Abstract
The Christian mandate to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ has taken different shades since the fifteenth century when the Europeans made their incursion into Africa. But since the nineteenth century, the Christian mission took a different turn with the missionaries staging a relatively favorable attitude toward indigenous cultures. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the missionaries had largely positively re-evaluated indigenous cultures—paving way to missional policies such as Vatican II in the 1960s. Nevertheless, the aim of this chapter is to demonstrate how Pentecostals, particular members of the Church of Pentecost (CoP), who remained largely hostile toward chieftaincy, have since the 1980s shown favorable disposition toward chieftaincy. Pentecostal chiefs have become key stakeholders in the Christian mission. As part of reconciling chieftaincy and Pentecostal Christianity, CoP chiefs have reinvented traditions to curate their chieftaincy toward mission. These chiefs have also invested in social services as part of the Christian mission to their people. All these have been possible because of the nature of indigenous religion as a this-worldly focus, aimed at helping human beings to deal with life’s existential issues. For this reason, CoP chiefs have rearticulated chieftaincy both as practice and as mission-oriented to support human flourishing in their Traditional Areas.
And the nations of them who are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. (25) And the gates of it shall not be shut by day: for there shall be no night there. (26) And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.
—Rev 21:24–26 Web
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Notes
- 1.
Nana Akwasi Asante on August 3, 2020
- 2.
Ibid.
- 3.
Ibid.
- 4.
Interview with Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah on January 2, 2019.
- 5.
Pastor Isaac Obeng-Akese, ‘Animal Sacrifices, Festivals and the Christian Royals,’ paper presented at the Church of Pentecost Royal Conference held on June 18, 2017, at Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoah-Feteh, Central Region of Ghana.
- 6.
Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah, ‘Opening address was delivered at the opening ceremony of the royals in worship conference held at the Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoah-Feteh, Central Region of Ghana, on June 10–13, 2014.
- 7.
The National House of Chiefs was established as a result of the request of the late Otumfuor Sir Osei Agyeman Prempeh II, Asantehene, through the Act of Parliament in 1971. The aim was to provide a united front for chiefs. See: Kusi Ankra, ‘The National House of chiefs—Ghana’, in Donald I. Ray, Tim Quinlan, Keshav Sharma & Tacita Clarke (eds.), Reinventing African chieftaincy, 499–516.
- 8.
Interview with Odeneho Dr. Affram Brempong III on April 2, 2019.
- 9.
Interview with Pimampim Yaw Kagbrese V on April 10, 2019; Interview with Nana Kofi Abuna on May 15, 2019.
- 10.
Interview with Odeneho Dr. Affram Brempong III on February 9, 2022.
- 11.
Ibid.
- 12.
Ibid.
- 13.
Interview with Pimampim Yaw Kagbrese V on April 10, 2019.
- 14.
Interview with Odeneho Dr. Affram Brempong III on February 9, 2022.
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Prempeh, C. (2024). Missions and Contemporary African Rulers. In: Barnes, A.E., Falola, T. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Christianity in Africa from Apostolic Times to the Present. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48270-0_40
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