The Glory is Here!’Faith Brands and Rituals of Self-Affirmation for Social Responsibility in Kenya

Abstract

Female Pentecostal-Charismatic (PC) church leadershave a quest to legitimize their leadership at all levels. This quest for acceptability and legitimacy to the congregation they lead can be daunting especially in the context of a male dominated religious field such as we have in Kenya. Some female PC leaders in Kenya manage the desires and beliefs of their audiences through religious programmes and slogans thatenhance social participation and solidarity. This article examines the programme and slogan‘The Glory is here’broadcasted by one Kenyan female PC church leader, Margaret Wanjiru of Jesus is Alive Ministries (JIAM). Through the faith brand ‘The Glory is here’, Wanjiru,in the marketing of religion, distinguishes herself from others in the market place and promotes her product and services in order to develop a consumer base. Her programme as a female PC Televangelist functions as an empowering ritual of self-affirmationof women. Both her faith brand and repeated rituals of self-affirmation serve to enhance her solidarity with women of all ages, andserve as social and psychological support to the community.