Review by Sandra9980 -- Jesus, Prosperity Gospel and Pov...

[Sandra9980]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Jesus, Prosperity Gospel and Poverty in Africa" by Elijah Oladimeji.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Poverty is a harsh reality of life and in Africa, it is a very real subject with the continent rated as the poorest. Faith, the gospel and Christianity are among the various tools that the African employs to maintain hope every day. Jesus, Prosperity Gospel and Poverty in Africa by Elijah Oladimeji gives the reader some researched details on the effects of poverty and the role that Christianity and the gospel plays in Africa. It gives a firsthand account of how a pastor deals with the day to day struggles of his congregants, his unwavering faith in his God and the absolute trust that his congregants have in anything that he says.

The Christian gospel plays a central role in keeping the pastor and the congregants centered on their faith and unshaken by the unrelenting poverty that they must battle with daily. The book cites different occasions where the pastor would get involved in the personal challenges of his congregants as a shepherd and intercessor and how results of faith are shown. The gospel of Jesus Christ is referred to a lot of times in the book making it very easy for those who hold the same belief to follow. The introduction as well as the first few pages are written in a way that compels the reader to keep turning the pages. The rest of the book is written in simple, easy to understand language and the dialogues help the reader to fully grasp the pivotal role that the prosperity gospel plays in Africa.

The author starts the plot with thoroughly researched and credited details about poverty and its effects in Africa; however, as I begin to warm up to the topic and am ready to get deeper into the plot, the subject abruptly veers and focuses on a single pastor and a single congregation with limited congregants. It’s a bit of a letdown from what the author has primed the reader in the introductory pages.

I rate this book a three out of four because of its readability and ability to highlight the struggles of poverty in Africa, as well as the role that faith plays in the day to day lives of people. The excellent quotation of scripture as well that runs in context with the topic cannot be left unsaid. However, since the author had mentioned that this book is an overview of Jesus, Poverty and the Prosperity Gospel in Africa, he could have widened the net and not just looked at one pastor and one congregation as this is too limited to be a representation of Africa or poverty and the prosperity gospel in Africa.

I would recommend this book to people of like faith who may be going through the struggle with poverty or even the daily challenges of life, as much of what Oladimeji writes about affects everybody regardless of race or location.

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Jesus, Prosperity Gospel and Poverty in Africa
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