TB Joshua was a world-renowned Nigerian televangelist, healer and Pentecostal pastor who founded the Synagogue of All Nations Church. Three years after his death, a BBC investigation alleged Joshua raped, tortured and abused many of his followers for 20 years. There are allegations of child abuse at his Lagos compound and he simulated his miracles.
Nimi Wariboko is a leading theologian and social ethicist expert Who wrote the book Nigerian Pentecostalism. We asked him about the forces that shape a ministry like Joshua’s and what might have allowed him to abuse his power in this way.
What is Pentecostalism and why is it so popular in Africa?
Pentecostalism is a Christian movement that emphasizes the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit in the lives and communities of its members. Its origin dates back to the birth of the Church on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 of the Bible.
Pentecostals believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit were poured out on Christ’s disciples that day and that the miracles performed by the apostles in the first century still continue. Most Pentecostals believe that miracles are possible today. Many go to church hoping to receive them.
Pentecostalism focuses on the Bible as the true word of God. This is not to say that interpretations of the Bible are static. Pentecostals often adjust interpretations according to their context and circumstances.
Many Pentecostal churches are led by “big men” or “big women” – authoritarian leaders who dominate their organizations and are rarely accountable to any human power. Their authority is almost unlimited and they teach or discipline their members not to question them, relying on Psalm 105:15:
Do not touch my anointed ones and do not harm my prophets.
Pentecostals also preach Prosperity Gospela belief that God’s mission is to materially enrich believers.
These are some of the ingredients that made the movement popular in Africa.
What forces shaped TB Joshua’s rise to power?
When Joshua started his business in 1987, he focused on the spiritual and economic needs of Nigerians. It combined the belief systems, practices and doctrines of Christianity, Islam and traditional African religion. He later fully embraced Christianity.
The widespread poverty in the country, the precariousness of life and the brutal oppression of ordinary citizens were a great relief through his efforts to meet the economic needs of the poor (which he often broadcast on television), through his attention to the spiritual empowerment of believers, and the simplicity of its lifestyle. These contrasts have made it loved by millions of Nigerians and many others all over the world.
The genius of this man – and perhaps that of the majority of Pentecostal leaders – lay in his clear focus on the explanation, prediction and control dimension of religion. This means that he set out to spiritually explain the causes of the difficulties faced by ordinary Nigerians. He prophesied what awaited them and demonstrated his power to work miracles to control or reverse their bad situations.
He was an early adopter of television and the Internet. In 2004, Nigeria banned TV channels don’t broadcast unverified miracles from pastors, probably because of Joshua. This led him to launch Emmanuel TV on satellite television and then online, out of their reach.
Why do people believe in prophecies and miracles?
First of all, Pentecostals believe in a two-speed world: physical and spiritual. They believe that the spiritual controls the physical and that those with charismatic gifts can access the spiritual world to extract information to explain, predict, and control outcomes in the physical world. So there is a quest for information from the invisible realm. I called this “the spell of the invisible” in my book Nigerian Pentecostalism.
Second, we must examine Pentecostal epistemology – its philosophy. Nigerian Pentecostals translate it beautifully this way: “It doesn’t make sense, but it does the mind.” » This means that their decisions may seem irrational, but they are all good, reasonable and ethical from a spiritual point of view. I address this question in another book, The Pentecostal hypothesis.
Finally, there is a deep belief in what I have called “the Pentecostal principle”: that the new can emerge in the midst of ongoing social processes. The idea of the arrival of the new, of miracles that can transform the current situation of believers. We cannot ignore the role of economic hardship and poverty in increasing citizens’ vulnerability to religious charlatanism and authoritarianism.
How did he remain untouchable?
There are three points I would like to make here.
First, he started a Christian ministry, an independent denomination, which was enormously successful. He was accountable to no one. As they say, absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Second, the seemingly effortless pursuit and performance of miracles seemed to have excused or masked his weaknesses. But, in a sense, he was also empowered by the people. This is not to excuse the allegations against him, but to say that he comes from a certain type of Christian community or generation. He easily (and excessively) gave them their fantasy. Its excesses were an integral part of the movement itself.
Finally, the allegations tell us that the Nigerian state has little or no control over how its citizens are abused, exploited or abused in the name of God. Religious leaders do not appear to be accountable to the state or the demands of its laws. Joshua was a friend of many presidents in Africa.
How can Nigeria deal with future abuses by religious leaders?
The government must hold every religious leader accountable for upholding the laws of the land without usurping their religious freedom. Allegations of abuse must be investigated quickly and clearly. Laws to properly regulate religious organizations are in the works. books but the government does not have the political will to enforce them, because the churches are very popular and many politicians are also religious. The government must set an example by respecting its laws. The most important thing is that the government works for the economic development of its citizens.
