Pentecostal practices in post-apartheid South Africa: A critical analysis of faith dynamics, identity construction and processes of social transformation

Abstract

Background: After the installation of democracy in South Africa in 1994, Pentecostals and Charismatics have experienced explosive growth and have become major theological forces in the country’s faith development. Their proliferation has shaped religious identity, personal expressions of faith and moral values in the context of a rapidly changing post-apartheid society.
Objectives: Against this background, the current study interrogates selected Pentecostal practices in post-apartheid South Africa by questioning the processes of Christian faith, identity formation and social change. The objective is to create a theological-ethical interpretation of these practices against the policy of democratic governance.
Methods: The study uses a desktop methodology to examine existing literature about Pentecostalism in South Africa, which it analyses through thematic and theological-ethical interpretive methods.
Results: The analyses show that Pentecostalism is a dynamic religious movement that empowers individuals and communities and, at the same time, is part of the process of social and religious identity reconstruction. Nevertheless, some practices lead to theological and ethical concerns that deserve to be, and ought to be, rigorously critiqued.
Conclusion: Thus, Pentecostalism has become one of the salient forces of South African society, mediated spiritual renewal and social transformation in the region, at the same time triggering other ethical questions that require theological engagement.
Contribution: This article provides a theological-ethical assessment of the Pentecostal practices in post-apartheid South Africa and pleads for interdisciplinary dialogue between theology and social sciences.