Christianity in the 21st Century: Looking back in order to look forward

To begin with, all religions, including Christianity, claim to create a path and constitute a preparation for the life hereafter, and to transform the existential reality of people in this world. At least what happens to one in this world is considered to be a path to the life hereafter. The relevant question to ask […]

To begin with, all religions, including Christianity, claim to create a path and constitute a preparation for the life hereafter, and to transform the existential reality of people in this world. At least what happens to one in this world is considered to be a path to the life hereafter. The relevant question to ask in this respect is how does religion try to accomplish this?
All religions claim that the path to transforming the world and prepare for the life hereafter is through first and foremost having a true relationship with the Divine. True relationship with the Divine or God Almighty, the creator will bring about transformation in the life of the individual. When the individual encounters the Divine, his or her character, worldview, heart, soul, aspirations etc. would be transformed to reflect the inspirational working of the Divine in the human being.  When human beings are transformed in this way, the aggregate effect of such phenomenal change will bring about transformation in social interaction and relationships among human beings owing to the transformation originating from the inspiration of the Divine. The aggregate effect of the foregoing would bring about transformation in the culture, social institutions of a society, in this case Nigeria. And when all these enumerated areas are transformed to reflect God’s inspiration, not only society but history will equally change to reflect God’s ideals or will on earth.  This is the process through which religion or relationship with God brings about transformation in this world.  Often, however, many Christians today just want transformation through miracle without going through the hard process of “death and growth.”
What is amazing is that in 1960, when Nigeria got independence from Britain, there were many people in Nigeria that were still pagans. Similarly, the numbers of churches in Nigeria then were relatively fewer. Furthermore, the number of pastors, seminaries and theological schools of instruction were relatively fewer also in 1960.  There were also fewer copies of the Bible in the country, fewer people that were theologically trained to the extent of reading the
Bible in Hebrew and Greek so that they can access God’s word in the original language (not translation).  In 1960, relatively fewer Christians in Nigeria went to Jerusalem for pilgrimage in order to instill the fear of God in their hearts. It is also true that relatively fewer prayers were said per hour to the Living God in 1960 in Nigeria.
Fast-forward to 2014, fifty-four years after independence, there have been exponential increases in the following areas or indicators of Christian piety: a) the number of people who are Bible-believing Christians; b) the number of churches in the country; c) the number of trained pastors pastoring churches; d) the  number of seminaries and theological training schools; the copies of the Bible in the country per capita; f) the number of prayers and fasting made per week by believers in order to seek God’s attention and guidance; g) the number of revival meetings per month to rejuvenate people’s faith;  h) the number of people who go for pilgrimage to Jerusalem in to order to instill the fear of God in their hearts and minds.
Given the exponential increase in all the enumerated indicators of true Christian piety, one would expect based on the teaching of Christianity that there would be phenomenal transformation in people’s lives, positive impact on public morality in Nigeria, more fear of God in how people relate to each other, and run the public institutions in the country.  However, any honest and courageous observer of Nigeria’s public and private affairs would attest to the fact that in spite of the exponential increase in the indicators of true Christianity there have been discernable degeneration and decline in public morality, honesty and the fear of God even within the Christian church and community, let alone the broader Nigerian society. One can as a Christian be tempted to completely blame others for this problem, but it will be too simplistic and naive for Christians to totally exonerate themselves from the malaise of our country.  There are states and local governments that are predominantly Christian but still the indicators of public morality as a by-product of spiritual inspiration is low even in such places. One would have to set the standard so low in order to feel satisfied with the pace of progress in this respect.
If the empirically observed disjuncture between the exponential increase and expansion of indicators of Christian piety, public morality and the fear of God is conceded as an empirical reality, this suggests that there is prima facie problem with the way religion, or Christianity to be precise, is being practiced. If Christianity and indeed broadly speaking Abrahamic religions have expanded exponentially, but Nigeria for most ordinary citizens has degenerated and decayed, how can we be rest assured that practicing our faith the same way as we have done in the past fifty-four years will in the 21st century transform people’s hearts and minds, relationships, culture and social institutions in Nigeria? This is not an easy question to confront, but it is one of the challenging issues that Christian leaders need the courage to ask and answer in Bauchi State and Nigeria at large.
The Bible in the book of Amos teaches that God is highly displeased at the way the poor were treated by the rich in Israel. The poor at Bethel, the official sanctuary of worship in Israel were humiliated and the rich sold “the needy for a pair of sandals, they who trampled the head of the poor in the dust of the earth and push the afflicted out of the way”(Amos 2:6-7). Prophet Amos was from a lowly peasant social background but God chose him to speak truth to power instead of engaging in sycophancy. Amaziah, the officially designated priest at Bethel, had become too comfortable with the existing structure of inequality and injustice in Israel under Jeroboam II. He was more interested in shutting up prophet Amos’ prophetic message against social injustice in Judah and Israel. Thus, Amaziah reported Amos to King Jeroboam II, requesting that Amos be banished from the Northern Kingdom because his prophetic message was seditious and subversive of the ruling classes of Israel and their social / material interests.
Conclusion: Why is it that in the church today, we hear little or no sermons from the book of Amos? A critical study and application of the lessons from the book of Amos to the current Nigerian social order and social structure will compel the church leadership to decide whether they will be on the side of Amaziah, the priest of the status-quo in Israel, or Prophet Amos the rural herdsman and sycamore farmer, who God chose to be the trumpeter to announce the pain and oppression of the poor with regard to how they were treated in Israel, just as many poor people are treated in Nigeria today, sometimes even in the church. We need courageous church leaders in the 21st century who will speak truth to power and make God’s word alive by using it to reprimand the dehumanizing nature of poverty among people created in the image of God. Given that no nation since the world was created achieved social justice through miracle (while ignoring the need to change their ways), the struggle for social justice and the struggle against social oppression have to be some of the key challenges of the church in Nigeria in the 21st century. Christianity is not just about life after death. Christianity is also about justice here on earth as the Old Testament prophets clearly demonstrate. We need to be honest and courageous with ourselves.
Samuel Zalanga is a Professor of Sociology at Bethel University, Department of Anthropology, Sociology and Reconciliation Studies, Saint Paul, Minnesota U.S.A. He grew up in ECWA Church Zalanga, in Ganjuwa Local Government Area of Bauchi State.