Christian witness at a time of African renaissance.

De Gruchy, John W.

"Afro-pessimism" is a widespread ailment historically rooted in a fear of "darkest Africa". Today it is not so much a fear of the unknown as it is a prejudiced assessment of reality, distorted by selected media images and racial stereotypes. Some of the reasons given by the West for its pessimism about Africa are as characteristic of other contexts and continents as they are of Africa. Ethnic violence, war-mongering, political corruption and economic mismanagement have been endemic to the history of Europe, and much of it was exported to Africa along with colonialism and imperialism. While Africa has its own geographical and historical peculiarities, as a continent of peoples and nations it is no different from anywhere else. The fact is, "Afro-pessimism" provides a rationale for the West to forget the role which European powers played in the subjugation of the continent and the destruction of its economy through the raping of its raw materials. Today, "Afro-pessimism" too often qualifies and sometimes undermines the participation of the West in the development and reconstruction of Africa.

Most African leaders today acknowledge that many mistakes have been made since the 1960s when colonial rule ended. They acknowledge that there is substance to the perceptions which fuel "Afro-pessimism", and that Africa can no longer simply blame colonialism or apartheid for every failure or ill. But they equally reject the assumption that Africa is an unmitigated disaster area inevitably trapped in a downward spiral of ethnic war, economic mismanagement, corrupt dictatorships and grinding poverty. Of course, Africa's poverty makes the situation in much of the continent particularly grave, highlighting the iniquity of the huge financial debt with which many of its countries are now burdened. It also places African leaders in a major dilemma. How can they seek much-needed economic investment without falling prey to an economic neo-colonialism which would reinforce Africa's dependency?

Despite "Afro-pessimism" -- and without denying the harsh realities which confront Africa at the end of this century -- there is nevertheless considerable hope among African leaders concerning the future of the continent, and a growing determination to ensure that the new millennium will herald its renaissance. These convictions have been strongly expressed in recent months in various speeches and interviews given by Thabo Mbeki, the vice-president of South Africa. Africa, Mbeki argues, is entering a period of renaissance which is not only important for its own future but also of global significance. His convictions are visionary yet expressed in more sober terms than those which characterized the rhetoric of many leaders of African liberation. Mbeki is a political realist who is fully aware of the enormous problems and challenges facing the continent. He recognizes that the transition to democracy, though widespread, is by no means complete, and that there is no easy road to social stability and transformation. Yet he remains convinced that the present generation of Africans, given the right kind of support from the rest of the world, has the will and the capacity to transform the continent.

Christians, called to live in hope of God's transformation of the whole of reality, should respond warmly to Mbeki's convictions. But the ecumenical church in Africa, in all its variety and complexity, dare not applaud such a vision from the sidelines. Just as the ecumenical church played an important role in the struggle for liberation and in some instances functioned as the midwife of democratic transition,1 so it is now called to participate in the renewal of Africa. In doing so the church has, as always, the complementary roles of priest and prophet. As priestly community its unique contribution will be the moral, cultural and spiritual transformation of the continent, as well as the healing of its past memories and the reconciliation of communities and nations divided by ethnicity and war. Without this, the heralded renaissance will remain a dream alongside the many political plans which litter the past. As prophetic community the church must continuously test the vision of African renaissance, and especially its implementation, against the more radical vision of the reign of God with its insistence on justice, compassion and the humanization of life. If the church is to fulfil its calling and make a difference it dare not become the lackey of the politicians and their programmes.

The potential significance of the church in Africa in this regard is reinforced by the widespread observation, supported by statistics, that Africa is rapidly becoming the Christian continent. Whatever the faults and failures of the 19th-century missionary movement, it undoubtedly succeeded in planting Christianity in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. The nurturing and growth of Christian faith, community and witness subsequently became the responsibility and task of African Christians and churches. In the process, Christianity has penetrated African culture and, in turn, become indigenous. Exceptions to this prove the more general rule. Refusing to succumb to the acids of European modernity and secularism, African Christianity affirms the wholeness of life, the vibrancy of faith, the sociality of human existence and the healing power of the gospel. Where Christianity in Africa, whether white or black, remains an outpost of European identity and culture, it is now an anachronism without a future.

Christianity has of course long been an African indigenous religion. The process began in Egypt within the first decades of the Christian movement and rapidly spread across North Africa, as well as down into Nubia and Ethiopia.2 Centuries before the evangelization or Christianization of Europe was accomplished, African Christianity had reached maturity. In doing so it had a remarkable impact on the future shape of Christianity in Europe and elsewhere. The contemporary movement of missionaries going from Africa to re-evangelize Europe was predated centuries ago by the widespread influence of Coptic monasticism on Celtic Christianity and subsequently more widely on Europe.(3) So the possibility that Africa may become the Christian continent, or that it may fulfil a crucial role in turning the dream of African renaissance into reality, has historical precedent.

Yet we should reflect more critically on the claim that Africa will be the Christian continent of the future. Even if the statistical forecasts are reasonably accurate, what can such an assertion possibly mean? Perhaps Africa will have the greatest concentration of people who claim to be Christian. But does that make Africa a Christian continent -- any more than the dominance of Christianity in North America makes that continent Christian? Is there not a danger that such talk reflects a triumphalism that leads to a complacency, which has never been healthy for the life of the church or society? It is unlikely to be different in Africa. What is far more important is whether African Christianity as a majority or minority religion faithfully reflects the reign of God and witnesses to the gospel in ways which enable the just and peaceful transformation of the continent.

With this in mind we must not only face the realities which confront Africa but also the realities of African Christianity. In celebrating its achievements, we should also reflect on its weaknesses, and so ponder its future with sharper discernment. Precisely at this moment of its world-historical significance, African Christianity needs to take account of the dangers lurking in its midst which can so easily subvert expectations. In this regard it is sobering to recall the rapid demise of the church of North Africa in the 7th century. Why did that ancient church, with its great leaders, Augustine among them, go into such rapid decline? The matter has been widely discussed and we need not go into detail here. Undoubtedly it had to do with the rise and spread of Arab power and Islamic faith. But it also had to do with internal problems within the church, epitomized by the Donatist schism, which tore the church apart. It is also true that the church failed to penetrate sufficiently deeply into Berber culture. The church in North Africa imploded, albeit under pressure from without. If such historical memories teach us anything, it is that well-founded expectations can be confounded by unexpected historical twists and turns.

We need a much more nuanced analysis of the church in Africa than can be provided by overly confident rhetoric combined with statistics. After all, the church situation is so complex and confusing that it is perhaps far more accurate to speak about "African Christianities" rather than African Christianity. At one level its amazing range of diversity -- from Coptic and Catholic through Anglican and Protestant to a vast number of African-initiated churches -- is part of the strength of African Christianity. Perhaps denominationalism as a category of ecclesial analysis does not quite fit this amazing array of church community, liturgy and life with all its vitality and growth. Yet how does this diversity, with all its contradictions and conflicts, relate to the claim that Africa will be the Christian continent of the future? Given the diversity of Christianity (especially in relation to the relative unity of Islam and the all-pervasiveness of African traditional religions), what sense can we make of the claim? Where are the coherence of faith and purpose, the shared vision of and solidarity in witness to the reign of God, the common commitment to evangelism and the transformation of unjust social orders, the mutual striving to ensure that Christianity overcomes its colonial past and becomes truly indigenous?

So while many in the West may look to the church in Africa as a source of Christian renewal for the next century, it must be acknowledged that the church in Africa is itself at a critical juncture in its own journey. Its role in enabling the transformation of Africa is dependent upon its own renewal, upon its ability to understand and respond faithfully in the light of the gospel to the realities which confront it in each context. Indeed, it depends in large measure on rediscovering its ecumenical vision and commitment.

Africa is, of course, an immense continent, with an enormous range of peoples and cultures, environments and natural resources, problems and possibilities. Visitors from abroad are invariably as overwhelmed by the distances, the vistas, the open space, as they are by the contrasting overcrowded informal settlements, massive rural poverty and endless streams of refugees. Africa, like most other continents, is comprised of a multiplicity of contexts with differences and divergences which have to be respected and taken into account. So we should not generalize in a way which loses touch with reality. At the same time, these differences can be mutually enriching and complementary, and there are, after all, many problems and issues, insights and values which are common. In this way the vision of an African renaissance and an ecumenical church in Africa are clearly related.

Indeed, if the church is to participate in the renaissance of Africa it has to become far more truly ecumenical, a church for all peoples and nations, a church which overcomes the narrow boundaries of nation and tribe, a church which is able to mediate between countries in times of crisis, a church which is profoundly in touch with the soul and culture of the continent. Thus the question has to be posed: do we need new ecumenical wineskins in order to fulfil the task now facing the church in the renewal of Africa? For Christianity to fulfil its potential role in the renaissance of Africa, it is certainly not necessary or appropriate to try to force it into some uniform mould. Quite the contrary, for that would undermine its remarkable vitality and contextuality. But it is necessary for African Christianity to develop a far greater coherence in its faith and witness, a far greater degree of inclusiveness and a sense of being the ecumenical church in Africa. It is also necessary for it to become a church which is able to relate its priestly role and prophetic witness to the changing realities and hopes of Africa. For how do we relate the hope which empowers Christian mission to the hope which drives the vision of a renewed Africa?

Prior to 1994 there was a variant of the "Afro-pessimism" disease to which we referred earlier; let us call it "South African pessimism". It was widely assumed throughout much of the world that South Africa was headed for an all-out racial civil war. There was good reason for such an assessment. The fact that this did not happen, despite highly plausible predictions, accounts in large measure for the sense of amazement with which the world greeted the changes which occurred. But even so, right up to the end there was considerable scepticism about the possibility of any reasonably peaceful transition to democracy. I recall meeting with a group of social scientists on the eve of the first democratic elections in 1994. According to their analysis there was no possibility that peaceful and fair elections would take place, and little chance that the transition to democracy could succeed. After listening to them for the best part of the day, and agreeing with much of the assessment, I finally intervened in exasperation: "This kind of talk may be based on good reasoning, but it lacks the one ingredient necessary to change history. It lacks hope. And only those who live in hope can make the future work." It was precisely because of the hope for the future of South Africa which President Mandela and many others had that change became a reality.

Christian witness within the public arena occurs within the tension between reality and hope. Speaking theologically, reality reflects the fallenness of humanity, something easy to demonstrate; hope, on the contrary, is reasonable but beyond proof. It is a conviction that there is meaning and purpose in life and history. It is premised on faith in the God of creation and redemption. Hope therefore discerns potential signs of renewal in the life of people, cultures and nations; it is open to the possibility of conversion and change; and it is committed to preparing the way for the coming of God's reign. If politics is the art of the actual, Christian hope seeks its transformation. Thus Christian witness has a crucial responsibility for keeping hope alive if it is to be genuinely biblical in orientation. Living and working in hope is at the heart of Christian faith and mission. It provides us with the will to participate in the transformation of society.

Christian hope is not based on illusion or wishful thinking. We must be careful to distinguish it from false hopes of utopia which lose touch with concrete reality and actually prevent us from achieving the necessary goals of conversion and social transformation. Karl Mannheim's important distinction between "abstract utopianism" and "concrete utopianism" is apposite.(4) Christian eschatology is of the latter variety. It envisions a future which embodies the reign of God revealed in Jesus Christ, and therefore in the present it seeks to express that vision in ways which are consonant with God's promise. This provides the basis for our critique of present reality and points the way forward for Christian mission.

Post-modernist critics of the "grand narrative" may well balk at such a notion. Their critique has to be taken into account. We must avoid the danger of closed systems, ecclesiastical triumphalism and ideological pretension. Christian eschatology is not a variant of philosophical idealism. But no one who takes biblical faith seriously can avoid seeing reality from an eschatological perspective and seeking its transformation. Indeed, such a "concrete utopian" vision is the only way to break free of the circularity of a closed worldview, express judgment on it and pursue the goal of a more just and humane world.

One critical implication of such "concrete utopianism" is the need for Christians to engage in careful social, cultural and political analysis in order to contribute to the public debate. In the struggle against apartheid, such analysis was significant but relatively straightforward. Despite the attempts by some to justify the unjustifiable, apartheid was clearly wrong, sinful and, theologically-speaking, a heresy. The rhetoric of struggle did not require careful and rigorous social analysis in order to be effective. But such rhetoric is no longer sufficient and carries with it the danger of "abstract utopianism". Those who have engaged in such rhetoric in the post-apartheid parliament in South Africa have found themselves sidelined by the complexities of government and social reconstruction.(5) In the same way, those churches and Christian leaders who have maintained the prophetic witness of the past within the present context have begun to discover that prophetic utterance without knowledge of reality is inadequate and often counterproductive. If the church is to engage in public life and contribute to its just reconstruction, then it must not only remain prophetic but also become far more informed about the issues. Prophetic statements without a good understanding of the issues make the church look stupid.

My critique of the social scientists referred to above must therefore not be regarded as a means for denying the need for careful social and political analysis. On the contrary, "concrete utopianism" as expressed in Christian hope demands such analysis. But equally so, the kind of democratic social transformation which is central to Africa's renaissance demands it. The day is past when theology can simply engage in anti-colonial and anti-apartheid rhetoric if the church in Africa is to fulfil its mandate within the public sphere. This is not to deny that similar situations may still exist, or that new situations may arise which demand a clear, unqualified prophetic word. Indeed, there is always the need for an unequivocal prophetic witness against injustice, corruption and everything else which destroys life and denies the full humanity of women, men and children. But within societies which are seeking genuine democratic transformation, such a witness demands a far better understanding of cultural dynamics, of social reality, of power relations and of governance than has normally characterized church pronouncements on public policy in Africa.

Precisely for this reason, then, much thought and planning has to be given now to the theological education of the church in Africa so that it can be priestly and prophetic in this new key.(6) There is an urgent need to nurture a new generation of African Christian leaders who have both the Christian commitment and passion of the prophet and the necessary skills and insights of the social and cultural analyst to participate in the continent's renaissance -- Christian leaders within public life who, whether as educators or politicians, artists or engineers, nurses or administrators, are people of skill and integrity, wisdom and discernment, compassion and hope.

Throughout Africa, many Christian ministers and priests have played an important role in the post-colonial, post-apartheid structures of government. But that can never be their first responsibility, nor is it a long-term strategy for ensuring that the values of the gospel find expression in public discourse and policy. Theologians and pastors alike have a responsibility to help nurture people of faith who have a vocation to serve in the public life of their respective nations and beyond such artificial boundaries. Without this, Christianity in Africa will, despite its numbers and present vitality, lead an increasingly ghetto-existence on the peripheries of public life and as such forfeit its responsibility to serve the world and the renewal of Africa in the name of Christ. It will fail to grasp the opportunity of being a partner in the renaissance of the continent in its witness to the hope which we have through the gospel.

NOTES

(1) Paul Gifford, ed., The Christian Churches and the Democratization of Africa, Leiden, E.J. Brill; John W de Gruchy, Christianity and Democracy: A Theology for a Just World Order, Cambridge, Cambridge UP, 1995, pp. 165-224.

(2) Elizabeth Isichei, A History of Christianity in Africa: From Antiquity to the Present, Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1995, pp. 13-44; John Baur, 2000 Years of Christianity. in Africa: An African History 62-1992, Nairobi, Paulines, 1994, pp.21-42; see also Adrian Hastings, The Church in Africa: 1450-1950, Oxford, Clarendon, 1994.

(3) Tadros Y. Malaty, Introduction to the Coptic Orthodox Church, Alexandria.. St George's Coptic Orthodox Church, 1993.

(4) Karl Mannheim, Ideology and Utopia: An Introduction to the Sociology of Knowledge, New York, Harcourt, Brace & World, 1936, p. 192.

(5) John de Gruchy, et al., "Representing Christianity in the South African Parliament", Journal of Theology for Southern Africa, no. 98, July 1997, pp.81-88.

(6) See the report of the all Africa consultation on "Viability of Ministerial Formation Today", Kuruman, South Africa, 5-10 August 1995, Ministerial Formation, no. 71, October 1995.