John S. Pobee

With the exception of Ethiopia, Christianity in sub-Saharan Africa is a colonial-era introduction. While the successors of the colonial and missionary churches continue today, a reaction set in—beginning in the late nineteenth century, and gathering pace in the post-1945 growth of African nationalism—against European expressions of Christianity that denigrated African culture and ways of thinking, and did not meet some keenly felt needs in an African context. Thus arose AICs (“African Initiatives in Christianity”, or “African Independent Churches”).

AICs are characterised by a “Pentecostal” style and mindset, an awareness of spiritual forces (the “excluded middle” between the transcendent God and physical reality), a prophetic and apostolic leadership, a tendency towards splitting, and an emphasis on worship, prayer and praxis over against theology. As such, they have been heavily criticised by more traditional churches, yet they represent the cutting edge of the growth of Christianity in Africa today. They have been largely absent from ecumenical discussion.

This book is written by a Anglican theologian from Ghana (Pobee), and an AIC leader from Nigeria (Ositelu). The book is an examination of AICs from an ecumenical perspective, and is especially concerned with persuading the World Council of Churches (WCC) to engage more with AICs. It serves as a brief introduction to AICs for Westerners. It contains some handy history, although I was a little puzzled by the long discussion on challenges in the early church. The authors are especially concerned that Western-style Christians not jump to conclusions about AICs without investigating the cultural contexts in which they arise, and an awareness of the peculiarities of Western Christianity. A plea to re-examine the term “one holy, catholic and apostolic church” recurs several times. If nothing else, the WCC and the wider church cannot afford to ignore AICs, as they are experiencing phenomenal growth.

The ecumenical perspective of the book may be a little limiting, but there is plenty of suggestions for further reading. The book is clearly addressed to Westerners. However, it might have been nice to read some critical assessment of AICs by the two African authors. It certainly raised my awareness of this segment of the church, and challenged me to consider how our expressions of Christianity are, in many ways, culture bound. For a perspective that leaves behind WCC engagement with AICs, further reading will be needed.… (meer)