METAPHORIC DISCOURSE REPRESENTATION OF FAITH AND PROSPERITY IN SELECTED NIGERIAN PENTECOSTAL SERMONS
Keywords:
Conceptual metaphor, faith, prosperity, Pentecostal sermons; Nigerian religious discourseAbstract
This study examined the metaphorical representation of faith and prosperity in selected Nigerian Pentecostal sermons. The study was motivated by the recognition that metaphor constitutes an important cognitive and communicative resource through which abstract religious concepts are presented in terms of familiar human experiences. It specifically investigated the experiential source domains through which faith and prosperity were conceptualised, the conceptual mappings established between the source and target domains, and the communicative and ideological functions performed by the identified metaphors in Pentecostal sermon discourse. The study adopted a qualitative, interpretive discourse-analytical design and purposively selected four Nigerian Pentecostal church settings: Living Faith Church Worldwide (Winners’ Chapel), the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Christ Embassy, and Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM). Sermon segments dealing with faith, prosperity, blessing, divine provision and related concepts were examined using the Metaphor Identification Procedure. The analysis was anchored in Lakoff and Johnson’s Conceptual Metaphor Theory and complemented by Charteris-Black’s Critical Metaphor Analysis. Five major metaphorical domains were identified: Faith is a seed/plant, faith is a force/weapon, prosperity is a journey/destination, blessing/prosperity is upward movement, and spiritual life is economic exchange. The analysis showed that these metaphorical representations perform explanatory, persuasive, motivational and identity-construction functions. The study concludes that metaphor in Nigerian Pentecostal sermons extends beyond stylistic ornamentation, functioning as a cognitive and discursive resource for constructing religious meanings, negotiating human agency, and articulating material and spiritual aspirations. Future research, should look at metaphorical patterns in a larger variety of Nigerian Pentecostal sermons and other religious situationsReferences
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