The Effect of Pentecostalism on Political Behavior in Ghana and Nigeria

Abstract

In their recent book, From Pews to Politics, Rachel Riedl and Gwyneth McClendon draw attention to the influence of religion on political behavior in Sub-Saharan Africa. In this thesis, I pursue this subject with respect to Pentecostal pastors and their congregations in two countries, Nigeria and Ghana. First, I analyze whether Pentecostals display distinctly different attitudes towards political institutions in comparison to other religious groups. To assess patterns of political behavior and selected preferences, I drew data from two surveys and utilized a logistic regression. I then traveled to the region and interviewed Pentecostal leaders in Nigeria and Ghana.

My research yielded five main findings. Ghanaian Pentecostals displayed greater levels of trust toward the president and lower levels of trust toward the local government in contrast to members of other faiths. Ghanaian Pentecostals had significantly higher odds than other faith members of supporting government regulation of places of worship, in line with the opinion of their leaders. Prophecies could affect Nigerian Pentecostals’ trust in political institutions and how frequently a person listens to prophecies can modify the effect. Nigerian Pentecostals in comparison to members of other faiths had significantly lower odds of support for the separation between church and state which was in line with their leaders’ opinions. They were more likely to believe the government should take steps to make the country more Pentecostal. Additionally, Nigerian Pentecostals in comparison to members of other faiths had significantly higher odds of believing that religious groups should express political views. The current methods in Ghana and Nigeria to regulate religious behavior are inadequate and pose violations to one’s freedom of religion and freedom of expression. The findings of this thesis illuminate how the growth of the Pentecostal movement in Nigeria and Ghana has implications for the political future. It emphasizes why these governments should have Pentecostal leaders as key partners but stresses the importance of these governments working on increasing transparency, fostering trust with their civilians, and delivering on its promises so that they do not become overly relevant on Pentecostal leaders.