I do not know another book on Pentecostalism quite like this one. The author is a Nigerian theologian, ethicist and philosopher now working at Boston University, who has an MBA in accounting and a degree in economics. He is also a Pentecostal minister, and his wide, multidisciplinary experience is evident throughout this study. In his preface he sets out his aims and promises ‘a sophisticated theoretical account of the creativity, diversity, resilience, and vibrancy of Nigerian Pentecostalism in its homeland and in the United States’. Nigerian Pentecostalism is one of the most numerous forms worldwide. Wariboko states that Nigerian Pentecostalism is on an ‘epistemological quest’ and ‘under the pressures of the spell of the invisible’ (p. xiii). This is an interdisciplinary and ambitious approach to the central organizing theme on which his methodology is based: ‘the religious quest for the invisible’ (p. xiv). So it is a highly philosophical book from the start. Social scientists and historians may find this frustrating. Wariboko dialogues with different Western philosophers and scholars of religion to claim that a ‘religious’ approach is missing from studies on Pentecostalism. One question that intrigues scholars of Pentecostalism is the extent to which it is discontinuous (a radical break with the past) or continuous (a ‘bridge back to the past’, in Bengt Sundkler's words) with the religious milieu in which it is found. Wariboko, like several recent scholars, describes the ability of Nigerian Pentecostals of ‘simultaneously being inside and outside African traditional religions’ (p. 5), representing ‘both continuity and rupture in the same Nigerian religious landscape’ (p. 26). This inside/outside tension remains a theme throughout the volume.
The book is divided into two parts. The first, ‘Origins and spirituality of Nigerian Pentecostalism’, contains the first five chapters and offers to develop the historical narratives of Nigerian Pentecostalism with a view to sketching the contours of its religious quest. In keeping with the overall emphasis of the study, this is a philosophical rather than a historical reading of the narratives, and the historical material is sketchy. In fairness to Wariboko, the history has been adequately covered by several earlier studies, including those of Kalu, Ojo, Ukah, Burgess and Peel, who are frequently referred to here. The first chapter places contemporary Pentecostalism within the context of the earlier Aladura movement in Nigeria, but maintains correctly that there were many different influences, illustrated in the stories of some of its prominent leaders. The book generally focuses on what are probably the three most prominent Nigerian megachurches and their leaders: the Redeemed Christian Church (Enoch Adeboye), Deeper Life (William Kumuyi) and Winners’ Chapel (David Oyedepo). Adeboye, the leader of the largest Nigerian Pentecostal denomination, gets the most mentions. Five causes of the rapid growth of these forms of Nigerian Pentecostalism since the 1970s are outlined: the ‘providential outflow of the Holy Spirit’ (what historians might call a ‘providential’ view of history); the creation of house fellowships in urban areas (what in earlier studies was ‘a place to feel at home’); the constant internal divisions of identity (Pentecostalism's schisms and exclusive claims); a ‘redemptive vision of moral leadership’ (p. 34) in the face of a corrupt state; and the core message of spiritual power. The following four chapters describe in cumulative episodes what Nigerian Pentecostal spirituality is. Here, the emic view of the author is paramount, at times so strongly expressed that the tone is apologetic.
The second part of the book, ‘Ethical vision of Nigerian Pentecostal spirituality’, consists of six chapters and explores how the ‘ethical vision’ of Pentecostalism contributes to society and politics. Wariboko claims that Pentecostalism closes the space between the thing-in-itself, the experience of the noumenal, and phenomenal knowledge. He states that ‘the mundane becomes miraculous; the ordinary becomes magical and extraordinary; everything, every event is receptive to divine interpellation’ (p. 263). This philosophical concept might be the strength of this book, for the application of ethical and philosophical theory to Pentecostalism has never been attempted quite like this, and certainly with nowhere near the detail and sophistication that Wariboko manages to achieve. The theory here is that Pentecostal spirituality throws light on Nigerian society as a whole. Wariboko roundly rejects political or functional analyses, and in Chapter 7 he takes issue with the political scientist Ruth Marshall in particular, with a discussion on how Pentecostals institute sovereignty over community life. Whereas Marshall is doubtful of Pentecostalism's ability to transform Nigerian society, Wariboko is ever optimistic. He maintains that Nigerian Pentecostalism must primarily be understood from its religious and philosophical basis, and only then can Nigerian society be properly explained, and not the other way around. This bold claim that the person with an experience is not at the mercy of one with an argument, coming as it does from an articulate and Nigerian Pentecostal, needs further critique. It may be too idealistic and other-worldly. But his vibrant study certainly gives scholars a new field for investigation and this book will blaze a trail for years to come.
