CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
In
Africa, everyone belongs to a tribe which forms the social, cultural
and religious life of the society. Tribe is very important that one
cannot be separated from it no matter how bad or serious a situation
is. The family, community, land, and the people belong to the tribe
which forms the basis for life. This is true in John Mbiti as stated
in his book, African
Religions and Philosophy,
“Whatever happens to the individual happens to the whole group, and
whatever happens to the group happens to the individual. The
individual can only say: “I am because we are; and since we are,
therefore I am” (Mbiti, 1969:108-109). This means that the
individual does not exist alone but together with his or her family,
and in this sense, the tribe, because the tribe and its people exist
together. The importance of the tribe is therefore very significant
in the life of the African that he or she can go all the way to make
his or her tribal people happy at the expense of other tribes because
of the bond that exist within his/her tribe.
Therefore,
the question often asked by many Africans, including Christians is,
what tribe are you? Most times, people want to relate base on tribal
affiliations and as such there arise problems of sentiments and
prejudices when it comes to Christian living. This entails that
people prefer to associate and if possible sacrifice for the sake of
their tribes and may tend to neglect true Christian way of life that
embraces every child of God as a brother or a sister. Being a
Christian is one thing, living as a Christian then is another thing
because an individual also belong to a tribe. How to understand and
live within these two ways of life is what fixed the African in a
confused stage.
To
help us understand further, the post-colonial era in Africa gave
birth to Christians whose parents came from the worship of African
Traditional Religions. Many of these Christians are torn between
Christian values and tribal values which tend to overlap in some
cases. So, without sound understanding of Christian values, the
African will always value his/her traditional tribal beliefs and
values far above any other beliefs or values.
Another
issue that needs to be understood is how Africans become Christians.
Is it based on personal acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and
Savior? That is, being Born Again? Or is it based on “my” parents
or tribal people are Christians so one automatically becomes a
Christian? One of the challenges is that many people answer the name
Christian but they are affiliate of Christians and not people who
have given their lives to Christ. This is a serious problem in Africa
because if a particular tribe is known to be a ‘Christian’ tribe,
everybody within that tribe is mostly considered a Christian whether
or not he/she has a personal relationship with God. In fact, to some
people, it is better for the individual to remain a pagan if he or
she refuses to be a Christian than to belong to any other religion.
This tension often leads to having many people who claim to be
Christians but in real sense they are only affiliated to
denominations without having a personal relationship with the Lord
Jesus Christ.
Closely
related to this is the concept of “blood is thicker than water”.
This concept suggests that blood relations that exist within the
tribe due to same ancestry are stronger and better than Christian
relations that exist through water baptism. One of the major roots of
tribalism lies in this concept and many African Christians are
becoming prey to this concept because the church is filled with
people who are not properly taught what Christianity is. Yusufu
Turaki in his book Tribal
Gods of Africa
commented:
The moral norm or
golden rule here is that ‘blood is thicker than water’; ‘what
is of your blood-group is yours and takes precedence over what is not
of your blood-group’; ‘blood-group interest is better than
self-interest and altruism’; ‘take care of what belongs to your
blood-group first before considering outsiders’ (Turaki, 1997:61).
It
is sad to say that many people do not know or understand the bond
that brings Christians together, therefore looking at it as merely a
relationship that is bonded on water baptism and not knowing that
Christianity goes further than that.
Furthermore,
the quest for cultural identity which is mostly imbedded in tribe,
language and geographical location among African Christians leads to
superiority/ethnocentrism/tribalism. In this sense, one tribe sees
itself as superior and of higher value than other tribes. Even though
this practice is primordial to Christianity in Africa, Christians
from the so called ‘superior’ tribes still see themselves as
superior and consider those who are from the so called ‘inferior’
tribes inferior. As a result, there arises favoritism of one tribe
while the other tribes are marginalized as Christians live with one
another. Enoch Wan in his article “Ethnocentrism” in Scott A.
Moreau (ed.) Evangelical
Dictionary of World Missions thus:
“An ethnocentric person generally has an attitude/opinion of
prejudice (prejudging others as inferior). This internal orientation
may be manifested in individual action or institutionalized policy
toward others as in the case of anti-Semitism, apartheid, bigotry,
fascism, and racism [and tribalism]” (Wan, 2000:324).
The
challenges of religious conflicts in Africa also led to many
Christians turning to their tribe for charms and protection. To such
Christians, Christianity seems to be very weak and cannot defend them
when their enemies come to fight them. In Jos for instance, where
there has been series of religious clashes between Christians and
Muslims over a decade now, many Christians are turning to their
tribes for help. This shows clearly that many people are truly in the
church but do not belong to the church because when things get tough
they cannot stand but to look for alternatives outside Christianity.
Having
observed these factors and other things that seem to put the African
in a position to always side his/her tribe, the emphasis is, to focus
on what it means to be Christian bearing in mind that Christians come
from different ethnic groups and yet are one in Christ. This means
they can live together with one another as beloved children of God as
it is meant for by God himself and not by what society or tribe or
culture defines for them. That is why Christians are a new nation,
chosen from different tribes to be one, as observed by Apostle Peter:
But you are a chosen
people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God,
that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of
darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but
now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but
now you have received mercy (1 Peter2:9-10, NIV).
This
thesis therefore looks at the impact of tribalism on Christians who
are not just affiliated to churches but believers in Christ and to
see how the African understands Christian lifestyle that is pattern
after the life of Christ.
Statement
of the Problem
This
thesis examines the impact of tribalism on African Christian
lifestyle in some selected areas within the Jos metropolis. These
areas are: Tudun Wada, Gada Biu, and Farin Gada. The research seeks
to know if African Christians enjoy relationship with one another
without allowing their tribes and tribal people take the lead in
their Christian living.
Purpose
of the Study
This
thesis is pivotal to living the true Christian life that is devoid of
external influences that are not Biblical but tribal and
discriminatory. It is hoped that this thesis will help Christians
know their true value and go all the way to achieve it; like what
Paul says, “For there is no difference between Jews and
Gentiles– the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who
call on him” (Rom. 10:12). This means that when Christ comes ahead
of the tribe, Christians will enjoy living with one another and
church leadership will not be a tug of war between tribes but by the
leading of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore,
this thesis is to help African Christians understand that God is the
giver of tribes and he should be the ground at which Christians
relate with one another instead of the tribe which is a gift from God
being the determining factor in Christian living.
Introduction
to Methodology
The
researcher used the library and field research method. The libraries
used are Byang Kato Research library, Theological College of Northern
Nigeria library, Evangel Theological Seminary library, Plateau State
library, and the University of Jos library.
Delimitation/Scope
of the Study
This
thesis is limited in scope to some selected areas of Jos Metropolis,
which is, Tudun Wada, Gada Biu, and Farin Gada; and it is going to be
administered to Christians.
Research
Questions
- What are the causes of tribalism?
- What are the impacts of tribalism on African Christian lifestyle in Jos metropolis?
- What are the solutions to the impact of tribalism on African Christian lifestyle in Jos metropolis?
Definition
of Terms
The
researcher clarifies terms that are relevant to understanding the
subject researched.
Christian
A
Christian is one who is saved from the yoke of sin and death, and is
been given the true life of God in Jesus Christ and is living like
Christ in this world through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Lifestyle
Lifestyle
is a way of life that is exhibited as a result of one’s inner core
values which are seen in everyday life of an individual.
Tribalism
Tribalism
is any form of elevating or viewing oneself, as well as people of the
same tribal group as superior or better in most sense of life than
people from other tribal groups.
Community
A
community is associated with people who live and have certain things
that bind them together towards a common good of everyone.
Conclusion
Christian
lifestyle is unique to only those who have given their lives to
Christ and are been led on a daily basis through the Person of the
Holy Spirit. Without this, tribalism is inevitable for the African.
We have stated by way of introduction the problem and factors that
give rise to tribalism and as well what Christian lifestyle is.
Having set out the scope, purpose, and research questions, the next
thing is to go into the literature review of the subject matter.
CHAPTER
TWO
LITERATURE
REVIEW
Introduction
This
chapter interacts with the Holy Bible and literatures that are
related to the impact of tribalism on African Christian Lifestyle.
The starting point will be the Holy Bible, followed by Christian
literatures as well as secular literatures on the subject matter.
This however is discussed under specific headings.
Historical
Background of Tribalism
We
do not have choices as to the tribe, race, or geographical location
that we were born into. This purely is the work of God in his
sovereignty and he did this so that in whatsoever circumstances in
life, we may glorify him who is the giver of life and who willingly
distributes humanity to tribes, races, and geographical locations.
This is so that we will reflect Christ to all human tribes, races,
and our localized dispositions. Therefore, the historical background
of tribalism will be looked at under two perspectives namely:
Biblical Christian perspective and secular perspective respectively.
Biblical
Christian Perspective of Tribalism
The
Bible gives us a clear understanding of the origin of humanity.
Genesis 1:27 says that, “So God created man in his own image, in
the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Gen
1:27, NIV). Therefore, all humankind are created in God’s image and
came from the male Adam and the female Eve. Now, God also gave
humanity a mandate to“Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the
earth and subdue it” (Gen 1:28). This means that humanity is meant
to increase in population through bearing of children so that they
can fill the whole earth and rule or control and manage that which
God had created and put them as stewards and co-rulers with him. This
therefore brings about the increase in the population of humanity on
earth. However, as a result of sin in Genesis 3, humanity decided to
relegate God as the anchor and the center of their lives to the trick
of the serpent, knowing Good and Evil which instantaneously destroyed
their relationship with God.
Tribalism’s
roots therefore can be traced to the very beginning of the existence
of tribes. From the Biblical stand point, the plurality of tribes
came to being at the Tower of Babel. Genesis 11:1-9 say that:
Now
the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved
eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said
to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them
thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for
mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city,
with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name
for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
But the Lord
came
down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The
Lord
said,
"If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to
do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not
understand each other." So the Lord
scattered
them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the
city. That is why it was called Babel— because there the Lord
confused
the language of the whole world. From there the Lord
scattered
them over the face of the whole earth (NIV).
It
was clear that God confused the language of humanity because He
wanted to scatter them all over the face of the earth so that they
will be fruitful and multiply which is against humanity’s plan to
cluster together by building a city, making a name for themselves,
and not wanting to separate from one another. The mandate that God
gave humanity is not to come together and live for selfish reasons
but to live for him. Therefore, the purpose of the scattering of
humanity is not to give rise to tribalism but to carry out the
mandate that God gave to them to grow, multiply, subdue all the earth
for his glory in every geographical location. It is sad that the
impact of sin on humanity makes them to be self-centered such that
they focused on the groups or tribes they belong to instead of God
and his mandate to his creation. This is true in the definition of
sin given by G. W. Bromiley in his article “Sin” in James Orr
(ed.) International
Standard Bible Encyclopedia, PC
Study Bible 5
as:
Sin is to be defined
primarily in relation to God. It is disobedience, unbelief,
ignorance, the positive assertion of usurped autonomy, and the wicked
deviation from, or violation of, God's righteous will and law. The
breach of a right relationship with God carries with it the
disruption of a right relationship with others and the disintegration
of the self. But this is derivative, for it is because of sin against
God that there is sin against others and oneself (Bromiley, 2003:1).
Sin
therefore has an adverse effect on humanity because it mars their
relationship with God, with self, with neighbors, and all the created
order. That means that since God is the creator and sustainer of
humanity, any relationship that is opposed to him puts humanity on a
knife’s edge because he has been relegated and thus cannot sustain
and guide humanity according to his ways. So, humanity does not have
the kind of fellowship that is needed with God as it was in the
Garden of Eden before the fall in Genesis three. This broken
relationship puts humankind at the center stage of life such that
there is no longer harmony between them and God, others as well as
with individual self. Sin did the work of destroying the sanity and
sanctity of humanity where self is given the upmost priority as
against God who is meant to be the first and the only reference point
of their lives.
As
humanity scatter over the face of the earth because of the speech
differences that exist among languages, a sense of identity was
birthed among these groups which eventually lead to tribalism. To
this end, Yusufu Turaki, in his book, Tribal
Gods of Africa observes
that:
One of the most
unfortunate developments of the historical consciousness of man is
that of the transvaluation of the divine self into ethnic, tribal,
racial, national or group identity. Man’s selfishness, greed and
anxiety, or foundation in the ethnic group, a tribe, a race or a
nation instead of God his creator. The individual who has been
created in God’s image gradually loses his “sacred image” or
“divinity” and individuality to the ethnic group, the tribe, or
the collective race or nation. Or, an individual born into such
becomes socialized and integrated into the ethnic group, the tribe,
the race, or the nation (Turaki, 1997:109).
As
one reads through the Bible, this tension is clearly seen between the
Egyptians and the Israelites in Egypt; the Israelites and the nations
around them, as well as the Jews and Gentiles through the New
Testament. Therefore, tribalism is not alien but a practice that has
been with humanity right from the fall of Genesis 3 and climax at the
tower of Babel. One vivid example in the New Testament is in Acts 6
where there was a perceived favoritism among the Hebraic Jews as
against the Grecian Jews, “In
those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian
Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their
widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food (Acts
6:1). The apostles did a good job in dealing with the problem at
hand.
Turaki
further asserts that:
After losing God’s
divine “origin” and God-based-community, man creates his own,
made in his own image, an ethnic group, a tribe, a race or other
forms of human groupings. In consequence, man no longer defines or
sees himself in terms of his divine origin and individuality, his
humanity and inherent dignity and universal human identity, but in
terms of what tribe, or ethnic group, or race, or nation he belongs
to (1997:109-110).
The
good news however comes in Christ, where the walls of tribalism or
racism or ethnocentrism are broken down and everything is made new so
that humanity no longer lives under the yoke and influence of sin
which is the major root of it but under the control and leading of
the Holy Spirit. What Jesus did for us is “so in Christ we who are
many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Rom
12:5).
The
whole purpose of the cross is to put sin to death with its entire
works, tribalism included, so that the people of God will live in
unity with one another and with God who is the source of life and
everything. Edward Donnelly observes in Life
in Christ: Walking in Newness of Life that,
“Here is the breadth, the generosity of Christian unity. It
transcends all man-made boundaries of race, class, culture [tribe]
and nationality. It overlaps all human divisions, sometimes very
painful ones” (Donnelly, 2007:89).
There
is a path that is different from tribalism which Christ brought our
way through reconciliation to himself. This path cut across all
tribes and races so that everyone that believes in Christ will live a
life that is different from the former. Julia Cameron (ed.) in a
communiqué paper title “The Cape Town Commitment: A Confession of
Faith and a Call to Action of the Third Lausanne Congress” observes
that:
Reconciliation to
God is inseparable from reconciliation to one another. Christ, who is
our peace, made peace through the cross, and preached peace to the
divided world of Jew and Gentile. The unity of the people of God is
both a fact (‘he made the two one’), and a mandate (‘make every
effort to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace’).
God plan the integration of the whole creation in such Christ is
modeled in the ethnic reconciliation of God’s new humanity
(Cameron, 2011:39).
That
means that the gospel must be real wherever it goes so that it
transforms lives that have been held bound by the sin of tribalism.
Cameron further says that:
We long to see the
gospel embodied and embedded in all cultures, redeeming them from
within so that they may display the glory of God and radiate fullness
of Christ…. Such love for all peoples demands that we reject the
evils of racism and ethnocentrism, and treat every ethnic and
cultural group with dignity and respect, on the grounds of value to
God in creation and redemption (2011:20).
Even
though tribalism has dealt a great blow to many individuals, its
power and schemes will only be brought low through Jesus Christ.
Therefore, tribalism can come to an end only in the lives of those
who allowed Christ to determine everything about their lives than
those who still feel that tribal affiliations are still stronger than
that in Christ.
Secular
Perspective of Tribalism
Studies
in the anthropological sciences tell us that human life came to being
as a result of evolution. Tersur Aben, in the book, African
Christian Theology: Illusion or Reality,
shows anthropologists theory of evolution of humankind, “That human
life began, in its primitive stage about 3 million years ago, on the
African savannah” (Aben, 2008:58).
An
article title “Anthropology” in an electronic material
Encyclopedia
Britannica
define anthropology as ‘“the science of humanity,’ which
studies human beings in aspects ranging from the biology and
evolutionary history of Homo
sapiens
to the features of society and culture that decisively distinguishes
humans from other animal species” (2011:1).). The same Encyclopedia
Britannica defines “evolution” as a theory which says that “The
various types of plants, animals, and other living things on Earth
have their origin in other preexisting types and that the
distinguishable differences are due to modifications in successive
generations” (2011:1).
Anthropologist
Jeffrey T. Laitman in his article “Tracing the Origins of Human
Speech” in P. Whitten and D. Hunter (eds.) Anthropology:
Contemporary Perspectives, that
“it was probably not until the arrival of Homo sapiens about
300,000 years ago that a modern vocal tract appeared and man began to
produce truly articulate speech (Laitman, 1990:127). Based on this,
we can say that anthropologists position about when humankind started
to speak came later in the evolution process which started about 3
million years earlier.
Science
has speculated on different theories about the evolution of
languages. As such, there is no one theory that stands to give a
vivid understanding of its origins apart from what has been stated
about evolution. Willem J. M. Levelt “Psychology of Language” in
K. Pawlik and M. Rosenzweig (eds.) International
Handbook of Psychology
observes that:
The evolution of
human culture is unexplainable without assigning a central role to
language. The ability to converse makes it possible to share
information of almost any kind. We use language to exchange useful
experiences, to transmit traditional skills to our children, to plan
joint actions of various kinds (Levelt, 2000:151-152).
Furthermore,
Vera Hoorens and Ype H. Poortinga in their article “Behavior in the
Social Context” in K. Pawlik and M. Rosenzweig (eds.) International
Handbook of Psychology
outline three points on why human beings are social. They
observed first that:
Humans show such a
strong tendency
to seek the company of others and
to form and maintain at least a minimal number of stable
relationships”, second, “humans are pervasively
dependent on each other for
the fulfillment of a variety of needs and motives”, and third,
“human
behavior is behavior in and between small groups rather than the
behavior of the isolated individual” (Hoorens and Poortinga,
2000:41).
Social
psychologists William Lambert and Wallace Lambert in their book
Social
Psychology, observes
that:
People normally
develop loyalties and a sense of pride in their groups, a feeling
that their groups are better in some respect than comparable ones
they are not associated with. Whether or not these feelings are
justified, group members are affected by them (Lambert and Lambert,
1973:142).
We
can say therefore that social psychologists see in humankind a
feeling of seeing one group or tribe better than the rest.
From
the foregoing, science did not give an exact account of the origin of
tribalism but speculates that through evolution, people evolved and
different behavioral patterns come to be as people relate with one
another within a social context. This social context then gives birth
to how society is generally patterned. Tribalism therefore can be
deduced to mean that it is a product of loyalties and a sense of
pride developed within groups that individuals belonged to which is
discriminatory towards other groups of people.
A
Brief History of Christianity in Jos Plateau
Jos
is a cosmopolitan city and the capital of Plateau State in central
Nigeria. History has it that Jos belongs to three indigenous ethnic
groups known as Berom, Anaguta, and Afizere. According to Plateau
Indigenous Association Network (PIDAN) in her article “The History,
Ownership, Establishment of Jos and Misconception about The Recurrent
Jos Conflicts” in PIDAN
Publication,
Vol 1, No 1, are of the opinion that it is important to note that the
indigenous Plateau people have been linked to “The famous Nok
civilization, the oldest iron-using civilization in West Africa which
thrived between 200 BC-1000AD” (Plateau Indigenous Development
Association Network (PIDAN, 2010:2).
In
pre-colonial times, Jos was not easily accessible for people and
kingdoms that wanted to take her over due to its nature being
mountainous and therefore, it was not conquered by many known
kingdoms. In fact, even the Jihadists could not conquer her. It was
said that the indigenous tribes of Jos fought the Jihadists and dealt
a great blow to them in the Naraguta war of 1873, where the Jihadists
“Met their waterloo from the combined forces of Amo, Afizere,
Anaguta, Buji and Berom” (PIDAN, 2010:4).
The
colonial master however took hold of Jos because of its military
expertise and also because of the discovery of tin which opened up
the city to all people. Ezekiel Chollom observed in the book, COCIN
in Plateau North: The Foron Centenary (1907-2007), that:
Tin was becoming a
much sought commodity because it was being used more and more in the
making of tin cans and in metal alloys apart from being used as an
important raw material for military purposes….colonial authorities
acted ruthlessly to open up Berom land so as to make it safe for
prospectors and to remove all obstacles in the way of the
exploitation of tin on the Jos Plateau (Chollom, 2007:36-37).
The
history of Christianity in Jos Plateau dates back to the early 20th
century. Mollie E. Tett in the book, The
Road to Freedom: SUM Centenary Edition, 1904-2004, states
in a calendar of events of SUM that mission station was opened in
Bukuru in 1907 (Tett, 2004:155). The spread of Christianity could
also be attributed to the influx of other ethnic groups on the
plateau because of tin mining. So, between 1907 and 2012,
Christianity expanded in Jos, making it the national headquarters of
many Christian organizations in Nigeria. Some of these organizations
include: Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Church of Christ in
Nations (COCIN), and Tarayyar Ekilisiyoyin Kristi A Nigeria (TEKAN).
Others include the Sudan United Mission (SUM), Sudan Interior Mission
(SIM), Fellowship of Christian Students (FCS), National Christian
Corpers Fellowship (NCCF), as well as Nigerian Fellowship of
Evangelical students (NIFES). It is also the headquarters of the
Catholic Archdiocese of Jos as well as the Anglican Archdiocese of
Jos. Jos is also home to many Pentecostal denominations.
Even
though Jos has experienced an unusual presence of Christ over a
century ago, tribalism is still a force to reckon with. Many people
go to churches on Sundays but the influences of their tribes are
still strong. The areas researched in this thesis are multi-cultural
because people from different ethnic groups settled in these places.
Almost all the tribes in Nigeria and a few from other parts of the
world are represented in the Tudun Wada, Gada Biu, and Farin Gada
areas of Jos metropolis. Therefore, this research is not limited to
the three indigenous tribes of Jos because Jos is a cosmopolitan city
in which virtually all Nigerian tribes live in.
Tribalism
in African Christian Lifestyle
There
are two important things that needed to be established to help in
understanding tribalism in African Christian lifestyle. The first is
that every African belongs to a particular tribe that has a culture
that has molded him or her. The second is that Christianity is a way
of life that is different to that of the tribe . While the former
seeks to bring its people together due to sentiments shared by its
members, the later brings people from different tribes and races and
makes them one in Christ. However, the coming together of the two can
lead to syncretism or nepotism and may not necessarily portray the
Christian lifestyle that is meant to be. Scott A. Moreau “Syncretism”
in Scott A. Moreau (ed.) Evangelical
Dictionary of World Missions defines
syncretism as “replacement or dilution of the essential truths of
the gospel through the incorporation of non-Christian elements”
(Moreau, 2000:924), while ‘nepotism’ according to Encarta® 2009
is “Favoritism shown to relatives” (Encarta, 2009:1). This means
that an African as a tribe’s person needs to know his/her place in
reality as in relating to people within the same tribal group as well
as others who are not from that tribal group. On the other hand, an
African Christian needs to also know who he/she is in reality in
Christ and how to live to glorify Christ in all aspects of life, and
in this sense relating with Christians from other tribes. This is the
background to understanding tribalism in African Christian lifestyle.
Kwame
Bediako in his article “Scripture as the Interpreter of Culture and
Traditions” in Tokunboh Adeyemo (ed.) African
Bible Commentary comment
thus:
Our culture is our
worldview, that is, fundamental to our understanding of who we are,
where we have come from and where we are going. It is everything in
us and around us that defines us and shapes us. When we turn to
Christ as Lord, we are turning over to him all that is in us, all
that is about us and all that is around us that has defined and
shaped us. Thus salvation encompasses our culture at its deepest
level. We need to allow scripture to become the interpreter of who we
are in the specific concrete sense of who we are in cultures and
traditions (Bediako, 2006:3).
The
problem of tribalism is deep because it goes beyond ordinary
affiliation to a church into the heart of the soul of an African.
This means that turning to Christ is not enough if our culture which
mostly defines everything about us is not transformed by God himself.
Therefore, tribalism lies in the core of the African worldview and
unless Christianity breaks through the shell into the core of this
worldview, nothing will liberate the African from the power of
tribalism.
The
term ‘worldview” (weltanschauung),
according to Darrow Miller in his book Discipling
Nations: The Power of Truth to Transform Cultures
was first coined by a German philosopher Immanuel Kant in the 18th
century (Miller, 1998:36). From the foregoing, worldview connotes
everything about which an African is, where he/she is coming from,
and where such a person is going to. Therefore, to experience true
Christianity, Africans must turn everything in them, about them, and
around them which defined where they had come from, where they are
going and who they are to Christ. Without this understanding,
Christianity remains an illusion that people try to factor out with
their intellect instead of experiencing true relationship with
Christ.
Barje
Maigadi in his book, Divisive
Ethnicity in the Church in Africa
said that “The influence of divisive ethnicity (tribalism) upon the
lives of Christians in Africa seems to be stronger than the new faith
in Jesus Christ. The church in Africa has yet to grasp its true
self-identity as the one family of God” (Maigadi, 2006:5). From
Maigadi’s observation above, it is clear that something is still
missing in the way Africans understand Christianity because tribalism
seem to be stronger than Christ when it comes to identity and
Christian living. Therefore people identify with their tribes more
than they do with Christians even though on the outside they may say
the opposite but deep within the African mindset, tribal people are
always the first priority. The problem though is not far-fetched as
observed by Miller concerning the Rwanda’ genocide:
In part, what
[happened in Rwanda was that the nation was “converted” but not
discipled at the profound level of culture. The tribal mindset that
sees one tribe as superior to another was not challenged. The blood
of Christ was not applied to the breaking down of the dividing wall
of hostility between Hutu and Tutsi (Ephesians 2:14-16). The ancient]
hostilities of tribalism were not broken by the powerful truth that
Tutsis and Hutus are of “one blood,” having one set of first
parents -Adam and Eve. It was tribalism, the mindset of poverty that
led to the genocide (Miller, 1998:191-19).
The
root of the problem is that many people are converted to Christianity
as a religion, instead of Christianity as a way of life. It also
means that they are not discipled and may not have received the Holy
Spirit to be and live like Christ. Therefore we continue to see
problems that have been with these tribes long before the coming of
Christianity to Africa transferred into Christian lifestyle today. It
is like living the tribal life in a new religion called Christianity
without Christianity breaking through the fabric of the tribe which
gives rise to tribalism that exist within African tribes. This makes
the gospel to be weak and thus cannot dissolve or break down the wall
that puts one tribe against the other.
African
theologians thought about problems like this and felt that something
was wrong with the way Christianity was presented to Africa by
western missionaries. Thus, in the mid-20th
century, the All Africa Conference of Churches came together to seek
a way out. This coming together gave birth to what is called African
Theology. They defined African Theology in their book Engagement:
Abidjan 1969 as,
“A theology based on the biblical faith and which spoke to the
African soul” (AACC, 1970:100). Since then, many problems further
compounded the idea of liberating African Christians from the
elements of western worldview. In an attempt to do away with western
worldview and present the gospel to Africans within their context,
Africans theologians devoted themselves to studying how God related
to their ancestors before the coming of Christianity so that they can
incorporate Christianity to African understanding of the divine.
However, attention was shifted from Christian Biblical teaching that
is meant to lead Africans into maturity in Christ into an
intellectual exercise to prove to westerners that Africa understood
God prior to their coming. Theologians like Bolaji Idowu and John S.
Mbiti were among the pioneers who championed this cause but even with
their discoveries about how Africans understood God before the coming
of Christianity, tribalism is still a force that is eating up the
21st
century church in Africa because both the clergy and the laity are
involved in it.
But
what Christ has done for us is too great to be weak and not to have
the power to break the walls of tribalism. In fact, the hostility or
tribalism against others was put to death by Christ on the cross so
that Christians will enjoy oneness in Him. Paul gives us the finished
work of Christ against tribalism thus:
… He united Jews
and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he
broke down the wall of hostility that separated us…. He made peace
between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from
the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups
to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward
each other was put to death (Eph 2:14-16, NLT).
When
we become hostile towards one another, we are undoing the death of
Christ which reconciled every tribe into one new people. Below is a
cursory look at tribalism in the church and Christian dominated
societies in Africa.
A
Cursory Look at Tribalism in the Church
and
in Some Christian Dominated Societies in Africa
Most
churches in central and northern Nigeria were founded by the Sudan
Interior Mission (SIM) and Sudan United Mission (SUM). Even though
Anglicans as well as Catholic missionaries also work in these
regions, these two planted many churches that span across the nation.
The problem is that some of these churches were planted within
particular ethnic groups and if you are not from such an ethnic group
or region, you may have difficult time being a leader in these
churches. For example, Christian Reformed Church of Nigeria (CRCN) is
predominantly Jukun. Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) is
indigenous to Plateau State ethnic groups. The Tiv ethnic group has a
church called NKST which means the Church of Christ in the Sudan
among Tiv.
In
ECWA, tribalism and regionalism is also common. Maigadi observed that
the “First divisive ethnicity in ECWA comes in 1988 at the General
Church Council (GCC) during the election of the New President which
moves to the North instead of going to the Yorubas” (2006:8). He
further states that the second divisive ethnicity was “In May 1995
in Zonkwa District Church Council (DCC) where a group of pastors from
a particular ethnic group broke away to form their ethnic DCC”
(2006:9).
Paraphrasing
Maigadi further, ethnic conflicts in Christian dominated areas of
Nigeria are the Tiv-Jukun in late 1991, and 2001. Tangale in Kaltungo
against Tangale in Billiri in 1989, Dadiya against Tulu in Gombe
state in 2006, two ethnic groups in Bokkos and Mangu in 1995 as well
as Ankwai and Kwala ethnic groups in Namu, Qua’an Pan Local
Government Area in Plateau state (2006:4-5).
Ibrahim
Musa Ahmadu and Umar Habila Dadem Danfulani in their article
“Struggle over Borders and Boundaries: The Reason Why the Takum
Crisis Continues to Defy Solution” Swedish
Missiological Themes,
Vol 94, No 3 stressed that “Ethnic conflict between the Kuteb and
the Chamba/Jukun communities originated in the nineteenth century
with the entry of the Chamba into the area” (Ahmadu and Danfulani,
2006:286). This long history of ethnic conflict is still prevalent
between the Jukun/Chamba-Kuteb today. Even though the same missionary
body worked in this region, the disunity among these tribes was also
brought into Christianity. Richard van Houten, General Secretary of
the Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC), observes in the article, “The
Takum Peace: A Case Study on a Peace Process in Central Nigeria”
that:
The Christian
Reformed Church sent its first missionary in 1920 primarily to
evangelize the Kuteb people. The church that arose was a multi-ethnic
church, including all the peoples of the area. However, some ethnic
tensions simmered, and in 1973, most of the Kuteb broke away and
formed their own denomination. The two bodies that came from the
split are known today as the Reformed Church of Christ in Nigeria
(the Kuteb group) and the Christian Reformed Church in Nigeria
(everyone else, but probably with a Jukun majority) (Houten,
2012:1).
From
Burundi to Rwanda, the conflict between Tutsis and Hutus is not a new
story. Emmanuel Ndikumana reports in the article “The Gospel Amidst
Ethnic Violence in Burundi” Evangelical
Review of Theology, Vol
34, No 3, that:
May and June 1972
are dark months in collective memory of many Burundians. A revolt
–some talk about a coup attempt –by Hutu insurgents was crushed
in blood by Tutsis and followed by massive killings that claimed
hundreds of thousands of lives, mainly among the Hutus (Ndikumana,
2010:269).
These
tribes are predominantly known as Christians and one wonders what
will make Christians to turn against their brothers and sisters from
different ethnic or tribal groups. Further, the genocide in Rwanda is
another incidence where Christian communities living together turn
against each other that within 100 days, hundreds of thousands of
lives were lost. Miller says that:
The vast majority of
people living there called themselves Christians. The two main ethnic
groups, Hutus and Tutsis (a.k.aWatutsis), had lived among each other
in an unstable peace. Then, starting in April 1994, genocide broke
out, as the Hutus systematically slaughtered at least half a million
Tutsis (1998:183).
Miller
further quotes Gary Scheer, a long-time missionary to Rwanda saying
that:
On Sundays in
Rwanda, we used to see well-dressed neighbors walking to church on
every road. Yet, last year these same neighbors slaughtered each
other. I don’t assume that all these people walking to church were
all walking in the steps of Christ, the Lord…. Why was there no
moderation, no dampening –just hatred and fear, farming tools
becoming weapons, neighbors cutting down each other as enemies?
(1998:183).
We
find similar situation in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Congo, Kenya, and
many other parts of Africa where communities that are “Christian”
turn to fight against one
another.
In Congo for instance, Craig and Medine Keener observed in the book
Ethnic
Reconciliation for Africa, that
“Christians from different tribes and regions often do not trust
each other because of what they have suffered at the other regions’
hands” (Keener, 2006:13). They further assert that in 1993’s war:
Many people from
Nibolek regions lived in Bakongo, part of Brazzaville, the nation’s
capital, but most of the people there were from the Pool region. When
war came, Niboleks had to flee Bakongo to save their lives (as Ninjas
had to flee from Nibolek districts) (2006:13).
These
problems are also common in Jos. Even though Jos has not experienced
a tribal or ethnic conflict among Christians, traces of tribalism are
seen among these tribes. Almost all the tribal groups represented in
Jos Metropolis have a tribal group that seeks its interest and
sometimes, these tribal interests come to play in churches and other
places or forms of Christian gathering. The Beroms will most likely
want to see the Berom people in the helms of affairs in every aspect
of life in Jos. Likewise the Anaguta or Afizere people. This problem
is not limited to these three tribes but to the whole of the tribes
living in Jos Metropolis.
The
church in Jos must seek to come out of this menace of tribalism for
it to move forward. Tribal loyalties at the expense of Christian
loyalties is the reason why we see Christian churches and communities
turning to their in-groups and neglecting other believers because the
devil has deceived them that they are different from each other.
The
Effects of Tribalism on African Christian Lifestyle
The
effect of tribalism on African Christian lifestyle is on the
negative. Before looking on the negative, we will first look at
Christian lifestyle.
Christian
Lifestyle
Daniel
C. Jessen in his article “Lifestyle” in Michael J. Anthony (ed.)
Evangelical
Dictionary of Christian Education
helps us understand what lifestyle is. He says “Lifestyle is
grounded, however, in a person’s core values, a result of
decision-making capacities God has given to humankind. The Bible
teaches divinely ordained values, thereby bringing a Christian’s
lifestyle under God’s scrutiny” (Jessen, 2001:433). Since
lifestyle is grounded in a person’s core values and beliefs, it
means that Christian lifestyle is grounded in biblical values given
by God to guide Christians in their daily living. From the foregoing,
we can define Christian lifestyle as a way of life that is patterned
after the life and teachings of Jesus Christ through the leading of
the Holy Spirit so that the will of God is done on earth in the way
Christians live with one another as well as among people who are not
Christians.
It
also entails that we live our lives not in isolation but within a
community and for African Christians, we need to know what community
we belong to. Dietrich Bonheoffer in the book Life
Together made
a remarkable statement about Christianity and community. He said:
Christianity
means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No
Christian community is more or less than this. Whether it be a brief,
single encounter or the daily fellowship of years, Christian
community is only this. We belong to one another only through and in
Jesus Christ. What does this mean? It means first, that a Christian
needs others because of Jesus Christ. It means second, that a
Christian comes to others only through Jesus Christ. It means, third,
that in Jesus Christ we have been chosen from eternity, accepted in
time, and united for eternity (Bonheoffer, 1956:21).
It
means therefore that Christian lifestyle takes place within a
community and this community comes only through Jesus Christ and in
Jesus Christ. What the African needs to know about his/her community
and the people in it is through Jesus Christ and nothing else. For
Christians to live with each other without tribalism separating them,
Jesus Christ must be the giver of the community that we belong to and
He must be the lead on how we relate with ourselves. Secondly, it
means that Christians belong to one another only through Jesus Christ
and therefore when we relate through other means, we turn from Christ
to what humankind thinks is the best which may have selfish elements
that are rooted in tribalism because Christ, who is the reason and
giver of our community is left out. Thirdly, our coming together is
because Christ brought us together and so that makes us a new family
and race that will live for eternity. We cannot do without each other
because we cannot do without Christ and what he has done for all of
us by giving us life in place of our death.
One
of the things that are common in Africa is the concept of
brotherhood. Even in seminaries where pastors and church workers are
trained, many people are disillusioned by tribalism. They are
confused about Christian identity and that given by tribes and the
society. Bonheoffer calls our attention to this question of
brotherhood when he said that “My brother is rather that other
person who has been redeemed by Christ, delivered from his sin, and
called to faith and eternal life” (1954:25). What this means is
that we should consider first our connectedness to one another in
Christ because we are eternally bound than just tribal or biological
which may not be connected to Christ. This does not mean that we
abandon our tribes’ men and women but that Christ should be the
emphasis for believers and not tribe or family. Bonheoffer concludes
on this by saying that:
Christian
brotherhood is not an ideal which we must realize; it is rather a
reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate. The
more clearly we learn to recognize that the ground and strength and
promise of all our fellowship is in Jesus Christ alone, the more
serenely shall we think of our fellowship and pray and hope for it
(1954:30).
John
Stott, in the book Basic
Christianity
talked about our relationship with each other as the children of God.
He stated “The relationship which exists and grows between the
children of God is deeper and more special even than blood
relationships. It is the life of the family of God in action”
(Stott, 2008:134). Our lifestyle which grows out of the relationship
we have with God and with one another is truly more special and
important than any other and African Christians need to know this so
that the walls of tribalism can be broken. Therefore, we can live the
Christian lifestyle because according to Stott “It is by love that
the divisive force of sin is neutralized, for love unites where sin
divides, and brings togetherness where sin pulls apart” (2008:134).
We should not forget that Christ destroys the works of sin so that
love will reign among us.
But
the crux of it all lies in our spiritual birth as the people of God.
Bill Bright, in the book Handbook
for Christian Maturity calls
our attention to what it is to be a Christian.
The Christian life
begins with spiritual birth (John 3:6) through faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8, 9). The Christian life is personal,
daily relationship between the believer and Christ. This life is
lived by faith. Faith is trust. We trust our lives to Christ’s
keeping because He has proven Himself trustworthy by His life, His
death, His resurrection and His abiding presence (Bright, 1982:103).
We
cannot understand how to love God and other people when we have not
experienced spiritual birth and see our lives turn to God. Bob George
in the book Classic
Christianity: Life’s too Short to Miss the Real Thing observes
that:
The human spirit is
the part of man that enables him to relate to and know God, and is
the source of his inner drives for love, acceptance, meaning, and
purpose in life. Man’s spirit was created to be united with God’s
spirit and was the means through which he originally enjoyed perfect
fellowship with God (George, 1989:47).
If
what George said is true, then we must be alive in the spirit to
understand fully how we can live the Christian life and not just what
we think or feel should be the parameter to Christian lifestyle.
The
effect of tribalism can be equated to the effect of sin on humanity
since tribalism itself sprang up as a result of sin. This can be seen
in how people try to bend Christian standards to suit them by saying
that Christianity does not condemn their culture. This mindset that
Christianity does not condemn our tribes is one of the subtle ways
tribalism has affected Christian lifestyle because we tend to see
beyond what we ought to see in our tribes simply because we belong to
it.
When
a person accepts the Lord Jesus Christ, he/she is born of the spirit
and receives gift(s) of the spirit to function in the body of Christ.
Even though these gifts vary from person to person, the fruit of the
spirit does not. It is expected that a Christian’s life should bear
the fruit of the spirit so that such a person can function not just
in acts of service but also in a lifestyle of love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control.
This
brings about inward and outward growth in a person’s life. Inward
because your life in Christ bears fruits that gives you the moral
attribute of God. Outward because you have been gifted to serve
others in love the way God served humanity through Jesus Christ.
Suffice to say that the Christian can only serve God fully when
he/she is gifted by God and is bearing the fruit of the spirit.
Having
the mind of Christ is what every Christian needs to function as
Christ in this world and the Bible says that Christians have the mind
of Christ (1 Cor.2:16). When this mind of Christ is not put into use
in every endeavor, the mind of the flesh will be used which is
against the mind of Christ.
Now,
the effect of tribalism in the life of a Christian is that which
seeks to nullify the mind of Christ that we have. Once that is done,
we are left with our rational mind which tends to dictate to us that
it is not evil if we love the people we speak same language and have
common ancestry with more than others, even though Jesus died to make
all humankind one new people.
Secondly, the effect
of tribalism in the life of Christians makes them feel that their
tribe is superior to others. As such, they are good with others until
the arrival of their tribal people. They will immediately abandon you
and turn to their supposed “brother” or “sister” because that
person speaks their language. Sometimes you will hear the phrase, “so
you are my brother”, once they discover that you are from the same
tribe with them.
Third,
love is dichotomized in the sense that the chunk of it goes to people
of the same tribe while the other people will have to just manage on
crumbs. This way, it will look like God loves the Jews more than the
Gentiles. And this we all know is not true because God loves us
equally. Bryant L. Myers observes in the book, Walking
with the Poor: Principles and Practices of Transformational
Development, that,
“We must be who we are–image of a relational God–and do what we
were made by God to do–be fruitful in self-giving relationships”
(Myers, 2009:44).
When
it comes to church leadership and elections, we also see tribalism in
play. In some cases, those qualified may not be given the opportunity
to lead because they are from the minority tribes. There is mostly no
spiritual consideration but tribal sentiments are the order of the
day.
The
teachings in our churches may be sound but the practice is the entire
opposite because going to church does not solve the problem of
tribalism. It is doing what is taught in the church that brings about
change. Well, even the clergy who are meant to serve as examples to
the people are also engage in tribalism so the laity has more reason
to keep doing that.
The
Challenge of Tribalism on African Christian Lifestyle
Many
African Christians are mostly in a state of confusion because their
roles seem to strangulate them. On one side, the Christian is the
light and salt of the earth (Matt 5:13-14). On the other side these
same people belong to different tribes that indoctrinate them. This
problem then brings to light the challenges of tribalism on African
Christian lifestyle. Louis Luzbetak in the book The
Church and Cultures: New Perspectives in Missiological Anthropology
asserts
that:
Christians must be,
so to speak, “bicultural”– citizens of two cities, citizens of
this world without compromising their primary citizenship that is not
of this world. In cold anthropological terms, Christians form a
distinct, uncompromising subsociety within a larger society–a
“little flock” (Luke 12:32) and a tiny ‘mustard seed’ (Matt
13:31ff), a bit of yeast (Matt 13:33) called to help transform the
world rather than to be transformed by it (Luzbetak, 1988:203).
The
challenges are deep but we must define our allegiances either to
Christ or to the tribe. It is true that Christians are bicultural.
But if we understand our roles in the tribes we come from we are not
really bicultural because it is God who first decided the tribe and
race we belong. Does that mean he does not know why? He knows why we
are part of a tribe. We are to serve and see him alone in whatever
tribe and not to use it discriminatorily. Luzbetak further commented
that Christian living is:
Living as Christ
would live here and now–that is, as he would behave, what he would
teach here and now, and what his values and emotions, his underlying
premises, attitudes, and drives would be if he belong to the
particular community we are dealing with (1988:133).
This
seems to be the problem of African Christians.
One
of the challenges is in the African worldview. Our perception about
life and others is faulty. The worldview that our tribes
indoctrinated us into must be born again if we are born again. We
cannot be operating with our tribal worldviews and expect to thrive
in Christianity. The two have different foundations and meanings. The
Christian worldview is that which does the will of the Father in
heaven here on earth while the tribal worldview does the will of a
particular tribe that is bias only to that group. Isaiah 11:9 says
that, “For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as
waters cover the sea” (NIV). Commenting on this, Miller observes
that:
We are to bring the
life and wisdom of God to bear in all of life, not just (as
naturalists insist) in a privatized “religious” sphere. This
means our goal must be nothing short of transformational development,
which impacts both man’s spirit and body. God intends for cultures
to be redeemed. Discipling nations means “laying” kingdom
principles and a biblical worldview as the founding order or ethos of
a people. This is our historic Christian heritage (1998:73).
Another
challenge is that of integration. It is sometimes very difficult for
certain people to integrate or mingle with others because of
stereotype or labeling. Christians are meant to integrate with each
other that the greatest identity that will be known of them is Christ
and not tribal groups. We still see this challenge everywhere among
believers because the consciousness of bicultural identity prevails
among them.
Closely
related to integration is the unity of believers. It is very
difficult to see believers unite together without allowing traces of
tribalism distort the purpose of unity. The unity of believers
entails coming together and forming a synergy that is based on the
working of God in the lives of his people through the power of the
Holy Spirit. Tribalism has dealt a great blow to this coming together
because who will be the leader if believers are to unite or who
benefits what?
Christian
maturity has also been challenged by tribalism. It is very difficult
to see believers moving towards maturity in Christ without tribalism
serving as a stronghold to their Christian living. For maturity to
take place, we must go beyond tribal sentiments to living as Christ
in all ramifications. That way, things will change for the glory of
the Lord in our communities.
Conclusion
We
have traced the history of tribalism, its effect and presence in the
church as well as its challenges. The use of different literatures in
this chapter makes it possible to understand the subject researched.
It is hoped that the ideas shared in this section brings the subject
under research to light. Next is the research methodology in chapter
three.
CHAPTER
THREE
METHODOLOGY
Introduction
In
this chapter, the researcher shows the methodology adopted in doing
the research. This means that the researcher stated the research
style, libraries and books used; type of questionnaire, procedures
for data distribution, data collection, data presentation and
analysis.
Research
Style
The research style
adopted in this thesis is both the library and field research method.
This is because it involves intensive study of relevant materials in
the library as well as carrying out a field survey using
questionnaires to collect data from respondents.
Libraries
Used
The
libraries through which the research was carried out are the Byang
Kato Research Library, Theological College of Northern Nigeria
Library, and the Evangel Theological Seminary.
Types
of Books Used
The
materials used for this research are: the Holy Bible, Bible
Commentaries and Dictionaries, Christian and secular literatures
relevant to the thesis.
Type
of Questionnaire
The
type of questionnaire used is the closed ended type. Questions and
answers were drawn while the respondents decide the variables by
choosing the best options.
Procedure
for Data Distribution
The
researcher personally administered sixty (60) questionnaires to
respondents in some selected areas of the Jos Metropolis. These areas
are Tudun Wada, Gada Biu, and Farin Gada.
Procedure
for Data Collection
The
researcher personally collected fifty (50) questionnaires from the
respondents. The other ten were not returned to the researcher.
Procedure
for Data Presentation and Analysis
The
data collected was distributed in tabular forms. Each question is
then analyzed based on the percentages of the respondents to the
variables presented to answer the question.
Conclusion
This
chapter brings to light all the steps involved in the research
itself. This is because it revealed the starting point of this
research: the style, libraries and books used, and type of
questionnaire used. It also involved the procedure for data
collection, presentation and analysis. Suffice to say that this
chapter gives all the methods and steps that this research took to
investigate the Impact of Tribalism on African Christian Lifestyle.
CHAPTER
FOUR
DATA
DISPLAY, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
Introduction
In
this chapter, the researcher presented the data collected by
displaying it on a table for each question. After which it was
analyzed to get the percentages of the respondents. The percentages
were then used to interpret the data. Below are the questions and
tables that show the responses and percentages of the respondents.
Question
1
Do
you think that tribalism is caused by the love we have for our tribes
more than Christianity?
Table
1
|
Responses |
Number of
Respondents |
Percentages |
|
Strongly
Agreed |
28 |
56% |
|
Agreed |
20 |
40% |
|
Disagreed |
1 |
2% |
|
Strongly
Disagreed |
1 |
2% |
|
Total |
50 |
100% |
From
Table 1 above, 56% of the respondents strongly agreed that the love
we have for our tribes more than Christianity is the cause of
tribalism. Also, 40% of the respondents agreed that tribalism is
caused by the love we have for our tribes more than Christianity.
Summing these together, the survey portrays that 96% of the responses
clearly puts the love for our tribes more than Christianity as a
cause of tribalism.
On
the other hand, 2% of the respondents strongly disagreed and another
2% disagreed to love for our tribes more than Christianity as the
cause of tribalism. This brings to about 4% of the total respondents
whose opinion did not agree. This means that Christians must love
Christianity more than their tribe in order to win the fight against
tribalism.
Question
2
Tribalism
comes to action when one tribe sees itself as superior and other
tribes inferior?
Table
2
|
Responses |
Number of
Respondents |
Percentages |
|
Strongly
Agreed |
30 |
60% |
|
Agreed |
16 |
32% |
|
Disagreed |
4 |
8% |
|
Strongly
Disagreed |
0 |
0% |
|
Total |
50 |
100% |
In
table 2 above, 60% of the respondents strongly agreed and another 32%
agreed that tribalism comes to action when one tribe sees itself as
superior and other tribes inferior. Overall, 92% of the respondents
hold that superiority of one tribe against inferiority of another
tribe is the cause of tribalism. This means that as long as we
continue to see our tribe as superior and other tribes inferior,
tribalism will continue. On the other hand, 8% of the respondents
disagree that when one tribe sees itself as superior and other tribes
inferior does not lead to tribalism. This is faulty because God
created all humankind equal.
Question
3
Tribalism
is caused as a result of the sinful nature in humankind?
Table
3
|
Responses |
Number of
Respondents |
Percentages |
|
Strongly
Agreed |
24 |
48% |
|
Agreed |
20 |
40% |
|
Disagreed |
6 |
12% |
|
Strongly
Disagreed |
0 |
0% |
|
Total |
50 |
100% |
48%
of the respondents in Table 3 above held that tribalism is caused by
the sinful nature in humankind. Also, 40% of the respondents agreed
to sinful nature in humankind being a cause of tribalism. What this
means is that 88% of the respondents ascribed to the sinful nature in
humankind. For Christians, it means that Christ was crucified so that
through the power of God, humankind will have victory over the sinful
nature.
Conversely,
12% of the respondents are of the opinion that the sinful nature in
humankind is not a cause of tribalism.
Question
4
Tribalism
brings about division among believers?
Table
4
|
Responses |
Number of
Respondents |
Percentages |
|
Strongly
Agreed |
42 |
84% |
|
Agreed |
7 |
14% |
|
Disagreed |
1 |
2% |
|
Strongly
Disagreed |
0 |
0% |
|
Total |
50 |
100% |
On
the question of tribalism brings about division among believers,
Table 4 shows that 84% strongly agreed and 14% also agreed, forming
an overall total of 98% of respondents who agreed to tribalism
bringing division. This means that the effect of tribalism among
believers is division. However, 2% of the respondents disagreed that
tribalism does not bring about division among believers. What it
means is that believers can be engaged in tribalism without it posing
division among them. This certainly is deceitful and a person who
engages in tribalism is already divided because he or she has taking
side.
Question
5
Tribalism
brings about sentiments in church leadership and elections?
Table
5
|
Responses |
Number of
Respondents |
Percentages |
|
Strongly
Agreed |
39 |
78% |
|
Agreed |
11 |
22% |
|
Disagreed |
0 |
0% |
|
Strongly
Disagreed |
0 |
0% |
|
Total |
50 |
100% |
Table
5 shows that 78% of the respondents strongly agreed and 22% of the
respondents also agreed that tribalism brings about sentiments in
church leadership and elections. Therefore, an overall 100% of the
respondents generally agreed to question 5. This clearly shows that
there is a problem because when it comes to church leadership and
elections, because tribalism will only seek for the interest of the
tribe and not God’s interest.
Question
6
Tribalism
brings about lack of growth in the church?
Table
6
|
Responses |
Number of
Respondents |
Percentages |
|
Strongly
Agreed |
39 |
78% |
|
Agreed |
7 |
14% |
|
Disagreed |
4 |
8% |
|
Strongly
Disagreed |
0 |
0% |
|
Total |
50 |
100% |
In
question 6, table 6, 78% of the respondents are of the opinion that
tribalism brings about lack of growth in the church. 14% of the
respondents agreed while 8% of the respondents disagreed. Therefore,
92% of the respondents generally agreed that tribalism brings about
lack of growth in the church. This is because the church will be
divided base on tribe and the spiritual growth of the members will be
on line. They may grow numerically because of the population of a
particular tribe but for the health of the entire church the growth
will be stunted.
Question
7
Tribalism
can be solved through Biblical teachings about ethnicity and
Christianity in the church?
Table
7
|
Responses |
Number of
Respondents |
Percentages |
|
Strongly
Agreed |
42 |
84% |
|
Agreed |
8 |
16% |
|
Disagreed |
0 |
0% |
|
Strongly
Disagreed |
0 |
0% |
|
Total |
50 |
100% |
Table
7 shows that 84% of the respondents strongly agreed that tribalism
can be solve through Biblical teachings about ethnicity and
Christianity in the church. 16% also agreed to Question 7. It shows
that 100% of the respondents are of the opinion that Biblical
teaching about ethnicity and Christianity in the church is needed to
solve the problem of tribalism. This means that without knowing what
the Bible says about our tribes and about whom we are as Christians,
tribalism will appeal more to many others than Christianity.
Question
8
Tribalism
will not take hold of Christians when Christ is the basis for our
relationships?
Table
8
|
Responses |
Number of
Respondents |
Percentages |
|
Strongly
Agreed |
42 |
84% |
|
Agreed |
8 |
16% |
|
Disagreed |
0 |
0% |
|
Strongly
Disagreed |
0 |
0% |
|
Total |
50 |
50 |
On
when tribalism will not take hold of Christians when Christ is the
basis for our relationships, Table 8 revealed that 84% of the
respondents strongly agreed to that. Another 16% also agreed which
shows the general opinion of the respondents. This means that we must
first of all have a relationship with Christ before we can have a
relationship with one another because Christ brought us together.
Anything outside this will not work. Therefore, it is not about the
denominations we belong to but the emphasis should be if we belong to
Christ.
Question
9
Tribalism
will not take hold of Christians when we are been led by the Holy
Spirit in all relationships?
Table
9
|
Responses |
Number of
Respondents |
Percentages |
|
Strongly
Agreed |
44 |
88% |
|
Agreed |
6 |
12% |
|
Disagreed |
0 |
0% |
|
Strongly
Disagreed |
0 |
0% |
|
Total |
50 |
100% |
88%
of the respondents are of the opinion that when Christians are led by
the Holy Spirit, tribalism will not take hold of them in all
relationships. Additional 12% of the respondents also agreed. This
makes the total percentage of the respondent to Question 9 to be 100.
It also reveals that through the leading of the Holy Spirit in our
relationships, tribalism will not take hold of Christians because we
will not see via the tribe but through the leading of the Holy
Spirit. It also implied that Christians should always be in the
spirit to understand the move of God as they relate with one another
than by what the society proffer for them.
Conclusion
This
chapter displayed, analyzed, and interpreted the data collected in
the field survey. In the process, it took each question and presented
the responses of the respondents on a table such that it brings to
light the opinions of the respondents. This is very important because
the information given and discussed in this chapter reveals what
people are experiencing about African Christian lifestyle in Jos
metropolis. It also called attention to the areas that needed quick
response so that the norm will not continue.
In
the next chapter, the researcher draws general conclusions,
recommendation/suggestions and applications.
CHAPTER
FIVE
CONCLUSION,
RECOMMENDATIONS AND APPLICATION
Conclusion
In
chapter 1, this thesis laid down the introduction of the Impact of
Tribalism on African Christian Lifestyle. It also stated the
statement of problem, the purpose of the study as well as the
research questions. All these helped in painting a picture of the
Impact of Tribalism on African Christian Lifestyle in Jos Metropolis.
Chapter
2 discussed the literatures relevant to this thesis. It looked at the
following: the historical background of tribalism; tribalism in
African Christian lifestyle; effects of tribalism and the challenges
posed by it to the Christian lifestyle. The Holy Bible which is the
primary guide to every believer was used to trace God’s involvement
in the history of humanity. Other Christian and secular literatures
were also consulted to give a broad insight to the thesis. On the
other hand, chapter 3 discussed the methodology used in carrying out
the research. It shows every step that was taken to achieve all the
results presented. It showed the research style, libraries, books,
and the type of questionnaires used. It further showed the procedure
for data collection, presentation, and analysis.
Chapter
4 showed the way all the data collected was displayed, analyzed and
interpreted. Finally, chapter 5 showed the conclusion, which involved
the summary of all the chapters. It also gave recommendations and
applications.
All
the chapters discussed in this thesis laid down a comprehensive way
to dealing with the issue of tribalism in African Christian
lifestyle. The questions raised, solutions given as well as
recommendations and application are geared toward illuminating the
mind of an African Christian who is still captive to tribalism. Also
it is hope that true Christian lifestyle that is devoid of tribal
elements will eventually lead the way in Christian relationship with
one another and with themselves. When this happens, the will of God
will reign in Africa as it is in heaven.
Recommendations
God
is the creator of everything, living and non-living, visible and
invisible in heaven and on earth except sin. He also plan that the
earth “will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as waters cover
the sea” (Isaiah 12:11). Now this can only happen when Christians
love the Lord with their heart, soul and strength and then pass on
their Christian heritage to their children by talking about their God
day and night, in the open and in hiding, at home and in the street.
God spoke through Moses that:
Love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon
your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you
sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and
when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on
your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on
your gates (Deut 6:5-9).
Instead
of Christians talking about their God day and night and impressing
God’s word on their children, many impressed their tribal believes
and values to their children and only talk about God on Sunday
mornings or during morning prayers. The efforts of parents teaching
their children more about their language and tribal values, as well
as attending tribal meetings cannot be quantified with the effort
they put to study God’s word and teaching their children about God.
So we keep having a society that is filled with Christians without
the society feeling the impact of Christianity. This is a dilemma
African Christians are in.
Now,
in humankind’s quest to understand God and to relate with their
neighbors, different approaches were taken. One of the approaches
taken is the African Traditional Religions. Every tribe in Africa has
her traditional way of life which was patterned by her religion.
Embedded in every tribe is the culture which set the standard for
life. This norm brings about tribalism today because people always
want to cluster together based on shared commonalities that had span
for many generations which is not Christian but tribal. Therefore,
living as a Christian in this kind of culture that is highly
sensitive to the tribes of the people is a challenge for Africans who
seek to serve God without allowing their tribes come between them and
God’s people.
The
researcher suggests the following:
- That every Christian need to know Christ on a personal basis before breaking the hold of tribalism to relate with people of different tribal groups. This is because our love for Christ will make us love other brothers and sisters in the Lord more than just loving our tribes whether such people are Christians or not. It will be terrible for a Christian to love his/her tribe more than Christianity because what it implies is that the tribe comes first before God and his people who are called Christians.
- As far as God is concern, no tribe is superior to another and therefore when one tribe sees itself as superior to other tribes they are not operating under God’s designed way for humankind. We must not forget that all humankind was created in the image of God and are all descendants of Adam and Eve.
- That the Holy Spirit, which is to lead and comfort Christians and also to tell them the mind of God is the only way that humankind can understand God and their neighbors. There is a need to look up to God to teach us how to live with one another because Christians are no longer managed by their tribal values but by Biblical values through the leading and the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Christians must understand the kind of community they live in. If that community was given by Christ, He will be the determinant of what goes on in that community but if we see it otherwise, we will live only for ourselves. This also means that the context where we relate with other Christians is Christ centered and not tribes centered.
Application
God
decided to place humankind all over the world into different tribes,
races and regions for his purpose. We did not choose the tribes we
were born into, so how come that we celebrate the tribe even more
than God himself? It seems that God’s purpose for placing people in
tribes or races has been misunderstood by Africans. The Christian in
Africa needs to arise and shine the light of God because they are
called for something bigger and better than tribalism.
It
is not enough to bear the name Christian if Christianity is not real
in our lives. Jesus said that “I know my Sheep and my sheep know
me” (John 10:14). When we know God and he is known by us, we will
always do His will and not ours. It is therefore important for the
Christian to be known by God and that such a Christian knows God.
Furthermore,
when we know God, we also know that there is nothing good in us
without Him. This means that because of the relationship we have with
God, we will not depend on ourselves for our daily living but we will
depend on Him. Now, if we depend on God we will do His will in our
lives and not our will. This is because the will of God is that we
love Him, and love our neighbors as ourselves. In fact God calls us
to love even our enemies. This means that if we cannot love our
neighbors on the ground that they are our enemies, God says we should
love our enemies. This means that the place of love in the life of
Christians cannot be over emphasis.
During
church elections, many things happened that are unchristian. Tribes
that form the majority will always produce candidates and vote for
them whether they are spiritually sound or not. This must stop if we
truly are God’s people because our relationships are not defined by
the tribe but by Christ. A Christian community should seek the
interest of Christ and not the interest of one tribe or the other.
Finally,
Jesus gave a mandate to all believers to disciple the nations. It
will be good if the attention of Christians in Africa is focused on
building one another to maturity in Christ than seeking personal
interest. Paul, in Romans 8, posed a challenge to Christians today in
Africa when he said “who shall separate us from the love of God?
(Rom 8:35). Shall tribalism also separate us from the love of Christ?
We need to wake up and call spate a spate when our tribes are not
helping us to become more like Christ but more like our ancestors who
live for the gods of their tribes and not for Christ.
It
is sad that even today, when we hear the phrase, “so you are my
brother, or so you are my sister” we feel more connected to one
another because we speak the same language and we do not have that
same kind of feeling about Christ and his people. This is a shame on
all of us and we need to prayerfully consider our ways so that God
will help us through. It is only when we are being led by the Holy
Spirit, and not the denomination we belong to that we will truly have
this Christian experience in our lives.
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