Tenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

Much research has been done on the Pentecostal movement over the years. Several studies have focused on their history and robust growth, while others have focused on their theological stances with a fundamentalist allure to religious doctrine and practice. Yet others have written on Pentecostal churches’ growing political influence in society. This presents an idealistic picture of Pentecostal churches, as such studies that represent Pentecostal churches as being void of challenges. However, Pentecostal churches, commonly referred to as “born again churches” in Uganda are characterised by feuds and conflicts among their pastors, which ultimately engulf the whole church membership. Born again church pastors are becoming synonymous with conflict, characterised by accusations and counter accusations against each other, usually expressed in the media and on their pulpits during sermons. Such feuds occupy a significant part of public space and discourse in Uganda, some of which end up in courts of law. This then becomes a significant phenomenon in church politics due to born again Christian pastors’ standing in society. This study attempts to question whether the root causes of the feuds among born again pastors in Uganda are a result of competing ideological and theological differences, or are occasioned by other circumstances beyond theological inclinations. The study also attempts to analyse the nature and manifestations of such feuds. The study finally embraces selected examples from the bible and the early church as best practices that ought to be adopted by the born again church in Uganda to deal with such conflict.