and political barriers and provided new opportunities for women. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the revival in relation to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

Reformed, Reunited, Remixed: How URCSA's Christian Youth Ministry has Reimagined Missional Ecclesiology in Southern Africa since 1994

On our continent various former mission churches, like the Uniting Reformed Christian Church in Southern Africa (URCSA), struggle with the quest of becoming an African church. In this article I tell the story of how the Christian Youth Ministry (CYM), through its self-identification, has reimagined “church” within its own structures, especially since 1994 when URCSA united. I relate this to the quest for a missional ecclesiology in southern Africa. The article shows how the CYM self-identifies as a uniting movement, as the voice of youth, as a congress movement, but also as a networked space for diverse identifications. URCSA, but also other churches on our continent, are challenged with this re-imagination towards remixing an alternative future.

Conclusion

The networks connecting American missionaries, Syrian Protestants and other residents of Ottoman Syria expanded in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as mission churches and institutions multiplied, as the American Mission Press advanced the Arab renaissance, and as Syrian Protestants engaged their own society through ...