THE PREACHING OF JOHN THE BAPTIST AS A MODEL FOR RELIGIOUS
CLERICS IN THE PURSUIT OF SOCIO-RELIGIOUS TRANSFORMATION
by Rev. G. N. Toryough
The main focus of this paper is to address the need for socio-religious transformation in
Nigeria, an issue that is begging for a functional and practical solution. I say this because of the
ethno-religious and political cum economic crises that have bedeviled the country, Nigeria, since
independence. The ethno-religious killings in Kano (1980 & 1986), Kaduna (1982 & 2000), Jos
(2009 & 2010), Bauchi (1982), and Maiduguri (1982) are still fresh in our memory. So also are
the rigging of elections, the looting of public treasuries by political office functionaries, the
corruption menace in The Nigeria Police Force, and the monetization of the Gospel in the name
of ‘prosperity preaching’ with its attendant consequences. Other issues that are beckoning for
solution are the ‘419’ saga, the problems of kidnapping and assassination in the Niger-Delta and
other parts of the nation, the issue of drug peddling, the marketing of fake drugs, substandard
goods, poverty and a high level of insecurity in the nation, to mention just a few.
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