Religious Tourism in the Context of Pentecostalism: Developing a Pentecostal Pneumatological Theology of Tourism

Abstract

Religious tourism is commonly known for the visits by believers to religious sites and pilgrimages for religious purposes. In African Pentecostalism, religious tourism is known for the movement of believers from one country to another in search of greater power and blessings. This also includes powerful politicians who would visit a prophet in another African country in search of prayers. This kind of movement has been perceived negatively, particularly considering the disaster that happened in Nigeria when many South Africans lost their lives when the Synagogue Church of All Nations building in Nigeria collapsed. In addition, there are challenges such as the financial exploitation of religious tourists who pay exorbitant prices to visit men or women of God. Another challenge is the hostility of host countries to religious tourists, particularly pastors. The argument in this article is that religious tourism should not only be studied by its challenges but also various opportunities. Opportunities such as transportation opportunities, food trade opportunities, and hospitality opportunities are explored. These opportunities are important in the development of a Pentecostal pneumatological theology of tourism. This is a literature review on religious tourism in the context of Pentecostalism. This theology is developed using the theoretical framework of pneumatological imagination which argues that being filled with the Spirit includes opening up to people of different languages, different nationalities, and so forth. Similarly, pneumatological imagination argues that being filled with the Spirit allows the movement of people from one country to another which enhances tourism opportunities. This theory is important for the balance between the challenges and opportunities of religious tourism.