Page 96 - LD215 History of the Church in Africa A4 final

A History of the Church in Africa

of Christianity that was taking root. Apparently, the church placed a
heavy emphasis on the ritual of baptism and the assumption of a new
name, and it placed little or no emphasis on discipleship and training
after people’s conversion. According to Shaw, “Combined with the lack
of trained clergy, such converts frequently slipped into syncretism or
eventual apostasy. Belief in sacred groves and trees persisted within the
community of the church into modern times” (1996, 65). The student of
African church history must analyze these circumstances to determine
whether this is what led to a syncretistic form of Christianity.

According to Baur, “The time between the advent of Islam (640)
and the restoration of the Solomonic line (1270) is called the Dark Age
of Ethiopia. It is the age of isolation from the outside world and the
expansion into the interior of the African continent” (37).

In the next chapter we will consider the challenge of Islam because
the encounter with this religion affected the churches along the Nile
corridor in various ways. For example, in Nubia, the church eventually
collapsed, but in Ethiopia it survived although it changed. As Arab
traders took control of the trade route along the Red Sea, they tended
to isolate the Ethiopian church from outside. This isolation complicated
communications with the Egyptian Coptic Church (their brothers and
sisters in the faith).

In time, Muslim traders and their families settled along the coast.
This meant that Christianity had to compete with Islam. Although, as
Keener notes, “The initial relations between Arab Muslims and African
Christians had been positive. Axum’s rulers welcomed Muslims fleeing
from Mecca, which was originally hostile to them” (118). However, before
long Arab Muslims put pressure on the Christian church and blocked
communication with the outside world. Baur details the development of
this relationship between the Ethiopians and the Muslims:

First the Ethiopians exacted tribute from them (the Muslims) but
soon lost practically all control over the area and turned toward
the interior. This expansion towards the interior created Ethiopia
proper in geographical and ethnic terms. The Kingdom of Axum
had been restricted to the Eritrean coast and Tigre. Then the
provinces of Lasta, Begemder and Shoa were added and they

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