Christian Faith and Social Transformation

This project holds that the theology of John Howard Yoder especially, as it is expressed in his ecclesial ethics, offers a more significant assistance to the reformed church in its varied attempts to make meaningful contributions to social transformation and development without compromising the Gospel. Contemporary challenges within the Nigerian socio-cultural context question the meaningfulness of the Enlightenment-based and Constantinian-Docetic faced ecclesiology of the Presbyterian church to its host religio-cultures. The work addresses the question: How can the church's self-understanding and theological mission enterprise contribute more meaningfully to the ongoing quest for a sustainable and more responsible approach to nation building, social transformation and development in Nigeria? In other words, what practical lessons can the church in particular, draw from the Yoderian project, on the relationship between church and public life, or on the relationship between ethical ecclesial identity and ethical practice?