African indigenous churches chapter one indigenous churches. This volume describes the context and methodology of christian theology by africans in the past two decades and provides brief descriptions of sample treatments of theological issues, such as creation, christology, ecclesiology and eschatology. In the postchimurenga years of independent zimbabwe, the african initiated churches aics heeded the prophetic call to earthkeeping. These groups have not only taken root but they have proliferated and shown phenomenal growth particularly in subsaharan africa. African initiated churches, african independent churches, african indigenous churches, and african instituted churches. Pentecostals churches that are locally initiated by africans without any relationship with mission pentecostal churches.
African theology has pointed to the african initiated churches as the raw material for a contextual theology in africa. Pdf african initiated churches potential as development actors. African independent churches and education the journal of. Bonn who later migrated to london school of economics, but it acquired. A variety of overlapping terms exist for these forms of christianity. The term african independent churches aics refers to a wide range of issues and is used interchangeably with other terms like initiated or instituted and indigenous churches the designation independent offers the most acceptable, generalized title without any implied judgement, it. The redeemed christian church of god rccg, north america, constitutes a graphic model of a transnational african initiated christian church organization. African initiated churches and the development frombelow thesis. Conflicts between african traditional religion and. The movements arose because of political oppression in one form or another. Pentecostal dynamics of african initiated churches. The historical voices of the african independent churches. African initiated churches as vehicles of earthcare in africa.
African initiated churches aic are the churches and organizations founded by christian converts in africa independent of the colonial christian churches. An african initiated church aic is a christian church independently started in africa by africans rather than chiefly by missionaries from another continent. The contributions of the african independent churches to the development of education in nigeria cannot be over emphasized. It is paradoxical because the phenomenon is dynamic and the african continent is large, diverse and. African christian or muslim theology or even a theology of the african religious tradition that is neither christian nor muslim. African initiated churches aics are not yet recognised as relevant actors of community development interventions. Jul 19, 2016 the rise of african initiated churches in africa is paradoxical. Pdf african initiated churches aics are not yet recognised as relevant actors of community development interventions. These are churches found in africa for africans and by africans. To think of the planting of christianity in africa and the work of missions and churches is to. Hennie pretorius and lizo jafta, a branch springs out. The independent churches have been classified as either ethiopian. My second book on this subject does not present an exhaustive coverage of all the african initiated churches, but it does discuss the major ones. Pdf in this article i take the opportunity to reflect on historical developments in the study of african indigenous churches aics up until the.
The impact of african traditional religious beliefs and. Feb, 2016 an african initiated church is any of a number of christian churches independently started in africa, by africans, and not by missionaries from another continent, sometimes holding to one or more african tribal belief systems sycretised with christianity. Jan 16, 2020 its exclusive focus on african initiated churches, in and outside africa, renders it a novel collection of essays that sheds light on the unique role that these churches play in advancing development. African independent churches, also known as african indigenous churches, african initiated churches, african instituted churches, or just aics, represent well over 10,000 independent christian. This phenomenon has given birth to indigenous churches and prayer groups in africa. University of california press, 1997, 21126 410 zionism paper 2 due. The rise of african initiated churches by mberengwa norman.
The african naturally enjoys a more demonstrative form of worship. Pdf the history of african indigenous churches in scholarship. African initiated churches beginning late in the 19th c, there began to be splits and breakaways from mission churches to form separate, african led churches. History of african initiated church believers portal. The rise of the african independent churches and their present. Originally an unanticipated product of the modern mission ary movement in africa, the african independent churches aics today number 55 million church members in some 10,000 distinct denominations present in virtually all of africa s 60 countries. Introduction the concept of decolonization may have appeared in the 1932, coined by the german scholar, m. May 10, 2011 the period from the nineteenth century to the present has been characterised by establishment and growth of the african strand of development of christianity. Today they comprise a significant minority of the subsaharan christian population on the continent.
African reformation provides an overview of african initiated churches aics in different parts of subsaharan africa, examining the reasons for the emergence and growth of churches that have resulted from the interaction between christianity and african prechrisitan religions. African initiated churches research papers academia. Its shaped to inspire you to consider new ways for understanding the mission of the church. The spiritual weakness of western missionary founded churches.
A political, social, and cultural history, berkeley. This led the ethiopian church to decide to join the african methodist episcopal church ame church in 1896, and rev. Pdf african initiated churches and development from below. Africans had become aware that such things were not unknown in europe and n. Academic works on the history, growth and development of. The key research questions i am investigating are whether this church can be cl.
African initiated churches in christianity in south africa. This title is the most frequent descriptive term in. However, it lays more emphasis on prophecy through which it manifests itself, it is for this reason that prophecy is perceived to be a hub of the ministry and mission of the african initiated churches. Zion christian church with reference to marabastadthe congregation in pretoria tshwane, south africa the zion christian church. African initiated churches academic dictionaries and. Mokone, james mata dwane, and j g xaba went to the us to negotiate the union. Church formation in africa and attracting members has become an easy task in light of widespread poverty and other social ills. It has been observed that in africa, the sources of social conflicts, and even wars, cannot be restricted to among other things 2 louis brenner ed. On ecumenism, focus will be on african initiated church bodies like the organisation of african. An africaninitiated church aic is a christian church independently started in africa by africans rather than chiefly by missionaries from another continent. If we talk about ethiopian christianity we nor mally mean the ancient coptic orthodox church, but south african ethiopian churches have no. Whilst the primary interest of the journal is in the rich diversity of christian life and thought found in africa, asia, lat. African initiated churches as vehicles of earth care in. African initiated churches of the spirit and pneumatology.
Before national independence in 1957, healing churches had already begun to spring up in large numbers among all the southern tribes with 200,000 adherents each. Lessons in mission from an african initiated church. By comparison, the masowe group is small, numbering 55,000 in the main. They are selffinancing, selfgoverning and selfsupporting. Chapter three black christianity as intellectual resource in. The position of women and the youth will also be embraced. The origin and growth of christianity in africa worldatlas. This article examines the historical and present role in development of the african independent churches which have appeared in virtually all parts of black africa. African independent churches and education volume issue 2.
Even in the early phases of the protestant effort to establish missions in subsaharan africa, there were converts who rejected the continued oversight of european and american missionaries, preferring to use the knowledge and skills they. They joined forces with practitioners of traditional religionthe chiefs, headmen, spirit mediums, and excombatants of the countrys liberation struggleand formed their own wing of the green army. The aim of the book is to lead interested persons to the sources of african womens christian theology. This implies that christianity has become relevant to an africans. The saints of african independent churches in namibia. Because of the centrality of the holy spirit in these churches, the study shows its activities in regard to healing.
In 1888 nigeria, the native baptist church seceded in lagos from the america southern baptist missionbarrett, 1970 was later followed by many more and much larger schisms such as the united native african church in 1891 from the anglican church, the cherubim and seraphim inchapter 14 chap 14 pdf chapter 15 chap 15 pdf chapter. Consequently, in contrast to the supposedly dull liturgy of the mission churches, the aics have given a home to a more fascinating and exciting form of worship with singing, clapping, dancing, and stamping of the feet. According to the world christian encyclopedia, the maranke group is the largest african initiated church in zimbabwe. While it has been acknowledged that many of them provide coping mechanisms in.
Because of their spirit manifestations and pneumatological emphases and experiences, earlier studies of these churches considered them syncretistic, post. African independent churches aics and postcolonial. African initiated christianity and the decolonisation of. African initiated churches are the churches founded, funded and led by africans and in most cases for africans.
This comment highlights exactly the difficulty faced by students of african independent churches, or, as i prefer to call them, african initiated churches henceforth. African independent church origins, african independent. The oldest of these is the tewahedo ethiopian orthodox church which dates from the 4th century, and was one of the first christian churches in the world. The history of african independent churches aics in southern africa goes back for more than a hundred years. This volume, which grew out of discussions with students at symposia, seminars and. Why were there so many different churches and missionaries. Abstract this essay is a historical consideration of the body of churches known as african initiated churches aics. Africa,is director, research unit fornew religions andchurches, university of. Pope shenouda iii, the leader of the coptic orthodox church of alexandria, initiated the step. Linking pentecostalism and development in the community. View african initiated churches research papers on academia.
African pentecostalism and sustainable development. Conflicts between african traditional religion and christianity in eastern nigeria. There are african initiatives in praise and determining everything in christianity. The differences in names correspond to the aspect that a researcher wishes to emphasise. The concept of christianity in the african independent churches. They ended up signing the negotiation and successfully merged the two churches, this allowed south africans of the parish to go to america to study.
African initiated churches, pivotal in peacebuilding a case. Another key feature of these african initiated churches, and indeed one of their major forms of appeal, is the way in which the spiritual authority to heal is devolved from church leaders to ordinary rankandfile followers. Introducing african womens theology introductions in. Allan anderson, former principal of tshwane theological college, south. Doc maggz african initiated church justice magocha. Also inspired mainly by the african 6 anderson, african reformation.
Church missionary society in nyanza which refused to give authority to african clergy and so a group broke away and began what is known as the church of christ in africa. The idea was to make africa s indigenous churches contribute to african unity and selfdetermination. The term church has been used for various meanings as follows. This short paper on the independent churches in nigeria is written from the perspective of an ordained minister of one of the older orthodox churches. An african initiated church is a christian church independently started in africa by africans and not by missionaries from another continent. Ibenwa1, and gloria tochukwu okeke1 abstract conflict is a universal phenomenon that is inevitable in human interaction. The contribution of african initiated churches to the. With 910,000 adherents in 1995, it vies with the zion christian church and the roman catholic church for the greatest number of affiliates in the country.
Makhubu was not part of du toit and archbishop ngadas book hearing the aics voice 1999, but he is the author of, aic, speaking for ourselves published by the institute for contextual theology ict in 1985. African initiated churches as vehicles of earthcare in. African initiated churches, african independent churches, african indigenous churches and african instituted churches. It further demonstrates that development in africa is no longer a colonial enterprise.
African initiated churches and african immigrants in the united. His action had great symbolic meaning given that the coptic church is africa s oldest church. May 10, 2011 the african naturally enjoys a more demonstrative form of worship. African mission boards and societies 1 african initiated church movement. Independent african churches in nigeria wiley online. He will further investigate their ecclesiology, theology and ecumenical mission praxis. The differentiator therefore that distinguishes african christian theology is that it is a reflection and discourse that seeks to relate the african cultural and religious heritage to christianity.
1563 1099 87 702 176 584 971 746 1393 1218 342 504 1176 861 1102 1762 216 905 722 861 1684 1099 1354 1329 1551 371 1001 1524 64 1447 1281 897 1725 953 1653