The Fate of Prosperity Gospel in Kenya

  • Bernard Alwala Rongo University
Keywords: Gospel, Fate, Kenya, Prosperity, Neo-Pentecostalism
Share Article:

Abstract

The prosperity gospel Pentecostalism is relatively new on the religious landscape which is swiftly expanding at breath-taking speed and now is a force to be reckoned with in Kenya. It has a greater chance of outliving the 21st century in view of the fact that it is widely and readily being accepted by all classes of people for its claim of physical and spiritual empowerment. The methodology adopted for this study was a phenomenological approach. The study uncovered that there are so many in favour of the expansion and consolidation of the prosperity gospel in Kenya. The paper affirmed the point that prosperity gospel in its entirety is not bad but what is needed is a change in the right focus of prosperity message. Even though there are aspects of negativism in prosperity preaching, the paper believes and concludes that God will eventually change the focus of prosperity message as preached by prosperity preachers to something more positive and rewarding for it to continue being relevant in Kenya.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Adeboye, O. (2006). Pentecostal challenges in Africa and Latin America: a comparative focus on Nigeria and Brazil. Afrika Zamani, 11(12), 2003-2004.

Asamoa-Gyadu, K. (2007). Born of Water & Spirit: Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity in Africa. Trenton New Jersey: Africa World Press.

Gifford, P. (2009). African Christianity and the Eclipse of the Afterlife. Studies in Church History, 45, 413-429.

Gifford, P. (2009). Christianity, Politics and Public Life in Kenya. London: Hurst & Company.

Harries, J. (2000). The magical Worldview in the African Church: What is going on?. Missiology, 28(4), 487-502.

Lin, T. T. (2015). Prosperity Gospel: There is Hope in Africa. Retrieved from http://iasc-culture.org/THR/channels/THR/tag/prosperity-gospel/.

Marshall, R. (1998). Pentecostalism in Southern Nigeria: An Overview. In Gifford, P., African Christianity: its public role (pp. 7-32). London: Hurst and Company.

McCain, D. (2000). The Church in Africa in the twenty-first century: characteristics, challenges and opportunities. Africa Journal of Evangelical Theology, 19(2), 105-130.

Ndegwa, A. (2007, September 4). Over 6 000 churches awaiting registration. The Standard Newspaper, Kenya.

Njiru, A. S. (2001). New Religious Movements in Africa. Nairobi: Paulines Publications Africa.

Ojo, M. A. (2013). Consonance and dissonance in the doctrinal emphasis of prosperity among Nigerian pentecostal. African Journal of Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies (AJPCS), 1(1), 9-22.

Pew Research Centre. (2010, August 5). Historical Overview of Pentecostalism in Kenya. Retrieved from Pew Research Centre at https://www.pewforum.org/2010/08/05/historical-overview-of-pentecostalism-in-kenya/.

Phiri, I., & Maxwell, J. (2007, July 11). A Cursed Generation of Pastors: Africa’s Rapid Embrace of the Rotten Prosperity Pentecostalism Provokes Concern. Christianity Today. https://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2009/07/cursed-generation-of-pastors-africas.html

Shorter, A. & Njiru, J. (2001). New Religious Movement. Nairobi: Pauline.

Sinitiere, P. L. (2013). Will the evangelical church remove the colour line? Historical reflections on divided by faith. Christian Scholar's Review, 43(1), 41.

Togarasei, L. (2005). Modern Pentecostalism as an urban phenomenon: The case of the Family of God Church in Zimbabwe. Exchange, 34(4), 349-375.Marshal, R. (1998). Pentecostalism in Southern Nigeria. London: Hurst & Company.

Wolf, L. (2006). Evangelical & Pentecostals: Indigenizing a Global Gospel. London: The Open University Press.

Wonsuk, M. (2005). "Doing Theology in the Philippines: A Case of Pentecostal Christianity. Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies, 215-233.

Published
14 May, 2020
How to Cite
Alwala, B. (2020). The Fate of Prosperity Gospel in Kenya. East African Journal of Traditions, Culture and Religion, 2(1), 13-22. https://doi.org/10.37284/eajtcr.2.1.141