Studies in Literature and Language
‘Pay or Burn in Hell’: Constitutive Rhetoric in the Sermon of a Ghanaian Charismatic Preacher
Abstract
The study analysed rhetorical construction of identity in a sermon of a Ghanaian Charismatic preacher; where identity is understood as what people do rather than what they have. The sermon was purposively downloaded from YouTube and analysed for constitutive rhetoric using qualitative content analysis. It was found that the preacher crafted the sermon as deliberative rhetoric to call the Christian identity into being before reshaping it into ‘others’ identity for his audience to act on. Also, the preacher used logos, ethos, and pathos as rhetorical strategies to convince his audience to live the constituted identity. Finally, the preacher called on his audience to act by promising to will their wealth to the church before they die. The preacher’s demand could not be supported by logical persuasion; therefore, he resorted to pathos through threats and inducing of guilt to manipulate the emotions of the audience to convince them. It is recommended that society examine preachers’ demands critically to avoid being manipulated.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/13922
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