Abstract:
Poverty is one of Africa’s most intractable problems. Decades of deliberate and strategic socioeconomic policies have not yielded considerable concrete results to eradicate
it. Upon succeeding the brutal colonial administration, the burgeoning African governments promised their citizens material well-being through socioeconomic development. A half century later the continent is perpetually witnessing a blatant betrayal of
dreams. Just like the African governments that succeeded colonial governments, religious organizations continue to promise poverty eradication by divine means to their
adherents, whose numbers keep exploding across the continent. The Pentecostal variant of African Christianity is particularly renowned for its promises of wealth, health,
and prosperity through supernatural divine power: in the Bible, God has promised to
deliver immense material goods to those who believe in Jesus Christ. The expediency of
these promises to alleviate poverty and bring about social transformation is debatable.
Some scholars argue that African Pentecostalism is an elaborately complex increase
in religious activities devoid of social structural transformation, while others opine
that it contributes positively to development. In asking whether African Pentecostal
Christianity is a move toward or a distraction from development, this article broadly
explores discourses on Pentecostalism and development in Africa. Arguably, in the
endeavor to preach and live out the experiential power of the Holy Spirit, Pentecostal
Christianity in Africa inadvertently plays a role in the broader ongoing development
discourse. Although they do not view themselves as ‘religious’ or ‘religion’, Pentecostal
churches’ attempts to make the teachings of Jesus Christ relevant to the mundane help
individual believers cope with life’s stresses and vulnerabilities. However, it does not
transform the social conditions that create problems for individuals. The liberating
hope of African Pentecostal Christianity lies in theologically y nuancing its discourses to
meaningfully engage in global development discourses.
