TY - JOUR
T1 - “We sleep with one eye open”
T2 - Exploring the experiences of churches in Rivers State, Nigeria
AU - Nche, George C.
AU - Wachukwu, Chikodi
AU - Nwaoga, Chinyere T.
AU - Mokwenye, Ekene M.
AU - Agwu, Prince
AU - Alagboso, Daniel I.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2019.
PY - 2019/12/1
Y1 - 2019/12/1
N2 - In instances of insecurity in many societies, churches “also” suffer. Yet there is a dearth of literature exploring the experiences of churches in connection with situations of insecurity. This study, therefore, explored the experiences of churches in the face of the high rate of insecurity in Rivers State, Nigeria. Information was elicited from 16 church leaders of different denominations in different communities in Rivers State. Using a descriptive narrative approach, the study found that churches’ experiences in some communities in the state are reflections of helplessness and despair due to the incidences of cultism, kidnapping, armed robbery, etc. Many churches in some of the embattled communities have been deserted or left with a few older people. This has had negative impacts on evangelism and the churches’ economy, with the clergy at the receiving end. The implications of findings for the government and churches are discussed.
AB - In instances of insecurity in many societies, churches “also” suffer. Yet there is a dearth of literature exploring the experiences of churches in connection with situations of insecurity. This study, therefore, explored the experiences of churches in the face of the high rate of insecurity in Rivers State, Nigeria. Information was elicited from 16 church leaders of different denominations in different communities in Rivers State. Using a descriptive narrative approach, the study found that churches’ experiences in some communities in the state are reflections of helplessness and despair due to the incidences of cultism, kidnapping, armed robbery, etc. Many churches in some of the embattled communities have been deserted or left with a few older people. This has had negative impacts on evangelism and the churches’ economy, with the clergy at the receiving end. The implications of findings for the government and churches are discussed.
KW - Amnesty program
KW - Churches
KW - cultism
KW - experiences
KW - insecurity
KW - Rivers State
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85070289109&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0021909619865582
DO - 10.1177/0021909619865582
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85070289109
SN - 0021-9096
VL - 54
SP - 1262
EP - 1279
JO - Journal of Asian and African Studies
JF - Journal of Asian and African Studies
IS - 8
ER -