Of Evangelism or Merchandise? The Role of Selected Christian Faith-based Schools in Nigerian Education

Abstract

There is no doubt that Christianity had contributed immensely to the religious, political, educational, and socio-economic development of Nigeria. However, the story is not holistic. Hence, this paper critically examines the role of both mainline and Pentecostal churches in education in relation to National development in Nigeria. It examines the contribution of faith-based schools in southwestern Nigeria to education. Data for this research was obtained through primary and secondary sources. The primary source includes in-depth interviews with the owners of the selected faith-based schools. The secondary source includes books, journal articles, the Internet, and structured questionnaires as tools for producing information. In addition, all relevant documents of the selected institutions were collected. Data collected were analyzed through the sociology of religion. The study concludes that the mission schools have seriously deviated from their primary aim of using religion as a channel to evangelize but have turned to real enterprises. In addition, it shows that the entrepreneurial sense of the Pentecostal churches is higher than that of the Orthodox missions, especially when we examine the school fees that they charge students in their schools.