A Theological Exploration of the Participation of the Clergy in Politics in Ghana

ABSTRACT

In the Ghanaian society, there seems to be a public opinion that suggests that the clergy is forbidden by convention to have anything to do with active political participation. Though some clergy have being playing various roles in Ghana’s politics, they have done that mostly in spiritual support; thus through prayer and fasting, promoting peace before, during and after elections, serving in advisory capacity, advocacy, making inputs and commenting on government policies and decisions. “The question is often asked whether the pastor (clergy) should take part in politics. Some argue that the pastor as a citizen has the right just like anybody else, to engage in politics.”1 What form should the participation take and are there any theological justification for the participation by the clergy? In the process of achieving the aims and objectives of this research, the phenomenological approach which seeks to study the perception, perspective and understanding of a particular situation was used. Theological interpretations of biblical texts were also used when it came to the theological bases for the ordained clergy’s involvement in national politics. Methods of data collection included both primary and secondary sources. In addition, questionnaires which included closed questions as well as open minded questions were distributed to selected individuals, clergymen and other Christians for their various responses to be unruffled. This was a purposive sampling in which the respondents were intentionally picked because of their interest in the subject matter through discussions. Secondary sources of the data collection which dealt with published and unpublished works including literature on religion and politics and articles were analyzed. The participation theory and the theory of liberation were used as the conceptual framework for this work. My motivation for this study is to establish the theological basis for the involvement of the clergy in politics and the extent of the participation.