Christianity
was brought to Africa by the forerunners of colonisation; missionaries.
Centuries and decades after, Africa is being touted as the future of
the religion on earth as Christianity's grip on western society weakens
slowly and surely.
The
2012 CIA
World factbook in its distribution of religions says Christians make up
33.39% of the
world’s over 7 billion people. Some consider Christians to account for
38.47% of the general African population, that is one in every three
Africans is a Christian (www.religiouspopulation.com/africa). Once
the dark continent of pagans and polytheists, Africa is now the
darling of those hoping for an end to the atheism thriving in former
bastions like Europe and America. Figure - propped compliments as those
above create the impression that most if not all Africans are Christians
when they cannot be reality identified otherwise, as maybe Muslim for
example. These cheap accolades apart and in light of on-the-ground
realities, one question is worth asking: are most Africans really
Christians according to the Biblical definition or are they by virtue of
having been born to Christian parents or because somebody considers
them so/ Simply put, are Africans Christians by faith, birth or
default?
The Bible is unambiguous – being a Christian means you have accepted
Jesus Christ
as your Lord and Saviour and are living only according to biblical
teachings. As suggested earlier, the actions and reactions of most of
the so – called
Christians in our communities leaves just enough for doubt with regards
to the Christianity of our Sunday
bible-hugging brothers and sisters. Money and adultery - addicted men
and
women of God now vie for headline space with thieving politicians. One
thus tends to wonder if some of those called Christians aren't wrongly
named. Is their Christianity not a tradition inherited from their
Christian parents, a relic from a childhood spent in the care of a
christian parent? Is what accounts for their Christianity not a
pathological
reflex that has creeped into and settled in their habits. As soon as
Sunday
comes, they can’t help it but leave their beds, dress up and join the
fray going churchwards. This is just a question. Churches have added to
this sentiment by adding secular traditions to
the sole condition for joining Christendom. Proof of membership in the
Christian fold is no longer just accepting Christ, having and 'marking'
one's church membership card is now in the mix.
Islamists
and their idiosyncratic interpretations of the Koran introduce the
notion of Christian by default. The proliferation of the word 'infidel'
in the Islamist narrative makes all non-Muslims – Christians, pagans and
atheists included - Christian.
This radical conceptualisation of Islamic spirituality makes church
goers and
other persons remotely affiliated to Christianity Christian by default.
This ‘Since you’re not with us, you must be with them’ definition puts
real Christians, church goers, pagans and even atheists in one lot by
implication. Thus some Christians become Christian by default.
So
in
your opinion are all those tagged Christians Christian in the real
sense of the
word? Are they Christian because they subscribe entirely and personally
to
Christ’s teachings? Or are they Christian because they were born to
church - going parents and are vicariously perpetuating this tradition?
Or maybe they're Christians by default, because they are cannot be
identified as members of a certain group and Christianity accomodates
everybody without complaint?
P.S/
This piece should not be perceived as an assault on any body’s spiritual
orientation. 'Wo dee jos chat na chat, noh'oh? Lol.
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