Religious revivalism - the American invasion of Africa
By Kwame Poku
The number of American evangelists trooping in and out of Ghana and other African countries in recent months on gospel mission has multiplied greatly. This writer discusses the background to this phenomenon.In his famous compilation of his 1979 BBC Reith Lectures, The African Condition, Professor Ali Mazrui originated the concept of 'Religious Counter-penetration' and defined it as the capacity of evangelists and missionaries from Africa and Asia to intensify their preaching and evangelisation missions in western countries as a concrete attempt not only to reverse but also avenge the centuries of penetration and infusion of alien religions and cultures into the souls of African people. He lauds the Unification Church of Moonies for being in the vanguard of such religious counter-penetration into the citadels of western Christendom.
Of course, the Aladura Church and hordes of the Pentecostal religious groups have been following the trail of the Moonies to transport brighter lights of Christ's salvation to the morally decadent cities of Europe. And would the trend continue?
Professor Mazrui and all those who share his optimism "to pay them back in their own religious coins" may not have the grand opportunity to revel in such appeasement for long because of a new wave of counter-exodus, a kind of religious revivalism that is sweeping across the Third World and in West Africa in particular.
The invasions are from America and Western Europe. The number of American evangelists who have been trooping in and out of Ghana, to cite only one country as an example over the past year, has increased considerably.
Their activities are reminiscent of the 19th century American spiritual campaigns for repentance and conversion to the way of Christ. Open air crusades, seminars, conversions, congresses, caucuses, Christian "explosions" etc, have characterised this neo-colonialism of religious fervour. They are aided effectively by modern audio/visual gadgetry of video tapes and screens, cassette record- ings, powerful public address systems, satellite transmissions, enormous literature, and extensive advertising interlaced with their spicy preaching, hymn singing and effusions of the rewards of penitence, humility and salvation. They are a type of spiritual metamorphosis that are being imported from abroad with the capacity to strike a double blow at both traditional religions and orthodox Christian religions.
It is pertinent to record that such religious revivalism began with the rapid mushrooming of independent and pentecostal churches to which thousands of people flocked to "taste the new power of God". It has produced a direct and for- midable challenge to the orthodox churches with their fast-running assimila- tion into the religious life of many people.
It is pertinent to record that such religious revivalism began with the rapid mushrooming of independent and pentecostal churches to which thousands of people flocked to "taste the new power of God". It has produced a direct and formidable challenge to the orthodox churches with their fast-running assimilation into the religious life of many people.
The success of these new gospel centres stemmed from the way in which the monotony of church worship so endemic in the older churches was eliminated through the introduction of danceable music and use of indigenous musical instruments in worship to which many ordinary people would identify.
The total effect has been a massive spiritual revival sweeping across the country and certainly in other African countries as well. They offer a new quality of social life with an inherent effective mechanism for sustaining the adherents' enthusiasm for participation.
However, for anyone to belong to any of these new churches, was expensive as members were taught to shed material acquisition and to donate their harvest to God's work. Open-air crusades, camp retreats and convention congregation of thousands of followers were an easy way to accumulate donations. Most often than not, huge amounts were embezzled by so- called spiritual leaders.
There is the popular story of how the leader of a spiritual church in the country sold over ten thousand calabashes of water in a purpose-built pool as 'Holy Water' at one cedi per calabash at a single night's' session!
For a time the majority of people became sceptical about the new spiritual leaders as cases of adultery, rape, open extortion and facade of pretentious spiritual healing spread and the tempo of the rediscovery of African Christian worship slackened. It was at this point in time that the introduction of flamboyant missionaries from overseas to strengthen the local evangelisation teams began and the influx has been overwhelming corresponding to a soaring of local faithful followers.
Now, some local groups are exhibiting signs of affluence with fleets of cars and the construction of big 'temples' signify- ing the multiplication of the infection.
Usually the evangelists from America are in league with local gospel centres and the 'crusades' last for five or six days with some lasting up to a fortnight. It has no doubt become big business due to the huge amounts of donations that pour in daily. The interesting aspect is that each occasion promises "all cripples to walk, all blind to see, all deaf to hear, all demons to flee, all barren women to get rid of the stigma", etc, etc.
As it was intimated at the beginning Ghana has witnessed a proliferation of such 'Foreign Christian visitors' in recent months and here are a random sampling of the activities of these 'crusades'.
From October 29 to November 2, 1985, it was a 'Miracle Healing Crusade' led by the Very Reverend Reinhard Bonnke, founder and leader of Christ For All Nations, the man with the largest, 34,000 seater, Gospel Tent in the whole world, in association with the Ghana Pentecostal Church.
From November 6-8, "A life changing seminar" dubbed "World Explosion "85" was launched by the leader of the Calvery Christian Centre of Sacramento, Califor- nia, Pastor Phillip Goudeaux, in colla- boration with the Jubilee Christian Centre of Pig Farm, Accra. The Frontier Evangelism Mission of Reverend Tommy O'dell held his 10 days of miracle healing fiesta at Sunyani from December 3-12.
The Rev. Dr Charles Rodgers, "The World Renowned Evangelist" from the USA accompanied by his team of Pastors, Jimmy Scott, Thomas Pecker, Mart Freer, and Fay Rodgers, in association with the Living Waters Christian Centre, Kaneshie, Accra, billed their mammoth crusade for December 8-12.
The crusades for Christ Ministries in Ghana Incorporated held their Super '85 Miracle Crusade with Evangelist Pastor Mrs Thelma Malone of Philadelphia which lasted for nearly one month in October 1985.
At the action '85 All Believers Christ- mas Convention, the Action Faith Ministry (AFM) of Ghana hosted the Rev. Bobby Jean Merck Evangelistic Ministry, USA, Rev. Michael Bassett of Hampstead School of Faith, UK, and Rev. Dr Tunde Joda of Lagos, Nigeria in nation-wide tour of evangelism from December 24 to January 3.
According to sermons attributed to the Rev Duncan Williams, Head Pastor of AFM, "this Christmas convention under the theme of Exercising the Kingdom- power is a way of giving life to the word of God and ministering his spirit..."
The great Christian Commission Movement in Ghana organised their Expo '85, a "World-wide Satellite Conference for Evangelism" at Legon from December 26-31, Reports say it was the Gospel Crusade par exemplaire which used a giant- sized video screen beaming the word of God from the USA by satellite featuring American preachers Billy Graham, Luis Palan, Bill Bright, simultaneously preaching to an audience of over 600,000 in 90 locations around the world.
The great Christian Commission Movement in Ghana organised their Expo '85, a "World-wide Satellite Conference for Evangelism" at Legon from December 26-31, Reports say it was the Gospel Crusade par exemplaire which used a giant-sized video screen beaming the word of God from the USA by satellite featuring American preachers Billy Graham, Luis Palan, Bill Bright, simultaneously preaching to an audience of over 600,000 in 90 locations around the world. The huge audience at the Legon centre received them loud and clear and interlaced this with a festival of soul- inspiring music and sermons from local preachers.
In a super watch-night service on December 31, titled 'Christofest '85, the Youth Ambassadors for Christ Associa- tion, supported by the World Gospel Supremo, T.L. Osborne and his Miracle Team from America turned the Orion Cinema Hall in Accra into an auditorium of excitement, thrills, feet-stamping and Esu tongue-wrapping as the crowd surged and thronged unbelievably to the last minutes of 1985 with what a devotee of the YAMCA described as "an upliftment challenging and holy spirit powered programme of inspiring contemporary Christian music, drama, testimonies and messages of God's word".
The spiritual sweep is indeed phenomenal and the influx of American evangelists is very overwhelming. According to Pastor T.T. Barbor of a Pentecostal Gospel Mission in Accra, the religious genes in Ghanaians are manifesting themselves visibly. The thirst for the 'Word of God' is at an all-time high and the new generation of American preachers are reliving the spiritual revival of the forties launched by their fore- father's. "The Black diaspora bridge between African and Black Americans is being built through successful collabora- tion between evangelistic missions" said an Afro-American preacher of the Abundant Life Ministry based at the University of Ghana campus, Legon.
In fact, the vogue of spiritual re-birth is seeking roots in the university campuses and actually through the whole country. There are according to recent reports, nearly fifteen different groups on Legon campus alone. Called 'Born Again Chris- tians', they spread their gospel through music, film shows and slide shows and mountains of American biblical literature and tracts. In adjourning communities, for instance in Madina near Legon, evangelistic work takes the form of personal witnessing and fellowship circles and teachings in tro-tro vehicles, bus stops, market places, hospitals and work places.
It is widely believed that there are no less than 2,000 different Christian groups or churches throughout the country. There is, of course, a stiff competition among them in the "winning of souls" and some of them go to a lot of trouble to offer fantastic promises to their adherents and the public. For instance, the Deeper Christian Life Ministry regularly organises "retreats for miracle healings, where sinners are transformed into saints and prepared for entry into heaven in grand style".
During a recent Ghanaian Broadcasting Corporation Television discussion programme, Talking Point', the panelists agreed that the recent severe economic and social difficulties in peoples' lives helped to heighten the crave for search for spiritual succour and deliverance and that the increasing number of the spiritual centres indicate a remarkable upturn in the whole evangelisation crusade which fulfill biblical exhortation to "all disciples to go to all corners of the land to spread the world..."
On the same programme, the Ghanaian Secretary for Culture, who is responsible for religious matters, admitted that "Government is not so much concerned with the numbers of such churches or groups as with how they practise their cults, referring to fanaticism and power struggles therein which can trigger sectarian unrests and threaten state security and peace".
He added that the recent examples of religious squabbles were within the National Council of Pentacostal Churches, the Methodist Church and the Islamic and Muslim associations and assured the nation that freedom of worship will be maintained as long as the security of the state is not breached. No doubt the springing up of such churches and religious groups has had a far- reaching impact on the social life of the community.
One such proof is the profusion of gospel music in the country to the extent that now military and police parades are accompanied by gospel music brass bands. Said an official of the Tema-based Evening Light Message Tabernacle during their recent Believers Convention '85: "The public love gospel music for such music is the only vehicle carrying the new breed of independent churches and groups along."
It appears the Mazrui theory of Counter-penetration is working in the reverse direction. History may be repeating the Bible Crusades of the 18th century. Another era of colonialism using the Bible? Perhaps it may be worthwhile for the Ministry of Culture and that of Internal Affairs to seek tighter collaboration with Consular officials of Ghana Missions abroad, especially in the United States of America, to scrutinize the number of American evangelists who have been trooping into the country on a mission of the word of God.
