The Ethics of Preaching and Pastoral Influence: A Critical Study of Manipulative Rhetoric in Nigerian Churches

This study presents a critical ethical analysis of manipulative rhetorical strategies in preaching within Nigerian churches, examining the theological, psychological, and social dimensions of pastoral influence that crosses the line from persuasion to manipulation. The charismatic authority of Nigerian pastors and the high levels of spiritual vulnerability among congregants create conditions in which manipulative preaching can cause significant harm, yet this issue has received limited scholarly attention in the Nigerian theological academy. Using a qualitative critical discourse analysis approach, the study analyses forty sermon recordings and transcripts from twenty churches across Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt, supplemented by twenty interviews with homiletics scholars, pastoral ethicists, and former church members who identify themselves as having experienced pastoral manipulation. Manipulative strategies identified include false urgency, spiritual coercion, fear appeals, manufactured guilt, exclusionary language, and the conflation of pastoral authority with divine authority. The study applies frameworks from rhetorical ethics, homiletics, and pastoral theology to evaluate these strategies and develop principled criteria for distinguishing legitimate prophetic persuasion from manipulation. The research recommends the inclusion of homiletical ethics in all Nigerian theological seminary curricula and the development of a congregational rights framework that empowers church members to recognise and resist manipulative preaching. Keywords: preaching ethics, pastoral manipulation, rhetoric, Nigerian church, homiletics