heresy and multiple occasions of schism (Groves 1948:81-89). it is based on limited research and backed up by a selection of facts, that can be misleading when taken out of context. It is the foundation of culture, religion, philosophy, morality and so forth; an attempt of humans to impose an order in which the human society works.1 Most … Hildebrandt, J 1981. Time will tell whether Christian values will continue to have more influence in Africa. This reduced the number of people who would have been Muslims and African traditionalists. It concludes by suggesting ways on how pastoral care in Africa should be practiced in the current period and going forward. IN THIS JOURNAL. The blessings which Christianity has brought to West Africa are many. received the name Saint Sebastian whilst his son, Domingo, was sent. were made by the Church Missionary Society (CMS). Traditional, animist religion saw humans as being subject to the whims of local gods. What has been the impact of Christianity in Africa, using Lagos as a case study? I seek, in this article, to contest the claim that the Christian faith, as one of the major religions in Africa, predominantly fosters negative effects (like conflicts, laziness, fear, lack of curiosity/creativity and violence), and argue that Christianity has been a contributor to progress and development and also a force for more peaceful societies in Africa and the world. For instance, with the formation of the, fundraising scheme developed from the initiative of a young French, missionaries greatly assisted in the reintroduction of Christianity into, two centres for the re-settlement of freed-slaves offered a brilliant, opportunity for the various Christian missions to propagate the, Christian faith. Parrinder, E G 1969. Moreover, Christianity in Africa can be found almost everywhere on the continent and indigenous varieties of the tradition developed which allowed it to become as part of Africa as African traditional religions. The African traditional religion has done more good than evil to Africa but I cannot say the same about Christianity. churches, an initiative was taken by some, extent than had hitherto been the case. Africa, and specifically Nigeria is subject to many problems, including corruption, greed, continued sexual immorality and violence. There has been a notable growth in the population of Christians residing in Africa while on the other hand observance of traditional African religions has been on a decline. The history of Christianity in Africa probably began during the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, two thousand years ago. The adaptation of Christian traditions to the, continuum has enabled the faith not only to become more. - Muslim–Christian Encounters in Africa. Muslim–Christian Encounters in Africa. The resulting struggle led to the formation of Ethiopian, Independent Churches’. This challenge is for an unprecedent-edly complex triple change: 1. Impact of Christianity in respect of education in sub-Saharan Africa. Christian education and both eastern (Alexandria) and western, Africa was dramatically swept away by the Islam invasions during, this part of the continent include a lack of pastoral guidance, a, refusal to indigenize the faith completely, persecution, char. These, in Nigeria for instance. Thirdly, what links can be drawn between pastoral care practices in Africa and its historical as well as cultural context? Christianity in Africa arrived in Egypt in the middle of the 1st century. Similarly. ?What needs were answered by Christianity?? Of course, it has not in Europe or North America as well. Aristotle said that a woman was somewhere between a free man and a slave. Africa, and specifically Nigeria is subject to many problems, including corruption, greed, continued sexual immorality and violence. €98 (isbn10-90-04-15264-4). David, and the home of one of the largest Christian communities in the, ... One historical fact that is widely held by church historians is that Christianity started well before the era of colonialism. Background. Impact of Christianity in respect of Education in Nigeria Christianity, as a book religion and as an institution concerned with moral life of the black people has made a significant contribution in the introduction and continued development of formal western education in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa. This has tremendous impact on human relations in view of the resurgence of religion and its growing role in both public and private life. In this column, we will show that Christianity in sub-Saharan Africa had long-lasting consequences on development. the people how to read and write (Oliver 1952). The impact of Christianity on West African society has persisted to this day. This article, by way of a survey, considers the pastoral care approaches that emerged in Africa from the period when Christianity was introduced to the continent. commercial agendas, unhealthy rivalry with other European nations, tropical diseases, inimical weather, language and communication, regions that can trace back their roots to the missionary activities of, Missionary Societies in the Protestant Churches in Europe and, America during the eighteenth-century (Neill 1986:214). 6. In the twentieth century, Christianity in Africa exploded from an estimated population of eight or nine million in 1900 (8 to 9%) to some 335 million in 2000 (45%), marking a shift in the “center of gravity of Christianity” from the West to Latin America, parts of Asia and Africa. While, apparently the lingua franca in Egypt was Greek, the large peasant, population knew only Coptic and so by 300, of the Bible into the latter tongue became a reality, an abundance of local Christian religious literature as well as, translations from Greek were produced during the fourth century, rapid growths in both the number of converts and the geographical, could claim being the first centre of theological learning and cate-, Church can also lay claim to a most influential role in the develop-. and the capital in Carthage. Ibadan: Oniboje Press. Impact of Christianity in Africa By EMORY Ross AFRICANS south of the Sahara in our day face a challenge not be-fore put to so large a group of people. There he succeeded in marrying a Portuguese lady of high birth. being relevant to contemporary issues and needs. However, the history, developments and emerging pastoral care practices in Africa have not been documented. Under these pagan beliefs such activities as drunkenness, sexual immorality, sexual abuse and violence were rampant. By tracing the origins of the Christian faith in both North and sub-Saharan Africa (including, North-Central and West Africa), this paper seeks to show that Christianity has been in Africa virtually since its inception and that the continent� s own adherents to this faith played an important role in the formation and advance of Christianity elsewhere. It addresses three interlinked questions. From Sierra-Leone and Liberia, missionaries, succeeded in planting mission churches on a strong footing in W. Africa. Christianity has clearly not completely taken hold in Africa. Neither are we sure about, scholars would suggest that this was Rome. How has the human view of self been changed? Africa's Three Religions. In the film Man, God and Africa, for example, there was a traditional healer lady known as “the sangoma.” This woman was a Christian, and practiced spiritual healing and … The assumption guiding the article is that pastoral care practices and approaches in Africa have arisen as responses to the contextual realities being experienced at the interface of Christianity and the African people. What do you think of the theory that says we are still living in the sixth "day" of the Bible now? In view of these developments, it is observed that. the mission went south and settled with some success among the. The notion of cura animarum as ‘soul care’, referring to care for the whole person (holistic care, i.e., nephesh care) from a Christian spiritual perspective, will be employed as a framework. In Cyprian’, later) this number had risen yet again to over two hundred and fifty, and spiritual life, well organized and well disciplined. The missionary societies converted the west African people and generally in the whole of Africa into Christianity. Women. Indeed, accounting for conversion to Christianity in Africa has been a much-discussed topic among historians, sociologists, anthropologists, missiologists, and theologians. There were many taboos intended to influence such superstitious beliefs. Modern Africa is moving away from these superstitions. Igwe, G E 2000. The impact of Christianity in Nigeria 1. was said to have been educated in Christian theology in Portugal. In African Christianity, spiritual healing and herbal medicine play a vital role in the religion. worship, free emotional expression, the active role of women, spiritual interpretations of all problems and an emphasis on an, religions has been transposed to the context of Christianity via, divine healing crusades. The Origins and Organization of the Nineteenth-Century Missionary Movement. x+310. The rapid rise of Islam in Northern Africa alarmed the Christian kingdoms of Europe. African on his way home who became a Christian – this time an. and greatly flourished also in this part of North (-Eastern) Africa. London: Sheldon Press. I read recently that Elon Musk said that religion and/or spirituality, has no place in science. Journal Home; Browse Journal. Where were some of the areas where Christianity was found? struggle against colonialism, these churches stressed self-expression, native involvement in mission, self-reliance and respect for, cultural heritage. and all the ordinances of Christianity (Groves 1948:50). Dr Kraft, there. - Volume 49 Issue 2 - BAZ LE COCQ, Join ResearchGate to discover and stay up-to-date with the latest research from leading experts in, Access scientific knowledge from anywhere. What are your thoughts on this. Christianity helped control the slaves, but eventually aided in the end of slavery. missionary activities of ‘nine missionaries from the Syrian Church. the northern locals from welcoming these missionaries. One can only hope that it does. In this article, the author challenges the popular public conception that Christianity in Africa is a latecomer introduced only with the advent of colonialism. ins and Organization of the Nineteenth-Century. In particular, we show that the diversity of investments brought by Christian missionaries to the region had different, and sometimes conflicting, effects … All rights reserved. The longer term impact of these various ways in which Christianity is reclaimed to support LGBT identity, community and activism in Africa is still to be seen. 2. Does God command that a man should only have one wife? The film Man, God and Africa captures the joyous singing and rhythmic movement that is common to the various black churches. Religions of Africa (1985) that one of the most fascinating aspects of our history is the richness and varieties of its religious traditions. There are multiple aspects of answering this question. Many beliefs and rites were adopted and adapted by giving. faith to regions in the south (Parrinder 1969:108). These realities arose and persist to this day as a struggle to relate, apply and live out an authentic African Christian life to cope with life in a meaningful way. indigenization was achieved to a far greater extent in this region. the Church of the Lord (Aladura), Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), after 1915. become centres for healing, much like traditional African shrines. When Christianity abandoned its Palestinian roots, its new home in the Graeco-Roman world included North Africa (Maghrib ), which was the breadbasket of Rome, and shared extensive commercial and cultural relations with Palestine and the Levant. 'The Origins and Organization of the Nineteenth-Century . By the end of the 2nd century it had reached the region around Carthage. Of course, the picture is not all rosy. As in the early twentieth century period in Africa, contemporary trends relating to the relation between religion and politics in Africa often reflect not only what occurs locally, but are also connected to what takes place outside the region. Staff. The African Americans were forced to leave behind their traditions, religions, and culture. I believe you as an African are in many ways more qualified than I to answer this. W.E.H. J K Coker: Father of African Independent Churches. Included among these are. One common explanation points to a resurgence of religion in the face o… The Europeans unjustifiably labeled, hot climate, poisonous insects, a lack of good waterways and, Africa was during the fifteenth century when, under the patronage of, Prince Henry the Navigator, Portuguese began to explore all along, gospel of Christ (Daudu & Gbule 2000:1). Is it stupid to believe in ghosts? Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life / Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa www.pewforum.org i Preface In little more than a century, the religious landscape of sub-Saharan Africa has changed For example, Toyin Falola asserts that there were some missionaries who believed that "the agenda of colonialism in Africa was similar to that of Christianity". Many Churches were built and the region, like its neighbours to the. Secondly, to what extent has the context and the emerging pastoral care approaches in Africa been discerned from historical developments and documented? the one divine nature of Christ – a belief which, by then, had become, the reign of the Emperor Justinian (527-565, of Nabodae in Northern Sudan and was further strengthened through, ordained clergy and taught the people the order of the divine service. The New Testament of the Bible mentions several events in which Africans were witnesses to the life of Christ and the ministry of the apostles. Latin was the of, language of both correspondence and liturgy as well as in spiritual, employed in preaching, it was impossible to find enough clergy, fluent in this tongue. This, personal act of conversion, greatly strengthened the deepest motives, for missionary work (Gray 1969:15). The recent growth of the religion in Africa is mainly attributed to African Evangelism. In 1916, in Kenya, there also emerged among the Luo a, similar movement, which in 1958 became what is known today as, cultures. Shaw 1996, 235). The Pentecostal Churches, missionary structures that it has now transformed, base from where missionaries go out to evangelized the outside, expansion of the faith in the mother continent, have now become, earliest roots here go at least as far back as its inception in, With more than two thousand years of Church history behind it, the. have a history of existence of no more than two centuries. In the 4th century, the Aksumite empire in modern-day Eritrea and Ethiopia became one of the first regions in the world to adopt Christianity as an official religion and the Nubian kingdoms of Nobatia, Makuria and Alodia followed two centuries later. The satirical press (as Le Canard Enchaîné in France or Academia Catavencu/Catavencii in Romania) has nowadays an online competition with developing online form of alternative expression using humor to challenge mainstream public discourse, including the religious one. It shows the African influence on funerals, baptisms, and weddings. Keywords: online discourse, religion, parody, humor, Social Media representations, Facebook. Africa that could claim an involvement in the Jesus movement from its inception till today. I believe you will have to look at the history of the continent of Africa itself; especially sub-Saharan Africa. Separated from everyone and everything they ever knew, and in the face of fear and adversity, they found Christianity. Early Islam was followed by some extremely militaristic states that marched across Northern Africa, resulting in a wave of conversion. London: Hurst, 1983. Edited by SoaresBenjamin F.. Leiden: Brill, 2006. Firstly, to what extent has pastoral care approaches and practices in Africa been influenced by the African context and developments? Edited by Benjamin F. Soares. These indigenous churches, which developed in response, become an extensive movement characterized by rich creativity and, unevangelized massed at a very fast rate. had made to the development of the faith. Abstract : In ancient cultures, a wife was the property of her husband. © 2008-2020 ResearchGate GmbH. to foreign church traditions, structures, leaders, doctrine, or, discipline. Does God know all future events, including possible events? group of Jesuit missionaries led by Father Borgerius who succeeded, renamed King Phillip III of Spain. rather from a region overlapping with present-day Egypt-Sudan). Leiden:... Bonhoeffer's Ethics and the Indigenization of Christianity in West Africa, The Enigma of Colonialism: British Policy in West Africa. Nigeria has particularly witnessed rapid growth in Christianity with numerous African-Christian denominations established across the nation. Since always, humor and parody were employed as subversive arm against the mainstream public discourse. Christianity and Islam are the cause of almost all the wars and tribal conflicts in Africa … Pp. West African Christianity: The Religious Impact. Mark arrived in Egypt around 42 C.E., Philip traveled all the way to Carthage before heading east into Asia Minor, Matthew visited Ethiopia (by way of Persia), as did Bartholomew. E-mail Citation » This text by a notable scholar of both Christianity and Islam concentrates on the religious dimensions of West African Christianity and the roles of both missionaries and Africans in its spread and development. and organization of this region was readily adopted elsewhere. In answering these questions, the article retrieves pastoral care developments in Africa by discerning pastoral care during the periods of Christianity in Africa. For when, Palestine it also took root in North East. 7. Subsequently, agreement the Portuguese secured a monopoly over the appointment, (Gray 1969:14). Human Rights. Your thoughts? Important Africans who influenced the early development of Christianity include Tertullian, Perpetua, Felicity, Clement of Alexandria Should Christians believe in ghosts? Consequently, century witnessed the launching of missionaries, from Europe and, America with the sole aim of evangelizing, Protestant Evangelical spirit and fervour to form Catholic, Missionary Societies in France and other parts of Europe – this time, independent of secular control and political or commercial motives, (Gray 1969:18-19). How has the culture changed? In fact, many of these churches have. to a certain extent and for an extended period of time as. 1. Can you comment on these claims? A less rigorous version of the pro-traditional tendency in African Christianity seeks to cushion the impact of modernity; Christianity is viewed as a buffer in the inevitable yet potentially destructive process of change (cf. The concept of universal human rights and equality comes exclusively from the biblical idea that all people are created in the image of God. Bart Ehrman claims that the Bible was changed and is unreliable. 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