Spirit Baptism and Power: Luke's Concept of Spirit and Power reflected in The Church of Pentecost with specific references to the Church of Pentecost in Birmingham, England.

Abstract

The rise of missionary activities in Sub-Saharan Africa eventually led to the emergence of Pentecostalism and Pentecostal churches in that region including the Church of Pentecost in Ghana. In a culture where there are strong emphasis on spirit activities and their impact on the physical world, Pentecostal doctrines of Spirit baptism and power along with other Pentecostal liturgies have made Pentecostalism attractive to Ghanaians. With branches in over eighty nations across the continents, the Church of Pentecost is a model example of an African Pentecostal church which has contributed significantly to understanding Pneumatology within the African churches, both at home and in the Diaspora. This paper examines the Lukan concept of Spirit baptism and power in church praxis by undertaking research on the Church of Pentecost and specifically its Birmingham branch. The thesis begins by exploring Spirit baptism as power for service/witness from a Lukan perspective. This leads to investigating the concept of Spirit and Power in the Ghanaian socio-cultural context. The study shows how the quest for power in the Akan cultural and social praxis has influenced church praxis. Particularly, the paper demonstrates the continuation of beliefs and practices among Ghanaians in the Diaspora, both culturally and in church praxis. The paper argues that though the church praxis differs from the Lukan concept, there still remains a positive amalgamation of Spirit and power between church and culture.

Date of Award	1 Aug 2014
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester