THE NIGERIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY
ISSN: 0331-4111
Volume 5, No. 1, 2007
DOI: 10.36108/NJSA/7002/50(0110)
Pentecostal Prosperity and the Political Economy of Contemporary Nigeria
Sam Krinsky
Fulbright Scholar, Department of Sociology, University of Ibadan
Abstract
This paper attempts to unravel the various strands of the prosperity gospel, the belief that personal material abundance should necessarily accompany Christian righteousness, as preached and practised in Nigeria. It offers explanation for the popularity of the prosperity gospel by examining ways in which it both reflects and critiques some of the most pressing moral and ideological contradictions confronting many Nigerians. The data are collected in the city of Ibadan through interviews of key informants, informal conversations with pastors and lay adherents, observation of
Pentecostal services, and review of published audio, video and written material.