Original Research
Abuse, power and discourse in the public trial of Timothy Omotoso
Submitted: 21 April 2021 | Published: 17 May 2022
About the author(s)
Mookgo S. Kgatle, Department of Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology, Faculty of Humanities, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South AfricaMaria Frahm-Arp, Department of Religion Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
Abstract
Exposure of gender-based violence (GBV) has recently received attention from both scholars and the public. However, GBV within Christian discourse, and specifically as it occurs among pastors of the new Prophetic Pentecostal Churches (PPC), is yet to be explored in detail. This article begins to address this research gap by highlighting the difficulty of proving sexual and spiritual abuse in a secular court of law, as shown in the public trial of Timothy Omotoso. The study uses critical discourse analysis (CDA) as the methodology to examine aspects of the trial and the social media discourse commenting on the trial. In doing so, the article highlights three different discourses surrounding the Zondi trial, namely the discourse of GBV in Pentecostalism; the secular legal discourse and how it reshapes faith, spirituality and the abuse of believers; and the public trial victims endure on social media if they chose to come forward to testify against a church leader. By examining these discourses, the study shows how each of these need to be taken seriously and should inform pastoral care given to victims who experienced GBV by Christian leaders. Using the findings from Zondi’s testimony, this article proposes a framework of pastoral care that can support people who experience GBV within a Christian context and consider bringing their abusers to trial.
Interdisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article is an interface between GBV and Pentecostalism in a public trial of Timothy Omotoso through CDA. The article proposes a pastoral care as a remedy for those undergoing trauma of abuse.
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Crossref Citations
1. Pastoral Care Regarding Sexual Addictions within the Context of the Pentecostal-Charismatic Churches in South Africa
Mmamajoro Phalatsi-Shilubana
E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences first page: 1611 year: 2024
doi: 10.38159/ehass.20245814