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Author: search.filters.author.Adebayo, Rufus OlufemiEnd date: 2019

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Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Commoditisation, materialism, and Pentecostal Christian Churches
    (University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2019-12-30) Adebayo, Rufus Olufemi
    Commoditisation, materialism and religious exchange have been receiving increasing attention in contemporary Pentecostal Christian churches, noting that some believers advocate that there is a price to pay in Christianity. This may be a reflection of social development, a new form, but it appears to be an old form of the practice of both secular and spiritual. In this empirical study, commoditisation and materialism are noted as factors that play a relational role and outline the changes in the understanding of religious exchange and the economic transaction of monetary. Understanding of spiritual form of payment, pricing in the traditional marketing (tangible price in this regard) and the shift towards a transactional exchange for divine intervention in form of miracle, healing, and provision are examined from being major sources of inner spiritual dilemmas to being principal sources of the desire and inspiration underpinning materialism and commoditisation in various Pentecostal churches today. This paper argues that the virtual neglect of some significant characteristics of marketing such as the exchange process, and pricing from the religious perspective might affect the church as a non-profit organisation. The study reveals that Pentecostal churches can embrace contradictory concepts of commoditisation, materialism, and spiritualism; and emanate to the social shift as a non-profit sector, but the positive potential inherent to Christianity should be reconciled. Based on current literature trends, the results add that there is a secular exchange of spirituality for materialism as illustrated in the story of Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-19), thereby problematizing the current South African religious context. The researcher hopes to add to the understanding of the religious exchange, commoditisation, and materialism relationship.
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    Adoption and adaptation of rhetorical devices in South African Pentecostal churches
    (African Association for Rhetoric, 2018) Adebayo, Rufus Olufemi
    Adoption of rhetorical devices is evident in the preaching of contemporary Pentecostal churches in Durban, South Africa. Rhetorical devices and shrewd unconventionality, which place a twist on those devices adopted, are frequently found in contemporary sermons and preaching activities, but categories of rhetoric suitable for preaching (homiletics) remain as yet unidentified. Arguably, preaching or sermons can be seen as religiously-motivated campaigns or discourses, while professional communication can be seen as persuasive communication towards social or communicative engagement. This article investigates the adoption and adaptation of rhetorical devices which influence preaching and communication and follows from an understanding of professional communication and sacred rhetoric. The paper reports issues surrounding the perceived adaptation of rhetoric in enhancing preacher’s sermons and the dissemination of religious discourse to congregants. A qualitative analysis was used to identify those categories of rhetorical device suitable for both Biblical preaching and professional communication. The findings indicate that rhetorical devices are productive features in sermons and professional communication, and their use signifies a movement towards the communication of two fundamentals: body and spirit. A qualitative analysis shows that in the field of professional communication communicators adapt professionalism in their discourse with mind and body, whilst across sacred communication, preachers adopt emotions and spirituality.
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    Use of language and communication among the Pentecostal Evangelical Charismatic Churches in Durban, South Africa
    (Scholarlink Research Institute Journals, 2018) Adebayo, Rufus Olufemi; Zulu, Sylvia Phiwani
    The significance of language and communication is more relevant in multifarious cultural settings similar to South Africa. Churches are at the vanguard of using religious languages to communicate and express ideas, emotions, and convictions to diverse congregants. We contextualize a linguistic element that the emergence of new Pentecostal and evangelical charismatic churches has not only raised a complexity of language and communication but has also become ambivalent and paradoxical in nature. As a result, we highlight the relationship between language and religion and how language could be a medium for the transmission of religious communication and debates in a multi-cultural setting. Using qualitative methodology, data was gathered among 20churches in the Durban area of South Africa, to understand the flow of linguistic characteristics set up to serve spiritual interests. The results show that the problem associated with religious language has been an age long and in recent times, attention has also shifted to an absurd linguistic problem. This study has, to an extent, found that religious language differs from everyday communication, and there is no common ground between these miotic and pragmatic use of language and the contending power of spirit-filled languages. We found that as modern Christian churches emerge, a series of issues have resurfaced, including the denotation and connotation of language, communication of religion and pragmatic motivations in behaviour; the struggle between interfaith and the channel of communication remains at the edge of church denominations. To ensure effective use of language and communication, it is highlighted that if language should be used for religious communication and debates, it needs to be used in a systematic, spiritual and theological forms. Pentecostal churches should identify and establish a common ground between semiotic and pragmatic use of language and the contending power of spirit-filled languages. The paper is important as preachers, communicators and the world of scholarship may benefit from the study in understanding the spiritual implication of language and communication when passing across messages to their various congregations and audiences.
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    Miracle as a spiritual event and as a marketing tactic among neo-Charismatic churches : a comparative study
    (Vereniging vir Christelike Hoer Onderwys, 2019) Adebayo, Rufus Olufemi; Zulu, Sylvia Phiwani
    This article explores how neo-charismatic churches use miracles as spiritual events and as a marketing tactic to draw ‘unbelievers’ or ‘miracle seekers’ to church. This study examines the significance of miracles among neo-charismatic churches as a spiritual event and as a marketing tactic. The data is derived from interviews with Black and Indian research participants from Pentecostal churches based in the Phoenix area of Durban, South Africa. The data showed that miracles do play a major role in drawing unbelievers to church and thus boosting the numbers of congregation members. It is observed from the data analysis that the connection with God is miraculous or spiritual and the emotionality associated therewith cannot be compared to marketing. The use of evidence of a miracle as a marketing tactic to attract unbelievers has a positive association with marketing, but the results revealed that for the Word of God to be spiritually understood by the congregants, there must be a conscious and constant dependence upon the Holy Spirit. This study recommends that the church should master the concept of services marketing, particularly when marketing characteristics of church services like miracles to congregants.