How should we think of development within an ideological format in which individual subjects are abstracted from the constraints and necessities of social policy and the political structure? Using this question as a spark, this article critically deconstructs the Pentecostal prosperity gospel in Africa. Two overlapping arguments are advanced. One is that, in atomising the individual, Pentecostal prosperity gospel discounts power relations and the political, effectively dislocating the individual believer from the social matrix within which his (...) or her agency is forged. Secondly, it is suggested that this attitude towards both the individual and the state puts Pentecostalism firmly within the orbit of neoliberalism. This article leverages this affinity for an understanding of how neoliberal ideas and conceptions of wealth, accumulation and self-actualisation are embedded and reproduced in Pentecostalism. It concludes that, because, on the one hand, it has no lever – historical or philosophical – on which it might be grounded, and on the other hand, since it has developed no cogent political economy to speak of, prosperity gospel, nay Pentecostal spirituality, offers no realistic path out of the African economic crisis. (shrink)

The notion that Western ways are superior can be used to justify subsidising advocacy to the poor in Africa who might otherwise reject those ways out of ignorance. This ignores differences in culture that can trip up Western logic in Africa. When generosity is the reason to subsidise Western interventions, outside agents can be paid back in honour in ways not appropriate for Christians to accept. Perceived global inequalities used to convince donors to part with their money are impositions when (...) those inequalities are not realised by recipients. When something inherently good, like the gospel, is routinely subsidised, some African people only value it when it comes with money. This disenfranchises poor evangelists. In order to overcome missionary ignorance, promotion of the prosperity gospel, and corruption associated with excessive foreign subsidies, this article advocates that vulnerable mission, namely, foreign intervention using local languages and resources, be permitted. (shrink)

Poverty is a complex subject in traditional African cultures. It is the lack of provision to satisfy the basic human needs of the population. The prosperity gospel as part of Pentecostal Christianity, with origins in the United States of America, presents itself as a new model for poverty eradication. Pentecostal Christianity and the proliferation of Pentecostal churches in Africa, many of whom are adherents of prosperity theology over a period of more than three decades, have not translated (...) to a more prosperous continent, and sub-Saharan Africa is still notably one of the poorest regions of the world. Poverty is a concept with many dimensions that attempts to ascertain the varying degrees of deprivation experienced by populations, individually or collectively. However, certain subjective and sometimes arbitrary interpretations of biblical texts on prosperity as the basis for prosperity theology have encouraged capitalist impulses that often supplant the pursuit of spiritual advantages, leading instead to an increase in crimes including robbery, financial fraud, kidnapping, ritual killings and many other social vices. This article examines the different perspectives of the prosperity gospel, the biblical sources and interpretations used as well as its interpretation of poverty. It shows how prosperity theology, with its own interpretation of poverty, erodes the valuable indigenous resources available to fight poverty within African religious communities, which emphasise community, positive family attachments, social support networks, moral values and accountability, and it examines the implications this has for socio-economic development in Africa. Contribution: This article challenges the theology of prosperity that characterises Pentecostal Christianity and is pervasive in Africa. It contributes to the discourse on how the challenges of poverty require the more community-centred approaches that traditional African values offer as against the self-centredness and greed promoted by the prosperity theology. (shrink)

Theologians are split into two groups: those who embrace prosperity theology and those who oppose it; both sides on scriptural grounds. Those criticising it embrace cessationism in its diversity, while its supporters are mainly found among Pentecostals and Charismatics, who are continuationists. Continuationists believe and teach that all gifts of the Spirit are still available to the church today, therefore should be practised by the church just as they were operative during the apostolic era. Therefore, it is clear that (...) prosperity preachers are continuationists. They believe and practice healing and miracle gifts today. A review of the literature, biblical texts, historical teachings, and Pentecostal and Neo-Pentecostal (also referred to as charismatic and neo-charismatic) form the basis of this article. It addresses the positive features of prosperity teachers’ beliefs and methods as well as how they exploit the dreams, fears, and aspirations of people living in poverty. The theology of sharing, as articulated by Nicholas B.H. Bhengu, is proposed as a solution to creating parity between the rich and the poor.Contribution: This article seeks to balance opposing theological approaches with the prosperity gospel. It does this by introducing a theology of sharing as taught by Nicholas Bhengu based on the philosophy of Ubuntu, a way of life among African people. The challenge for theologians on both sides of the argument is finding a way to accommodate the other side’s contributions. (shrink)

A Sydney-based megachurch with global reach, well-known for its “prosperity gospel” of financial acquisition, has developed an additional strand: a detailed theology of consumption. The affinity between a theology of guilt-free—indeed, obligatory—consumption and late capitalism goes some way towards explaining the attraction this minority strand of Christianity holds for politicians, including those without personal religious commitments, in a secular electorate.

La traducción que al inglés hace el ilustre profesor norteamericano Harold Raley (cuya filosofía sigue a Ortega y a Marías) resulta excelente. El profesor Harold Cecil RALEY nació el año 1934 en el Estado de Alabama (USA), en cuya Universidad se doctoró en Lenguas y Literaturas Románicas, y quiso especializarse en la obra de José Ortega y Gasset. Casado y padre de varios hijos, ha sido catedrático de Lengua y Literatura españolas de la Universidad del Estado de Oklahoma desde 1964; (...) también catedrático y decano de Bellas Artes y Humanidades en la Houston Baptist University (nombrado por ella Distinguished Professor). Entre otros libros, es autor de los siguientes: "Ortega y Gasset, filósofo de la unidad europea" (Prólogo de Julián Marías. Revista de Occidente. Madrid, 1977; edición inglesa: "José Ortega y Gasset, the Philosopher of European Unity". The University of Alabama Press. USA, 1971); "La visión responsable. La filosofía de Julián Marías" (Prólogo de José Luis Pinillos. Espasa-Calpe. Madrid, 1977; edición inglesa: "Responsible Vision: The Philosophy of Julián Marías". The American Hispanist. Clear Creek, Indiana. USA, 1980); "Julián Marías. Una filosofía desde dentro" (Alianza Editorial. Madrid, 1997; edición inglesa: "A Watch over Mortality: the Philosophical Story of Julián Marías". The State University of New York Press. USA, 1997); "El espíritu de España" (Prólogo de Julián Marías. Alianza Editorial. Madrid, 2003; edición inglesa: "The Spirit of Spain". Halcyon Press. Houston. USA, 2002); "The Light of Eden. A Christian Worldview" (John M. Hardy Publishing. Houston. USA, 2008); "Language Oddities. Quirks and Curiosities of English and Other Languages" (Kingsle. Houston. USA, 2011); "Louisiana Rogue. The Life and Times of Pierre Prospère-Tourmoulin translated by Peter Tourmoulin" (Lamar University Press. Beaumont. USA, 2013); "The Unknown God: Mysteries of Deity, Time, Space, and Creation" (Charleston, SC, USA, 2011. También es autor de más de un centenar de estudios y artículos sobre temas filosóficos y literarios. Además ha traducido al inglés algunos de los libros de Julián Marías. (shrink)

There have been remarkable evolutions in the Nigerian gospel music industry for the past decades. These revolutions have led to the emergence and survival of various modern and controversial musical cultures/traditions, modes and performances including worldliness and paganism in the industry. In view of these relatively nefarious musical cultures, a good number of scholars and observers tend to arguably redefine and brand Christian communication in general and Nigerian gospel music in particular. It is in following this premise that (...) this paper examines the phenomenon of religiosity and worldliness in the Nigerian gospel music industry. Based on observations and secondary data, the paper argues that the Nigerian gospel music industry is just a vivid reflection of the country’s gloomy socio-religious landscape, characterized by the emergence/prevalence of fake ministers and various ubiquitous instrumentalities that perpetrate spiritual bareness in the country. Aspects of religiosity observed in some Nigerian gospel songs include controversial rhythms, imitations/adaptations of worldly songs, lyrical emphasis on prosperity at the detriment of spirituality/salvation, gospel artists being associated with sex scandals and occult practices. (shrink)

Resumen La figura femenina en el arte cinematográfico ha sido mostrada mediante arquetipos y cumpliendo distintas funciones. Nos proponemos en este estudio analizar los personajes femeninos por medio de la narrativa audiovisual en dos películas emblemáticas de la cinematografía de Hitchcock: Recuerda y Vértigo, en las que la mujer se contempla como empoderada, pero también sometida, llegando a una negación de su propia identidad. Consideramos que la forma del tratamiento de la mujer en el cine de dicha época radica en (...) la situación social de la misma, sufriendo un tratamiento discriminatorio, que es admitido por los personajes femeninos justificándolo en un enamoramiento, que anula la propia personalidad. Abstract The female figure in cinematographic art has been shown through archetypes and performing different functions. We propose in this study to analyze female characters through the audiovisual narrative in two emblematic films of Hitchcock’s cinematography: Spellbound and Vertigo, in which women are seen as empowered, but also subjected to a denial of their own identity. We consider that the treatment of women in the cinema of that time lies in the social situation of the same, suffering a discriminatory treatment, which is admitted by the female characters justifying it in a crush, which annuls the own personality. (shrink)

#ThisFlag movement was started by Pastor Evan Mawarire in April 2016 bemoaning the collapse of the Zimbabwean economy at the hands of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) government under President Robert Mugabe. Although it started off as accidental, it, however, galvanised disparate groups and enabled them to transform anger against the state from online media to the streets. #ThisFlag movement officially started on the 20th of April 2016, when Pastor Mawarire wearing the Zimbabwean flag posted a video to (...) his Facebook page decrying the state of the economy and what he felt was government’s neglect of its duties to serve the citizens of Zimbabwe. Although one government minister described Mawarire’s actions as a ‘pastor’s fart in the corridors of power’, the reaction by the state security agents points to the contrary. Street protests have been banned. This article interrogates the transformation of #ThisFlag movement from an online struggle to street protests that have turned violent. It also looks at other movements that are complementing #ThisFlag and how the state is responding to these protests both on the social media and on the ground. Evan Mawarire may be considered as an unusual voice from the ever mushrooming new church establishments. As such, it becomes a point of interest to find out what voice there is, which represents what is commonly viewed as mainline churches. Such a voice is identified as coming from Bishop Raymond Mpandasekwa of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chinhoyi who in one of his sermons delivered an acerbic attack on Mnangagwa’s government as a ‘blood thirsty’ government. The study explored the messages of Mawarire and Mpandasekwa using the socio-theological lenses as guided by Rawls’ theory of civil disobedience. Contribution: This study locates #ThisFlag activism in the context of toxic transformative politics in Zimbabwe. In addition, it contributes to our understanding of the relationship between religion and politics in an unstable political and economic setting. It calls for a re-thinking of the role of the church in Zimbabwean society and discusses the state’s response to those deemed to be not towing the line. It shows that while some religious organisations and groups are too keen to be co-opted by the regime, some have effectively resisted this and have become combative as they fight for people’s rights. Another important contribution is located in how these pastor-cum-activists have harnessed social media to amplify their voices and to reach huge audiences beyond the pulpit. The study is important because it contextualises the role of religion in the country’s contemporary politics, and this fits into the scope of the journal in that it is a multidisciplinary study of both religion and politics. (shrink)

Changing environment requires not just creativity, but disruptive creativity. The traditional planning paradigm within business organizations heavily relies on long- and short-term forecasting in order to predict the future and plan accordingly. However, a large share of business development is now characterized by rapid changes, inconsistency and unpredictability. Taking that into account a key task for managers is to explore and innovate in chaotic conditions, but how can owner–managers, business leaders and the employees respond to such rapid changes without the (...) appropriate skillset and educational background? This study calls for the modernization of enterprise education systems in order to provide students and graduates with tools relevant to the changing requirements of the business environment. We argue that such needed mastery of unconventional innovative thinking and acting “as if” rather have a lot in common with art education concepts and theatrical skills. Using videography as an example, we illustrate how advances in digital technology can help incorporate such theatrical concepts into enterprise education. As a contribution we provide insights and falsifiable propositions toward a renewal and revitalization of enterprise education pedagogy. (shrink)

The purpose of this study was to map the distribution of publications on plagiarism among higher educational institutions in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Studies reviewed were based on 171 plagiarism related publications within a decade (2012–2022). Findings revealed that most plagiarism related articles were published in 2016. Additionally, a majority of the studies (53) were from Nigeria and Ghana (23). Most of the articles focused on students’ and faculty’s awareness of plagiarism, and institutional prevention of plagiarism, but were rather marginal on (...) challenges involved in preventing plagiarism, as well as effects of plagiarism. Dominant forms of plagiarism were self-plagiarism, branded plagiarism and commission plagiarism. However, major causes of plagiarism comprised easy access to digital information and resources; poor supervision of students; pressure on academics to publish for promotion; and insufficient skills development regarding ethical academic writing. Additionally, plagiarism preventive software and policies on plagiarism were the main ways of preventing plagiarism. Finally, in fighting plagiarism, higher educational institutions in SSA encountered challenges such as lack of well-trained academic experts to detect and report plagiarism cases; reluctance on the part of technical administrative staff to investigate works for traces of plagiarism; and low plagiarism detection skills from project supervisors. Based on the findings, recommendations are made to stakeholders for future research, policy and practice. (shrink)

Résumé Les moyens actuels de communication et d’information offrent la possibilité de créer un espace virtuel appelé à accueillir les efforts d’un dialogue véritable et sincère grâce auquel sans exclusive aucune, les philosophes qu’ils soient africains ou d’origine africaine travaillent à ce pourquoi ils ont été formés et qui n’est autre que de penser librement en respectant la liberté de ses interlocuteurs tout en recherchant non seulement la philosophia africana mais en même temps la philosophie africaine.

Résumé Les moyens actuels de communication et d’information offrent la possibilité de créer un espace virtuel appelé à accueillir les efforts d’un dialogue véritable et sincère grâce auquel sans exclusive aucune, les philosophes qu’ils soient africains ou d’origine africaine travaillent à ce pourquoi ils ont été formés et qui n’est autre que de penser librement en respectant la liberté de ses interlocuteurs tout en recherchant non seulement la philosophia africana mais en même temps la philosophie africaine.

L'auteur veut mettre son ouvrage à la disposition de tous les penseurs africains et non pas seulement des philosophes. C'est en ces termes qu'il justifie la publication d'un texte par lequel il contribue à ce qu'ils sont de plus en plus nombreux à appeler «la problématique de la philosophie en Afrique». Et l'originalité, c'est précisément d'avoir opté pour la «phénoménologie» d'une question, au moment même où l'on pourrait croire soit qu'une réponse en a déjà été donnée, soit qu'il est plus (...) urgent d'y répondre. Mais ce que l'on croit perdre d'une main - la philosophie - on le récupère amplement de l'autre! Car, une fois le «questionneur» supposé de bonne foi, ou tout au moins de bonne volonté, le «questionné», lui, est un philosophe africain de formation européenne occidentale dont les attitudes possibles, face à la question posée, servent d'armature à toute la phénoménologie, et, à qui l'auteur suggère de consentir à n'être peut-être qu'un «penseur africain», mais de veiller à l'être pleinement. (shrink)