Integrity Journal of Arts and Humanities

Within Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity, it is difficult to speak about prayer, preaching, healing, or deliverance without mentioning the name of Jesus. The concern, however, is that the frequent use of his name does not always mean that a person’s understanding and presentation of Jesus align with the witness of Scripture. The central argument of this article is that a church may confess orthodox beliefs about Christ while its practices present a different picture of him. Healing, deliverance, provision, and victory are themes within Christian theology. The concern arises when one theme becomes so dominant that it eclipses Jesus’ teaching, the cross, discipleship, compassion, or accountability. A therapeutic presentation becomes reductionist when Jesus is portrayed chiefly as a means of obtaining personal benefit; a militant presentation becomes reductionist when spiritual victory is used to justify hostility toward people or to avoid ethical accountability. This amounts to a functional Christology that separates the name of Jesus from his identity, character, and mission. This article uses a theological and exegetical reading of Matthew 7:21–23, Acts 19:13–16, and John 14–16, read in dialogue with scholarship on Pentecostal theology and African Christology. It argues that the use of Jesus’ name should be evaluated by obedience to Jesus, submission to his authority, and participation in his mission. The article contributes a three-part biblical framework for reflecting on the relationship between confessed Christology and the practices through which churches represent Jesus. This discussion is especially relevant to Ghanaian and wider African Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity, where the language of power, healing, deliverance, and victory occupies an important place. This article argues that the church must not separate the name of Jesus from the person of Jesus.