SOCIAL JUSTICE AND PEACEBUILDING: PANACEA TO INSECURITY IN THE CHURCH AND NIGERIAN STATE: AN ASSESSMENT OF THE PROPHETIC MINISTRIES OF ABRAHAM AND AMOS

Résumé

Social justice and peace-building are fundamental factors for development and sustainability in the quest for a prosperous society and nation such as Nigeria. The primary purpose of this paper is to underscore the importance of the role of the Nigerian church in promoting social justice and sustainable peace as in peace-building. The paper argues that the church should be involved in dealing with the problem of injustice and oppression for the promotion of social justice and peace-building. Everywhere in Nigeria is been ruled by insecurity. There are series of killings, rape, insurgencies, maimed and all the likes without any Messiah to rescue the situation. There have been series of suggestions by Politicians, Church leaders through religious resources and other Nigerians on what will be the Panacea but failed, could we say that social justice and Peace-building could be the Panacea to the insecurity in the Church and Nigerian State? The Study adopts conceptual clarifications and usage of theories. Biblical passages of the books of Genesis and Amos, concerning their ministries on Peacebuilding and Social Justice were interpreted using exegetical method. The research work realized that Abraham's peaceful character and the fearless attitude of Prophet Amos to his generation served as the Panacea to the insecurity of their days. The same fearless attitude was realized to be missing in many Prophetic Ministries of the ministers in Nigeria; which in any case could have been the Panacea to the ugly situation of insecurity in the Church and Nigerian State.