Original Research

The commercialisation of anointed water in two ministries: An African theological perspective

Mookgo S. Kgatle, Vuyisile Qiki
In die Skriflig/In Luce Verbi | Vol 57, No 1 | a2937 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/ids.v57i1.2937 | © 2023 Mookgo S. Kgatle | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 06 February 2023 | Published: 11 July 2023

About the author(s)

Mookgo S. Kgatle, Department of Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology, Faculty of Humanities, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
Vuyisile Qiki, Department of Christian Spirituality, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa

Abstract

The use of water in healing has significance in African religious life. African people believe that water is not an ordinary substance but is medicinal and a life-giving commodity. This article argues that within a Pentecostal church setting, the use of water in healing should be juxtaposed with biblical practices to deal with the challenges of commercialisation of the commodity, its abuses, and other unethical practices. The integration of the African religious life and biblical practices is framed from an African theological perspective. The contribution of this perspective is its potential to address the commercialisation of water in two selected Pentecostal-type ministries. This will be achieved by introducing an African theological perspective and the use of water in African religious life. Similarly, the two selected ministries and their commercialisation of water will be discussed through the use of the case study method. The two selected church ministries are Rivers of Living Water Ministries and Nala Mandate International (NMI). The aim of this article is to demonstrate that an African theological perspective is relevant for addressing issues of the commercialisation of water in the selected ministries. This challenges how scholars approach the use of water in healing. The practice should be acknowledged in African religious life but its commercialisation should be criticised.

Contribution: The article contributed to the discourse on the use of water in African religious life and proposed an African theological perspective to address the challenges of the commercialisation of the commodity.


Keywords

Pentecostalism; commercialisation; water; Rivers of Living Waters Ministries; Nala Mandate International; African theological perspective.

Sustainable Development Goal

Goal 10: Reduced inequalities

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Crossref Citations

1. Reviving Premodern Africa? The Anointed Objects and the Magical Economy in Un(der)developed Africa
Collium Banda
Religions  vol: 14  issue: 12  first page: 1477  year: 2023  
doi: 10.3390/rel14121477