From Text to Trench: A Triangulated Hermeneutic of Pauline Adoption and Patronage in Nigerian Ecclesiology
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21322967Keywords:
Pauline adoption (huiothesia), methodological triangulation, Nigerian neo-Pentecostalism, prosperity theology, ecclesial pedagogy, cruciform theology, post-colonial ecclesiology, Romans 8 exegesis.Abstract
This paper develops a triangulated theological framework connecting first-century biblical exegesis with the social and institutional realities of post-colonial Nigeria. Focusing on the Pauline theology of participation (koinonia) and adoption (huiothesia) in Romans 8:14–23, the study challenges both individualistic Western soteriological frameworks and the transactional prosperity paradigms dominant in contemporary Nigerian neo-Pentecostalism. By pairing exegetical findings with qualitative thematic analysis of West African ecclesial structures and integrating the indigenous research of Dr. Nesta Andy-Philip of the University of Abuja, this paper exposes the growing gap between the radical, suffering-sharing, communal demands of the Pauline text and the consumerist, power-centered orientation of contemporary church pedagogy. The paper concludes by proposing a contextual model of ecclesial pedagogy designed to foster structural accountability, moral resilience, and prophetic civic engagement within the Nigerian democratic experiment. This study contributes to the field of African contextual theology by demonstrating that methodological triangulation, combining historical-grammatical exegesis with qualitative social analysis offers a robust path toward bridging the hermeneutical divide between ancient biblical texts and contemporary African ecclesial realities.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Idanwojo Vincent Thankgod (Author)
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