FEMINISM AND CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE IN ILORIN NIGERIA: A RECONCILIATION OF STRANGE BEDFELLOWS

Abstract

Feminism and marriage in a deeply religious society like Nigeria seem to be incompatible bedfellows. The Bible commands wives to submit to their husbands as to the Lord because the husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the Church, which is his body (Eph. 5:22-24). Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church, was reported to have delivered a sermon in which he attacked feminism by alluding to the biblical passage cited above. In the homily, Oyed inepo revealed that feminism and Christian marriage in Nigeria are like light and darkness. Oyedepo‘s position varied with that of Pope Francis who believed that Christian marriage is a mutual couple - submission and mutual couple – sacrifice. What are the real issues bordering the feminists? Does feminism have any place in Christian marriage in Nigeria? The study examined the role that feminism played within the context of Christian marriage in Nigeria using Ilorin as a case study. The objectives of the study were to: (i) enquire into the obstacles to the receptivity of feminism within Christian marriage in Nigeria; and (ii) find out the possible impacts of feminism on marriage in Nigeria. The study used an expository technique and a qualitative research design. Formal interview, participant observation, and library consultation were used to gather data. The study discovered that in Nigeria, ignorance, religion, culture, and custom were barriers to the receptivity of feminism. The study found that most male respondents were not disposed to feminism because they felt that it was foreign to Nigerian cultures. Most respondents believed that feminism would lead to failed marriages. The study recommends a collaborative approach to feminism in order to achieve feminism's goal in Nigeria rather than a radical strategy, which implies a power struggle with the male gender.