Towards an African Pentecostal Systematic Theology: Reconstructing Core Doctrines from Nigerian Oral Theological Traditions

This doctoral study proposes a systematic theology constructed from Nigerian Pentecostal oral theological traditions, arguing that the lived theology embedded in testimonies, prophetic utterances, praise songs, and prayer language constitutes a substantive, if largely uncodified, theological corpus that merits systematic engagement. The dominant systematic theologies informing Nigerian Pentecostal institutions are inherited from Western evangelical and classical Pentecostal frameworks, producing a structural disconnect between academic theology and the grassroots theological imagination of millions of Nigerian believers. Employing an original methodological framework combining oral theology analysis, ethnographic field research, and doctrinal reconstruction, the study gathers primary data from 200 hours of recorded worship, testimony, and prayer sessions across twenty Pentecostal communities in Lagos, Kano, Enugu, and Port Harcourt. Theological themes extracted are subjected to comparative doctrinal analysis against Western systematic frameworks, identifying points of convergence, tension, and original contribution. Preliminary findings indicate rich Nigerian Pentecostal elaborations on the doctrines of divine power, ancestral spiritual influence, communal salvation, and prophetic knowledge that exceed standard Western categories. The study contributes an original doctrinal synthesis from Nigerian Pentecostal sources and proposes a methodological protocol for constructing systematic theology from non-textual traditions. It fills a critical gap in African theology and Pentecostal studies globally. Keywords: African Pentecostalism, systematic theology, oral theology, Nigerian Christianity, doctrinal reconstruction