The Celestial Church of Christ; the history of an independent African Church
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Date
1986
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Publisher
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria
Abstract
The Independent Indigenous churches in Africa, of which the Celestial Church of Christ is one,
are a twentieth century phenomenon. These indigenous churches have contrasting characteristics
in the different African States where they operate.
While some of these indigenous churches have come into existence for racial reasons and others
as protest groups, the Celestial Church of Christ claims to be the "last ship of Salvation" - kind
of "Noah's Ark". It claims divine origin and everything about the church is traced to Divine
Revelation.
Incidentally, the C.C.C. is the most misunderstood of all the Christian churches in Nigeria. Some
see it as a cult while others describe it as a refined Yoruba traditional religion. I have under-taken
to investigate the Celestial Church in order to bring out the truth about the faith and practices of
that church especially now that the Dramatis Personae connected with the birth and development
of that church are still on the stage. The intention is to lay bare the facts and allow individuals to
give their own conclusions.
In this research therefore, I have attempted to survey the social, political, economic and religious
conditions of Porto Novo (Ajase Ipo) in order to show the background on which the Celestial
Church of Christ was founded, as well as examine the origins, growth and expansion of the
C.C.C. and then to investigate the theology, liturgical practices, organization, administration and
constitution of the church. My conclusion is mainly an evaluation of the church as a Christian
church vis a vis its contributions to religious change in Nigeria. My approach is mainly historical
and theological.
Description
455p
Keywords
Church, Religion, Christianity, Celestial Church of Christ, Theology, Liturgy