TRIBALISM AND THE CHURCH
Almost every trip I take to Nairobi I invite people to come along and visit the NEGST community and meet the church in Kenya.

And listen to African church leaders.

Jackie Othoro is one of these leaders I want my friends to hear. She’s a Ph.D candidate at NEGST as well as a pastor in a Nairobi church. A major theme of her doctoral work is ethnicity and the church in Africa.

Jackie Othoro

I asked her to spend an evening helping us understand why tribalism or ethnicity runs so deep in Africa. She and two of her colleagues at NEGST have been on the radio and in numerous public forums talking about this issue ever since the post-election violence in Kenya in early 2008.

Like most Kenyans, Jackie was shocked at the explosion of anger and resentment after the rigged election results were announced and horrified at the rioting and ethnic cleansing that occurred in some parts of Kenya. She was among the many church leaders who stepped forward to urge restraint and encourage reconciliation and care for the displaced victims.

But she also confessed her dismay at her own personal reaction during the crisis. She too felt intense anger at people of other tribes who had acted unjustly toward hers. Family members even had to admonish her. Suddenly ethnicity and the church was no longer simply an academic issue. The wisdom she shared with us had been born out of pain and humility.

Jackie took us on a quick walk through the Bible to help us see that God intended for there to be ethnic/racial/cultural differences among human beings. He put us in tribes and clans for our own good. All this cultural diversity is to be on display in the church and eventually in heaven. Ethnic identity is something we can celebrate. Where it becomes a problem is when it turns into ethnocentrism. Then we create boundaries that exclude those who are different from us and we view them as threats and inferior to our tribe.

As Americans listening to Jackie, we knew what she was talking about because of our own struggles with race which is just a variation on ethnicity. We live with racial divides in our communities that are extremely difficult to overcome. Even the church in America finds it very hard to become integrated racially and ethnically.

But at some point our identity in Christ trumps “my people” and our spiritual family crosses the boundaries that divide a nation. At some point we must have fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ regardless of ethnicity. Jackie and another pastor from her church—and from an opposing tribe—conducted a dialog in front of the congregation confessing their thoughts and feelings about the conflict and struggling to be one in Christ. Her congregation is quite ethnically diverse but the unrest had created emotional turmoil. It was time to set things right.

The worst mistake, Jackie told us, is to repress your anger over injustices and to avoid talking about ethnic conflicts. Far better to talk together about issues and misunderstandings. Far better to honor each other’s ethnicity and cultural contributions to the church and to society.

It certainly doesn’t help when unscrupulous political leaders and irresponsible media voices trumpet ethnic differences and stir up resentments and suspicion toward other ethnic groups. It’s far easier to get people angry than to get them willing to sit down and solve problems together. And it takes courage to stand up against public appeals to prejudice and revenge.

Last month the Pope made his first visit to Africa. That’s where a large part of the Catholic Church now lives. While he was there, he urged bishops, priests and laity to be more intentional about demonstrating the unity of the Church over ethnic divisions. Nowhere is this more necessary than Rwanda, a predominantly Catholic nation, where ethnic conflict ended up in a nightmare of genocide just 15 years ago. For Kenyans caught up in their own ethnic strife, Rwanda was in the back of their minds. It should be in all of ours.

Jackie’s candid confessions made for a sobering evening. It’s quite obvious where the church—not just in Africa, but in North America—is vulnerable and easily attacked by the Evil One. We let go of our identity in Christ all too quickly. It takes courageous, persevering leaders of the church for the right things to happen and the wrong things to be held in check.

NEGST is about to become Africa International University (AIU). Their vision is to be an international ethnically-diverse community educating even more students for leadership, including such areas as the professions and public service.

The seminary will remain at the heart of AIU and the church will always be its focus. But more mature leaders in the pew and the pulpit are what they will produce—leaders like Jackie and the students graduating from NEGST.

You can help support students like Jackie with scholarships that cover tuition and housing costs. We can match you with a student if you like. Send your gift to:

Christian Leaders for Africa
P.O. Box 1642
Indianapolis, IN 46206
clafrica@sbcglobal.net