Consumerist Prosperity Churches and Communality in Africa: An Eco-Social and Theological Evaluation of the Relationships

Using review of secondary literature, I examine the inordinate materialist orientations and attitudes of consumerist prosperity churches in Africa and their consequences for communality – the ethos that seeks to safeguard social and environmental relationships. Following an examination of the consumerist orientation of these churches within the framework of communality, I argue that these churches are inconsistent with communality in African societies, considering the potential social and environmental costs of this orientation. I also argue that, by being inconsistent with communality, these churches cannot be described as reflecting the holistic salvation vision of indigenous African worldviews and/or responding to the contexts, desires and needs of many African societies and, therefore, are contextually theologically problematic. I conclude that for a contextually and theologically defensible prosperity preaching by consumerist prosperity churches, communality in African societies will have to feature in its thinking and articulation.