Encoding Caesar’s Realm – Variants of Spiritual Warfare Politics in Africa

Bibliographic Data

ID23201710
AuthorsAndreas Heuser (0000-0003-2292-790X, corresponding author)
Year2015
Pages270-290
Publication date2015-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeCHAPTER
VenuePentecostalism in Africa (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherBrill (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1163/9789004281875_012
OpenAlexW1755583029
ISBN9789004281875
LanguageEN
Citations received8

This chapter presents an argument that leans on Yong's understanding of spiritual warfare as a political practice that aims at winning realm. The approach is to contextualize Pentecostal theologies and practices of spiritual warfare within specific political cultures. It provides a historical treatment of the Pentecostal entrance into the world of politics in Africa, an entrance that occurred alongside significant theological renewals. The chapter gives a description of public performances or enactments of spiritual warfare in three West African counties, Nigeria, Ghana and Ivory Coast, to exemplify recent Pentecostal positioning in African political landscapes. The chapter demonstrates that the Pentecostalization of politics was grounded in theologies and practices of spiritual warfare. At about the same time, Africa's so-called Second liberation opened up new spaces for popular political participation and for a growing Pentecostalization of public spheres. The new millennium has witnessed a variety of Pentecostal political participation. Keywords: Africa; Caesar's realm; Ivory Coast; Nigeria; spiritual warfare

Encoding (memory) · Environmental ethics · Political science · Politics · Realm · Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science · Law · Philosophy · Religion, Society, and Development

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