• Independence, Civil War, and the Beginnings of Indigenization of Seventh-day Adventism in Nigeria from the 1940s to 1990s

    Author(s):
    Chigemezi Nnadozie Wogu
    Editor(s):
    Tom de Bruin (see profile)
    Date:
    2023
    Group(s):
    Spes Christiana (journal)
    Subject(s):
    Seventh-Day Adventists
    Item Type:
    Article
    Permanent URL:
    https://doi.org/10.17613/3mf5-sw85
    Abstract:
    This article problematizes how Adventism in Nigeria thrived from the 1940s to the late 1980s. Three case studies will serve as themes to cover those years. Those themes include (1) the political independence of Nigeria, which was realized in 1960, (2) the Nigerian civil war from 1967 to 1970, and (3) the campus revivals of the 1970s and 1980s (and the departure of western leadership), which gave rise to indigenization of Seventh-day Adventism in Nigeria. It will be demonstrated that Nigerian Adventism began its religious independence from western Adventism gradually. This was partly due to the unwillingness of the local Adventist workers who were seemingly comfortable with foreign leadership. In the civil war years, Igbo Adventists who succumbed to the atrocities of the war bore a mark, in that, the growth of Adventism in the south-east of Nigeria was significantly decimated. Additionally, the campus revivals of the 1970s and 1980s marked a significant advancement in the indigenization process that had been underway prior to the Civil War. Due to the conflict over the question of whether to practise Christianity like Pentecostals in Nigeria or missionary Adventists, Nigerian Adventism became entangled in conversations important to the larger Christian culture.
    Metadata:
    Published as:
    Journal article    
    Status:
    Scheduled
    Last Updated:
    5 months ago
    License:
    Attribution

    This item will be available for download beginning 12/29/2023