Christianity Is Not a Western Religion

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AFRICA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY CHRISTIANITY IS NOT A WESTERN RELIGION BY BERNARD KARIUKI KIMANI NAIROBI, KENYA June 29th , 2009. Introduction. This paper is going to be built around challenge of Christianity as a foreign religion. The issue contested here is the authenticity of Christian faith for Africans. In a sense, we are wrestling with the claim that Christianity is too white and foreign and that it is a religious expression of colonialism. This research essay is going to respond to this challenge in a scholarly manner. As such, the aim will be to respond by looking for facts and evidence that Christianity was not an import of the west to Africa or an imposition in the African Christian thought neither was it a camouflage of Western imperialists. Thesis Traditional Christianity in its historic manifestation has been predominantly western and has demonstrated aggressive, superior, colonial and imperialistic attitudes. The tendency to uphold colonial powers as part of God’s plan has been evident in the missionary agenda. As a matter of fact, it is hard to differentiate the two. This has led to the condemnation of local religion and religious systems in preference for the Christian foreign religion. Ngugi wa Thiongo referred to the missionaries as the “colonial spiritual police” while amplifying on the great connection between colonial imperialism and the missionary enterprise. However, as much as one should not be blind to the mistakes done in the early days of the spread of Christianity in Africa, we must come to terms with both historical facts and other instances that show that Christianity is indeed an African religion. The thesis of this paper is that Christianity is not and never was a western religion, neither was it imposed on Africans by the westerners. Africans chose to believe the gospel. Whether the missionaries brought the gospel
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