Africa is an unlimited landmass. All 50 U.S. states, China, and India comfortably match inside its continental boundary. Equally staggering is the variety of its cultures. With a minimum of 3,000 ethnic teams and over 2,000 linguistic teams, it’s a lovely mosaic of the picture of God. But as the remainder of the world has develop into more and more conscious of how wealthy the continent is in pure sources, it’s simple to overlook its best useful resource – Africans themselves.
Within the eyes of God, Africa is bursting with magnificence, creativity and vitality. Its inhabitants is now increasing towards 1.5 billion individuals, and greater than half of them are below 25 years previous. What can the church in America study from Africa? Tons, first the American church should reply this: Does it need to study from Africa? This is a crucial query to reply as a result of, in God’s windfall, Africa stands to play an important position in His redemptive plans for the nations.
The worldwide church’s demographic heart of gravity is shifting (or has shifted already) to the International South. But even in 2024 Africa, for many people, stays shrouded in thriller. My brother as soon as traveled to South Sudan on a enterprise journey, and earlier than departing for a visit, he requested a colleague what he may carry again for him. “Carry me a spear,” his colleague stated. It’s humorous and but, revealing. Africa stays a spot of savagery and thriller to many people.
I’m an American missionary writing from Dakar, Senega, a medium-sized metropolis on the western fringe of the continent. There’s merely no approach I can adequately talk the good number of variations between Africa and America from my restricted perspective. But as I stand with one foot in American tradition and one in West African, I provide a approach of framing the numerous variations.
In comparison with a lot of the African church, most American Christians reside what may very well be known as a “buffered existence”. There are definitely exceptions to this declare. Nevertheless, when one considers entry to nutritious meals, potable water, ample medical care, dependable transportation, and a aggressive schooling with prospects for employment, the variations are staggering. All these points are worsened in a context of systemic corruption, environmental degradation, conflict, and political upheaval.
It’s exhausting to magnify the hole between African and American societies when one considers a myriad of human degree issues. The overwhelming majority of Individuals, even these residing at decrease earnings ranges, are enjoying on a special area. They’re buffered from circumstances that almost all Africans think about half and parcel to each day life.
Due to the challenges our African brothers and sisters face daily, their lives are fraught with a degree of precarity that’s tough for American Christians to grasp. As I’ve watched my Christian pals patiently bear the perils of their unbuffered world, I’m reminded of James’ encouragement to “depend all of it pleasure” once we are met with “trials of varied varieties.” Why? As a result of “the testing of [our] religion produces steadfastness” which results in our missing in nothing (James 1:2-4). As missionaries, my spouse and I are blessed to witness each day how James’ encouragement is fleshed out within the lives of our pals.
I hope the American church can study the identical as we search to study from the African church. Listed here are some elements of the African church I’ve grown to understand:
The Power of the African Church
In “Realizing God,” J.I. Packer remarks that those that know God have nice power for God. That is an apt description of the African church. Take into account the work of attending to a worship service. In our native church, nobody owns a automobile, so attending to the service goes to contain perseverance and energy. Whether or not somebody walks an incredible distance, or, if they’ve the cash, takes public transportation (which all the time entails strolling to and from the bus cease), African Christians spend fairly a little bit of power in attending to company worship.
Africans show power of their worship, too. As they’re event-oriented individuals somewhat than time-oriented individuals like a lot of the West, punctuality and the period of occasions are rather more fluid in Africa. Right here worship providers can go lengthy – for much longer than most Individuals could be comfy with. Singing will typically go on uninterrupted for half-hour or longer., and there could be lengthy “seasons” of prayer because the worship chief strikes by way of the liturgy. The 30 to 40 minute sermon frequent within the American church is a rarity in Africa.
This occasion orientation is much more outstanding throughout particular events like weddings, baptisms, and all-night prayer vigils. American Christians may study and be impressed as they replicate upon the power African Christians exert in touring to church the place they passionately interact in company worship with little concern over time.
The Non secular Mindedness of the African Church
Africans are additionally keenly conscious of the religious realm of human existence. Many can give you first-hand accounts of the methods religious forces impinge upon our seen actuality. Illness is commonly attributed to demonic assault, magic spells, or each. Typically demonic exercise will get blamed for issues with a way more benign supply, like when a university scholar in our ministry informed my spouse that she thought Devil was stealing her cash. She by no means appeared to have sufficient for what she wanted. My spouse gently identified to her that almost certainly the issue may very well be solved by studying the way to preserve a funds. This struck our good friend as a novel concept!
The African church enormously wants strong biblical educating concerning the demonic realm, however I imagine equally that the American church may sharpen its sensitivity to the unseen religious world which can be a biblical actuality. Right here is a good alternative for biblical understanding to maneuver in each instructions as we study mutually from one another.
The Confidence of the African Church
If there may be one factor I might hope to see exported from Africa to the American church, it will be a steadfast belief in God’s guarantees given within the Bible. If it’s true that Africa by no means went by way of a cultural enlightenment as Europe did within the 18th century, the comfortable result’s that almost all Africans obtain the Bible as a divine tackle: it’s a phrase from God.
Surely, the church in Africa must develop in theological depth. However confidence in God and His phrase is robust in most African church buildings. For probably the most half, my African pals aren’t wrestling with whether or not God and His phrase could be trusted. They belief Him and imagine what He stated is true, one tough day after one other.
Don’t miss the gravity and profundity of what’s at stake. Confidence within the fact and sufficiency of God’s Phrase is arguably one of many best issues urgent upon the American church. The dual “scandals” of biblical morality and the particularity of repentance and religion in Jesus Christ alone aren’t going to fade into the background any time quickly. As America’s secular tradition continues to show up the quantity on how odd, even evil, it’s to reside persistently in response to biblical educating, Christians might want to lean additional into the truths of Scripture. Is the Bible a divine tackle, an authoritative phrase to God’s individuals? The African church has answered “sure.” Let’s hope the American church will study from them and be a part of them on this daring affirmation.
In conclusion let’s think about a vignette from Israel’s historical past described in 2 Chronicles 20. King Jehoshaphat confronted the armies of the Moabites and Ammonites, and he had a call to both collapse in worry or maintain quick to the Lord in belief. Realizing that his solely recourse was to forged himself and his individuals into the fingers of God, Judah’s king stood earlier than the meeting and cried out to the Lord, “O our God…We have no idea what to do, however our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12).
This may very well be a theme operating by way of most of the prayers of the African church. With scarce sources and few alternatives to higher their lives, many discover themselves like Jehoshaphat crying out to the Lord, “O our God…we have no idea what to do, however our eyes are on you.”
And here’s a lesson for the American church. Whereas most of us don’t discover ourselves within the throes of grinding poverty, many people are anxious and battle to seek out hope in God’s guarantees for us in Christ. With our African brothers and sisters, allow us to shift our eyes away from worry and despair and onto Him who’s our refuge and energy, the Lord in whom we discover the deepest wells of hope.
Collin Jennings serves as RUF campus minister in Dakar, Senegal in partnership with Mission to the World.
