Saved yet Bound? Generational Curse Beliefs and Distorted Lived Soteriology in an Urban African Evangelical Congregation

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to investigate the persistence of generational curse beliefs among congregants of Nairobi Chapel Ngong Road, an evangelical congregation in Nairobi, Kenya, and to examine what this persistence reveals about their understanding of biblical soteriology. Using a qualitative phenomenological design, data were collected from 33 purposively and snowball-selected congregants through semi-structured interviews focus group discussions, and questionnaires. The data were coded in ATLAS.ti and analysed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis. The findings reveal that generational curse beliefs persist because of three interrelated factors: an African cosmological worldview that integrates spiritual and physical causation, recurring family suffering interpreted as evidence of generational bondage, and external religious influences that fill the gap created by limited institutional teaching on the subject. The study identifies a pattern of distorted lived soteriology, whereby congregants affirm orthodox beliefs about salvation while functionally embracing a two-tier understanding in which Christ is sufficient for eternal salvation but inadequate to break generational curses. This distortion weakens Christology, shifts reliance from grace to ritual practices, and contributes to spiritual and psychological exhaustion. The article argues for integrated pastoral responses that combine biblical teaching on Christ’s redemptive work, worldview-oriented discipleship, and pastoral care that addresses believers’ lived experiences. The study contributes an empirical understanding of generational curse beliefs within an urban African evangelical context and offers practical insights for strengthening biblical soteriology.