How might we understand religion, particularly Christianity, in a country that exudes real paradoxes in politics, culture and development? Religion is an ambivalent phenomenon. It can either be used to wage war or peace; engender love or hatred, build a society or destroy it, fight against corruption or enable it, and so forth. In Nigeria, religion has become a powerful and obsessive instrument to mediate or construct anything. Religion is used to create, secure, maintain, defend one’s space and attack another’s. This volume, in honour of an erudite New Testament scholar, Professor Olu E. Alana, is an assemblage of essays that critically examine how religion has been utilised to nuance philosophical, political, indigenous, social, theological, sexual, health and educational issues that border on Nigeria’s development.
Mengenai Pengarang
Benson Ohihon Igboin is a professor in the Department of Religion and African Culture, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State. He specialises in philosophy of religion with bias in African religious and cultural values. He has published extensively in philosophy of religion, African cultural values, religion and politics, corruption and so forth. He is the Principal Investigator of the research project: “The Politics and Poetics of Violent Prayers in Nigerian Pentecostal Churches” funded by John Templeton Foundation hosted by Nagel Institute, USA. He is a Professor Extraordinaire in the Centre of Gender Studies, University of South Africa.