Review of Jesus, Prosperity Gospel and Poverty in Africa
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Keith Mbuya
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Review of Jesus, Prosperity Gospel and Poverty in Africa
[Following is a volunteer review of "Jesus, Prosperity Gospel and Poverty in Africa" by Elijah Oladimeji.]
The twenty first century has seen an enormous increase in the number of christians in the African continent. However, a curiously conspicuous contrast about Africa is that the level of poverty among some Africans has grown or perhaps has worsened. Is there any relation between the prosperity of the gospel and the poverty seen in Africa? Elijah Oladimeji tries to answer your question in his book Jesus, Propsperity Gospel and Poverty in Africa.
Elijah Oladimeji does a good job in writing Jesus, Prosperity Gospel and Poverty in Africa. His choice of words is good. Generally he uses simple vocabularies and fairly long sentences that are easy to comprehend. His style of writing is compellingly fascinating. He approaches his ideas in a casual tone. Casual in the sense that his words put the reader at ease while reading about facts and statistics. This makes the book easy to read and the whole subject perceivable. I've read other non fiction books and the fact that some authors employ a matter of factly tone in their writing really turns me off. I mean, I could be very enthralled with the subject of the book but still not read it because of the writer's tone.
Elijah aligns his ideas perfectly. He first addresses the state of poverty in Africa. According to a study, nearly fifty percent of the African population lives on the edge of poverty earning only $1.25 per day. Access to healthcare, education and shelter is still a big problem in Africa. He then relates the plight of poverty among Africans to the growth of Christianity in the continent. With all the trouble an individual is going through, a message of hope and a promise that his or her problems can be miraculously taken away by God is all one would want to hear. Through faith and prayers, Elijah shows that God changes people's situations. He also acknowledges that there is a living God and that he does answer prayers.
Elijah also shows how it all goes on a normal Sunday for a church in Africa. It is so real and relatable. He even addresses the struggles of a pastor in a typical African church and much much more. Elijah compares Europe and Africa religion wise. He gives very elaborate reasons to support his ideas on this. Jesus, Prosperity Gospel and Poverty in Africa is a very detailed book with so much information yet very short. You should read the book if you have questions about Christianity and poverty in Africa.
I did not like how poorly punctuated the book is. Especially for dialogues, at times it was hard to tell whether I was reading through a simple sentence or a dialogue. Elijah also exclusively talks about churches in Nigeria and not other African countries. Even though he may have intended to use the churches in Nigeria as a representation of African churches, It would have been better if he would have maintained the diversity he suggests in his book's title.
Except for a single error and the lack of proper punctuation, I did enjoy reading Jesus, Prosperity Gospel and Poverty in Africa. Religious scholars, people with a general interest in religion and those who love non fiction books will love this book. The minor mistakes however do not outweigh the goodness of this book, I rate it 3 out of 4 stars.
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Jesus, Prosperity Gospel and Poverty in Africa
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The twenty first century has seen an enormous increase in the number of christians in the African continent. However, a curiously conspicuous contrast about Africa is that the level of poverty among some Africans has grown or perhaps has worsened. Is there any relation between the prosperity of the gospel and the poverty seen in Africa? Elijah Oladimeji tries to answer your question in his book Jesus, Propsperity Gospel and Poverty in Africa.
Elijah Oladimeji does a good job in writing Jesus, Prosperity Gospel and Poverty in Africa. His choice of words is good. Generally he uses simple vocabularies and fairly long sentences that are easy to comprehend. His style of writing is compellingly fascinating. He approaches his ideas in a casual tone. Casual in the sense that his words put the reader at ease while reading about facts and statistics. This makes the book easy to read and the whole subject perceivable. I've read other non fiction books and the fact that some authors employ a matter of factly tone in their writing really turns me off. I mean, I could be very enthralled with the subject of the book but still not read it because of the writer's tone.
Elijah aligns his ideas perfectly. He first addresses the state of poverty in Africa. According to a study, nearly fifty percent of the African population lives on the edge of poverty earning only $1.25 per day. Access to healthcare, education and shelter is still a big problem in Africa. He then relates the plight of poverty among Africans to the growth of Christianity in the continent. With all the trouble an individual is going through, a message of hope and a promise that his or her problems can be miraculously taken away by God is all one would want to hear. Through faith and prayers, Elijah shows that God changes people's situations. He also acknowledges that there is a living God and that he does answer prayers.
Elijah also shows how it all goes on a normal Sunday for a church in Africa. It is so real and relatable. He even addresses the struggles of a pastor in a typical African church and much much more. Elijah compares Europe and Africa religion wise. He gives very elaborate reasons to support his ideas on this. Jesus, Prosperity Gospel and Poverty in Africa is a very detailed book with so much information yet very short. You should read the book if you have questions about Christianity and poverty in Africa.
I did not like how poorly punctuated the book is. Especially for dialogues, at times it was hard to tell whether I was reading through a simple sentence or a dialogue. Elijah also exclusively talks about churches in Nigeria and not other African countries. Even though he may have intended to use the churches in Nigeria as a representation of African churches, It would have been better if he would have maintained the diversity he suggests in his book's title.
Except for a single error and the lack of proper punctuation, I did enjoy reading Jesus, Prosperity Gospel and Poverty in Africa. Religious scholars, people with a general interest in religion and those who love non fiction books will love this book. The minor mistakes however do not outweigh the goodness of this book, I rate it 3 out of 4 stars.
******
Jesus, Prosperity Gospel and Poverty in Africa
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Rulers of the Galaxy by Tayma Tameem
