Theory of Social Involvement A Case Study in the Anthropology of Religion, State, and Society

by Aigbe, Sunday A.

• ISBN13: 9780819188731
• ISBN10: 0819188735
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1993-01-29
• Publisher: UPA

Summary

Sunday A. Aigbe's case study examines the dynamic interplay between church, state and society. The author considers the Christian factor as it relates to the socio-political responsibility and development in Nigeria. The study assesses the role of the church and develops from the Bible ways in which the pentecostal churches can promote unity within Nigeria. Contents: The Assemblies of God in Nigeria: Spirituality and Socio-Political Realities; The Prophetic Movement and the Nation of Israel in the Old Testament; The Prophetic Dimension and the Wholistic Church in the New Testament; Socio-Political Problems Facing Nigeria: 1960 to the Present; A Cultural Analysis of the Problem Areas in the Nigerian Democracy; The Church's Prophetic Role in Nigeria; Agenda for the Future.

Table of Contents

The Assemblies of God in Nigeria: Spirituality and Socio-Political Realities	p. 1
The Context	p. 1
The Socio-political and Religious Context, 1500-1900	p. 1
The New Era, 1900-1930s	p. 11
A Brief History the Assemblies of God in Nigeria 1930-1988	p. 12
Origins With the Faith Tabernacle	p. 12
The Pentecostal Experience	p. 14
Factors of Growth and Expansion	p. 17
The Theology of the Assemblies of God	p. 21
The 18th and 19th Century Roots	p. 22
The Tenets of Faith and Theology	p. 23
An Assessment of the Assemblies of God in Nigeria	p. 24
The Concept of Three Dimensions of Church Being	p. 25
Functional Mobility Strategy	p. 27
The Underdeveloped Dimensions	p. 30
The Inconclusive Debates	p. 30
Social Responsibilities	p. 33
The Political Concerns	p. 35
The Prophetic Movement and the Nation of Israel in the Old Testament	p. 41
Israel and the Rise of the Prophets	p. 41
Preliminary Considerations	p. 41
Prophetic Nomenclature	p. 44
A Wholistic View of the Three Institutions	p. 48
The Message of the Prophets	p. 53
The Prophetic Range of Tolerance	p. 53
The Contents of Their Message: Faith, Justice, Service	p. 53
Prophetic Contextualization	p. 58
The Strategies of the Prophets	p. 62
The Vocal Approach	p. 64
The Audio-Visual Approach	p. 65
The Audio-Parable Approach	p. 66
The Personalized Audio-Visual Life Drama	p. 67
The "Pen" Approach	p. 68
The Achievements of the Prophets	p. 69
Theory of Cognitive Dissonance: Prophetic Fulfillment and Failure	p. 70
The Suffering of Israel Versus Vox Populi	p. 74
The Survival of Israel and the World	p. 76
The Prophetic Dimension and the Wholistic Church in the New Testament	p. 81
The Revival of Prophets in the New Testament	p. 81
Old and New Testament Prophets Compared	p. 81
The Prophetic Voice of John the Baptist	p. 83
Jesus, the Prophet of God Par Excellence	p. 85
The Classification of the New Testament Prophets	p. 88
The First Order	p. 88
The Second Group	p. 89
The Third Group	p. 89
Prophetic Message of the New Testament	p. 90
The Gospel and the Concept of the Kingdom	p. 90
Church's Relationship to the Kingdom	p. 94
The Purpose of the Prophetic Gift/Ministry in the New Testament	p. 95
For Communicating the Divine Will	p. 98
For Realizing a Wholistic Ministry	p. 98
The Church and Wholistic Prophetic Ministry in the New Testament	p. 99
Church Defined and Described	p. 99
The Church Equipped: Fruit and Gifts of the Spirit	p. 99
Socio-Political Problems Facing Nigeria: 1960 to the Present	p. 109
Theoretical Framework	p. 109
Kuhn and the Concept of Paradigm Shift	p. 109
Wallace and the Theory of Revitalization	p. 110
Towards a Historico-Cultural Equation	p. 112
The Traditional Socio-Political Setting	p. 112
The Traditional Basic Socio-Political Assumptions	p. 113
The Hierarchical Model	p. 113
The Balancing and Dispensing of Power	p. 115
The Paradigm Shift in Modern Nigeria	p. 117
A Historical Sketch of the Nigerian Cycle of Stability and Instability Since Independence, 1960	p. 120
The First Republic and the Civil War (1960-1970)	p. 121
Gowon's Golden Era and its Decline/Recession	p. 127
The Second Republic, The Depression and Military Interventions	p. 131
A Cultural Analysis of the Problem Areas in the Nigerian Democracy	p. 141
The Created Vacuums in the Nigerian Democracy	p. 141
The Lack of "Referees"	p. 141
The Lack of Ethical-Moral Base	p. 146
Malformation in the Nigerian Democracy	p. 151
The Problem of Opposition Party Politics	p. 151
The Tribalization of Politics	p. 153
The "Legitimization" of Bribery and Corruption	p. 159
The Church's Prophetic Role in Nigeria	p. 167
Towards a Theology of Prophetic Mandate	p. 167
Contextualized Prophetic Theology of Mission	p. 167
Theology and Culture In Dialogue	p. 167
Evangelism, Social Program and Prophetic Mandate: A Problem of Prioritization	p. 171
Contextualized Functional Roles of a Church	p. 178
The Concept of the Separation of Church and State	p. 181
The Purpose of the Separation of Church and State	p. 184
Church's Contextualized Functional Roles	p. 191
Conclusion - Agenda for the Future	p. 195
Prophetic Evangelism I: Mission of the Church to the State	p. 195
Prophetic Voice: Faith, Morality and Justice	p. 196
Prophetic Unification: Cooperation and Participation	p. 203
Prophetic Evangelism II: Mission of the Church Within the State	p. 212
Prophetic Deeds: Promoting "Para-Churches"	p. 213
Personal Evangelism: Promoting Church Growth	p. 218
Appendix A	p. 227
Appendix B	p. 228
Appendix C	p. 229
Appendix D	p. 230
Appendix E	p. 231
Appendix F	p. 232
Appendix G	p. 233
List of Abbreviations	p. 235
List of Figures	p. 237
Bibliography	p. 239
Index	p. 263
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.