The Christian Ministry in Africa - Essay Example

Insert Introduction The Muslim community is one of the most targeted groups by Christian missionaries in Kenya in orderto teach them the message of Christ and that they may be converted. However, this task has often proved cumbersome due to a lot of factors that are briefly discussed in the proceeding sections of this essay. Challenges of Effective Ministry of Christ to the Muslim Community Living in Kenya, an East African Nation Ignorance of the Missionaries of the Quran One of the greatest challenges in ministering Christ to Muslims in Kenya is the utter and sheer ignorance exhibited by most ministers regarding the contents and teachings of the Quran. There have been several reports of missionaries being outwitted and out-debated by the very Muslims they try to convert (who apparently know the Bible better than the missionaries understand the Quran). The trend is a hopeless one where the missionary is quite often left without an effective answer to deliver to the Muslim audience who bombard them with questions of doctrine, and so conversion is left nearly impossible when one has not even taken their time to know the Quran and understand the challenges they may face in their ministry endeavors or the loopholes available for spiritual maneuver (Sundkler, 24). As a crucial tactic, the missionary is first of all to thoroughly understand the religion and belief system of the people to whom they intend to labor. One of the main difficulties of effectively presenting Christ to Muslims remain ignorance on important issues such as on the Quran, the life of Muhammad, traditions, Muslim beliefs on Christ and prejudices and social beliefs of Islam. An effective missionary ought to demonstrate the highest level of sympathy and a rare appreciation of the important fundamental truths Christianity and Islam have in common. One should exhibit Christianity’s superiority in life and in doctrine by admitting the Islam doctrines’ excellences and life but then immediately prove the superiority of Christianity. This is a trait that is absent in most of the missionaries that attempt to preach Christ to Muslims and one that if properly mastered could be a certain game changer (Sundkler, 78). Arrogant Approach from Missionaries and their Inconsistent Lifestyles At heart, Muslims are not satisfied with Muhammad as a suitable figure as a clear tale of his character and life as indicated in the Quran greatly stands out and shocks them. Tradition’s whitewash fail to wipe away the inconsistencies in his conduct where for instance, his relations to women present great moral difficulties to many Muslims who are starting to think in higher terms of ethics. Therefore, a missionary, with great sensitivity and care not to offend his Muslim listeners, should confidently challenge a comparison between the life of Christ and that of Muhammad even as presented in the Quran itself (again highlighting the relevance of a missionary’s knowledge of the Quran and other Islamic texts in these quests). Caution must be exercised in this light not to be insensitive as an arrogant approach barely wins the respect of Muslims (a key failure in many missionaries) and is clearly equally against Christian teachings that require for one in such positions of Spiritual warfare to be gentle. On the other hand, a bold yet loving presentation of the truths of Christianity and the surpassing beauty and grandeur of Jesus Christ’s character will never alienate the heart of a Muslim but will endear them towards Christianity (Sundkler, 80). Many a time, an arrogant attitude when addressing Muslims has hindered the power of the gospels from convincing a Muslim. This is a great thorn in many Kenyan missionaries. The heart of the gospel and that which has the greatest power of appeal to sinners and to Muslims is the unification at the cross of God’s justice and mercy and when such a powerful message is properly presented, the message becomes novel and compelling to any Muslim who accepts their sins. It is however not always wise to begin at a comparison between Christ and Muhammad but one can rather chose to dwell on the ethical standards of the sermon on the mount and Christ’s life’s spotless purity. When Christ is truly presented as He is in the gospels, the differences are so evident that they are spotted by the Muslim themselves. This is a tact that has since time immemorial been lacking in many preaching endeavors and missions in Kenya. Missionaries fail to evoke the reading of the Bible by the audience so that they can witness for themselves who Christ is, with one view – to come face to face with Jesus and to consider what they feel for Christ after such encounters (Sundkler, 101). A condescending and condemning attitude of most missions in Kenya toward Muslims only serve to stir more hatred and elicit divisive remarks. However, missionary activities in Kenya targeting Muslims would do better with friendlier and more understanding tones as is even taught in the very Bible. In as much as eternal condemnation for sinners is a key belief in Christianity, it ought to be conveyed with more sensitivity (Sundkler, 124). Another closely linked challenge in ministering Christ to Muslims in Kenya, and I would say the world in general, is the screaming inconsistencies in the lifestyles of missionaries with the content of their preaching. Daily local news, whispers and rumors put notable preachers and Christians in quite awkward and unethical circumstances. It is therefore inevitable that the potential converts start to deem the religion of Christ a fallacy based on the actions of its adherents. The bible teaches transformation once a person surrenders to the will of Christ and therefore actions contrary to these tenets do not favor the inclination of a confused and critical non-believer towards Christianity (Sundkler, 345). Kenya is a fertile ground for all sorts of evil concerning prominent preachers who have not abandoned their former ways in pursuit of true holiness. Cases of preachers defiling and having sexual relations with needy and destitute Church members so that they can ‘heal’ their infertility for instance, have become so common that they rarely shock the public anymore. a local female politician found having sexual intercourse at the back of her car with a prominent priest, as was previously alleged, are ‘normal’ occurrences. In 2014, an expose on the dealings of a well-known and respected ’healer’/ preacher Mr. Kanyari by Kenya Television Network (KTN) journalists in the program ‘Jicho Pevu’ (‘Jicho Pevu’ is Swahili for ‘Naked Eye’) exposed through hidden cameras his greed in his handling of tithe money alongside a host of other damaging sins such as the staging of miracles to attract worshipers and persons desperate for spiritual solutions to their troubles, and so on. The video was aired nationwide as the whole country watched in shock as even question of the preacher’s fidelity to his wife arose. A few Christians cried that they would rather not tithe anymore if such was the situation in the contemporary Kenyan Church as the government promised laws that would regulate Churches in the wake of this expose. This is not to mention the fact that many started doubting the legitimacy of miracles. As Muslims continue to watch these irreparable blunders by some sections of the Church, ministering to them becomes quite a daunting task – to say the very least! If the best way to preach Christianity to a non-believer such as a Muslim is by living an exemplary life worth emulating, then the majority of Christians and missionaries in Kenya fail with each passing day in the things they do (Sundkler, 365). Culture versus Religion Kenya continues to suffer some sort of identity crisis when it comes to matters religion and culture with people prone to mixing the two even in areas where there are clear contradictions. Most tribes and people have embraced Christianity yet still continue to practice some cultural activities that go against the teachings found in the bible. For instance, many African cultures believe that one can specially converse with the dead or receive information from them through things such as dreams or animals that portend these meanings to communicate a message, perhaps as to who was behind their untimely demise. The bible on the other hand clearly cautions against witchcraft and any attempts to speak with the dead or stay in contact with them. Moreover, the bible explicitly says, through the Christ Himself, that those who have died have no knowledge of anything and cannot speak. However, it rampant to see a missionary/ preacher/ Christian in Kenya claiming, at a funeral for example, to have received a vision from a dead person on an issue (denoting a cultural-religious conflict). This is the very person who will attempt to convince a Muslim to abandon their beliefs and cultures in pursuit of life in Christ. Again, culture, in Africa, plays a role in depicting most Christians and the religion as a whole as a great hypocrisy and lie. In many cases, Christians make matters hard all by themselves (Sundkler, 377). Language barrier Language barrier is more of a challenge that aided the establishment of Islam in Kenya. Although currently most people, Christians and Muslims, can easily speak to each other in Swahili and English, this has not always been the case. Education has helped in the past few decades towards ensuring that every person in Kenya regardless of their tribe and religion can speak to one another and clearly understand each other. However, in some areas of the nation, language is still a key concern with most folk only able to communicate in their native languages and scanty Swahili (the national language). This considerably hardens missionary endeavors. Furthermore, as has been highlighted, lack of a common language between Christians and Muslims ensured that Muslims who moved into Kenya became a stable and autonomous community with their own identity unlike the case would have been if there was a common tongue (Sundkler, 400). Insufficient Funds, Poverty and Poor Tithing Kenya is one of the numerous developing nations of the world with most of the citizens living below the poverty line. The state of housing characterized by extensive slums, poor education facilities, inadequate and poorly developed infrastructure (additionally enormously retarding outreach programs) such as roads, electricity, and robberies, amongst others, are screaming indicators of the wanting financial state of the East African nation. Poverty has directly crippled Christian ministries in a myriad ways and rendered a number of Christian missions hugely ineffective. Poverty is a big distraction in Kenya with many people barely able to survive. Matters such as preaching Christ to Muslims have consequently been relegated down the to-do list if ever (Sundkler, 411). In addition, poverty ensures that many Churches are unable to mount serious conversion campaigns due to the lack of funds to perform such missions. The little funds in Churches are most often directed to other issues altogether. And with a poor congregation, tithes are quite low, and this lack of funds means that very little is achieved in spreading the gospel of Christ to non-believers as even literature cannot be published and circulated for free to non-believers (Sundkler, 418). Interest of Muslims in the Gospel of Barnabas Many Kenyan missionaries, and indeed missionaries across the world, that preach the message of Christ to Muslims have often reported that most Muslims always bring up the topic of the gospel of Barnabas and their recurrent question is often why Christians have hidden the gospel according to Barnabas. Muslims assert with utmost confidence that this book is the correct account of the life of Christ and if a Christian shows surprise in learning the existence of such a book, the Muslims usually state with certainty that this ignorance is as a result of the Church’s suppression of the gospel of Barnabas. Here again, ignorance on such matters thoroughly impede attempts to preach Christ to Muslims (Sundkler, 500). In as much as there are several medieval origins that illustrate beyond doubt that the gospel of Barnabas is a forgery and that it is not authentic, to an unprepared evangelist, the discussion on the matter with a Muslim always ends in ‘your word against mine’ attitude. The book states that Jesus denied that He was the son of God and that Judas was crucified in place of Jesus. Apart from these, the book also observes that Jesus foretold the coming of Muhammad by name. all these allegations that go against the very essence and basis upon which Christianity was founded which is Christ, the Son of God, dying on the cross for mankind’s salvation, and thus proves a difficult challenge in ministering to a Muslim with such beliefs (Sundkler, 525). Fear of CIA Involvement in Missionary Activities Many Muslims, when they see well organized, well informed and sufficiently funded missionary activities aimed at preaching Christ to them often suspect a wider scheme and silent involvement of the CIA that they perceive as mischievous and cunning. The CIA is seen in the eyes of many Muslims as all out to get information in order to arrest terror through whatever means possible, even through the Church and biblical evangelism. With the apparent disdain of the Muslim world towards such organizations as the CIA and the FBI, groups suspected to be working in collaboration with them are shunned and completely dismissed. The notion of CIA involvement in Church missions to gain converts and intelligence has so far crippled the effective penetration of Christ into the Muslim world in Kenya (Sundkler, 600). Fear The current state in Kenya, especially on matters religion, is quite volatile considering the numerous terrorist and jihadist activities that have claimed thousands of Kenyan/ Christian lives in the past five years following the invasion of Somalia by the Kenyan military. Cases of abductions and murder of persons who could not recite an Islamic prayer have been widespread. In the end, most Kenyan Christians are afraid to freely and openly preach to Muslims concerning Christ as there is growing distrust and discomfort between the two religions towards each other. The common adopted approach by most Churches and missionaries has therefore to solely concern themselves with their existing flock and leave the Muslims to be (Sundkler, 801). Radicalization at the Mosques The government of Kenya continues to warn several mosques and arrest persons accused of radicalizing the youth and preaching messages of hatred and condemnation especially against Christians. There is growing concern and evidence that radicalization is active in several mosques in Kenya where in the end, Muslims are strongly discouraged from associating with persons from other religions let alone be caught with the Bible or any Christian literature (doing such comes with a fair share of consequences). In Christianity, if a person does not read or listen to the word of God from the Bible or fellowship with other believers, their faith does not grow and the seeds sowed by a missionary are therefore like those that fall upon thorns and dry rock (fail to take root or fade away) (Sundkler, 880). Birth into Islam Missionary activities in Kenya report that it is much easier to preach Christ to a Muslim who only adopted the faith at some stage of their lives while it is quite the task accomplishing the same in one who was born in Islam. Most missionaries observe that the ‘majority of persons born into Islam often have a set mind and it therefore only takes God’s intervention through His Spirit to achieve conversion or even an audience’ (Sundkler, 900). There is also the debate as to whether it is Christianity that originated from Islam or if it is Islam that emerged from Christianity, based on the similarities in matters and figures in the Old Testament. While a Christian would hold that Islam is a sanitization of paganism, a Muslim on the other hand would accuse a Christian of blasphemy of declaring a mere man as God. Works Cited Sundkler, Bengt. The Christian Ministry in Africa. [Pbk. ed. London: S.C.M., 1962; 24, 78, 80, 101, 124, 345, 365, 377, 400, 411, 418, 500, 525, 600, 801, 888, 900. Print. Read More