Ghana: spiritual warfare

Written by David Fletcher 16 Jan 2020
Ghana: spiritual warfare

Spiritual warfare and the mission of the church is woven into Pentecostal / charismatic Christianity as a form of pastoral care. Supporters of spiritual warfare call themselves charismatic prophets and create ritual context for dealing with the problems of life related to education, marriage, promotion, etc. Witchcraft, in particular, may be blamed for both personal and communal problems. It is not uncommon for Ghanaians to explain alcoholism as the result of the wickedness of family witches who seek to bring victims to ruin. Mental health and human reproductive problems are similarly explained as the work of evil spirits. In Pentecostal traditions, unless deliverance occurs through warfare prayers, the influences of evil are believed to continue until people’s lives are completely wrecked. This teaching does not call for ‘victims’ to be personally responsible for their actions.

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