Oral Literature and the Spiritual Formation of Believers: An Assessment of Contemporary Worship in Tanzanian Pentecostal Churches

Abstract

This article examines how oral-literary forms contribute to spiritual formation in contemporary Pentecostal churches in Tanzania. Adopting a qualitative and interpretive orientation, it brings scholarship on African oral literature into dialogue with participant accounts reported in the study. The analysis considers narratives, proverbs, spiritual songs, sermons, dramatic performances, riddles, and folktales as culturally situated modes of religious communication. The findings indicate that these forms can render theological instruction more intelligible and memorable, encourage affective and congregational participation, transmit moral values, reinforce communal identity, and connect Christian teaching with local languages and cultural memory. Their effectiveness, however, depends on critical and context-sensitive use: oral forms should illuminate rather than displace Scripture, and cultural continuity should be pursued without romanticizing every inherited practice. The article argues that oral literature remains relevant in technologically mediated worship because its dialogic, performative, and mnemonic qualities support both individual devotion and corporate belonging.