Leiden University Student Repository

Maarseveen, Bente (2025)

The Godfluencer Prophet: Charisma, trust, and legitimacy in Tomi Arayomi's Youtube ministry

Bachelor thesis | Religiewetenschappen (BA)

I first came across Tomi Arayomi while watching an Instagram story posted by someone I knew. It featured some controversial comment on gender equality by RIG Nation I don’t exactly remember. But I was intrigued and started looking into RIG Nation more. I stumbled across a sermon clip where Tomi Arayomi spoke about single mothers, fatherhood, and the state of the family. His tone was serious, passionate, and to many, deeply controversial. “God hasn’t given up on the patriarchy,” he declared. In his view, the father wasn’t just important in the household, he was more important than the mother. “If a daddy loves you,” he said, mid-sermon, “he’ll beat you. It’s called the belt of truth for a reason,” acting out a whipping motion from the pulpit. 1 I was stunned, not only by what was being said, but by how many people were watching and positively commenting on it. How was this message resonating? And who was Tomi Arayomi, this self-proclaimed prophet with thousands of followers and a...Show moreI first came across Tomi Arayomi while watching an Instagram story posted by someone I knew. It featured some controversial comment on gender equality by RIG Nation I don’t exactly remember. But I was intrigued and started looking into RIG Nation more. I stumbled across a sermon clip where Tomi Arayomi spoke about single mothers, fatherhood, and the state of the family. His tone was serious, passionate, and to many, deeply controversial. “God hasn’t given up on the patriarchy,” he declared. In his view, the father wasn’t just important in the household, he was more important than the mother. “If a daddy loves you,” he said, mid-sermon, “he’ll beat you. It’s called the belt of truth for a reason,” acting out a whipping motion from the pulpit. 1 I was stunned, not only by what was being said, but by how many people were watching and positively commenting on it. How was this message resonating? And who was Tomi Arayomi, this self-proclaimed prophet with thousands of followers and a growing YouTube empire? The more I explored his content, the clearer it became that he wasn’t just preaching, he was building a platform. That curiosity became the starting point for this project.Show less

Prophet, Digital Age, Spiritual Authority, Charisma, Parasocial Relationship

Author

Maarseveen, Bente

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Supervisors

Dr. Corey Williams

ECTS Credits

10

Language

en