Born-again, morality and transformation : an ethnographic case study on Pentacostal conceptualisation of corruption = Wedergeboren, moraliteit en transformatie : een etnografisch onderzoek naar een Pentecostale conceptualisering van corruptie

This study examines the relationship between Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity and the spreading cancer of corruption in Zambia. The study was an ethnographic case study on two Pentecostal churches in Kitwe, Zambia. The study highlighted two aspects that could provide entry points for Pentecostal and charismatic reform of ‘cultures’ of corruption: the spiritual cosmology that regards spiritual experiences as personal and individual salvation and the Pentecostal and charismatic emphasis on the rebuilding of the individual. Despite the presence of these potential ‘anticorruption’ aspects, Pentecostal spirituality is not robust and aggressive enough to deal with corruption. Berry Muchemwa is an Anglican priest and lecturer in practical/pastoral theology at the College of the Transfiguration, Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown), South Africa.