Salvation in the African context

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.

The guest lecture for Global Christianity this week was Dr. Nimi Wariboko, who gave a general overview of African cultural and religious framework, and went on to discuss independent church movements in Africa and how they positively contextualize the gospel – resulting in high church growth. Two broad movements among independents are Pentecostal – Charismatic churches, and African Initiated Churches or African Independent Churches (AICs). In their own ways, both preach a message of concrete blessing, transformation and salvation for people in this lifetime. The focus on material blessing is sometimes called ‘prosperity gospel,’ a phrase almost exclusively used by those who find it in some way suspect. Our discussions centered on how to understand and evaluate a concept of salvation that emphasizes the present in African context.

We found Dr. Wariboko’s lecture very helpful since he put the preaching of so-called ‘prosperity gospel’ within the preview of an African framework. On one level, religion pervades all of life. Meaning, religion in Africa is neither isolated nor compartmentalized chronologically – postponing salvation into the future or afterlife. Neither can it be put in a separate ‘private’ sphere or emotion. Religion in general and Christianity by extension permeates the whole life of the believer, very much inclusive of physical and material. In this way, the Koreans in our discussion noted, a view of religion as integrated into all parts of life might not be so different than some Korean churches, particularly Full Gospel churches that are within the global family of the Pentecostal - Charismatic movement.

On another level, a ‘prosperity gospel’ represents hope that God can transform lives and liberate people in the here-and-now. This hope is an important message for people in deep economic, social, and even physical turmoil, as many people might struggle with poverty, disease, and the reality and consequences of war. We found an understanding of salvation that is holistic often rings true. It is especially attractive as African Christians also may focus on transformation of all the earth, humanity, animal life, and the restoration of all of nature.

Eva Pascal, discussion moderator

Thoughts on African Instituted Churches

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.

On October 6th, Dr. Nimi Wariboko lectured on AICs (African Initiated Churches or African Independent Churches), dealing with important issues of African Christianity such as African’s definition of religion and salvation; the nature of prosperity gospel; and reasons of the AIC’s rapid growth in Africa.

After the lecture, our members shared their reflections on his lecture. At first, our discussion centered on the fine line between syncretism and contextualization of AIC. Some students showed interested in AIC’s successful contextualization, but other students criticized their blending of two traditions, namely Christianity and African traditional religion. But to this critic, one student pointed out that we should not blame or put down one syncretism and uphold our own syncretism. He thought that it might be true that African Christians may do it with traditional religions, but churches in the west tend to do the same with materialism. Thus we must be gentle in our approach. Other students agree that we should recognize our own syncretism first before criticizing AIC’s syncretism.

Some critical comments against AICs were heard about AIC’s prosperity gospel (of course the prosperity gospel is not limited to AIC): One student criticized the so called prosperity gospel since it is materializing the gospel. Another student agreed with him saying that the prosperity gospel can be dangerous because it sometimes correlates salvation with the external and material. He added, “the New Testament speaks extensively about apostles having little in the eyes of the world.” Some students also showed concerns over the fact that many African preachers became preachers without proper theological background.

However, many students found positive aspects of AIC’s total or holistic understanding of salvation which includes not just saving souls but also saving bodies, which can be extended to saving all creatures. One student explains more about the holistic notion of salvation in Africa by mentioning some AIC’s tradition of confessing ecological sins. According to him, in some AIC, people confess sins against nature (for example, I cut down trees but did not plant new ones) in baptismal ceremony. And this comment made students think about ecological sins committed by western Christians.

At the end of discussion one student pointed out that Dr. Wariboko’s lecture was too focused on describing distinct characteristics of African Pentecostalism. He commented that we should more emphasize on the common traits of AIC as Christian community that above and beyond the cultural influence. Due to the lack of time, we could not talk much about this issue, but one student replied that the simple fact that Pentecostal churches are focusing on the presence of the Holy Spirit should be considered as a sign that they focus on common experiences with other Pentecostal churches outside Africa.

Hye Jin Lee, discussion moderator

Theology of the Prosperity Gospel

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. Lead 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.

On the evening of October 6th, the class turned to a discussion on African Initiated Churches as an example of “Independent” Christianity. Nimi Wariboko, originally from Nigeria and now professor at Andover Newton Theological Seminary, attempted to describe the reasons for the widespread growth of African Independent Churches.

A large part of Wariboko’s lecture focused on the theology of the Prosperity Gospel and its resonance with the African view of reality, so our small group opened by reflecting on the Prosperity Gospel.

The initial reaction came from a student that explained that Wariboko’s presentation was helpful, because, “Prosperity Gospel—that very phrase—produces a knee-jerk negative reaction within me that says, ‘That’s wrong!’ However, I thought it was interesting to hear how the Prosperity Gospel is rooted so deeply in the African worldview. It was a helpful reminder to slow down, and listen to what is happening historically and culturally before making a judgment.”

Another student broadened the conversation: “I think the Prosperity Gospel is a similar phenomenon to what we have in Korea. For instance, the Full Gospel Church preaches something similar to the Prosperity Gospel. So, this is not just an African story, but a Korean story as well. Traditional Korean religion continues to shape the form of Korean Christianity. The challenge is discerning is Gospel and what is not.”

A new perspective was introduced with a student interjecting, “Prosperity is not a problem, but the results of prosperity are a problem.” She continued by explaining that prosperity can lead people to have faith in themselves, and their own economic success. The Prosperity Gospel can distract people from focusing on the core of the Gospel to focusing on its benefits.

The conversation suddenly shifted when a student asked a pointed question, “How much is Christianity a Western religion?” The group was reluctant to answer, fearing that it was a dangerous question, but finally someone tentatively argued that it is not a Western religion. It did not start in the West, nor is it limited to the West. Another student added, “I think people have associated in with the West, because it entered Korea (for instance) through Western missionaries; however, as Korean missionaries take it to new places in the world it might be considered an Asian religion!” In a compromise, a student suggested that demographically Christianity is not a Western religion, but theologically it remains tied to the West.

With time running out, one student asked to share her thoughts on the lecture. “I think the speakers presentation was heavily influenced by colonialism,” she began. “However, Africans are not the only one with a colonial legacy. That happened in many places.” She continued, “With the collapse of colonial powers, the issue of contextualization has become important. It is easy to blame Western missionaries for failing to contextualize Christianity, but that is not really fair. No one can go beyond his or her own culture. We may try to reduce the influence of our culture, but we can never fully escape it.” She concluded by appealing for some generosity towards missionaries who transmitted their culture with their faith.

Once again, our time expired, and the conversation was left hanging in the air.

Daryl Ireland, discussion moderator

Statistical center of gravity & African 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. Lead 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 this week’s class Dr. Johnson spoke on the Statistical Center of Gravity of Christianity over the past two thousand years and showed how it moved from Jerusalem up into Europe by the 1500s and then south and east because of Roman Catholic mission in the Americas. Finally it shifted again back towards the east and further south, ending up in Africa due to current Christian populations there and in Asia. Our groups posed the question of the theological significance of this change and its implications for Christian reflection, discipleship and evangelism. One member from our group expressed her hope that this shift would result in a richer understanding of Christianity as theology becomes contextualized in different cultures. She noted as example that in the West we see Christ as Savior and Redeemer but that in Africa He is more often Healer and Ancestor. Hence there is the occasion for a fuller and richer understanding of Christology. Another member of our group noted the value of hospitality in traditional cultures and suggested that as a resource for evangelism. While in the West we often emphasis orthodox teaching, thinking in terms of hospitality might open new ways of doing evangelism.

Our group spent most of the discussion time reflecting on the readings on Africa from the Atlas of Global Christianity. For one of our group this was her first serious look at African Initiated Churches (AICs), so we talked a bit about how AICs developed during in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was pleasantly surprised to read that AICs provided ways for women to be involved that were not apparent in other churches or in African society in general. They even founded churches in some cases. Being from Korea, she noted similarities from Korean history in which women were pioneer Christian converts who were very involved in their congregations. We asked ourselves if perhaps this is a general characteristic of Global Christianity. Another of our group, also from Korea, asked to what extent the openness to women’s involvement was part of western cultural that was imported to local contexts with Christianity. How does one separate the gospel from the culture of those who bring it? Certainly there is a mix of influences when the gospel is actualized in a particular place by a particular people.

Also with respect to Africa, we asked ourselves what the challenges of Christianity are on the continent. From the Kim and Kim book Christianity as a World Religion we noted the church’s attempt to come to grips with its complicity in violence in situations like Apartheid in South Africa or genocide in Rwanda. Poverty and HIV/AIDS infection rates also present a challenge, and one of our group explained how the upcoming Cape Town meetings hopes to address some of these issues. We noted also the challenge that African Christians face in the continuing influence of African Traditional Religions, particularly the prevalence of witchcraft.

Bruce Yoder, discussion moderator

Christian growth in Africa

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. Lead 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.

Our discussion in Global Christianity this week was launched from Dr. Todd Johnson’s presentation centered on the resurgence of Christianity in the global South. As Christians become more represented in the Global South – a trend that moves to better represent the distribution of the world’s population – two high growth areas of Christianity caught our attention. One is the growth of what The Atlas of Global Christianity terms “Marginal” Christians, a category that includes such organizations as Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons. Jin and Jeff questioned whether they be called Christian at all, even if the term ‘marginal’ serves as a qualifier. Although it is not an ideal term, it does capture the viewpoint that many more ‘traditional’ Christians hold. Jeff added to this standpoint: “It seems to me that Mormons are about as Christian as Muslims are Christian. Both have respect for Christ, but both insist that further prophetic revelation was necessary.”

The second area of Christian growth that caught our attention was Africa. Africa is the continent that has experienced the most significant growth in the Global South, particularly within the independent African Initiated Churches (AIC’s). Jin was quick to ask us what we think of the character of the African churches. To Jin, it seems that many African churches, especially AIC’s are a little different; aside from dealing with social concerns such as HIV/AIDS, they seem more interested in spiritual power and healing, and prefer more charismatic liturgy than in any other region of the world. It does seem that although they may have their own flavor, the message they preach, for example in spiritual healing, is inspired by accounts of such healings and exorcisms found in the New Testament. “I don't see a problem with the way they are exercising societal Christian practice,” Jeff suggested. “It seems in keeping with Christian history and tradition.” If the language African churches use follows the Bible and is Christ centered, what is it about some African Churches that might sound illegitimate? Can we identify what is behind our discomfort?

It does seem that the African context is rich in animistic traditions, and when Christianity moves in, it has to adapt to local cosmology. One question to ask is whether we can accept that some Christians believe in demons and spirits? Or should all Christians adopt a “western” cosmology? As Dong Gyun commented: “compared to the West, which is more rational and fond of systemization, Africans may have a cosmology that is more attuned to spirits and demons that others may see as unchristian.” He went on to draw from his experience: “Once you become a Christian in Korea, you cannot invoke spirits or pay heed to those practices of the past … There isn't any mixing of folk religion.”

I asked everyone what they would do if a woman came up to them convinced they were plagued by harmful spirits. Interestingly, despite all our reservations, not one of us thought that asking her to stop believing in her experiences would help her achieve spiritual wholeness. Jin shared that a similar episode happened to him. “It's a bit hard for me to discuss it, because when I share it, many people think I am weird. But as it is mentioned in the Bible, there are demons. I would like to do what Jesus did, and help her get rid of what is plaguing her.” I also shared that if I had been presented with this scene three years ago, I would have reacted by wanting to reconstruct the woman’s worldview. However, today I would be more open to meeting her somewhere closer to her own belief system.

Is that not, then, a strength of Christianity, and of the African churches that emphasize healing, to meet Africans where they are? Perhaps that is why in the last few decades Africans have been so successful at presenting the good news to other Africans because they can meet them where they are and bring about a sense of spiritual wholeness.

Eva Pascal, discussion moderator

Religious Freedom and African 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. Lead 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 our Global Christianity course this week we were fortunate to have a guest lecturer, Dr. Brian Grim, who spoke on themeasurement of religious freedom in countries across the globe. Dr. Grim showed rankings in terms of social attitudes and government restrictions that pertain to religious freedom, broadly understood. Some of the countries that ranked in both extremes, high and low, were surprising to some of us. There are two South Korean master’s students in our discussion group. One student, Jin, was both interested and shocked that South Korea did not get a more severe rating. Although South Korea constitutionally guarantees freedom of religion, some of the Christians he knows experience some social pressures. Furthermore, Jin said that it was difficult to negotiate his pacifist beliefs with mandatory military service. Another South Korean, Dong Gyun, noted that there are many subtleties to religious freedom to consider. In our discussion we noted that although minorities may experience significant degrees of social pressurefrom family or friends, such as in South Korea where Christians are steadily increasing in number, the pressure is not strictly speaking restrictive or violent. There were also countries that ranked worse than we had expected, such as Indonesia. Most of us took for granted the common perception that Indonesia is a prime example of a moderate Islamic country – in fact it did not rank as high as we had anticipated.

The second major topic of discussion was about African Christianity. Africa is the continent that has experienced the most sizable Christian growth in the last 100 years. It was interesting to ask if people were aware of the growing Christian churches in Africa. Dong and Jin said that reading about African in regard to its religious diversity, as well as statistics, was new to them. Dong Gyun also made an interesting observation: “It seems to me that African churches are largely charismatic that are geared toward the religious experience.” I made the point that is it easy for us to categorize new churches in Africa as charismatic. Yet many of these churches that we regard as charismatic may actually be under the umbrella of ‘independent’ African Initiated Churches (AICs). Although AICs emphasize spiritual healing, lively music and liturgy, they may not be denominationally Pentecostal. One of the issues we kept returning to in our discussion of Africa was our presuppositions about these churches. Do we see the African churches as being more socially conservative than in America, for example? Jeff, who is from a Methodist congregation, says this is the standing assumption among many in his circles and a cause for concern, especially regarding the ordination and role of women. How, we asked, should we engage these different African Christians? As Jeff suggested, “I believe it is better that we engage African churches; so long as they strive to maintain a connection to the scriptures and the early church, we can still have a common ground from which to start discussions. That should serve as a decent basis for dialogue.”

Eva Pascal, discussion moderator