Religious Studies

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A christian dimension to poverty discourse in Nigeria
(The Department of Religious Studies, University of Ibadan, 2011-12) Familusi, O. O.; Oke, O. P.
Poverty, which manifests in various forms, has been a major problem for mankind and a source of concern for successive administrations at various levels in Nigeria. Given this, several attempts have been made towards its reduction, eradication and alleviation, but no major success has been recorded, thus majority of the populace continues to wallow in abject poverty while ironically some have more than enough. Several scholars have worked on different perspectives of poverty. In this piece, an attempt is made to discuss the subject matter from a Christian religious view point so as to understand religion as a major factor in the issue of poverty in Nigeria. In other words, the Church is to be understood as an agent of poverty alleviation and possible harbinger of poverty. A pragmatic religious approach to poverty alleviation is provided as recommendations.
Charity Tithe in Deuteronomy as a Mechanism for Funding Poverty Alleviation Programmes in the Anglican Diocese of Ogbomoso, Nigeria
(2014) Okunoye, J. O.
Charity Tithe (CT) in Deuteronomy was used to provide palliatives for the poor in Ancient Israel. Contrariwise, while groups likened to these are found in Nigerian churches, especially the Anglican Church, CT is not adopted, resulting largely in loss of members to other denominations practising a similar system. Existing studies on tithing and church poverty alleviation have addressed the obligatory nature of tithing, but little attention has been paid to the welfare values of CT as practised in Ancient Israel and as related to the Anglican Church. This study, therefore, examined the practice of CT and its effectiveness in Deuteronomy with a view to justifying the need for its existence in the Anglican Church and relevance in addressing poverty and membership situations in the Anglican Diocese of Ogbomoso (ADO). The study adopted the theoretic concept of “The Community of Goods in the Early Church”. The ADO was purposively selected because poverty alleviation is one of its main programmes. Four hundred copies of a questionnaire were administered to 40 clergymen, and 60 lay members each from the five archdeaconries and the Cathedral. In-depth interviews were conducted with 60 respondents involved in the Diocesan poverty alleviation programmes: 25 Clergymen and 35 lay members. Six focus-group discussions (FGDs) were held with ten members in each Archdeaconry and the Cathedral. Church membership/tithe records were consulted. Biblical texts (Deuteronomy 14:28-29; 26:12-15) were exegetically analysed, and quantitative data were subjected to percentages. Charity tithe in Deuteronomy, which was paid by every adult Israelite once in three years on agricultural products and stored in the clan gate, was used to tackle hunger (Deut. 14:28-29; 26:12-15). In the ADO where many of the population lived below poverty line, CT was non- existent, which caused a level of membership loss, but close to it was an offertory offering misconstrued by 72.4% interview respondents (clergymen: 37.0% and laity: 35.4%) as CT collected weekly for the poor. This generated ₦3.7m between 2005 and 2013 and catered only for 4.0% of the poor; 7.0% (27 people annually) of these left for other churches. A projective analysis from the questionnaire indicated that a faithful execution of CT would yield greater effects, generating ₦14.6m every three years from: farmers (1470:₦2.5m), civil-servants (315:₦6.5m), traders (525:₦2.8m), employees of private sectors/retirees/clergy (210:₦1.2m), artisans (385:₦1.5m), and students (595:₦120,000). These resources would have the following distribution: clergy (45:17%:₦2.4m), widows (113:18%:₦2.6m), orphans (121:20%:₦2.9m), strangers (322:23%:₦3.3m) and the unemployed (313:22%:₦3.2m). While 92.0% interview respondents supported the adoption of CT in empowering priests’ wives, orphans, youths and women, many of FGD participants opined that rural dwellers should be given priority in the distribution. Moreover, majority of the participants agreed that it would reduce the exodus of poor members to other churches. Charity tithe was non- existent in the Anglican Diocese of Ogbomoso, which, among other factors, led to loss of members. Given the success of the practice in Deuteronomy and its potential effectiveness in the Diocese, its adoption and faithful implementation by the Anglican Church would alleviate poverty and enhance evangelism
An Assessment of the Replication of Jesus' Social Ministry in the Nigerian Baptist Convention
(2014) Kristilere, I. O.
Deep concern for the poor in the society was an integral part of Jesus' earthly ministry especially in the Gospel of Luke. This makes the social ministry an important part of a typical church, as manifested in the programmes of the Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC). Many scholars have examined the theological basis of Jesus' care and concern for the poor, but adequate attention has not been given to the connection between Jesus' approaches and those of the NBC Social Ministry, devoted to alleviating poverty, following the example of Jesus. This study, therefore, evaluated the activities of Jesus among the poor with those of the Social Ministry Department of NBC (SMDNBC) with a view to establishing the biblical basis and the effectiveness of the activities of the Department. The study employed a historical-critical design. It adopted Gerald West's "Academy of the poor" framework. A total of 510 copies of a questionnaire were administered to members across 50 Baptist churches in Lagos (30), Ibadan (10) and Ogbomoso (10) selected on purposive and snowball bases. In-depth interviews were conducted with purposively selected five officials of the NBC at its headquarters in Ibadan, 30 pastors, 24 church officers and 33 church members. Church records were also consulted. Data were subjected to exegetical analysis, with reference to selected Lukan passages, and percentages. Jesus adopted five approaches in caring for the poor: identification, solidarity, education, advocacy and empowerment. Through identification, he properly recognised the authentic poor and differentiated them from other social classes (Luke 4:18,7:20); and through solidarity, he united with them in genuine friendship (Luke 2:1-7, 2:8-20, 9:58). Through education, he instructed them on their rights, status and how they could find peace (Luke 12:33,18:18-25); and through advocacy, he spoke against the oppression of the poor. (Luke 16:19-31, 21:1-4,3:1-14) Through empowerment, he engaged in spiritual, mental and economic uplift of the poor (Luke 16:19-31,6:20, 19:1-10). Contrariwise, only two of the approaches were relatively adopted by the SMDNBC: education in which it provided both formal and informal education though at a relatively high fee, and empowerment in which it provided means of earning a living for widows and prisoners. Little or no attempt was made to identify, establish solidarity and achieve advocacy as Jesus did. The implication of this deficiency was evident in the responses of the respondents in which 50.4% of the respondents were not aware of the SMDNBC, while 70.8% opined that lack of proper care for the poor had resulted in 30.0% loss of membership. Only 5.4% of the respondents had received assistance from SMDNBC. The Social Ministry Department of the Nigerian Baptist Convention adopted only two out of the five approaches used by Jesus Christ in reaching the poor which revealed an inconsistency with the biblical standard. This made the ministry less effective and led to membership shrink. It is, therefore, recommended that the NBC needs to completely adopt the five approaches of Jesus in Luke in order to enhance the effectiveness of its social ministry

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