Consumerist Prosperity Churches and Communality in Africa: An Eco-Social and Theological Evaluation of the Relationships
Using review of secondary literature, I examine the inordinate materialist orientations and attitudes of consumerist prosperity churches in Africa and their consequences for communality – the ethos that seeks to safeguard social and environmental relationships. Following an examination of the consum...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2023
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| In: |
Exchange
Year: 2023, Volume: 52, Issue: 4, Pages: 281-313 |
| IxTheo Classification: | FD Contextual theology KBN Sub-Saharan Africa NCC Social ethics NCE Business ethics ZB Sociology |
| Further subjects: | B
Social relationships
B Consumerism B materialist orientation B consumerist prosperity churches B Environmental Sustainability B communality B African societies |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Using review of secondary literature, I examine the inordinate materialist orientations and attitudes of consumerist prosperity churches in Africa and their consequences for communality – the ethos that seeks to safeguard social and environmental relationships. Following an examination of the consumerist orientation of these churches within the framework of communality, I argue that these churches are inconsistent with communality in African societies, considering the potential social and environmental costs of this orientation. I also argue that, by being inconsistent with communality, these churches cannot be described as reflecting the holistic salvation vision of indigenous African worldviews and/or responding to the contexts, desires and needs of many African societies and, therefore, are contextually theologically problematic. I conclude that for a contextually and theologically defensible prosperity preaching by consumerist prosperity churches, communality in African societies will have to feature in its thinking and articulation. |
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| ISSN: | 1572-543X |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Exchange
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/1572543x-bja10049 |
