Page 154 - LD215 History of the Church in Africa A4 final

A History of the Church in Africa

For approximately forty years, Carey overcame one obstacle after
another. He was an expert in language learning and Scripture translation.
However, in 1812, his priceless manuscripts were lost in a warehouse
fire. Undaunted, he started again and succeeded in supervising six
complete and twenty-four partial translations of the Bible.

Carey was an early pioneer of training national ministers and making
the Word of God available in the language of the people. His goal was
to establish a New Testament church. His influence went far beyond
India and inspired many missionaries to carry the gospel to the nations,
including Africa. In 1992, the government of India honored William Carey
th
in a 200 anniversary celebration for his outstanding contributions to
their country. What an incredible tribute to a simple cobbler who had little
formal education but was available to be used by the Lord in His mission.

Early Protestant Ef orts
I am sensitive to the fact that much written history of the church
in Africa centers on the missionary and his or her exploits. As Isichei
points out:

The foreign Christian is the heroic actor, and the African
communities merely the backdrop for her or his good deeds.
Often, Africans are depicted as savage and degenerate to highlight
the beneficial impact of Christianity. (74)

Since it is my goal to paint an accurate picture, I want to state clearly
at the outset that the missionary venture in Africa was imperfect
because of its negative elements and deficiencies. For this reason, we
will consider some of its failures as we proceed through the centuries.
However, we cannot do justice to African Christianity without a record
of how the message was brought and who brought it. I have written
this book with the strong conviction that every person in every nation
and culture needs eternal salvation; no culture is superior to another.
The Scripture is clear: all have sinned and need a Savior.

I have already noted a few things about the beginning of the church
in Southern Africa. There were small beginnings but lasting results, and
there were some major challenges, as we shall see.

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