The Preaching of John the Baptist as a Model for Religious Clerics in the Pursuit of Socio-Religious Transformation

G.  N. Toryough,

The Preaching of John the Baptist as a Model for Religious Clerics in the Pursuit of Socio-Religious Transformation

Discipline: Social Science, Theology, Theological Science

Abstract:

The main focus of this paper is to address the need for socio-religious transformation in Nigeria, an issue that is begging for a functional and practical solution. I say this because of the ethno-religious and political cum economic crises that have bedeviled the country, Nigeria, since independence. The ethno-religious killings in Kano (1980 & 1986), Kaduna (1982 & 2000), Jos (2009 & 2010), Bauchi (1982), and Maiduguri (1982) are still fresh in our memory. So also are the rigging of elections, the looting of public treasuries by political office functionaries, the corruption menace in The Nigeria Police Force, and the monetization of the Gospel in the name of ‘prosperity preaching’ with its attendant consequences. Other issues that are beckoning for solution are the ‘419’ saga, the problems of kidnapping and assassination in the Niger-Delta and other parts of the nation, the issue of drug peddling, the marketing of fake drugs, substandard goods, poverty and a high level of insecurity in the nation, to mention just a few.