AICs, Independent Churches, and Asian Christianity

Editor’s note: The following post arises from small group reflections from The Rise of Global Christianity, 1910–2010, taught by Dr. Todd Johnson at Boston University in the Fall of 2010. Led by doctoral students, the small groups discussed lectures given by Christian scholars in various disciplines, including significant changes that have occurred in global Christianity over the past 100 years.

In class this week we had a very informative lecture by Nimi Wariboko about African Independent Churches. His presentation introduced the historical involvement of Africa in the history of Christianity and provided a background of African views of reality that impact the way Independent churches engage Christian faith and their indigenous context. Among these churches salvation is most often holistic, includes the here and now as well as the afterlife, and is sought in the context of competition between the forces of God and Satan (evil). This, our presenter argued, provides the logic whereby the “Prosperity Gospel” is readily appropriated by African Independents because it deals with the exigencies of daily living and promises to transform dire living conditions. Our group’s first response was unanimous appreciation for Wariboko’s description of an African view of reality that contrasts with what we all are accustomed to. The explanation of the importance of the spiritual world and its connectedness to the material world helped us understand better the Independents’ characteristic “this worldly” approach to salvation. One member of our group said that this provided a more positive view of the “prosperity” themes that we all tend to disparage. Another of our group was familiar with the Redeemed Christian Church of God, an African Independent Church that Wariboko mentioned as one whose leadership has become increasingly sophisticated in its evangelistic efforts. That church has planted hundreds of congregations in the United States and has the goal of planting a congregation within a 10 minute drive of every American. What will be the impact on American Christianity of this and similar initiatives?

In our discussion of this week’s readings about Independent Churches, we noted how they provided laity with more opportunities to be involved than did the mission churches. Appropriation of local cultures also was an important contribution that they made and that was later been picked up mission established churches too. This had a positive impact on their successful growth and evangelization efforts. One of our group shared about a speaker she had heard in chapel. He was from the Solomon Islands and emphasized the importance of contextualizing the Gospel in Bible translation efforts in which he participates. He noted that the parables that we see Jesus using in the Gospels are after all teachings that Jesus contextualized so that they would be better understood by his contemporaries. Hence we, and Independent churches have Jesus as a model for contextualization efforts.

Our readings for the week also dealt with Eastern Asia and South-eastern Asia. As we reflected on the material about Korea, one of our group highlighted the irony of the fact that while South Korea is known as a stronghold of Christianity today, it was in North Korea that important early Christian revivals happened in the early years of the faith on the peninsula. She pointed out that the leaders who took the North in the direction of Communism and acted against Christianity came from Christian families. Another of us noted the importance of Christians from the Philippines who are spreading of the faith in countries of the Middle East. He found that fact that they have been instrumental in raising the population of Christians in that region to be an important missionary contribution.

Bruce Yoder, discussion moderator