The Philosophy of Religion and the Prosperity Gospel Movement in Nigerian Pentecostalism

This study examines the philosophical and theological dimensions of the prosperity gospel movement within Nigerian Pentecostalism, applying philosophy of religion frameworks to evaluate the truth claims, moral implications, and social effects of prosperity theology in the South West geopolitical zone. The prosperity gospel holds that material wealth and physical health are signs of divine favour and can be obtained through faith and financial giving to religious organisations, a claim with profound philosophical implications for the relationship between morality, divinity, and material well-being. Using a descriptive philosophical design, the study engages with philosophy of religion frameworks from Alvin Plantinga, William Alston, and African theological philosophy, supplemented by secondary literature published between 2020 and 2024. Structured interviews with 20 Pentecostal pastors, church members, and theology academics in Lagos and Ibadan inform the primary data. Findings reveal that prosperity gospel theology rests on philosophically contestable epistemological claims about the reliability of private religious experience and a theologically questionable transactional conception of the divine-human relationship. The study further argues that the social ethics of prosperity theology conflict with Christian and African philosophical traditions of communal solidarity and concern for the poor. Keywords: prosperity gospel, philosophy of religion, Nigerian Pentecostalism, theology, South West Nigeria.