Papers by NATHANIEL O . OYEWOLE
Jos Journal of Religion and Philosophy, 2025
The formation of the New Testament was entrenched in diverse cultural and religious orientations.... more The formation of the New Testament was entrenched in diverse cultural and religious orientations. The New Testament was written in Palestinian and Greco-Roman cultural and religious contexts. Knowledge of this background is germane to understanding, interpreting, and applying the message of the New Testament. African Pentecostal hermeneutics often emphasises Spirit-led interpretation, experiential engagement with Scripture, and the continuity of New Testament charismatic gifts. African Pentecostalism often prioritises contemporary application over historical context. Although this approach has significantly influenced contemporary Christian worship and theology in Africa, it sometimes lacks a strong engagement with the historical and cultural contexts in which the New Testament was written. This situation could be responsible for the lack of doctrinal depth, nominalism, and overemphasis on charisma over character attributed to African Christianity. As a result, there is a critical need to explore how the historical-cultural context of the New Testament can be effectively integrated into African Pentecostal interpretation without compromising its spiritual vitality. This study investigates how the socio-religious environment of first-century Judaism and the broader Greco-Roman world influenced the teachings of Jesus and the early Church. It further examines the relevance of integrating this contextual knowledge into African Pentecostal interpretation and practice. This paper adopts an analytical approach to explore the interaction between contextual reading of the New Testament and African Pentecostal hermeneutics. It aims to encourage a more holistic approach to Scripture that deepens contextual understanding and enhances the transformative power of African Pentecostal Christianity.
Pharos Journal of Theology
Many African societies are androcentric. Evidence of gender inequality reflects in their educatio... more Many African societies are androcentric. Evidence of gender inequality reflects in their education, economic, political, and religious systems. Some church denominations are struggling to establish women's roles in church leadership. The struggle is to what extent is it culturally acceptable and biblically justifiable to allow women to assume preeminent leadership positions? This paper examines women's roles as presented in Pauline epistles to discover Paul's view of women's ministries in the church within the purview of diverse cultural orientations of his days. It argues that Paul adopted a progressive and transformational approach to address the age-long controversial issue of women's roles in the church. In some areas, his approach is countercultural, and in others, it is conventional. The paper adopts an analytical approach to unravel Paul’s perspective of women's leadership roles from Pauline's literature and scholars' opinions. It ascertains th...
Journal of Religion and Culture (JORAC Uniport), 2022
African theologians over the years have ensured that Christianity in Africa maintains the African... more African theologians over the years have ensured that Christianity in Africa maintains the African identity and remains faithful to the Biblical message. This is necessary because culture influences religious practices in one way or another. Since culture and religion are interwoven and influence each other, can there be any attempt to engage in Bible Hermeneutics devoid of cultural influence? To make the Bible relevant to the Africans, to what extent can we contextualize the Scripture without the interference of cultural prejudice or bias? This paper argues that no biblical interpretation is without the element of cultural influence. Thus, the influence of African culture on the interpretation of the Bible within African Christianity is examined. The descriptive approach is employed to present how culture influenced hermeneutics in Africa. The paper finds out that the African culture has influenced Biblical hermeneutics in developing African hermeneutical methods and creating renewed interest in African Biblical scholarship.
Pharos Journal of Theology, 2022
The doctrine of the Holy Spirit is the primary teaching that distinguishes the Pentecostals from ... more The doctrine of the Holy Spirit is the primary teaching that distinguishes the Pentecostals from the Evangelical churches. The Pentecostals emphasise the postconversion filling of the Holy Spirit as evidenced initially by speaking in other tongues. Pentecostal spirituality penetrated many mainline churches when some evangelical Christians adopted the Pentecostal teaching of Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Pentecostals, since the 1970s, have made inroads into and impacted the Mission churches in Nigeria. Therefore, this paper examines the positive and negative influence of Pentecostal teaching on the baptism of the Holy Spirit in mainline churches. The paper adopts a historical and phenomenological approach to trace the historical development and the influence of the Pentecostal doctrine of the Holy Spirit. It uncovers that the Pentecostals' vibrancy in worship has led to a change of attitude towards liturgical celebrations in the Nigerian mainline churches. Its spirituality has awakened some Nigerian Christians' eagerness for sound spirituality and vibrant prayer life. However, there is an overemphasis on vision and prophecy at the expense of Bible doctrine, spiritual pride, and gifts at the expense of character. The leadership of the duo Christian sects are implored to hold fast to biblical teaching and guide against errors, excesses, and abuses when and where these manifest.
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Papers by NATHANIEL O . OYEWOLE