Over the centuries since colonial masters introduced the Western European form of Christianity to Africa, it has been embraced by Africans all over the continent.
Believers have been credited as champions for both education and social development in the colonies; ironically, the religion also paved the way for the liberation struggle. In recent times, the most popular denominations – Anglicanism, Methodism and Catholicism – have been dominated by a new form of Pentecostalism popularly known as Charismatic Christianity.
This form of Christianity, which dwells on the works of the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts and modern-day miracles, has seen a new wave of African followers and preachers who go the extra mile, you might say, displaying a quite shocking and disturbing twist to the Christian walk.
Since African Pentecostalism spread to South Africa in the early 1900s, the denomination spread throughout several other African countries including Ghana, Nigeria and Ivory Coast. The taste for the African version of Pentecostal Christianity grew in the 1970’s, when there was a massive spread of independent charismatic churches, especially in West Africa.
To date, Africa remains one of the continents with the highest numbers of Pentecostals as against any other continent on the world. In fact, according to the European Research Network on Global Pentecostalism, 3-4 million Ethiopians today claim to be Pentecostal – an estimation which could potentially quadruple should there be a headcount of the total African Pentecostal population.
While the charismatic movement in Africa has dramatically increased in terms of numbers, it has marginally diminished in terms of quality, and here is why.
Ignoring Abuse and Sexual Immorality
In societies that are often both matrilineal and patriarchal, African women have been the subject of rape and abuse time and time again. With women requested to submit to their husbands and men challenged to lead, some of the most disturbing cases of abuse are connected to the African Charismatic Church.
For example, on November 10, 2015, the Nigerian media reported that a 46-year-old pastor, Ifeanyi Bernard, had been arrested by the Nasarawa State Police command for raping a 13-year-old girl in Karu Local Government Area. According to police, the controversial pastor lured his victim into his house under the pretext of casting out demons from her. As soon as she was in his house, he allegedly pushed her on to his bed and raped her repeatedly.
“I had been into evangelism for some years now and I have been casting out demons from people who have spiritual and family problems before I met this young girl through her father, Mr. Martins Ijiwo. I have been a friend of the family for quite some time. I used my anointing oil to lure her into my room and all of a sudden, I was carried away and before I knew what was happening, I saw myself making love to her,” the pastor confessed before a group of reporters.
In 2011, Ghana’s Daily Graphic reported that a head pastor had been arrested for allegedly raping five sisters at Akyem Akiase in the Eastern Region. According to the reports the pastor committed the crime on the orders of “some celestial powers.”
Extreme Commands
Church leaders in Africa have been recorded in photos and videos wielding whips at church and as it were, caning the devil just as an angry teacher could flog his student, drinking bottles of olive oil or other forms of liquid for the assumed cure of diseases. Innocent persons been chained to trees and posts while others “pray the devil out of them.” Believers have been asked to eat grass or even swallow petrol as a test of their faith.
These acts may find cooperation in a society where failure is equated to the doing of the devil rather than the inefficiencies of a person’s own deeds. In Ghana, for instance, the average Christian does not believe as much in the call for repentance as they do in the works of Satan.
It is a well-known fact that Christianity has helped shape the face of civilization just like any other religion. It continues to support advancements in education, health care systems and social development, but the question still remains: how long can these cases of abuse and flaunting of wealth last and what toll will they take on the reputation of the faith, inside and outside the church?
This form of Christianity, which dwells on the works of the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts and modern-day miracles, has seen a new wave of African followers and preachers who go the extra mile, you might say, displaying a quite shocking and disturbing twist to the Christian walk.
Since African Pentecostalism spread to South Africa in the early 1900s, the denomination spread throughout several other African countries including Ghana, Nigeria and Ivory Coast. The taste for the African version of Pentecostal Christianity grew in the 1970’s, when there was a massive spread of independent charismatic churches, especially in West Africa.
To date, Africa remains one of the continents with the highest numbers of Pentecostals as against any other continent on the world. In fact, according to the European Research Network on Global Pentecostalism, 3-4 million Ethiopians today claim to be Pentecostal – an estimation which could potentially quadruple should there be a headcount of the total African Pentecostal population.
While the charismatic movement in Africa has dramatically increased in terms of numbers, it has marginally diminished in terms of quality, and here is why.
Ignoring Abuse and Sexual Immorality
In societies that are often both matrilineal and patriarchal, African women have been the subject of rape and abuse time and time again. With women requested to submit to their husbands and men challenged to lead, some of the most disturbing cases of abuse are connected to the African Charismatic Church.
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| African Pentecostalism: How Much Is Too Much? |
“I had been into evangelism for some years now and I have been casting out demons from people who have spiritual and family problems before I met this young girl through her father, Mr. Martins Ijiwo. I have been a friend of the family for quite some time. I used my anointing oil to lure her into my room and all of a sudden, I was carried away and before I knew what was happening, I saw myself making love to her,” the pastor confessed before a group of reporters.
In 2011, Ghana’s Daily Graphic reported that a head pastor had been arrested for allegedly raping five sisters at Akyem Akiase in the Eastern Region. According to the reports the pastor committed the crime on the orders of “some celestial powers.”
Extreme Commands
Church leaders in Africa have been recorded in photos and videos wielding whips at church and as it were, caning the devil just as an angry teacher could flog his student, drinking bottles of olive oil or other forms of liquid for the assumed cure of diseases. Innocent persons been chained to trees and posts while others “pray the devil out of them.” Believers have been asked to eat grass or even swallow petrol as a test of their faith.
These acts may find cooperation in a society where failure is equated to the doing of the devil rather than the inefficiencies of a person’s own deeds. In Ghana, for instance, the average Christian does not believe as much in the call for repentance as they do in the works of Satan.
It is a well-known fact that Christianity has helped shape the face of civilization just like any other religion. It continues to support advancements in education, health care systems and social development, but the question still remains: how long can these cases of abuse and flaunting of wealth last and what toll will they take on the reputation of the faith, inside and outside the church?
