A Heritage of Faith


Book Description

"This quite remarkable history of Christianity in Nigeria is not just the first overall treatment of its subject on a grand scale, but a providential Christian history of great narrative power." -- JOHN D. Y. PEEL (Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, University of London), author of Religious Encounter and the Making of the Yoruba




Religion and the Making of Nigeria


Book Description

In Religion and the Making of Nigeria, Olufemi Vaughan examines how Christian, Muslim, and indigenous religious structures have provided the essential social and ideological frameworks for the construction of contemporary Nigeria. Using a wealth of archival sources and extensive Africanist scholarship, Vaughan traces Nigeria’s social, religious, and political history from the early nineteenth century to the present. During the nineteenth century, the historic Sokoto Jihad in today’s northern Nigeria and the Christian missionary movement in what is now southwestern Nigeria provided the frameworks for ethno-religious divisions in colonial society. Following Nigeria’s independence from Britain in 1960, Christian-Muslim tensions became manifest in regional and religious conflicts over the expansion of sharia, in fierce competition among political elites for state power, and in the rise of Boko Haram. These tensions are not simply conflicts over religious beliefs, ethnicity, and regionalism; they represent structural imbalances founded on the religious divisions forged under colonial rule.




A History of the Church in Africa


Book Description

Bengt Sundkler's long-awaited book on African Christian churches will become the standard reference for the subject.




Africa Study Bible, NLT


Book Description

The Africa Study Bible brings together 350 contributors from over 50 countries, providing a unique African perspective. It's an all-in-one course in biblical content, theology, history, and culture, with special attention to the African context. Each feature was planned by African leaders to help readers grow strong in Jesus Christ by providing understanding and instruction on how to live a good and righteous life--Publisher.







Religion, History, and Politics in Nigeria


Book Description

Religion, History, and Politics in Nigeria is concerned with the problematic nature of religion and politics in Nigerian history. The book provides a lively and straightforward treatment of the relationship among religion, politics, and history in Nigeria, and how it affects public life today. By adopting various cultural, historical, political, and sociological perspectives, the text's contributors provide an excellent introduction to the volatile mix of religion and politics in Nigerian history, as well as a range of strategic choices open to religious adherents. The complexity of the relationship among religion, history, and politics is organized around four themes: indigenous values and the influence of Islam and Christianity, colonialism and religious transformation, the religious landscape of the post-colonial period, and the rise of evangelism and fundamentalism. The volume provides an insightful guide to contemporary history, contemporary religion, and contemporary politics, enabling the reader to reach informed and balanced judgments about the role in religion in Nigerian history and politics. This opens the door for serious examination and debate, and will be excellent for use by the general reader and in political science, history, and religion courses.




The History and Growth of Churches of Christ in Nigeria, 1948–2000


Book Description

Through God's providence, three cities, Lindwarmstrassee in Germany, Johanesburg in South Africa, and Ikot Usen, Ibiono, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, in that triangular connectedness, became pivotal in the establishment of the Churches of Christ Restoration Movement in Nigeria. A network of theologically trained young men, without affiliation with an established religious group, nor from a privileged aristocracy that could have funded the movement, sacrificially and painstakingly pioneered the establishment of church in many communities of Nigeria. The author earned his doctorate degree at Pepperdine University. Taught school, and served as a Counselor with the Los Angeles Unified School System for thirty years. He travelled extensively in forty states of the United States, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, extending to the Cameroons, Togo, Tanzania, Liberia, and Ethiopia. His observations and studies of school systems, a comparative knowledge of major religions and denominations, provided him with the tools, and most importantly, his first-hand knowledge of the teachings of the Church of Christ, in the production of this engaging work. He contends that evangelism should involve, the spiritual, emotional and physical growth pattern equivalent to Christ's. Scriptural correctness and adherence to it, should take precedence over human ingenious doctrinaire and practices. This is an excellent, historical document for curious seekers.










State Fragility, State Formation, and Human Security in Nigeria


Book Description

Since the 1990s, attempts at democratic transition have generated hopes for 'civil society' as well as ambivalence about the state. The interdisciplinary studies gathered here explore this dynamic through the complex interactions of state fragility, self-help, and self-organization in Nigeria. Nigeria stands as a particularly interesting case, as its multifaceted associational life extends far beyond civil society organizations (CSOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs): as this volume reveals, there is a 'third sector' of Nigerian society encompassing everything from community self-help programs to ethno-religious affiliations to militias. Some of these formations have narrow, pragmatic aims, while others have an explicit socio-cultural or political agenda; most can be understood as compensating for the state's failure to deliver services and maintain regulatory frameworks. By examining the emergence of broader forms of civil society, this volume considers their successes while also assessing their costs and contradictions.