Why has the religion flourished fantastically in Africa whereas Western Christianity is declining? Listed below are 4 habits we should always be taught from our African brothers and sisters.
A lot has been stated concerning the speedy progress of Christianity in Africa in only a century. There are a lot of statistics that illustrate the highly effective change. For instance, the Middle for the Examine of International Christianity reported that in 2018, for the primary time, Africa had extra Christians than every other continent (631 million). Whereas there have been 9.6 million Christians in 1900, in line with the Middle for the Examine of International Christianity, in 2000 there have been 384 million.
Africa was in fact one of many first houses of the religion in its earliest days. Considered one of our biggest theologians, St. Augustine of Hippo, got here from early Christian Africa, as did different essential church fathers. Nonetheless, these areas have been largely topic to Islamic conquest by the flip of the twentieth century, apart from Ethiopia and resistant minorities such because the Coptic Orthodox Church primarily based in Egypt. Individuals in different African areas largely adopted indigenous spiritualities. Christian missionary work has led to a rare unfold throughout the continent that’s comparatively latest.
Maybe crucial statistic is that the expansion isn’t just in folks calling themselves Christians – there may be additionally an enormous distinction within the stage of dedication. A 2018 Pew Analysis Middle research discovered that Africans are among the many most religious Christians on the earth (lower than Europeans). Africans pray extra usually, attend church companies extra often, and think about faith extra essential of their lives than Christians elsewhere. “At the very least 4 out of 5 Christians in Nigeria, Liberia, Senegal, Cameroon and Chad pray daily, the survey discovered … in each African nation surveyed, greater than 60% of Christians say they go to church a minimum of as soon as every week,” Pew's stated. the report stated.
I not too long ago interviewed Nigerian-born Pastor Agu Irukwu, who leads one of many largest church buildings within the UK, Jesus Home for All Nations. He grew up and got here to religion in his homeland, however has served in London for a few years, so he has an perception into the variations in church tradition. He supplied a number of solutions.
Prayer
“If there may be one factor I’d suggest to any Christian, it might be to develop a powerful prayer life,” Pastor Agu stated. “There may be additionally a lot we will be taught from creating elements of the world the place church buildings are rising, not simply from Africa. Devotion to prayer and the idea that God solutions prayers is deeply rooted in [African] Church tradition.”
A couple of years in the past, I attended a weekend retreat of my then-multicultural church at a big Christian heart. We shared a big area with a black majority church. I vividly keep in mind clawing my approach all the way down to breakfast at about 8:30 together with my bleary-eyed fellow church members, solely to be embarrassed as we handed the small room the place our black majority church brothers and sisters resided. They enthusiastically prayed collectively in a small room, interceding passionately as a bunch and doing it laborious from the early hours of the morning after we have been all quick asleep.
Fasting
In African tradition, fasting is seen as crucial, and never solely throughout Lent. “You can not run away from the encouragement that the Bible provides us to quick, which is sort of non-existent in lots of Western church buildings,” Pastor Agu stated. If there’s a drawback or God is sought, African church buildings quick. For instance, the ecumenical initiative for unity in Nigeria was supported by a 40-day quick final 12 months.
“Biblically comprehensible, fasting companions in intensified prayer,” writes Oyewole Akande, a deacon at Sovereign Grace Bible Church in Nigeria for The Gospel Coalition Africa. “It’s a determination to put aside time to focus on presenting a selected drawback to God in prayer. It’s the removing of all distractions, together with the mandatory pleasures of food and drinks, to hunt God's face with a selected request.” .
“Many people are too comfy on this fallen world, feeling no robust urge to disconnect from it. So we wrestle with the concept that our personal discomfort can result in God's will.”
Religion and positivity
One other advantage I usually witness in African Christians is a optimistic, optimistic outlook coupled with the idea that God can change any troublesome state of affairs for the higher. “Believing that there’s nothing God can’t do and being filled with hope for tomorrow, irrespective of how unhealthy as we speak is— [the African church] he’s very optimistic about that,” Pastor Agu stated. Taking the Bible at its phrase and trusting God's love and His guarantees to behave are commendable qualities of many African Christians.
Simplicity
To think about Africa as a spot of poverty is a detrimental stereotype: there are wealthy Africans and a few elements of their economies are doing nicely. Nonetheless, it’s honest to say that extra money is being thrown round in Western developed nations. May this be one of many causes for our relative non secular dryness?
Cardinal Robert Sarah, an influential Catholic priest, wrote some stunning phrases in his e book God or Nothing: A Dialog on Religion. He made a optimistic assertion about poverty – differentiating it from the poverty we should always alleviate. “Poverty is a Christian worth,” he stated. “A poor particular person is somebody who is aware of that he can’t reside alone. He wants God and different folks in an effort to be, flourish and develop. Quite the opposite, wealthy folks don’t anticipate something from anybody. They’ll care for their very own wants.” on this sense, wealth can result in nice unhappiness and actual human loneliness, or to horrible non secular poverty.”
Maybe the Western Church must humble itself and pay attention tougher to our African brothers and sisters and the way they apply their religion? Pastor Agu emphasizes that even the Western Church can impart its personal knowledge. He stated, “Magnificence is when [the two cultures] to rub towards oneself; what it produces is so lovely.”
Heather Tomlinson is a contract author. Discover her work at www.heathertomlinson.substack.com or on twitter @heathertomli
