Pentecostal Christianity, Proselytization and Theatre Studies in Nigeria
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Date
2019-01
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Publisher
TOJA: The Oye Journal of Arts
Abstract
Theatre played a significant role in the expansion of Christian mission in Nigeria, especially in relation to evangelism from the mid-19th century. However, by the last quarter of the 2oth century, the symbiotic relationship between theatrical performances and religious proselytisation suffered some setback. this is due to some factors, principal of which is the fanaticism of the new wave of Pentecostal movement. The founders and followers of the new movement argued that theatrical performances allows for immoral behaviours among people and the venue of the performance is nothing more than the house of sin. therefore, there is the need to convert the theatre buildings to worship centers and the practitioners to pastors and evangelists of Pentecostal Christian faith. however, by the first decade of the 21st century, theatrical performances have not only resurfaced in the Pentecostal churches in Nigeria, they have also become a veritable tool for crowd sourcing and soul winning for the same church movement that ostracised it. this paper attempts the synthesis between the theatre, Pentecostal movement and religious proselytisation. it looks at the emergence of Christian drama, and the establishment of theatre as a field of study in faith based universities in Nigeria with emphasis on the Redeemer's University.
Description
The paper focused on the place of theatre studies in universities established by Pentecostal church movement in Nigeria.
Keywords
Theatre Studies