Book review: revisionism and diversification in new religious movements edited by Eileen Barker

What links The Church of Scientology, the Family International, and the Québécois group La Mission de l’Esprit-Saint? All are New Religious Movements which have undergone significant changes over the last few decades. Afe Adogame finds that this book is a must-read for scholars of NRMs, historians of religion, social scientists, and policy makers

Building Bridges and Barricades

The Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) has been identified as a distinct brand of Christianity which has much affinity with the Yoruba cultural matrix. CCC on the other hand maintains its self-image as a Christian Church sui generis and vehemently refuses any connecting nexus with traditional religious thought and praxis. In our view, CCC cosmology is a synthesis of biblical belief, christian liturgical tradition and elements from Yoruba cultural milieux. This paper is concerned with situating Celestial Christianity holistically within the wider Yoruba religio-cultural context. It will examine whether and to what extent the Yoruba understanding of the cosmos has shaped CCC's worldview in their construction of ritual space. It also investigates their attitudes towards supernatural forces, and probes into how the members manipulate these forces in their church life and worship for individual and collective benefits

Editor’s Note

Jan G. Platvoet’s encounter with Africa, first as a missionary and later as a scholar, has earned him a significant place in the academic study of religion on the continent and beyond. As a historian of religion, he has made remarkable contributions to the academic study of indigenous religions in Africa and thus contributed in launching African religion into the global academy. His works in the areas of historiography, theory and methodology in the study of African religions and religions in Africa have immensely contributed to knowledge in the field. His notable roles in the African Association for the Study of Religions (AASR), as one of its pioneers but also one of the most proactive actors, and in the International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR) are not only outstanding, they have earned him a conspicuous place as one who has contributed to putting the academic study of religions in Africa on the global academic map. This Special Issue comprising nine contributions is the first set of essays written to honour him for his impact and mentorship in this area of scholarship. Similarly, the variety of essays in this volume demonstrate his broader engagement in the field as well as the growing interest of contemporary scholars of religion

Engaging the World Christian Communities in Contemporary Global Societies

The chapters in this volume represent the lived experiences of Christians in diverse communities across the globe. It reinforces that Christian communities do not live in a vacuum but in complex, diverse social contexts. A Christian community in this context means a community which is primarily formed by its belief and adherence to Christian faith.https://scholar.csl.edu/edinburghcentenary/1004/thumbnail.jp

Engaging the World Christian Communities in Contemporary Global Societies

The chapters in this volume represent the lived experiences of Christians in diverse communities across the globe. It reinforces that Christian communities do not live in a vacuum but in complex, diverse social contexts. A Christian community in this context means a community which is primarily formed by its belief and adherence to Christian faith.https://scholar.csl.edu/edinburghcentenary/1004/thumbnail.jp

Advantageous comparison: using twitter responses to understand similarities between cybercriminals (“Yahoo boys”) and politicians (“Yahoo men”)

This article is about the manifestations of similarities between two seemingly distinct groups: cybercriminals and politicians. Which linguistic strategies do Twitter users use to express their opinions on cybercriminals and politicians? The study undertakes a qualitative analysis of ‘engaged’ tweets of a Nigerian law enforcement agency. We analyzed and coded over 100,000 ‘engaged’ tweets based on a component of mechanisms of moral disengagement (i.e., advantageous comparison), a linguistic device. The results reveal how respondents defend the actions of online fraudsters (“the powerless group”) by strategically comparing them to the wrongful acts of corrupt politicians (“the powerful group”). Similarly, the results show how respondents positioned this linguistic strategy to compare “the powerless group” (online fraudsters) and “the powerful group” (politicians) in society. Indeed, tweet responses suggest that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) generally looks downwards for culprits (i.e., online fraudsters) while ignoring fraudulent politicians. We conclude that the process by which some actions are interpreted as a crime compared to others is a moral enterprise

Assessment of Pollution load of Persistent Organic Pollutants in the Lagos Lagoon, Nigeria

Eighteen Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) residue were measured in water, sediment, fish, soil and egg samples. These samples were collected from selected areas (Ilaje, Oko Oba, Iddo and Apapa) based on their proximity to anthropogenic activities that could result in the deposition of these pollutants in the lagoon. The analysis was done using gas chromatograph with pulsed flame photometric detector. The results show that total POPs concentration for all the sampling stations ranged from 2.12 - 5.66µg/L (water), 8.55 - 15.31µg/kg (sediment), 3.83 - 10.96µg/kg (fish), 1500.84 - 2495.73µg/kg (soil) and 3.92 - 9.56µg/kg (egg). The highest concentrations of individual OCPs were 4.53µg/kg (Endosulfan)(Apapa-water), 6.28µg/L (Endrin)(Ilaje-sediment), 5.83µg/kg (Endosulfan)(Ilaje-fish), 1710.06µg/kg (Endosulfan)(Apapa-soil), 4.42µg/kg (Endosulfan)(Ilaje-egg). The concentration of total POPs at the different sampling stations increased in this order; 2.12µg/L (Iddo), 3.88µg/L (Oko Oba), 3.96µg/L (Ilaje) and 5.66µg/L (Apapa) for water samples; 8.55µg/kg (Apapa), 8.94µg/kg (Iddo), 14.6µg/kg (Oko-Oba) and 15.31µg/kg (Ilaje). Sediment sample values were 3.83µg/kg (Iddo), 5.29µg/kg (Apapa) and 10.96µg/kg (Ilaje) and 9.58µg/kg (Oko Oba). Fish sample values were 1500.84µg/kg (Iddo), 1592.31µg/kg (Oko Oba), 1783.72µg/kg (Apapa) and 2495.75µg/kg (Ilaje). Soil sample values were 3.92µg/kg (Apapa), 4.12µg/kg (Iddo), 7.81µg/kg (Oko Oba) and 9.56µg/kg (Iddo). The concentration of total POPs in the various media increased in this order; 3.91µg/L (water), 6.36µg/kg (egg), 7.41µg/kg (fish), 11.85µg/kg (sediment) and 1843.16µg/kg (soil). This study indicates that water, sediment, fish, soil and egg samples collected from the Lagos Lagoon are contaminated with varying amounts of persistent organic pollutants, and need for enforcement of relevant legislation against polluters