The interplay between the gospel and concrete life challenges in Pope Paul VI : a paradigm for evangelization for the church in Nigeria

Abstract

Nigerians are grappling with heightening challenges born out of socio-political and economic difficulties. Hence, lots of people are thrown into crises which affect their faith. While lucked up in various forms of crises, Pentecostalism with its prosperity Gospel seems to offer a soft landing to the masses who no longer find consolation in the Catholic Church. On the other hand, some others take recourse to syncretism or African Traditional Religion as a way out. It therefore remains a great debate in Nigeria, whether the Church has a concrete message for people who are facing different forms of existential crisis which adversely affect their faith. This dissertation delves into attending to the above raging argument in Nigeria. To be able to see to the argument, the dissertation toes the thought of Pope Paul VI on the interplay between the gospel and concrete life challenges. This provides a good paradigm to explain the concrete evangelization for the Church in Nigeria, amidst the roles of the agents of evangelization.