Authors
Michael Enyinwa Okoronkwo, PhD
Department of Religious Studies
meokoronkwo@noun.edu.ng/+2349058209200
Felix Emefiele Gbenoba, PhD
Department of English
fgbenoba@noun.edu.ng/+2347033279672
Christopher Chinedu Nwike, PhD
Linguistics and Nigerian Languages
National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja
cnwike@noun.edu.ng/+2348037054985
Abstract
This study examined the perceived role of the English
Bible as a translated text in promoting national cohesion
among Christians in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),
Abuja. The study was anchored on Allport’s Contact
Hypothesis and Linguistic Relativity Theory. A
descriptive survey design was adopted, and data were
obtained from 338 valid respondents drawn from the six
Area Councils of the FCT. A structured questionnaire
containing four five-point Likert-scale items and one
open-ended item was used for data collection. Quantitative data were analysed using frequencies,
percentages, mean scores, and standard deviations, while
thematic analysis was employed for the open-ended
responses. The findings revealed a high overall
perception of the English Bible’s contribution to national
cohesion, with a weighted average mean of 4.12. The
highest-rated dimension was unity across ethnic
backgrounds (x̄ = 4.29), followed by interethnic
understanding (x̄ = 4.18) and peaceful coexistence (x̄ =
4.12). Although respondents also perceived English as
making Christian teachings more widely acceptable (x̄ =
3.88), this dimension recorded comparatively greater
variation in responses. The open-ended responses
identified better communication (34.9%) as the leading
contribution, followed by language marginalisation
(32.8%) and unity promotion (31.4%). The study
concludes that the English Bible functions as both a
shared religious and communicative resource and a
potential source of linguistic marginalisation. It
recommends multilingual Christian communication that
retains English as a bridge while strengthening
indigenous-language Bible use.
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