Ellacuría, and Pope Francis, J. Matthew Ashley

9780268203146 Pub Date: 9/15/2022 $35.00 Discount Code: x Paperback 182 Pages Religion / Christianity Series: Contending Modernities 9 in H | 6 in W University of Notre Dame Press Fall 2022 Catalog

Pastoral Power, Clerical State

Pentecostalism, Gender, and Sexuality in Nigeria

Ebenezer Obadare Jacob K. Olupona d

Ebenezer Obadare examines the overriding impact of Nigerian Pentecostal pastors on their churches, and how they have shaped the dynamics of statesociety relations during the Fourth Republic.

Pentecostal pastors enjoy an unprecedented authority in contemporary Nigerian society, exerting significant influence on politics, public policy, popular culture, and the moral imagination. In Pastoral Power, Clerical State, Ebenezer Obadare investigates the social origins of clerical authority in modern-day Nigeria with an eye to parallel developments and patterns within the broader African society. Obadare focuses on the figure of the pastor as a bearer of political powers, thaumaturgical expertise, and sexual attractiveness who wields significant influence on his church members. This study provides an important contribution to the literature on global Pentecostalism. Obadare situates the figure of the pastor within the wider context of national politics and culture and as a beneficiary of the dislocations of the postcolonial society in Africa’s most populous country. Obadare calls our attention to the creative ways in which Nigeria’s Pentecostal pastors utilize religious doctrines, beckon spiritual forces, and manipulate their alliances with national powerbrokers to consolidate their influence and power. In contrast to rapidly eroding pastoral authority in the West, pastoral authority is increasing in Nigeria. This engaging book will appeal to those who want to understand the far-reaching political and social implications of religious movements—especially Christian charismatic and evangelical movements—in contemporary African societies. It will be of interest to scholars and students of sociology, religion, political science, and African studies.

Contributor Bio

Ebenezer Obadare is Douglas Dillon Senior Fellow for Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and a fellow at the University of South Africa’s Research Institute for Theology and Religion. Before joining CFR, he was professor of sociology at the University of Kansas, Lawrence. He is the author of Pentecostal Republic: Religion and the Struggle for State Power in Nigeria. Jacob K. Olupona is rofessor of African eligious raditions at Harvard Divinity School and rofessor of African and African American tudies at Harvard University.

Quotes

“Pastoral Power, Clerical State is an unrelenting display of scholarly excellence, rigorous analysis, and fluid precise prose. It not only advances our understanding of Pentecostal pastoral power and authority but also makes significant contributions to the study of rule and legitimacy in twenty-first-century African societies.” —Nimi Wariboko, author of The Pentecostal Hypothesis