Tag Archives: ATR

Christianity – Not a white religion

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— Charles Russell

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Our Bible study is currently going through a book on evangelism. One of the young men asked me how to respond when, while sharing his faith, was confronted with the accusation that he had been spending too much time around white people. “Don’t you know… Christianity is a white religion”, his accuser asserted.

Like a punch to the gut, he was at a loss for words and overwhelmed with doubt. “Have I got it all wrong? Have I been lied to?” he thought to himself. “If this assertion is true, then the gospel that I am attempting to share is worthless”. This accusation is deeply emotive at its core. If the “white man” came to South Africa in 1652 with his “false gospel” and his subsequent display of heinous racism expressed through apartheid, then I have fallen prey to his indoctrination!

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A Religion of Fear

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— Brino Kumwenda

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

There is pervasive fear among Africans, including professing Christians.  It is fear that is based on the African Traditional Religion and the misinterpretation of Scripture.  This is why modern-day prophets run the lucrative business of inflicting or solidifying fear in people and presenting themselves as men and women of God, who have the power to set the people free from their slavery of fear. 

The people run to them and are more than willing to “sow a seed” and buy their anointed objects like water and oil so that they can be set free. The business is thriving because traditional Africans have these fears and believe that mediums such as witchdoctors can set them free from them. 

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Praying to Ancestors for Guidance

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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Despite the influence of Christianity and Islam on the continent, Africans still attach tremendous honour to their ancestors. Ancestor worship is deeply engrained into the African belief system, its influence reaching the heights of political power. 

Ancestor Worship in Africa

For example, in the early days of Cyril Ramaphosa’s first term as president of South Africa, he focused on the country’s need for ancestral intervention. He called upon the leaders of his ANC political party to visit the graves of former presidents. They did this, he said, “to ask for a way forward.” 

For millennia, Africans have done this when faced with misfortune. “We go back to our ancestors to talk to them,” Ramaphosa said. So why did the ANC leaders visit the grave of former president Nelson Mandela? “To draw wisdom,” Ramaphosa said. 

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