This type of christianity has been described as the new dimension of. Some nrms deal with the challenges posed by the modernizing. For the purpose of this article the focus will be on seemingly harmless new christian religious movements in south africa where spiritual abuse is evident. The rise and proliferation of new religious movements nrms in. When we assess the daytoday activities of global religious movements, we find a wide array of actors involved in development and peace advocacy and contributing to the cultural vitality of global society. Religious organisations often present exclusive claims to truth. The emphasis of this early activism is on the spiritual forces that govern politics and on bringing about reform through prayer freston 2001. Religious movements and politics in subsaharan africa.
Kenya, a country that had already experienced a proliferation of sects and independent churches, has been a propitious ground for these new religious movements. For some years now the proliferation of new religious movements in africa and the search by individuals for new meanings in belief have held. Abstract the purpose of this paper is to investigate the reasons behind the proliferation of new religious movements. Introduction, 7 religious movements new and old, 11 pentecostals and neopentecostals. A key question for cde is whether or not this burgeoning movement offers prospects of a new thrust for social and economic development within south african communities. Seemingly harmless new christian religious movements in south. From the start, ideas about development generally overlooked the role of religion, or assumed that religion would be relegated to a matter of private belief in africa as secular states. First, the cults are developing their own theologies, which at times run counter to the religious teachings and assumptions of the mainline christian denomi nations. The term new religious movement has been applied to all new faiths that have arisen worldwide over the past several centuries. For the latter, he takes the article pentecostalism, islam and culture. Religious movements and politics in subsaharan africa terence o.
The course will explore new currents and emerging trends in global religion. View african church history, african christian theology, the study of new religious movements in africa research papers on academia. This new phenomenon of religious outburst which includes evangelical, pentecostal and charismatic churches, is often referred to as the new face of christianity. Africa, and offers a valid and insightful resource material those future religious, sociological, and anthropological scholars especially church historiographers can consult to gain useful information on the newness in the new religious movements. In academic studies, they are more often associated with processes of social change and the critique of modernity. Find kenyatta university new religious movements in kenya previous year question paper. New york, brooklyn, long island, staten island, new jersey pdf. Meaning and significance of new religious movements oxford. Social change and new religious movements 1 social change and new religious movements bryan ronald wilson, ph. Oct 23, 2017 religion is as old as the origin of humankind. Turner the choice of such a short span for this survey is dictated by the abundance of published work in a field of such size and variety, and of such popularity among so many disicplines, as the new religious movements among the peoples of sub saharan africa. African religion is ambiguous and quite contradictory. From this observation it was concluded that new religious movements constitute not only dissent but also social protest in view of the said deprivation, hence social protest is seen as an integral part of the new movements wilson 1970.
New religious movements modern african religious movements are best understood if interpreted as creative and. New religious movement new religious movement scientific nrms. First are those which have, for various reasons, tergiversated from the historic missionaryfounded churches. Indeed, one might assume that the increasing salience of religion to global civil society is inherently divisive.
Nrms may be novel in origin or they may be part of a wider religion, in which case they will be distinct from preexisting denominations quotes alphabetized by author. Several new korean pentecostal churches and new religious movements are also engaged in the new plan to evangelize africa, including the unification church formally the holy spirit association for the unification of world christianity, more popularly known as the moonies. New religious movements, it is asserted, recruit their members from among the deprived. Meaning and significance of new religious movements. The rise and proliferation of new religious movements.
Yet pentecostalism with its roots in afroamerican religion transplanted its central tenets into south africa in 1908, and later reached zambia in the early seventies. In east africa, the movement arrived in 1960s and 70s through the ministry of evangelists. New religious movements are sometimes pejoratively referred to as cults. It combines well selected source materials with knowledgeable and accessible introductions. Organized in chronological order of the founding of each movement, this documentary reader brings to life new religious movements from the 18th century to the present. Modern african religious movements are best understood if interpreted as creative and innovative responses to the historically unprecedented levels of upheaval and change in every area of life cultural, economic, environmental, social, political, and religious that followed the imposition of colonial rule, beginning in the second half of the. Following political liberalization, media deregulation, and the proliferation of new media technologies, many african religious leaders and activists have appropriated such media to strengthen and expand their communities and gain public recognition.
Thus, one can detect a general theory, commonly shared by many of the new religions, about the relation between experience and. Many nrms claim to be not religions at all but rather scientific truth that has not yet been acknowledged or discovered by the official scientific community. Imagining the religious other routledge inform series on minority religions and spiritual movements. Historical overview of pentecostalism in nigeria pew. This does not imply that early pentecostals had a syncretistic understanding of the holy spirit. I wish to profusely thank the college research committee for funding me to attend this conference. The term new religious movement, or nrms, at a superficial level at least, is a useful form of terminology to describe a large number of groups or organisations. Pdf seemingly harmless new christian religious movements in. New media and religious transformations in africa casts a critical look at africa s rapidly evolving religious media scene. A new religious movement nrm is a religious, ethical, or spiritual group or community with practices of relatively modern origins. Although the majority of these movements have arisen out of the interaction with christianity, a number of them have been inspired by islam. Often called schismatic or separatist movements, these category generally continues to. Pentecostal political activism originates with the founding of the christian students social movement of nigeria in 1977.
The new religious movements here refers to a new development arising in the course of the interaction of a tribal or primal society and its religion with one of the. A documentary reader is an essential text for courses on new religions. Survey article the study of new religious movements in africa, 19681975 harold w. The oldest new religious movement in africa was the donatist movement, which represented african traditional interpretation of christianity in which penance as suffering played a predominant role in an age when the roman empire was officially christian. University of notre dame press coedited with james h. The public face of african new religious movements in diaspora.
Jan 01, 2016 the late christopher hitchens, in particular, articulated the view that the role of religious movements was consistently negative. Christianity is rapidly growing throughout africa sadly, accompanied by many new religious. They have appeared throughout the world and throughout history, and they have differed from each other with respect to their beliefs, practices, and lifestyles, as well as the effects they have on their members and. This chapter explores how the planting and growth of christianity in africa. In the search for authority for new teachings, certain nrms have thus tapped into what is arguably the most powerful form of. New religious movements nrms is a term used to describe minority religions that have recently become visible in a society.
In the popular media, nrms are most often seen as a social problem. New religious movements in kenya question papers 2341. By means of conceptual questions and ethnographic case studies from africa, asia and the middle east, it will emerge that globalization processes have not only contributed to the expansion of religion, but that religious. The historical voices of the african independent churches. A new religious movement nrm is a religious community or spiritual group of modern origins, which has a peripheral place within its nations dominant religious culture. The struggles of new religious movements in the kenyan. Not only is the frequency of media reports on the protests new, but. Religious movements that emerged after 1850 reflect the impact of the west and of western forms of political, economic, and cultural imperialism. New religious movements are essentially an urban phenomenon, and nairobi city is therefore an ideal environment in which to observe them. Its focus will be on traditional and christian religious movements in the last hundred years. Broadly speaking, there are two kinds of christian new religious movements in contemporary africa. The study of new religious movements in africa, 19681975.
And, in addition, the groups under discussion have adopted a pseudochristian doctrine and lifestyle and claim to be christian in nature. While new religions have appeared frequently throughout asian history, there are important differences between those that developed before and after the mid19th century. New media and religious transformations in africa on jstor. The normative power of religious movements to shape global civil society is an important theme of inquiry for political science into the. By sifiso mpofu submitted in fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of philosophiae doctor ph d in church history at the university of pretoria south africa 20 promoter. It is integral to any informed understanding and analysis of africans new religious movements and their way of structuring the world. The appendix containing an essay by douglas cowan on the history of anticult and countercult movements is a very helpful addition. Nrms may be novel in origin or they may exist on the fringes of a wider religion, in which case they will be distinct from preexisting denominations. Nrms are characterized by a number of shared traits. It provides students with the tools to understand questions of race, religion, and american religious history. This is a fresh and highly informative volume which highlights the diversity and complexity of african new religious movements outside the african continent.
Their incidence and significance introduction the subject that i address in this introduction the incidence and significance of new religious movements is enormous, and the necessity to select a few points from the many that could be raised is. However, religions continue to evolve with changing times and new discoveries. Christianity is rapidly growing throughout africasadly, accompanied by many new religious groups, most of which corrupt the gospel and gods word. According to the ufim site, an estimated 17,000 people joined them in 2010 in a period of three months launched in august 2008 as a lunchhour fellowship at the anglican cathedral in harare, the fellowship was so popular, that after only a week at the cathedral, it moved to the state. African church history, african christian theology, the study. Chapter sixteen gender and power in african christianity. New media and religious transformations in africa coedited with benjamin f. Academics identify a variety of characteristics which they employ in categorizing groups as new religious movements. While the number of people involved in new religious movements nrms is small, the attention they have received in the popular media and academic discourse suggest a greater significance. New religious movements and women whether they arise from within a given culture or find their way into it by multiple means of importation, new religions take many different forms and play a variety of social, spiritual, economic, and political roles.
Njiru and others published new religious movements in africa find, read and cite all the research you need on. The rise and proliferation of new religious movements nrms in nigeria murtala ibrahim berlin graduate school muslim cultures and societies freie university berlin. The new religious movements here refers to a new development arising in the course of the interaction of a tribal or primal society and its religion with one of igwebuike. Nrms may be novel in origin or they may be part of a wider religion, in which case they will be distinct from preexisting denominati. New religious movements in africa request pdf researchgate. The article maintains that serious threats of spiritual abuse occur within some of the new christian religious movements in south africa despite their seemingly harmless outward appearance. The term new religious movements nrms has become, in recent years, the. African church history, african christian theology, the. Nigeria is the most populous country in africa with a population of over 160 million. New religious movements refer to the modern religious systems that are coming up other than the ancient, popular and dominant religions of the world. The following points highlight the seven main causes for the rise of new religious movements.
A new religious movement nrm, also known as a new religion or alternative spirituality, is a religious or spiritual group that has modern origins and is peripheral to its societys dominant religious culture. Feel free to use the past paper as you prepare for your upcoming examinations. The third wave religious right movement and the growth of zimbabwean christianity. Nrms can be novel in origin or part of a wider religion, in which case they are distinct from preexisting denominations. The rise and proliferation of new religious movements nrms. Seemingly harmless new christian religious movements in. During the past three decades, new religious movements have taken the subsaharan african religious landscape by storm. Hackett cv 3 2015 the anthropology of global evangelicalism and pentecostalism coedited with simon coleman nyu press. Scholars have estimated that nrms now number in the tens of thousands worldwide, with most in asia and africa. New religious movements in africa, asia and the middle east. Religious movements and religions contribution to global. This ministry is one of the fastestgrowing in zimbabwe, largly due to the charisma of their leader. The tradition of religious intolerance from early christianity, western society inherited a powerful and conscious tradition of religious intolerance.
But the study can be applied to new religious movements all over africa. The authors provide penetrating and provocative insights into african new religious movements, confounding earlier interpretations of african religions as exclusively african phenomena. Historical background of the african divine church of kenya. University of detroit for more than a decade western society, in particular the united states of america,1 has seen the rise and proliferation of religious and spiritual groups which the public has undiscerningly and indiscriminately. Religious movements an overview sciencedirect topics. The significance and ramifications of this question can only be understood. For my part, it is difficult to see how the use of the notion of fundamentalism in current debates and the position ventured by us converge. New religious movement nrm, the generally accepted term for what is sometimes called, often with pejorative connotations, a cult. Anrms are furthering their selfassertion and selfinsertion into the religious landscapes of europe, the americas, and.