PROPHETIC INDICTMENT AGAINST STRUCTURAL CORRUPTION: INTERTEXTUAL LESSONS FROM JUDGES AND PAUL FOR THE NIGERIAN CHURCH

Abstract This paper develops a practical theological framework for confronting systemic political corruption in contemporary Nigeria. While corruption studies typically approach the crisis through political or economic lenses, this study addresses a critical gap by constructing a theological account of state failure and ecclesial complicity. Using dual-horizon canonical exegesis, it creates a conversation between the Book of Judges' diagnosis of institutional collapse and Paul's apocalyptic understanding of justification (dikaiosyne Theou) as God's structural rectification of oppressive systems. Integrating the practical theology frameworks of Osmer (2008) and Swinton and Mowat (2016), alongside Andy-Philip's (2018) indigenous Nigerian scholarship, the paper argues that true justification demands active ethical participation and creates a community that visibly embodies justice. The paper contributes to African public theology by demonstrating how canonical exegesis can generate practical, contextually appropriate responses to corruption. It concludes with a practical roadmap for the West African church to move from political apathy into prophetic witness through structural transparency, communal accountability, and cruciform character formation.