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Haynes, Jeffrey (2024) Book review : The political economy of heaven and earth in Ghana / Charles Prempeh. Review of Faith & International Affairs, 22 (3). pp. 96-97. ISSN 1931-7743
Book review of 'The Political Economy of Heaven and Earth in Ghana' by Charles Prempeh (Bamenda, Cameroon: Langaa Research and Publishing Common Initiative Group, 2023). 408 pp., £46.20 (paperback), ISBN: 9789956553174.
Christian nationalism in Ghana is a significant religious and political ideology. Many of its proponents are Pentecostals or Charismatics, who seek changes in public policy to build God’s kingdom on earth, that is, a Christianised state. Critics believe this poses a serious threat to national cohesion as it involves vilifying those who have different religious or cultural beliefs, including the 20 per cent of Ghanaians who are Muslim, the 5 per cent of the population who are followers of African traditional religions, and Ghana’s small and beleaguered LGBTQ+ community.
Ghana is not the only African country affected by Christian nationalism. For example, Zambia was declared a ‘Christian nation’ over 30 years ago. Nigeria’s politics have been significantly influenced by Christians, notably Pentecostals, for more than two decades. Côte d’Ivoire experienced the rise of Christian nationalism from the late 1990s, with significant effects on inter-faith relations. Ethiopia is a religiously plural country, where Christian nationalism is said to be ‘tearing the country apart’. It is, however, unclear to what extent – if at all - ‘Christian nationalism’ in, for example, Côte d’Ivoire is the same phenomenon as in Ghana.
Charles Prempeh’s book is a welcome addition to the growing literature on the phenomenon of Christian nationalism in Ghana. Prempeh is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Cultural and African Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, KumasiGhana. He is a self-declared member of Ghana’s largest Protestant church, the Church of Pentecost. He brings to the topic of Christian nationalism both an academic’s sceptical eye and a believer’s focus.
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