The State of the Gospel in Africa
Source: https://missionexus.org/the-state-of-the-gospel-in-africa/
by Tite Tienou
In 1989 Professor Andrew F. Walls delivered a public lecture entitled “The Significance of Christianity in Africa” at the Church of Scotland’s St. Colm’s Education Centre and College.
In 1989 Professor Andrew F. Walls delivered a public lecture entitled “The Significance of Christianity in Africa” at the Church of Scotland’s St. Colm’s Education Centre and College. Commenting on the growth of Christianity in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific, Walls states: “we have seen a massive change in the centre of gravity of the Christian faith, so that Africa has become one of its heartlands.”1 Today, one cannot inquire about the state of the gospel in Africa without taking Walls’ observation seriously.
The recognition of Africa as one of the heartlands of the Christian faith implies that Christianity is an African religion. As a description of an aspect of the current religious scene in the continent, this is a factual statement. Christianity is indeed alive and well in Africa; its numerical growth can be documented and it bears an African imprint. The presence of the Christian faith in Africa is not a new phenomenon because “Christianity in Africa is not a recent happening, nor a by-product of colonialism.”2 The long history of Christianity in Africa has convinced some people that “Afro-Christianity” (that is, Christianity with an African ethos) is firmly secured.3 Yet, for others Africans are latecomers to Christianity. These observers note the fragility of the Christian faith in Africa as they point to the fact that many denominations and churches, especially in Africa’s interior, are the result of nineteenth century missionary efforts. For them the link between colonialism and Christianity is such that the idea of Christianity being an African religion sounds polemical.
How, then, should one go about ascertaining the state of the gospel in Africa at the present time in light of the foregoing opinions regarding Christianity in the continent? There is a plethora of studies examining and analyzing either the numerical expansion of Christianity in Africa, or the religious exuberance and fervor of African Christians, or the challenges of relating the Christian gospel to the multiple issues Africans face daily. These important and (sometimes) detailed analyses are needed. One must not and cannot, however, attempt a detailed study in any form here. For our present purposes it may be more helpful to examine the prospects of the gospel in Africa by reviewing selected categories of an agenda for Christianity in the continent.
Determining an agenda for Christianity in Africa is an endeavor fraught with many dangers. This does not mean, however, that such an endeavor should be abandoned, even if it is not possible to establish an agenda which is satisfactory to all. I propose, the following elements of an agenda for African Christianity. These elements are based on the article “Christianity on the March” written by Richard France and published in 1977. In his article, France suggested five areas of challenge for African Christianity: (1) African Christianity needs more than numbers; (2) African Christianity must become more than a relic of the colonial past; (3) African Christians must think and live in ways that are authentically African and Christian; (4) African Christians and churches must demonstrate care for the concerns of Africans; and (5) the Christian faith in Africa must not be either purely pietistic nor exclusively this-worldly.4