Charismatic Anglicanism in Nigeria: Understanding the Hybrid Identity through the Lens of ‘Insider Movement’ and ‘Multiple Religious Belonging’

This paper analyses the hybrid identity of charismatic Anglicans in Nigeria. Two theoretical frameworks are borrowed from the fields of missiology and inter-religious dialogues, namely ‘insider movements’ and ‘multiple religious belonging’. They serve as analytical tools to examine the hybrid identity. Nigerian Anglicans who persisted in the 1970s and 1980s with their charismatic practices within the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) led an ‘insider movement’. These Anglican charismatic ‘insiders’ gradually transformed their Anglican ‘communities of origin’ in the 1990s, when denominational leaders recognised that Anglican churches needed to compete for survival against Neo-Pentecostal churches. A hybrid identity emerged – a Nigerian charismatic Anglicanism. The 1996 Nigerian Book of Common Prayer, and its adapted use among charismatic Anglican congregations, shows the early shape of such hybridity; video footages and written materials as recent as 2022 demonstrate the continued relevance of this phenomenon. The framework of ‘insider movements’, however, cannot fully capture this hybrid identity given its inside—outside binarisation. Drawing insights from the notion of ‘multiple religious belonging’, this paper argues that Nigerian Anglicans are at home with multiple strands of religious traditions weaving their identities – Neo-Pentecostalism and the legacy ethos of Anglican missions included. Furthermore, this hybrid identity of charismatic Anglicans in Nigeria carries an asymmetrical preference of charismatic spirituality over traditional Anglicanism. Such a preference can be explained by its close association with the indigenous Nigerian worldview. This paper ends by noting the use of the framework ‘multiple religious belonging’ demonstrates the permeability between interreligious and intrareligious discourses.