Special Issue on Institution Design for Conflict Resolution and Negotiation : Theory and Praxis (February 1-2, 2014, Nagoya, Japan)

The embeddedness of Pentecostal/Charismatic tenets within contemporary global frameworks of transnational power reveals the ability of religion to shape the sociocultural and spiritual experiences of people on the move from one place to another. For this reason, sociologists of religion and scholars of World Christianity have noted the rapid missionary expansion of African Pentecostal/Charismatic movements to the northern hemisphere. Some have even referred to the missionary work of non-western forms of Christianity in the western world as the ‘Southernisation of European Christianity’. But if the aggressive strategies adopted by African Pentecostal/Charismatic churches in the western diaspora are intended to reawaken Christianity in Europe, what then is the motivation for intra-African Pentecostal/Charismatic movements in traversing national boundaries, with their distinctive version of the Christian faith, making Africa a theatre in which Christian missionaries are both sent and received? This thesis examines the intra-African missionary praxis of a highly influential Nigerian Pentecostal/Charismatic church, the Winners’ Chapel, and its accompanying power dynamics in Cameroon from 1996 to 2016. Using a qualitative research approach, the study examines the character of transnational Pentecostal/Charismatic movements in Africa, using Winners’ Chapel in Cameroon as a case study. After an investigation of the emergence of the church, the study examines the various strategies used to achieve and maintain control of the mother church in Nigeria over its daughter church in Cameroon, such as the deployment of Nigerian missionaries, the use of Nigerian-defined Winners’ Chapel tenets in Cameroon, the place of sermons and testimonies, and the role of the media. The thesis studies the conflicts of loyalty and contestations that emerge between Nigerian Winners’ Chapel missionaries to Cameroon and their Cameroonian colleagues in Cameroon. It concludes with an assessment of how far Winners’ Chapel can be said to contribute to the provision of social capital and empowerment in Cameroon. The findings in this study provide a significant and original contribution to the understanding of how power dynamics can operate within complex relationships between transnational Pentecostal/Charismatic actors (missionaries), and their receiving countries colleagues in the continent of Africa. It also contributes to the literature on African Pentecostalism but offers fresh insights into the encounters, contestations, and resistance that emerge between ‘founder-owners’ and recruited workers of intra-African Pentecostal/Charismatic Movements. By appropriating international relations concepts such as Joseph Nye’s ideas of ‘soft power’ and concepts in the sociology of religion such as Peggy Levitt’s ‘remittances’, popularised by Afe Adogame, the study potentially unveils the nexus between international relations, the sociology of religion and development within Pentecostalist transnational discourses in Africa.

This thesis is an historical analytical investigation and theological analysis of the fundamental trends of the ‘Third Wave’ Religious Right Movement and the growth of Zimbabwean Christianity. In an attempt to understand the appealing and growth factors of this religious movement in the Zimbabwean Church scene, the research focuses on the trends and behaviour of the Third Wave Religious Right Movement in Zimbabwe and the critical aspect of how this religious movement communicates the Christian faith to its audience. A critical thrust of the study is the question of whether the disciples of the charismatic movement are motivated by faith or economic factors which may ultimately not be the authentic summons of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The research addresses fears and suspicions of many Christians who are caught up between faith and fear response to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by the New Religious Right Movements, particularly in Zimbabwe. The hypothetical statement of this work is that there seems to be a subtle reconstruction identity in the theology of the “Third Wave” Religious Right Movement as is clearly manifested through the maneuverings of Christians from the ‘traditional churches’ to these ‘newer charismatic churches in trends which reflect the changing religious geography and the face of African Christianity in general and Zimbabwean Christianity in particular. The research explores the nature, impact and significance of the post – modern ‘Third Wave’ Religious Right Movement in Zimbabwean society in particular. The identity and nature of the ‘Third Wave’ Religious Right Movement in its historical perspective discussed by means of identifying and analyzing the characteristics of this movement and its theological perspectives as well as discussing the factors that promote the growth of the movement in the context of Missio Dei (God’s Mission) and the society in general. Critical to this type of Christianity are the images of power and prosperity which are understood as signs of faith. The impact and effects of this type of faith expression in the socio-political landscape is fully explored. The primary methodology in this study is the historical critical method complimented by oral historiography. Both primary and secondary sources are utilized in this research in a holistic framework for analyzing the historical trends as they unfold in the context of religious declarations and transformations that are part of the phenomenon under investigation. The study observes the translation model of evangelization in the unfolding discourse of the ‘Third Wave’ Religious Right Movement. The study ultimately reveals how people’s economic fears and hopes in the midst of life’s challenges draw them toward religious movements which promise to positively promote a glorious life with practical results being realized “here and now”. This study has clearly exposed how religion, specifically charismatic Christianity, is seen as a package of an abundant life in the context of humanity’s needs and challenges. There is a clear obsession, in the charismatic New Religious Right Movement, with wealth and health as pedestals of salvation and a faithful Christian life. Surprisingly, there is very little reference to moral and ethical issues from the charismatic prophets who are the founders of these New Right Movements. The research notes that the interests of these newer right movements are in prosperity and health: “signs of being saved and blessed”. Lack of economic success is blamed on demons which also causes poor health hence the need to denounce the powers of Satan and engage on “the heavenly gear”. Such teachings have conditioned the prospective converts to seek after material benefits and values as critical aspects of the meaning of salvation and the mission of Christ. The study further reveals that the ‘Third Wave Religious Right Movement promotes a subtle way of making disciples instead of the traditional way of faith response to the gospel proclamation. But does this charismatic religious life have any relevance to our human situation today? The seven compelling chapters of this study have tackled this question and many others, pointing the way to an authentic Christian mission that is alive and relevant to the meaning of salvation in the context of orthodox Christianity. This study concludes that the Church is a catalyst which carries the keys of salvation to bring meaning and solutions to the varied human fears and failures that characterise the temporary nature of human existence. But in doing so; the Church must act in spirit of orthodox Christianity which is the sine qua non of salvation. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Church History and Church Policy / unrestricted