Managing an elusive force? The Holy Spirit and the anointed articles of Pentecostal prophets in traditional religious Africa

Verbum et Ecclesia

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Managing an elusive force? The Holy Spirit and the anointed articles of Pentecostal prophets in traditional religious Africa
 
Creator Banda, Collium
 
Subject Systematic theology; African Pentecostalism; African Christianity Neo-Pentecostal anointed articles; neo-Pentecostal icons; African Pentecostal prophets; the Holy Spirit in Africa; African magical charms
Description The use of anointed objects among African Pentecostal prophets as instruments of taping the power of the Holy Spirit is analysed from a perspective of the personality and divinity of the Holy Spirit and the use of magical charms in African traditional religions (ATRs). The main question answered in this article is the following: what does the use of anointed objects among African neo-Pentecostal prophets reveal about the underlying understanding of the Holy Spirit? It is argued that the use of anointed objects to tap into the Spirit’s power treats the Spirit as an elusive power that is controlled magically. It is further argued that in Africa, the use of anointed objects resonates with the use of magical charms in ATR. The Christian reliance on anointed objects is challenged by looking at some aspects of the divinity and personality of the Holy Spirit. The significant contribution of the article lies in challenging African Pentecostals to relate to the Holy Spirit as a personal divine being instead of an elusive impersonal force that could be mastered only by anointed objects.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article uses the disciplines of systematic theology, ATRs and biblical theology to analyse the undermining of the personality and divinity of the Holy Spirit among African Pentecostal prophets by their using anointed objects as instruments of conveying the Holy Spirit’s presence and power in believer’s life and activities.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor Collium Banda, North-West University
Date 2019-11-04
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — —
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/ve.v40i1.2025
 
Source Verbum et Ecclesia; Vol 40, No 1 (2019); 10 pages 2074-7705 1609-9982
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://verbumetecclesia.org.za/index.php/ve/article/view/2025/3871 https://verbumetecclesia.org.za/index.php/ve/article/view/2025/3870 https://verbumetecclesia.org.za/index.php/ve/article/view/2025/3872 https://verbumetecclesia.org.za/index.php/ve/article/view/2025/3869
 
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Rights Copyright (c) 2019 Collium Banda https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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