Reflections on Evangelical Ministry in Cameroon

If you read Philip Jenkins’ book The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity, you will certainly agree with him that Christianity is witnessing tremendous growth in what he calls the global “South – South America and Africa and some parts of Asia such as the Philippines. The facts are so compelling that this book has turn out to be one of the most important books I have read in two years. It is very easy to believe that God is preparing Africans to lead global Christianity. I say this with humility. If this is true, then it implies that African Church leaders must prepare for the task. For me, zeal, piety and knowledge are among the most important needs of the church at all times and places. I have attempted to examine some of the successes of African Christianity and areas where we need improvement as we proclaim the faith and build Christians for God's Kingdom in Africa.

The African Church and 'African Theology'
African Christians are interested in developing their own form of Christianity. There is discussion on how to Africanize Christianity and not just how to Christianize Africans.
More Africans are now seeking theological training than thirty years ago. Presumably, the reason for this is the indeginization of the African Church. Since the 70s, Africans have taken up leadership of the home church at various levels. They have been able to build an African Church on the good work of the missionaries whom we must always remember with gratitude. Also, the complex religious, social, political and economic crises which constantly assail our continent since independence has led to an increased quest for what God’s word is saying in those contexts. But several streams of liberal theologies continue to flow into the church and have dogged the steps of African theological development. By liberal, I mean theologies that are rooted mainly in human experience and traditional beliefs not tested on biblical truth. For example, the quest for African Christianity has created a Christo-pagan form of Christianity in various parts of Africa, promoted by the African Independent Churches Movement. However, God has remained faithful. He has always maintained a faithful remnant that holds back the waters of destruction so that His truth remains in tack no matter the strength of liberal winds. African theology must first of all be Christian. Not a mere African traditional religious frame trying to incorporate Christian beliefs in other to be relevant. ( I will write more on this issue subsequently).
I was privileged to study in the Byang Kato research library in Jos, E.C.W.A Theological Seminary in Nigeria. But before then, I had read three of his excellent works while preparing lecture notes for a course on African Christian Theology at the Evangelical Bible Institute in Bamenda, Cameroon. He held the line on historic biblical theology in the face of liberal views on salvation and biblical interpretation. But until recently, his voice was almost unheard in the loud voices of liberal theology that filled the evangelical air in Africa at the time. (Dr Byang Kato is now of blessed memory, but he fought a good fight).

African Worship is Utilitarian
We must rejoice that more Africans are embracing the Christian faith than possibly any other peoples in the world today. But it should trouble us that much of African Christianity although so wide, is rooted on shallow grounds. I am only being objective and realistic, not critical and condemnatory. Multitudes of African Christians who attend service on Sunday return home to appease the gods and the ancestral spirits for peace, prosperity, success and security. This divided loyalty is very common in Cameroon. I met many Christians in Nigeria who seemed to worship God more for material blessings than for Godself. I have the feeling that African worship stresses utility rather the glory of God. Both African traditional religions and the prosperity Gospel have contributed to this material-driven worship. We should continue to seek ways to straighten our Christian commitment. It is not yet time to celebrate success.

The Gospel we Preach
Interestingly, Africans seem more zealous for evangelism today than the Western world. From my experience, many people are willing to be approached with the Gospel in Cameroon than in the Netherlands. However acceptance does not replace the need for assessment and improvement. In spite of our success, have we made some mistakes in presenting the Gospel? Perhaps we have. For example, modern evangelism emphasize Christ as coming into the life of the convert and leaves out the convert’s requirement of coming into the life of Christ. So we tend to see Christ more in terms of what he can do for us and less in terms of what he requires us to do for him, for others and for ourselves in order to usher in his kingdom- the new spiritual status and social order he inaugurated. We have to re-examine our definition of biblical conversion and what it means to be a Christian. The latter appears to go beyond a mere decision for Christ by faith to involve a commitment to a way of life – the life of Christ. The evangelist must emphasize the radical demands of the Gospel. We must not soften the message and adopt cheap strategies to make it palatable. However we must also emphasize the heart of biblical conversion, salvation by grace through faith alone. From the biblical point of view, "total surrender to Christ" is hardly a pre-condition for salvation. It is the process of sanctification which is better addressed in discipleship than at conversion.

The doctrine of Sin
This brings to mind another issue confronting the evangelism enterprise in Cameroon as I have seen it, and perhaps this may be true of the most part of Africa – the privatization of sin. I have respect for our modern evangelists who labour so hard to bring people to faith in Christ, but we have convinced people that the only problem with man is his sin-sick soul. Most evangelicals hold that social evil is not big issue for the Church and that Christ comes to save only the soul from sin. However, the Bible indicates that salvation only begins with the soul and then moves on to gradually involve family and nation. God's ultimate redemptive goal is total welbeing for the redeemed. The rule of God begins fundamentally in the heart of the redeemed. The heart is the throne of God. But spiritual transformation must show itself in social transformation. That means the kingdom of God is both spiritual and social. Just like the prophets were concerned with the repentance of Israel as a nation, so should Christians be concerned with the transformation of the social order. Sin recides in super-personal structures, in institutions in the form of bad policies, corruption, nepotism. When our Gospel narrows down to personal sins, we are neglecting national sins and loosing the society which is also the realm of God's kingdom. Ironically evangelicals with a high Christology have embraced the King but neglected the full dimension of His Kingdom.

Generally, the protestant Churches in Cameroon remain indifferent to corruption and social vices that reside in our institutions. Usually, most protestant preachers rush over these vices in a sermon that was never intended to address such issues. Are we timid or just trying to be fundamentalist? Some denominations in Cameroon claim to be ‘apolitical’ – that means they stay off political issues, whereas other denominations come out with several official statements condemning corruption in the country, political decisions judged wrong by the church and addresses other social issues affecting the life of the nation. Healthy criticism is vital to the growth and development of a nation. I think there is need for protestant Churches in Cameroon to address genuine social concerns in a more serious way without overlapping church and state. We need contextual theologies that describe some approaches to these tasks. These theologies must stand on biblical revelation and address situations from God's point of view.
What do you think?