Contents

Acknowledgments

Abstract

Introduction
Chapter 1
Understanding the Impact of Ethnic, Political, and Religious Violence on Nigeria
Abstract
Introduction
1.1 The Social Context of Violence in Nigeria
1.2 An Analysis of the Causes of Violence
1.3 An Alternative Approach to the Issue of Violence in Northern Nigeria
Chapter 2
Rethinking Ethnic, Political, and Religious Violence on Nigeria
Abstract
1. Toward an Analysis of the Concept of Violence
1.1 Defining Violence
1.2 The Dimensions of Violence
2. Summary
3. Conclusion
Chapter 3
Understanding the Triadic Connections of Ethnic, Religious, and Political Violence in
Northern Nigeria
1. The Issues at Stake
1.1 An Analysis of the Assumption
1.2 The Commercialization of Religion
1.3 The Impact of Mammon vs. Jihad
2. The Triadic Connection of Violence
3. Conclusion
Chapter 4
Understanding the Root Causes of Ethnic, Political, and Religious Violence in Nigeria
Introduction
1. The Broad-Based Analysis of the Perceived vs. Real Threat
1.1 The Humanist Agenda in Nigeria
1.2 An Analysis of the Sources of the Threat
1.3 An Anatomy of Nigeria’s Federalism
2. A Case Study of Some Selected Practical Situations of Violence in Northern
Nigeria
2.1 Kafanchan Crisis, March 1987
2.2 Kano Crisis, October 1991
2.3 Kaduna Shari’ah Crisis, February 2000
3. Conclusion
Chapter 5
Understanding the Impact of Violence on Christians’s Christology: Moltmann’s Ex-
periential Contribution
1.2 Questions Raised by World War II
1.3 Moltmann’s Central Thesis
1.4 Developing Creative Love Creates an Alternative to Violence: Dialogue
2. Insights from Moltmann’s Theme of God Entering into Suffering
2.1 M. Douglas Meeks
2.2 Richard Bauckham
3. The Prevailing Paradigm: Enculturation and Liberation
3.1 Contrasting Liberation Theology in Africa with Those of Latin America
and the U.S.
3.2 African Liberation Defined
4. Critiquing Moltmann’s Work
5. Moltmann’s Christological and Theological Contributions to Under-
standing Northern Nigeria’s Culture of Violence: A Proposal for an Anal-
ogous Application
5.1 Moltmann’s Contribution to an Understanding of the Way of Jesus
5.2 Understanding the Concept of Righteousness-creating Justice
6. Conclusion
Chapter 6
Understanding the Language of the Powers in Northern Nigeria: The Contribution of
Walter Wink
1. Seeing Power as Domination
1.1 Evil and Deception as the Concrete Manifestations of Power
1.2 Defining Power
1.3 Understanding the Sociopolitical and Socioeconomic Structures of
Injustice in the Greco-Roman World
1.4 Summary
2. The New Testament’s Context of the Language of the Powers and Author-
ities: Walter Wink’s and other Scholars’ Contribution
2.1 Walter Wink’s Hypothesis
2.2 Critiquing Wink’s Hypothesis?
3. Comparing Jesus’ and Paul’s Ideas of the Powers
3.1 Jesus’ Attitude toward Power and Authority
3.2 Marcan Jesus: Compassion as Power
3.3 The Language of the Powers in Romans 13:1–7
3.4 Paul’s and Peter’s Ethics in the Context of the Powers
4. Analyzing the Power Structure of Northern Nigeria
4.1 Sociopolitical and Socioeconomic Matters in Northern Nigeria
4.2 Practicing the Way of Jesus in Northern Nigeria’s Context
5. Conclusion
Chapter 7
An Ethical Framework For Giving Up Violence in Northern Nigeria
1. Biblical Perspectives and Values
2. Ethnic Cooperation, Solidarity, Participation, and Recognition of Interde-
pendency
3. Religious Freedom
4. Socioeconomic and Socio-political Justice
Action in Various Contexts
6.1 Leo Tolstoy: Love as the Path beyond Violence: Russian Christian Con-
text
6.2 Mohandas K. Gandhi’s Path beyond Violence: Indian Context
6.3 Dorothy Day and the Path of Nonviolence: Roman Catholic Feminist
Context
6.3 Martin Luther King Jr.’s Path to Nonviolence: African American Perspec-
tive
6.4 Desmond Tutu: Reconciliation as the Path Beyond Violence: South
African Context
7. Doing Political and Theological Reflection: Assessing Ideologies
Conclusion

Bibliography
Copyright

This publication seeks to challenge established thinking about the causes of violence in Northern Nigeria. It explores immediate and long-term effects of that violence through reflection, study, and survey of previous research. The fundamental argument within is that ethnic, political and religious violence has affected Christian perspectives and core values and thus has hampered efforts towards just peacemaking.