Pastoral Power, Clerical State - (Contending Modernities) by Ebenezer Obadare (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Ebenezer Obadare examines the overriding impact of Nigerian Pentecostal pastors on their churches, and how they have shaped the dynamics of state-society relations during the Fourth Republic.

Pentecostal pastors enjoy an unprecedented authority in contemporary Nigerian society, exerting significant influence on politics, public policy, popular culture, and the moral imagination. In Pastoral Power, Clerical State, Ebenezer Obadare investigates the social origins of clerical authority in modern-day Nigeria with an eye to parallel developments and patterns within the broader African society.

Obadare focuses on the figure of the pastor as a bearer of political power, thaumaturgical expertise, and sexual attractiveness who wields significant influence on his church members. This study makes an important contribution to the literature on global Pentecostalism. Obadare situates the figure of the pastor within the wider context of national politics and culture and as a beneficiary of the dislocations of the postcolonial society in Africa's most populous country. Obadare calls our attention to the creative ways in which Nigeria's Pentecostal pastors utilize religious doctrines, beckon spiritual forces, and manipulate their alliances with national powerbrokers to consolidate their influence and authority.

In contrast to rapidly eroding pastoral authority in the West, pastoral authority is increasing in Nigeria. This engaging book will appeal to those who want to understand the far-reaching political and social implications of religious movements--especially Christian charismatic and evangelical movements--in contemporary African societies. It will be of interest to scholars and students of sociology, religion, political science, and African studies.

Review Quotes

"Pastoral Power, Clerical State advances the ongoing debate on the significance and role of Pentecostalism in Africa. It will appeal to those interested in Pentecostal discourses and how they offer metaphysical interpretations that explain why prevailing socioeconomic and political conditions regarding poverty and underdevelopment exist in Africa." --Reading Religion

"An interesting and important addition to the relatively limited literature on contemporary religion and politics, including democracy, in Africa." --Democratization

"How could someone commit such heinous crimes for so long without being brought to justice? Pastoral Power, Clerical State: Pentecostalism, Gender, and Sexuality in Nigeria--the second book in Ebenezer Obadare's "projected trilogy on the politics of religion in the Nigeria Fourth Republic"--is just the book to help make sense of the nearly untouchable status of Pentecostal pastors in contemporary Nigeria." --International Journal of African Historical Studies

"Obadare has done a service to scholars of global Christianity, African politics, gender studies, journalism and media, and religion and politics--all of whom will profit/prophet from engagement with this volume in their scholarship and courses." --Journal of Church and State

"Advancing a bold argument and offering the kind of original insights that one has come to expect from Obadare's scholarship, Pastoral Power, Clerical State combines page-turning storytelling, a sophisticated rendering of relevant literature, and astute analysis. The book is provocative and smart, as well as well written." -- Journal of Religion in Africa

"In his second book focused on the rising popularity of the faith, Obadare argues that Pentecostal preachers have become figures of national authority and prestige, exercising more influence over Nigerian society and politics." --Foreign Affairs

"In this highly stimulating and thought-provoking book, Ebenezer Obadare discusses the rise and all encompassing prominence of the Nigerian Pentecostal pastor. Obadare's brilliantly written book provides a unique and original contribution to the understanding of the key role of the pastor when explaining the rise and influence of Pentecostalism in contemporary Nigeria and Africa." --Karen Lauterbach, author of Christianity, Wealth, and Spiritual Power in Ghana

"Informed by an authoritative interdisciplinary social science analysis, critical reading of Africanist scholarship, wealth of eclectic primary source materials, and superior knowledge of Nigerian politics and society, Pastoral Power, Clerical State further underscores the crucial place of Nigeria's Pentecostal movement in African religious and political studies. This exceptional book is intellectually sophisticated, analytically rigorous, and very well written." --Olufemi Vaughan, author of Religion and the Making of Nigeria

"Pastoral Power, Clerical State is an unrelenting display of scholarly excellence, rigorous analysis, and fluid precise prose. It not only advances our understanding of Pentecostal pastoral power and authority but also makes significant contributions to the study of rule and legitimacy in twenty-first-century African societies." --Nimi Wariboko, author of The Pentecostal Hypothesis

About the Author

Ebenezer Obadare is Douglas Dillon Senior Fellow for Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and a fellow at the University of South Africa's Research Institute for Theology and Religion. Before joining CFR, he was professor of sociology at the University of Kansas, Lawrence. He is the author of Pentecostal Republic: Religion and the Struggle for State Power in Nigeria.

Jacob K. Olupona is professor of African religious traditions at Harvard Divinity School and professor of African and African American studies at Harvard University.