There has been a notable growth in the population of Christians residing in Africa while on the other hand observance of traditional African religions has been on a decline. This unprecedented work is the first one-volume study of the history of Christianity in Africa. Today, the Christian community in Latin America and Africa, alone, account for 1 billion people. In addition, they identified the rich natural resources that would be the targets of later colonial exploitation. Today, Africa has the most Christians of any continent. It boggles one’s mind that in Africa today, many Christians are conflict drivers. The Head of the South African bishops shared recently shared his visions with the London Telegraph. His first Bible, written in the Yoruba language, was followed by versions in other African languages. The spread of the faith in Africa represents perhaps the most dramatic advance in all Christian history, and yet the names and stories of persons chiefly responsible are largely unknown. The rise of Christianity in Africa is also captured outside the continent. In the 1300s, the Nubians were conquered by Muslims from Egypt. As Europeans established outposts on the coast of Africa in the 1400s and 1500s, they brought along missionaries, who settled among indigenous populations. By the end of the 2nd century it had reached the region around Carthage. Supporting Article. Christianity reached those regions by way of Europe during the great age of exploration. The work of Crowther and others like him ensured that Africans, not Europeans, would now lead the missionary efforts in Africa. In Zaire, Christian… Europeans considered converting Africans to Christianity to be part of the process of colonization. By Conrad Mbewe-Kabwata Baptist . The Christian nature of African kingdoms could prove short-lived if the ruling group was overthrown or challenged by a group opposed to Christianity. It is believed that Mark the Evangelist brought Christianity from Jerusalem to Alexandria in the year 43 before becoming the first bishop to serve the Alexandria Orthodox Church. In this way, Christianity arrived in Africa before it reached Europe. //]]>. However, the primary interest of most of the conquerors and traders who journeyed to Africa was to enrich themselves. Reuters/Akintunde Akinleye. For this reason, many Africans resisted the missionaries and their message. Organizations, such as The Last Well, have made it their mission to transform countries in Africa like Liberia by not only providing access to safe drinking water, but also by spreading the gospel. Most of the region is still Christian today. Beginning in the 500s, Christian kingdoms also flourished on the upper Nile River in NUBIA (in what is now SUDAN). Today the continent has more than 300 million Christians. These vernacular Bibles were a major factor in spreading Christianity among indigenous populations. Christianity accounts for 86.9 percent of the population in Swaziland and 82.4 percent in Zambia. Since 1900, the number of Christians in Africa has multiplied by 70 times, Pew Research Center found. Muslim invasion of the North almost wiped Christianity away until the Portuguese, in their bid to explore and discover Africa, returned to the Western Coast of Africa through Cape Verde with Christianity. For these reasons, The Last Well is committed to bringing clean drinking water to the country of Liberia, and spreading God’s word. It is believed to have started in North Africa shortly after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In 1861 a missionary named Henry Venn took the bold step of transferring nine churches in Sierra Leone to local control. Many important figures in the early church came from this region, including the church fathers Clement and Origen of ALEXANDRIA in EGYPT, and St. Augustine of Hippo, a city in present-day ALGERIA. Many have seen this as a powerful visitation of the Holy Spirit. By the 300s, Christianity had spread to Ethiopia and ERITREA, centered on the city of AKSUM. There are also many other countries in Africa with high Christian populations, such as Uganda, Namibia, Rwanda, Lesotho, Saint Helena, Seychelles, and South Africa. Another concern was health. The Protestant evangelists who founded missionary movements in Africa around 1800 adopted a different course from the Catholics who came before them. According to historian Theodor Mommsen what is now Mediterranean Algeria was fully Christian by the fifth century. While Christianity was made the official religion of the Roman Empire by Emperor Constantine in 312 AD, many areas of North Africa continued to practice Islam until only the last century. Christianity arrived in Africa in the late 1st or early 2nd century AD, making these Christian communities some of the earliest in the world. Poverty, corruption, conflict, gender-based violence, climate change, and similar challenges have made it difficult for Africa to prosper. (See also Copts; Education; Equiano, Olaudah; Ethiopian Orthodox Church; Islam in Africa; Kingsley, Mary; Missions and Missionaries; Prophetic Movements; Religion and Ritual; Tutu, Desmond Mpilo. For hundreds of years the Roman Catholic Church was the only church active in Africa. In 1900, nine million Christians lived in Africa compared to the 380 million in 2000. Saving China, Saving Ourselves: 1911–1965 History of Chinese Christianity in North America (2) Tseng continues his narrative by recounting how events in China, mingled with events in the United States, influenced the development and growth of the Chinese church in the US with a focus on social justice, public witness, and biblical kingdom values. Today, Christianity it is one of the most commonly practiced religions in the continent. In Zaire, Christians account for more than 95.4 percent of the population and in Angola, it is 94.1 percent. As religious persecution continues to spread through Africa, missionaries are diligently working to spread the word of God throughout the nation. These organizations aim to preach the gospel to every village they serve, using the provision of safe drinking water as a symbol of God’s love. Africa enjoyed unparalleled scholarship and intellectual revival under Muslim rule. The New Testament of the Bible mentions several events in which Africans were witnesses to the life of Christ and the ministry of the apostles. Aside: When determining the population of Christianity in Africa, most resources use the religion as a blanket term, referring to all denominations such as Protestants, Catholics, Independents, and Orthodox. This unexpected behavior propelled the … From the A.D. 100s to 400s, Christianity spread throughout much of North Africa. However, the evangelical church is committed to advancing justice, peace, and righteousness throughout the continent. An overview of Christianity in Africa from its origins to today. African Christianity goes back to very early times, and the Christianity that developed in Africa influenced the religion's later growth in Europe. A former Buganda chief, Kitigana converted to Christianity, gave up his title, wives, and possessions, and traveled through central Africa preaching. Today, Christianity it is one of the most commonly practiced religions in the continent. The early church historian Eusebius wrote that the apostle Matthew also spread the new faith in Ethiopia. Today, there are more Christians living in Africa than any other continent in the world. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Christianity is a religion that originated peacefully. To understand what Christianity means in Africa today, we need to look at the spread of this religion in Africa across history. Beginning in the early 1900s, education became a major focus of Christian activity in Africa. Schools set up by both Protestants and Catholics during this period educated many of the people who became leaders of postcolonial Africa. It was a direct statement against Roman rule. The Catholic Church also moved to decentralized control of its missions, giving each one more independence and responsibility for its activities. In preaching to Africans, they saw much common ground between the lessons found in the Bible and traditional African beliefs and values. At the same time, giving Africans access to written forms of their language allowed them to connect with their own history and cultural heritage. Catholic mission activity was re-energized and reorganized at this time as well. Christian religion is expected to grow exponentially in the coming decades. At first, the introduction of Christianity was limited to Africans in coastal areas. Christianity came to North Africa in the Roman era. Africa is leading the charge with 390 million Christians, more than three times than 35 years ago. This article about Christianity in South Africa today first appeared in the Fall 2016 issue of Providence‘s print edition. There in what is now SIERRA LEONE they founded the city of FREETOWN. 1 out of 4 Christians in the world presently is an African. One of the tasks Crowther set himself as bishop was to translate the Bible into an African language. The rapid growth of Christianity is from African evangelism, as well as high birth rates throughout the last few decades. However, African Christianity ultimately developed its own special character in which local traditions played a role. This religion has had a profound effect on the social and political development of modern Africa. A notable Berber Christian of Algeria was Saint Augustine (and his mother Saint Monica), important saints of Roman Catholicism.Christianity's influence declined during the chaotic period of the Vandal invasions but … Christianity was peacefully established in the Kingdom of Cush (Nubia) in the 6 th Century, and flourished there for 1000 years. The Catholic Church set out to train indigenous clergy to establish an African Catholic Church led by Africans themselves. The African country of Liberia, a country located on the West coast of Africa, has a density of approximately 40 people per square kilometer. Today the continent has more than 300 million Christians. Get access to over 12 million other articles! The Protestant outcry against the SLAVE TRADE in the late 1700s and early 1800s marked a turning point for African Christianity. Significantly, the first Protestant missionaries to arrive in West Africa were former slaves who had supported the British in the American Revolutionary War. These teachings are bringing the people of Africa together as they share the good news of Jesus Christ. Christianity in Africa has a long history. Most of them were had fought on the British side in the American War of Independence and had later been resettled in Nova Scotia, Canada. In addition, the Evangelicals in Africa (AEA) is working with the African church to develop a biblical vision that reflects Agenda 2063 – The Africa We Want – a strategic framework for growth and sustainability. In the 1960s the Catholic Church officially adopted the position that local African churches should lead Catholic missionary efforts in Africa. Later, in the 1990s, it stated that African churches would not be forced to accept pre-existing religious structures and ideas but could develop their own based on local traditions and needs. The result of Protestant and Catholic activity over the centuries has been the spread of Christianity throughout Africa. Although Christian missionaries had come to Africa to save souls, they were often associated with the greed of their fellow Europeans. Today, membership in Christian churches is growing faster in Africa than anywhere else in the world. The future of Christianity is undeniable in Africa as the continent continues to see explosive growth. With a few exceptions, missionaries did not carry Christianity into the interior of the continent until the 1800s. AWARDS and RECOGNITIONS. With many Christians in this region being relatively young and with children, the These numbers should be taken with a grain of salt, said Muriithi, because some African Christians are prosperity gospel believers who don't truly understand the Gospel. The impressive growth, energy, and vitality of indigenous churches have transformed the continent into a new Christian heartland. This link between the Christian message and African culture was an important factor in the spread of Christianity across the continent in the 1800s and 1900s. Now, there are countless variations of the religion being practiced throughout the continent, ranging from newer African-Christian denominations which are popular in Nigeria to the more ancient forms of Oriental Orthodox Christianity which is still practiced throughout Ethiopia, Egypt, and Eritrea. Opposition to the slave trade fueled the great missionary efforts of the 1800s and led to the creation of many new orders. The long-term success of efforts to convert Africans to Christianity often depended on local political developments. Subsequently displaced by Islam in the 7th and 8th centuries, the ancient Coptic and Orthodox churches nevertheless remain active in Egypt, Ethiopia, and Eritrea today. Many explanations have been given for the explosion of the Charismatic movement in Africa. The recent growth of the religion in Africa is mainly attributed to African Evangelism. According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity, the southern hemisphere is taking the lead in growth figures for worshipers. [CDATA[ window.__mirage2 = {petok:"6c57bb0ca4e99d7b11af9690c24c26d31fb7c86d-1609107835-1800"}; Discover our Unprecedented Progress in Liberia with the Gospel and Safe-drinking Water. On one hand, Africa is the zone of Christianity’s greatest growth. Few African languages had been written down before. //

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