Paper long abstract:

As the new century progresses, the Pentecostal movement in Africa continues to grow rapidly, both in terms of membership numbers and the social reach of ‘born-again’ beliefs and practices. This paper examines how Pentecostalists in southern Nigeria have negotiated the political and economic transformations that have occurred since the introduction of the structural adjustment programme (SAP) in 1986. The paper focuses upon the impact that SAP has had on education policy, in particular how reduced state expenditure has resulted in restricted public provision and opportunities for private providers. Many Pentecostal ministries have subsequently developed educational programmes for followers and these new ventures are now part of their business concerns. The paper examines the ways in which changes in education under SAP have shaped the class formation of the Pentecostal membership and have also modified the organisational structures of many ministries. Drawing upon case studies of ‘prosperity’ ministries, the paper analyses ideas about the acquisition, value and purpose of knowledge that are expressed among Pentecostalists and examines how these ideas inform the extensive Pentecostal investment in higher education that has occurred since 1999, a development that accords with SAP objectives. It is argued that the ‘prosperity’ form of Pentecostalism that has become predominant over the last two decades has an affinity with the rhetoric and policy objectives of structural adjustment, in particular with the advocacy of enterprise as the route out of poverty.