From self-reliant churches to self-governing communities: comparing the indigenization of Christianity and democracy in sub-Saharan Africa

Christian missionaries, especially from Anglo-American Protestant denominations, have been remarkably successful in their effort to plant 'self-propagating, self-supporting, self-governing' churches throughout the world and especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Today's international non-g...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cambridge review of international affairs 2007-09, Vol.20 (3), p.401-416
Main Author: McGinnis, Michael D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Christianity
Church and state
Democracy
Democratization
Governance
Intercultural Communication
International relations
Missionaries
Political sociology
Protestantism
Religion and politics
Religion Politics Relationship
Sub Saharan Africa
Syncretism
Western civilization
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Summary:Christian missionaries, especially from Anglo-American Protestant denominations, have been remarkably successful in their effort to plant 'self-propagating, self-supporting, self-governing' churches throughout the world and especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Today's international non-governmental organizations and inter-governmental organizations engaged in development, humanitarian assistance, peace-building and human rights resemble 'secular missionaries' spreading their gospel of democracy, good governance, peace, justice and sustainable development. This article investigates the extent to which today's secular missionaries might learn from the indigenization of Christianity in sub-Saharan Africa. I conclude that an essential ingredient in the missionary strategy of evangelization is conspicuously absent in contemporary programmes of development, democratization, or peace-building. In particular, the extensive efforts devoted by Protestant missionaries to the translation of their Biblical message into local languages and symbolic repertoires bear little resemblance to efforts to transplant Western ideals of universal human rights or the institutional templates of democratic governance first developed in the United States and Western Europe.
ISSN:0955-7571
1474-449X
DOI:10.1080/09557570701574089