Building Bridges and Barricades
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17192/mjr.1998.3.3766Abstract
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.References
Abimbola Wande, "Ifa: A West African Cosmological System", in Blakely T.D., et al (ed.) Religion in Africa: Experience and Expression, London: James Curry, 1994. pp. 101-116.
--- --- Ifa: An Exposition of Ifa Literary Corpus, Ibadan: Oxford University Press, 1976.
A Dictionary of the Yoruba Language, Ibadan: Oxford University Press, 1978.
Celestial Church of Christ Constitution, The Board of Trustees for the Pastor-in-Council, 1980.
Celestial Eye: A Decade of Pastoral Leadership, Lagos 1996.
Celestial Church of Christ Pastoral Council Orders, April 12, 1979.
Celestial Church of Christ Order of Service, CCC International Headquarters, Ketu-Lagos. Revised
edition, Jan. 1995.
Hallgren R., The Vital Force: A Study of Ase in the Traditional and Neo-traditional Culture of the
Yoruba People, Sweden: Lund Studies in African and Asian Religions, Volume 10, 1995.
--- --- The Good Things in Life: A Study of the Traditional religious culture of the Yoruba People,
Hallgren & Bokförlaget Plus Extra, Löberöd 1988.
Karade Baba Ifa, The Handbook of Yoruba Religious Concepts, York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser
Inc., 1994.
Lawuyi O.B & Olupona J.K, "Metaphoric Associations and the Conception of Death: Analysis of a
Yoruba World view", in Journal of Religion in Africa, XVIII, 1, 1988. pp. 1-14.
Neimark, P.J., Die Kraft der Orischa: Traditionen und Rituale afrikanischer Spiritualität, O.W. Barth Verlag, 1996.
Odeyemi S.O, The Spiritual Foundation of Celestial Church of Christ, Pastoral Publication, Femyet
Outreach Publ. Co., 1996.
--- --- Celestial Culture, Femyet Outreach Publ. Co., 1993.
--- --- The Spiritual Heritage of Celestial Church of Christ, Femyet Outreach Publ. Co., 1993.
--- --- The Coming of Oshoffa and the Birth of Celestial Church of Christ, Lagos 1992.
Okunlola D.O, Celestial City and Imeko Dynasty, Lagos 1995.
--- --- Celestial Church of Christ - Last Vessel for Salvation, Lagos: Bengo Comm. Printers, 1986.
Olayiwola D.O, "Tradition and Transformation: The Impact of Aladura Christianity in Western
Nigeria", in Africana Marburgensia, Special Issue 15, 1994. pp. 111-121.
-- -- "Celestial Aladura Christianity in the Yoruba Religio-Cultural matrix", in Christopher Steed &
David Westerlund, The Triple Religious Heritage of Nigeria, Uppsala 1995. pp. 53-66.
Olupona J.K. (ed.), African Traditional Religions in Contemporary Society, New York: Paragon House, 1991.
Orin Isipaya Mimi ti Celestial Church of Christ (Ijo Mimo ti Kristi Lati Orun Wa), Yoruba & English (Combined Version), CCC International Headquarters, Ketu-Lagos. n.d.
Ray C. Benjamin, "Aladura Christianity: A Yoruba Religion", in Journal of Religion in Africa XXIII, 3 ,1993. pp. 264-291.
--- ---, African Religions: Symbol, Ritual, and Community, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: PrenticeHall
Inc, 1976.
--- --- Ifa: An Exposition of Ifa Literary Corpus, Ibadan: Oxford University Press, 1976.
A Dictionary of the Yoruba Language, Ibadan: Oxford University Press, 1978.
Celestial Church of Christ Constitution, The Board of Trustees for the Pastor-in-Council, 1980.
Celestial Eye: A Decade of Pastoral Leadership, Lagos 1996.
Celestial Church of Christ Pastoral Council Orders, April 12, 1979.
Celestial Church of Christ Order of Service, CCC International Headquarters, Ketu-Lagos. Revised
edition, Jan. 1995.
Hallgren R., The Vital Force: A Study of Ase in the Traditional and Neo-traditional Culture of the
Yoruba People, Sweden: Lund Studies in African and Asian Religions, Volume 10, 1995.
--- --- The Good Things in Life: A Study of the Traditional religious culture of the Yoruba People,
Hallgren & Bokförlaget Plus Extra, Löberöd 1988.
Karade Baba Ifa, The Handbook of Yoruba Religious Concepts, York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser
Inc., 1994.
Lawuyi O.B & Olupona J.K, "Metaphoric Associations and the Conception of Death: Analysis of a
Yoruba World view", in Journal of Religion in Africa, XVIII, 1, 1988. pp. 1-14.
Neimark, P.J., Die Kraft der Orischa: Traditionen und Rituale afrikanischer Spiritualität, O.W. Barth Verlag, 1996.
Odeyemi S.O, The Spiritual Foundation of Celestial Church of Christ, Pastoral Publication, Femyet
Outreach Publ. Co., 1996.
--- --- Celestial Culture, Femyet Outreach Publ. Co., 1993.
--- --- The Spiritual Heritage of Celestial Church of Christ, Femyet Outreach Publ. Co., 1993.
--- --- The Coming of Oshoffa and the Birth of Celestial Church of Christ, Lagos 1992.
Okunlola D.O, Celestial City and Imeko Dynasty, Lagos 1995.
--- --- Celestial Church of Christ - Last Vessel for Salvation, Lagos: Bengo Comm. Printers, 1986.
Olayiwola D.O, "Tradition and Transformation: The Impact of Aladura Christianity in Western
Nigeria", in Africana Marburgensia, Special Issue 15, 1994. pp. 111-121.
-- -- "Celestial Aladura Christianity in the Yoruba Religio-Cultural matrix", in Christopher Steed &
David Westerlund, The Triple Religious Heritage of Nigeria, Uppsala 1995. pp. 53-66.
Olupona J.K. (ed.), African Traditional Religions in Contemporary Society, New York: Paragon House, 1991.
Orin Isipaya Mimi ti Celestial Church of Christ (Ijo Mimo ti Kristi Lati Orun Wa), Yoruba & English (Combined Version), CCC International Headquarters, Ketu-Lagos. n.d.
Ray C. Benjamin, "Aladura Christianity: A Yoruba Religion", in Journal of Religion in Africa XXIII, 3 ,1993. pp. 264-291.
--- ---, African Religions: Symbol, Ritual, and Community, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: PrenticeHall
Inc, 1976.
Downloads
Published
2015-08-25
How to Cite
Adogame, A. (2015). Building Bridges and Barricades. Marburg Journal of Religion, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.17192/mjr.1998.3.3766
Issue
Section
Articles
License
Overall copyright is assigned to Marburg Journal of Religion. Authors retain copyright for individual contributions and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.An author may give permission for an article published here to be published elsewhere, provided that the source is indicated in the form "First published in Marburg Journal of Religion, Volume 00 (year), Number 00".