Team 6, question 1

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Through the violence of colonization and the conquering of the New World, Latin America was brought under the influence of Christianity. Missionaries brought with them death in the for of subjugation and sickness, as well as enslavement and violent conversion. Because of the power initially given to the conquistadors by the Pope, and the distance from Rome and the majority of Christian power, the most influential people, those with control over the state, also had control over the religious activities in their areas. They controlled who was appointed to which office, who had control over the life of the church. This relationship tied together the conversion of the native population with their exploitation for monetary gain. The extortion of the natives was not sustainable, from both a religious standpoint, or a numbers standpoint. The initial wave of ruin very quickly diminished the population, and the religious thinkers of the area decried the abuse of these people. so instead of the enslavement of the natives, they turned to Africa for slaves. Millions of Africans were brought to Latin America, permanently affecting the culture and the people within. With such a huge influx of Africans, the diversity of the land increased. This, and the continued draining of natural resources by the European nations led the people to strive for independence.

Liberation theology emerged during a later time of social unrest and violence. The war between capitalism and communism was in full swing and each nation was pressured in to picking a side. Many dictatorships arose in Latin America were taken because of even a slight sympathy towards communism. Eventually the church had to speak out against these actions, and culminated in even more violence. After the church took an official position on trying to focus more effort on helping the poor live a better life, many priests and bishops spoke out against the military regimes. Many of them were killed. Liberation theology is a social and religious mixture, focused on the betterment of the poor and helping those in need. It requires social action along with understanding of the religious teachings. It has since died down in importance, as it lost steam after the church stopped supporting the ideas, and they became less necessary with the decline of human rights violations.

Latin American Christianity is heavily invested in the well being and uplifting of its people. It is active in social issues and emphasized the necessity to take action and to make change for the better. I think this is something that many churches in Western Christianity do, to an extent, but many more do not. With so many people believing in these causes and religions, they could do much to help those in need, and could do much more then they are already doing. Another thing that I think should be more emphasized is loving thy neighbor. Christianity is diverse in Latin America, and from the reading we get a sense that it is a brotherly diversity, with those from all denominations coming together to enact social reform. Many Americans have a hard time talking about religion, and if you do not go to the same church there is an almost instant undertone of hostility, because they would rather focus on the differences then on the similarities, and the things they can do together.

Team 4 Question 1

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Latin America, defined as Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, was introduced to Christianity through violent methods. This “violent evangelicalism” was politically motivated, as colonizers sought to bring the New World under Christian political rule (74). The colonizers, primarily from Spain and Portugal, received permission for Pope Nicholas V to seize the land of Latin America and introduce Catholicism. The patronage system gave the Spanish and Portuguese settlers unlimited authority over the Catholic Church in their land, meaning that the pope was not considered the head of this sect of the institution. As Jacobsen points out, this system represented a total reversal of what medieval popes so intensely fought for: “independence of the Church from political control” (75). The colonizers obsession with control was racially motivated, as the Europeans believed themselves to be morally and intellectually superior to the Latin Americans.

For many years after gaining independence, religious ideology in Latin America almost exclusively was associated with whichever political party was in power. Following the tumultuous 1960s, liberation theology, a new method of viewing religion, was taken up by many Latin American Catholics. This approach “combined social analysis (often from a Marxist perspective) and social action with traditional Catholic teachings” (86). This manner of thinking emerged due to the political oppression in many Latin American countries, and people began to see the church as a vessel for expressing economic and social justice. Service to the poor is a cornerstone of Christian ethics, and the long oppressed masses began to see the hypocrisy of a supposedly religious driven government allowing such a large gap between rich and poor. The liberation movement reached its peak around 1980, when Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador was assassinated on the altar, just as he was about to consecrate the bread and wine for the Eucharist. Romero had long been a vocal advocate for social and economic justice, and often criticized the church for their lack of caring for the poor. Romero saw Christian ethics as inseparably connected with activism, and he gained many followers as a result. Following his assassination, his legacy continued, as many began to pressure the church to act true to their values. Liberation theology subsided in the 1980s, after democratic governments were installed in many Latin American countries.

By seeing Latin American Christianity, the West could learn that followers of different denominations of Christianity can work together to achieve social change. Though Latin America is primarily Catholic, Jacobsen asserts that the liberation theology movement was one that required the participation of all Christians, not just Catholics. In my experience, Catholics are often times very closed off, and are unwilling to engage in interfaith dialogue, even with practitioners of other forms of Christianity. It would be wise for Western Christians and Catholics to be more open to working together to bring about social change, just as the Latin Americans were able to do in the 1980s.

Latin American Christianity and Liberal Theology- Team 2

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Christianity was brought to Latin America through violent means, and today it holds 40 percent of the worlds Catholics, although Pentecostalism is rising. Beginning in the late 1400’s, the monarchs of Spain and Portugal used their conquest of Latin America to also push their religious values. This wave of domination was considered a religious crusade equally as a political move of colonization and Imperialism. The “patronato real”, or royal patronage gave the Spanish and Portuguese monarchs complete authority over the Catholic Churches in their new land. This meant the bishops, priests and all church missionary activity, was governed by the political rulers. Another dimension to this oppression was race. The conquistadores used the indigenous people for work but this ended partly because the Church began to view them as children of God, and partly because they were being wiped out through over work and foreign disease. This catapulted Latin America’s involvement with the slave trade and between 1650 and 1860 over ten million African slaves were brought to Brazil, the Caribbean and other Spanish colonies. With Africans, indigenous, creoles (born in New World), mestizos(mixed) and penninsulares (from Spain or Portugal), race became another way to oppress and categorize human worth and divide the Catholic and Christian experience.

The experience of the high cast Catholic and the low cast were very different. Penninsualres and creoles thought of the lower casts as children and incapable of spiritual thought. When trying to missionize to them indigenous culture was referenced because it made the transition easier. What resulted was a new form of “Popular Catholicism, meaning Christianity created by the people.” (Jacobsen, 79) The Latin American Independence movements of the 19th century made a shift in the religious sphere, but not as dramatic as the revolutionary enlightenment ideals that flourished in the United States. In Latin America, postcolonial rule, the role of religion largely rested upon which political party was in power. “Favor was shown to the Church when conservatives were in office, and restrictions were placed on the Church when liberals were in charge.” (Jacobsen, 83)

What ultimately led to the formation of liberation theology was this build of a dramatic differences in the way in which the Church was viewed by the growing gap of rich and poor that translated into slanted and oppressive politics. Post WWII countries were forced to chose between dictatorships that aligned with either communist, or democratic capitalism. US backed “democratic” dictatorships further alienated people and put pressure on the church to respond. With the creation of Vatican II there was increased emphasis within the Church on the poor. This ultimately translated into a new theology focusing on liberation through a sense of equality reached when people who are oppressed, marginalized and poor are reached out to and lifted up internally free. Pentecostalism has seen a more dramatic rise in the past century also because of the great divide between rich and poor. Pentecostal worship services are joyfull and full of hopeful song, this is a bright light in the reality of living in barrios or fevalas. Pentecostalism was less formal than Catholic mass also translating to hose living in poverty as more accepting and welcoming.

Leaders in the Liberation Theology movement like Oscar Romero of El Salvador preached the salvation of men and society through an intimate connection with each other and equally the poor and suffering. By building base communities that regular gathered, Bible teachings could be explored and translated onto the local structural level. This combined Christian doctrine with grassroots activism. Just as Christianity began in Latin America interwoven with politics, liberation theology was an intermixed political/religious way of dealing with the aftermath of oppression, organically grown from the hands of the oppressed. Liberation Theology like “popular” Catholicism was a way of reclaiming the sacred as personal and putting it into action to create a better reality.

I think the west could learn from the development of Liberation Theology that there is God in community, in poverty and in simplicity. It seems that as Western Christianity (and Asian Christianity) have grown, so has the idea that the gospel delivers salvation, be it through the next life. It is theology heavy on the external dimensions. Liberation theology seems to work on the inner self by relating outwardly to those having a different experience and then opening up to the possibility of social change in the now. By being liberated from “economic oppression and racial prejudice” practitioners can be open spiritually.

Team 3: Piepgrass, question 1

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Between the year 1885 and 1915 virtually every Western European nation made a move to colonize Africa. This “scramble” for resources during the Industrial Revolution was led primarily by the English and French government. The citizens of these nations supported the globalization movement because they thought it was their duty to spread the ethics of “Christian living.” These missionaries often started schools supported by governments.
William Wade Harris was said to be visited by the angel Gabriel while he was in jail. Following his experience he devoted his life to Christianity. After being released he preached the gospel up and down the east coast. He’s said to be responsible for converting 100,000 Africans to Christianity.
In the late 1800s African Independent Churches began popping up. Their interpretation of the Gospel was more orthodox than the version being propagated by western missionaries at the time.
During WWII many European and American missionaries left Africa leaving opportunity for Africans to fill in. John Gatu requested that all missionary work be halted so that the people could gain more independence and separate themselves from western Christianity. This gave the new leaders of the church an opportunity to interpret the Bible as they saw fit.
One way that African Christianity has distinguished itself from Western Christianity is by incorporating Native African tradition. These traditions value ancestors. It is believed that ancestors play a role in the word of the living. Deceased family members continue on as guides and protectors for their descendants. Interpretation in Africa has also led 20-30 percent of native Christians to believe that God is a divine force, rather than a personal being. Different nuances in Christian beliefs and these traditional beliefs that gives the African Christian demographic such spiritual depth. A common connection that links the old and the new moral traditions is a dynamic called Ubuntu. Rather than an individual faith in God like in Western Christianity Ubuntu emphasizes the connection of all humans. In this community the Christian God can be found.

Team 6 Question 1

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The European nations first saw Africa as a place for cheap natural resources in the colonial era. Many Africans working for colonists were often worked under such awful conditions, this led to the Belgium government to take control and try to atone for their wrongs. Many Christian believers thought it was their job to bring new ideas such as hard work, literacy, time consciousness, democracy and self-discipline to the people of Africa (pg. 49). The missionaries and government relationship was purely beneficial, the government would help the missionaries only when it advanced the colonial cause. William Wade Harris was an African evangelist, who preached the gospel along the African coast. He required the people to burn their fetishes and to become monogamous. It is believed that Harris had converted one hundred thousand Africans to Christianity.After reading and interpreting the Bible for themselves they found that the way missionary churches preached was not biblical and left to start their own congregations. In the late 1800s, African Independent or African Initiated Churches (AIC) began to grow and had great influence amongst the people. Western missionaries brought both devastation and construction. They built schools, hospitals, shared the gospel and moderated the rule of colonists. The postcolonial period began in about 1960s and remains continuous to today. Due to political independence African Christianity thrived in leadership and style. John Gatu, the general secretary or the Presbyterian Chruch in East Africa, changed African Christianity by saying that African Christians could decide how they wanted the African Church to be. Pentecostalism grew popular among the African culture, first focusing on the gifts of the Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and healing, then later the focused changed to the message of prosperity and deliverance from demons (pg.53).

In the West, the theology of Christianity is to talk about God or Christian truth for all people in all times and places. Whereas in Africa the point of theology is to help Christians reflect on who they are supposed to be as followers of Jesus in the cultural situation God has out them in. The local cultures of Africa have a huge impact on the way they view Christianity, one big difference is the idea of ubuntu. Ubuntu is the idea that all humans are dependent and responsible for each other, everyone is interconnected. Although the word ubuntu is not used everywhere in Africa, the idea or perception of ubuntu is. Africans believe that everyone should live as a community, they are to bring up one another as brothers and sisters. This view of thinking is good as long as they believe it applies to all of humanity. As soon as it applies to only a certain group of people it becomes a way to demean other groups of people.

I think the Western Christianity could learn many different things from African Christianity. Western Christianity is very firm in the ways of religion and can be easily offended and not willing to accept new ideas in Christianity. In Western Christianity, worship has become a very structured environment. For example, a lot of churches have a set amount of time and a certain amount of songs that can not be disturbed, everything has to be timed exactly. I believe that this leaves is no room for God to move through the room. African Christianity’s worship is joyful, free and exuberant, it is a celebration of God and His presence withing the community (pg. 62). Western Christianity could also learn from the concept of ubuntu, they can start to rely on others in the community of Christianity, instead of isolating themselves out.

Team 3: Alexander Question 1

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Some may say that Christianity was first introduced in Africa when Europe started to colonize it, but in fact it dates back to when Portugal was in power. You could see Catholic practices such as baptism be done on slaves before they were shipped off. This was done to show that the slave traders had somewhat of a heart because the act of baptism was seen as a Christian act of mercy even though it may have only seemed like another part of the trade process to the Africans. When colonization of Africa began to happen, Christian missionaries were set out to spread gospel and try to convert the natives. They wanted the natives to convert and to also become missionaries because they often worked for no charge so more profits for the government. The missionaries worked very close with the government and were given almost all say in education. Western Christianity and the AICs (African Initiated Churches) differed on the opinions whether or not ancestors were relevant, miracles were a way for God to communicate, and the idea of polygamy. As time goes on the AICs began to break further and further away from the European ideals and it gave them the opportunity to branch out and have more freedom in their spirituality.

 

Christianity is often fluid and will change depending on the region and the history behind it. That’s why the West and Africa seem like they have greater differences but that’s because they have experience greater pains as a whole than we have. They have seen violence and genocides take place whereas in the Western world we haven’t been subject to those acts so it makes sense that our faith is different. This is when Ubuntu comes into play. “Ubuntu describes all human beings as dependent on and responsible for one another. In the words of the well-known South African theologian and Anglican archbishop Desmond Tutu, Ubuntu is part of ‘the very essence of being human.’ It underscores the fact that ‘my humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up, in yours.’” (Jacobsen 62). This is a major difference between western Christians and African Christians, it strays away from focusing on oneself and instead putting a great deal of thought and compassion into the community as a whole.

 

I believe the west could learn a great deal from African Christianity. They focus a great deal on community and that isn’t what we view here in the US. Here we care mainly about what happens to me or a select few but the community as a whole isn’t helped unless it helps the individual too. I feel as though if we took the community into consideration more we would have more peace than war between one another. I’m thankful that we haven’t experienced the immense amount of pain that Africa has but I do believe that what they have gone through helps shape the way they treat one another and I hope that just by seeing that here that it could rub off onto us.

Team 1 Question 1, Casini

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The history of Christianity in colonial and postcolonial Africa worked together to capitalize and convert the people of Africa to the western way of life. They particularly came together when it related to education in Africa. “Missionaries started schools as a way to win converts for Christ, and European governments befitted from an educated native workforce that could help them run their colonies. Because most missionaries provided these services at no cost to the state, governments frequently gave missionaries near-monopoly control over education in colonial Africa” (Jacobsen, 49). The understanding of Christianity that they introduced to Africa were the necessary components of Christian living according to the European Protestants: literacy, hard work, time consciousness, democracy and self-discipline. However, the beliefs and practices of the AICs were different from Western Christianity. The AICs “proclaimed a gospel of ‘good news’ for Africans in contrast to what they viewed as the anti-African message of Christianity being spread around the continent by many Western missionaries”(Jacobsen, 50). The postcolonial age had a great effect on these churches. African Christianity and the AIC movements heavily influenced these people to take on leadership positions and take advantage of lack of Europeans during World War II. Additionally, they “had shifted their emphasis away from Western-style reason and orderliness toward a more free-wheeling focus on the Spirit” (Jacobsen, 52).

The idea of “Ubuntu” was “the foundational assumption… that every human life has value and that all human beings are interconnected” (Jacobsen, 64) and “it serves simultaneously as a statement of face and as a moral ideal” (Jacobsen, 62). This idea was applied to many aspects and situations where people either needed inspiration and guidance or in order to explain intangible phenomena. Specifically, it was applied to the theological ideals such as reconciliation, communication with the ancestors, and the African vision of God. Ubuntu illustrates a context of addressing the violence that has plagued the continent by encouraging people to confession to their actions so they may be forgiven during the South African apartheid. When issues continued to worsen between the Muslims and Christians in Liberia. The women took action to encourage “these young men to regain their souls and reintegrating them into the larger community. Justice… was set aside as socially dysfunctional” (Jacobsen, 66). When it came to the issue of life after death, the Africans used Ubuntu to accurately express their beliefs. “These two realms intersect in ways that allow the ancestors to continue to play a role in the world of the living. They remain part of the network of human interrelations” (Jacobsen, 67). Lastly, it helped explained God and his interaction with all things on Earth. “Every living entity on the planet has its source of life in God. This means that Ubuntu is not merely a human concern; it includes all of creation” (Jacobsen, 70). Ubuntu really helped the people with understanding ideas that weren’t easily understood.

 

Modern Western Christianity can learn a lot from African Christianity, especially in regards to Ubuntu. This idea of honoring each other’s dignity and that of the Earth, modern Western Christianity would be more accepting of each other and the earth around us. Ubuntu takes away the issue of race, beliefs, intellect, etc and just takes each person as a human that deserves dignity and acceptance.

Team 4: Question 1

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When people hear Christianity, they typically think North America and Europe. Surprisingly, Christianity is on the decline in places like Europe and the United States, but on the rise in Africa surprisingly enough. Christianity first came to Africa at the end of the second century and was found on the North African coast. WWII had a great impact on the colonial era, especially in Africa. By the year 1960, sixteen different African countries declared independence from their colonial rulers and by 1970 the map of Africa resembled much of the map that we see today (Jacobsen, 52). After WWII, many of the local leaders got a taste of freedom for the first time in years. In 1975, almost eleven percent of the world’s Christians lived in Africa, and then in 1999, nineteen percent lived in Africa. It is predicted that in 2030, Africa will have more Christians than any other continent. The postcolonial era had a great impact on Africa as many countries gained their independence. During WWII many Christian missionaries fled Africa, which gave the local Christians a chance to step in after WWII was over (Jacobsen, 52). In 1970, almost 15 percent of the Christians in Africa identified as Pentecostal or Spirit-centered. This has drastically changed recently and today about 35 percent of African Christians are Pentecostal.

Africa has a much different culture than the West, which has lead them to establish themselves on a much different level of Christianity than we have seen. In Africa, local cultures play a large role in influencing religion, especially Christianity. With the differentiation in cultures comes the slightly different takes on Christianity. Africa has seen danger on a level that we have not seen here in the U.S. They have seen genocides take place and more violence that we can imagine. With this, we see the idea of ubuntu. Ubuntu is the interconnectedness of all people, and it serves simultaneously as a statement of fact and as a moral ideal. As a South African theologian states, it is the essence of being human (Jacobsen, 62). This idea of ubuntu gives the Christians in Africa a different sense of spirituality than it does to western Christians and is one of the things that distinguishes the two. It is a concept of connecting one another rather than focusing on the individual.

I think that the West has a lot to learn from African Christianity. Christianity in Africa is much different than the Christianity that we see here in the U.S. or even in Europe. African Christianity has a large focus on forgiveness and connection to one another in the community, but in the West, there seems to be a larger focus on the individual and their salvation, rather than the well being of the community. That probably has a lot to do with the history that each has faced, but I think that we have some learning to do and so does African Christianity.

Team 2 Question 1

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Africa’s history with Christianity has been often viewed as simply a result of European colonization, but history proves the opposite to be true. European colonization’s influence of uniformity in religion spread Christianity from small clusters in Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Africa to the majority of the nation. Once World War II broke out the European countries colonized in Africa set their focus towards the war, which quickly led to African independence as the costs of retaining colonization were getting to high. With their Newly developed sense of ‘Freedom’ the African people were able to establish their unique form of Christianity as they were able to express their interpretations of the Scripture with each other to form their genuine Christian faith in Africa. An interesting difference between the AIC and Western Christianity would be that in Africa they emphasize a “word o faith” style of Pentecostalism that proclaims God’s successes in freeing sinners from evil, and prosperity for those who follow Him. Jacobsen notes that roughly 35% of Christians say they are Pentecostal with an added 80% of them believing in miracles (key belief for Pentecostals) as compared to the Western world, which consists primarily of Catholics, a variety of Protestants, and other groups. Although colonization was a huge part of Africa’s history with Christianity it was not the beginning. Africans had in fact been introduced to Christianity as early as the Pentecost, where “Africans from Egypt and Libya were present on the day of Pentecost when the apostle Peter preached to a crowd gathered in Jerusalem, and they spread the message of Jesus when they returned to their native lands.” (Jacobsen 42)

As a result of their unique cultural establishment of Christianity, the African people have been able to set themselves apart from Christians of another nation. For example, the term ‘weird’ doesn’t mean the samr thing in Africa and the Western world. Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic, ‘WEIRD’ was given as an acronym to attribute those with the belief that they are and should be self-sufficient and independent. The African people believe in Ubuntu, “the interconnectedness of all people, and it serves simultaneously as a statement of fact and a moral ideal.” (Jacobsen 62) Because they have established this belief of interconnectedness, they believe that whatever they do will effect the rest of their community, giving both extreme value and consequence for their actions and beliefs. In addressing issues like Genocide or Apartheid, Ubuntu gives an argument to the morality of the human behind the violence in the fact that we are all interconnected in our lives. Though not everyone believes in it, I believe that we may all have a similar value that we may treat as our own Ubuntu, like the ‘Golden Rule’.

One valuable lesson that the West could learn from African Christianity would be to emphasize an idea like Ubuntu, and emphasize the values of interconnectedness through faith, not only on a community level, but to a global level. With globalization taking us to the point where we are able to find out what is going on almost anywhere in the world simply by searching it on our cell-phones, we could be attempting to send more help to countries who are unable to defend themselves from harsh circumstances like war, hunger, and poverty.

 

 

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