CHRISTIANITY AND CULTURE IN GHANA: A STUDY OF THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST’S DECREE ON HEAD COVERING AND 1 CORINTHIANS 11:2-16

The seeming tension between culture and the Christian religious identity of the Ghanaian woman partly compelled the Church of Pentecost in Ghana to issue a communiqué in 2010 to annul a long-standing tradition of head covering by her women. The communiqué generated varied, but largely unfavourable reactions from the Church’s members. This paper examines the culture of headgear in Ghana, the communiqué annulling the practice in the Church, the reactions of Church members, as well as 1 Corinthians 11:2-16; which appears to be a double-edged sword for both the imposition and the annulment. The paper opines that the reactions of the members of the Church indicated a lack of appreciation of the rationale of the communiqué and the actual decisions it contains. Hence, the paper proposes a careful blend of culture and Christianity in Ghana and the adoption of a more inclusive approach towards effective grassroots participation in Church governance