Prosperity Gospel: A Historical Religious Phenomenology of Three Generations of Christian Experience among the Igbo in Africa

Abstract

For more than three decades, Africa has experienced a storm of Christian evangelism that transitioned from community service and human capital development to radical asceticism to irresponsible hunt for prosperity. So also every stage of this development, produced the kind of pastors and overseers compatible with its social consciousness. These stages of development were examined among the Igbo of eastern Nigeria. Arguably, those of Gen X were the last witnesses of the church of community service and human capital development, the millennials transitioned from the church of radical asceticism to the church of wishful prosperity, while the Gen Z experienced only the church of irresponsible hunt for prosperity. At this stage of development, the society is awash with pastors and overseers working for material gains and flaunting wealth as if that was the sole objective and aim of religion. On the other hand, their congregations are populated by people impoverished materially and morally whereas prosperity hopefuls gather everyday to inadvertently enrich the convener. The unintended consequence is that a breed is being raised who feel scammed by this because of unfulfilled promises and unrealized hope, seeing their pastors and overseers rise from height to height in material wellbeing and prosperity. In a period when economies of countries are transitioning from inflation to recession; from recession to depression, the auspicious moments enjoyed by those conveners are in full glare. Trickles of change into the potentiating hard work are dotting the space of religious consciousness and this silent reneging against the pastors of prosperity gospels is championed by the youth who are disillusioned by the affluent life style and open exploitation and manipulation of the faithful by same pastors and overseers. This essay engages with literatures and real experiences to foster ways of managing this new phase in the evolving Christian religion in Africa. The work sensitizes pastors and founders/conveners of religious groups/functions to brace up to the challenge of a new consciousness which if not well managed could precipitate into an anti-clericalism or aversion/lethargy to the Christian faith.