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Abstract This study is an attempt to examine the role of the church in meeting the growth and survival of the society. The church as a religious and social organization, driven by moral and social principles as contained in the fundamental teachings and doctrine of Christian faith, is expected to play an important role towards the social change and the improvement on society’s value system. This will lead to the transformation of the social life and put society in a holistic growth- and development-oriented direction. The objective of this study is to evaluate the assumption that the church is capable of influencing the society positively, using three selected churches as the case study. The findings reveals that; the Nigerians society is full of crises and conflict as a result of the interaction of political, economic and social instability frequently stemming from bad governance and the church could ensure National unity and survival of our society. Thus, to build and develop the society, the researcher recommends that churches should focus more in preaching the message of peace and harmony rather than prosperity message that is the order of the day in most churches today. Churches should also discourage social and political violence as this will aids growth and survival of the society. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
2.2.1 The Functions of the Church 2.3 Conflicts and Crisis in Nigeria 2.4 Religion as a Driver of Conflicts in Nigeria 2.5 The Church and the Promotion of Peace 2.6 Major Causes of Disunity in Nigeria 2.7 Religious Rivalry among Christians and Muslims 2.8 Niger Delta and the Agitation for Resource Control 2.9 Theoretical Framework CHAPTER THRE 3.1 Research Design 3.2 Study Area 3.3 Sampling Design and Procedures 3.4 Data Collection Instrument 3.5 Administration of the Data Collection Instrument 3.6 Data Presentation 3.7 Statistical Tools for Data Analyses CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Findings 5.3 Conclusion 5.4 Recommendations Bibliography Appendix
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Study There is a direct link between the church and the society as the church operates within the heart of the society. Christ pointed out that the church and the world will always be linked as the church comes from the world, and they influence each other continually. He said “you are in the world but not of the world”. The “called out ones”, the church, are in the world but not of it. They live in the world though governed by rules of “another world”. The church and the world represent two systems calling for a relationship as in any systems theory. In this regards, it is said that “all elements of all systems are connected to each other in an infinitely complex web of life. When there is change in one, the other has to adapt, which in turn impacts on the source of the change” The Nigerian society has been faced with series of challenges ranging from social, political and religious crisis from independent. Since 1999 when Nigeria transited into civilian rule, the country has witnessed a rapid increase in the number of conflicts. The reoccurring crisis between Christians and Muslims in the northern Nigeria calls for interventions from both national and international bodies. A high level of corruption and the looting of state resources is another serious and ‘pandemic’ (Dike 2005) problem that makes all forms of conflict and trouble worse in Nigeria. The country is ‘richly endowed with natural resources and high quality human capital’ (Ogbeidi 2012), but corruption is one of the main reasons that affect the development of the country in a negative way. The appropriation of state resources by certain hands makes poverty and bitter anger inevitable aspects of daily socio-economic and political routine. In this sense, though corruption is not peculiar to Nigeria, many sources call it the ‘bane of the country’ (Dike 2005; Ogbeidi 2012). And of course, corruption is considered to be one of the main causes of ethno-religious conflicts (Nwankwo 2015). Poverty and injustice caused by corruption weaken any sense of mutual tolerance, social solidarity or coexistence, while reawakening social hatred, radicalism and violence. For this reason, the church is seen as a major catalyst of peace and conflict resolution in the Nigerian society. Christianity as a word means followers of Christ or Christ like. Christians therefore are those who follow and act the teaching of Christ in all ways of life. One of the climaxes of Christianity or Christian virtue is peace. Christians are enjoined in the Bible to embrace and live peacefully with their neighbors’. The following scriptures confirm this: Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it (Psalm 34 vs 14). Blessed are the Peace makers for they shall be called the children of God Matthew 5 vs 9). Let him eschew evil and do well; let him seek peace and ensue it (1 Peter 3 vs 11). Follow peace with all men and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12 vs 14). If it be possible, as much as it lieth in you, live peaceably with all men (Rom 12 vs 18) The word Peace in Christianity is translated from the Hebrew word ‘Shalom’, which is a key word in the Bible and it’s at the center of how God wants us to live on earth. One of the key things Jesus came to give humanity is Peace and expects us to live in peace as cited in the scriptural verses above. Peace was not only what Jesus taught but He also lived it, this in most cases is what scholars call pacifism, as Jesus never taught violence, even at his arrest by the Pharisees and one of his disciples struck the ears of the priest, Jesus rebuked the disciple and said that “those who live by the sword shall die by the sword” (Mathew 26:52, NKJV). In another place Jesus taught the people not to retaliate any evil done to them as it used to be, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, if one should strike you on the right cheek, turn the left cheek (Mathew 5:38-39, NKJV) but now to always forgive those that offend them and he charged them to forgive their neighbors even seventy times seven (Matthew 18:22, KJV). With all these scriptural teachings of the church, Christians are supposed to live in peace and harmony in the society. 1.2 Statement of the Problem According to (II Timothy 3:1), “but know this, that in the last days perilous times will come.” I’ll take the liberty to say that perilous times are here. More and more children are growing up in broken homes, unemployment is on the rise and Christians are sinking deeper into debt like never before. Communities in Nigeria have been bedeviled by numerous development challenges which include: severe economic, political and social crises, decline in the standard of education, moral and infrastructural decay, cultural crisis predicated on the fact that traditional values in the people’s cultures have been heavily impacted by materialism, science and technology and ideologies. Health facilities are in total decay. All these problems call to question the role of the Church in still contributing to the provision of needed succor in these problem areas. In view of these problems and issues, the big question is the relevance of the Church in the present situation. Since relevance is an important feature of any meaningful phenomenon, event or institution, especially in the sphere of human life, the Church’s role in the solution of problems in the 21st century Nigerian society may be definitive in the justification of its existence among the Nigerian people. This study is set to examine the role of the Church in Nigeria today and set how it can help address itself to several problems of poverty and other social problems facing the people and see how it can further join the government and other stakeholders in bringing sustainable development and survival of the society. 1.3 Objectives of the Study The primary aim of this study is to examine the role of the church in meeting the growth and survival of the society, the specific objectives of the study include:
1.4 Research Questions The following research questions were carefully selected to guide the study;
1.5 Research Hypotheses The following research hypotheses will be tested at 0.05 level of significance: H0: The Church has not been relevant in the growth and survival of the communities in Akwa Ibom State H1: The Church has been relevant in the growth and survival of the communities in Akwa Ibom State H0: The Church has played no significant role in the growth and survival of communities in Akwa Ibom State. H2: The Church has not played a significant role in the growth and survival of communities in Akwa Ibom State.
This study is significant in various ways: It will provide valuable insights into existing relationship between the government and the church in providing development in our rural communities. It will bring to the fore the prominent roles the Church has been playing in development since she made her advent and the situation. It could also motivate the various stakeholders in growth and survival of the community to partner well with the Church in bringing development. It will add to existing knowledge and equally serve as a benchmark. It will serve as a model to other NGOs in their contributions to growth and survival of the community. 1.7 Scope and Limitations of the Study This study will cover the role of the church in meeting the growth and survival of the society in general as regards the issue of societal peace and harmony. The following constraints tend to hinder the flow of the study; Financial constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview). Time constraint: The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work. 1.8 Definitions of Terms Church: A church building or church house, often simply called a church, is a building used for Christian religious activities, particularly for Christian worship services. The term is often used by Christians to refer to the physical buildings where they worship, but it is sometimes used (by analogy) to refer to buildings of other religions. Religion: Religion is a cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations that relates humanity to supernatural, transcendental, or spiritual elements. However, there is no scholarly consensus over what precisely constitutes a religion Religious conflicts: A religious war or holy war (Latin: bellum sacrum) is a war primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, debates are common over the extent to which religious, economic, or ethnic aspects of a conflict predominate in a given war. Political conflicts: Political conflict is the incompatibility between social systems with regard to the security of a population, the integrity of a territory, or the maintenance of a political, socioeconomic or cultural, and national or international order.
Keywords: THE ROLE OF CHURCH IN MEETING THE GROWTH AND SURVIVAL OF THE SOCIETY
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