Ironies of Christian Presence in Southern Africa

Christianity was meant to be one of the most potent weapons in the armory of European Imperialism. John Philip characterized mission stations as the cheapest and the best military posts any wise government can employ to defend its frontiers against the predatory incursions of savage tribes (Villa-Vi...

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Vydáno v:Journal for the Study of Religion Ročník 31; číslo 2; s. 209 - 231
Hlavní autor: Masondo, Sibusiso
Médium: Journal Article
Jazyk:angličtina
Vydáno: KwaZulu-Natal Association for the Study of Religion in Southern Africa (ASRSA) 01.01.2018
Association for the Study of Religion in Southern Africa
Témata:
African Indigenous Religion, African Christianities, and the Future of Religion
African nationalism
African Traditional Religion
Christianity
Colonialism
missionaries
Religion
Theology
New York
South Africa
United States > US
Southern Africa
Africa
ISSN:1011-7601, 2413-3027
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Shrnutí:Christianity was meant to be one of the most potent weapons in the armory of European Imperialism. John Philip characterized mission stations as the cheapest and the best military posts any wise government can employ to defend its frontiers against the predatory incursions of savage tribes (Villa-Vicencio 1988:44). Christianity was meant to colonize the conscience and consciousness of the colonized in ways that would make them lose their indigenousness. It was meant to ‘make’ or ‘create’ the colonized in the image of the colonizer. The irony of this situation is that, among other things, it created conditions for the desire among the colonized to be free; it contributed to the emergence of African Nationalism through notions like ‘brotherhood’ and ‘oneness in Christ’. It became a serious problem for the Christianized and educated natives to find themselves excluded from the Christian family on the basis of their ethnicity. David Chidester’s work on the history of religion in Southern Africa provides a very useful background for exploring the ironies of Christian presence in Southern Africa. Lamin Sanneh’s observation about the role played by indigenous religions to enable both Islam and Christianity to take root is invoked in this context. Christianity became part of the complex that laid the foundations for African nationalism and the pan-Africanist ideology. It provided a platform in mission stations and mission schools for the forging of a unified African identity. Education, given to Africans to become ‘civilized’ and alienated from their African compatriots, instead, helped in creating a consciousness for liberation among the oppressed Africans.
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ISSN:1011-7601
2413-3027
DOI:10.17159/2413-3027/2018/v31n2a10