From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Thu Jul 01 2010 - 15:44:12 EDT
The religious right in east Africa
Slain by the spirit
The rise of Christian fundamentalism in the Horn of Africa
Jul 1st 2010 | Nairobi
Then someone tossed two grenades into the crowd, killing six people and
wounding many others. Almost immediately, there were accusations that
government security agents had attacked the rally. That is evidence, for
some, that the government is rattled by the vibrant opposition of the "new
churches", mainly Pentecostal, to a new constitution that most members of
the government support. Whatever the truth, there is no doubt that, as
elsewhere, Kenya's politicians have underestimated the drawing power of a
fresh generation of Protestant churches, most of which were set up in the
1980s.
Officially Pentecostals and other "charismatics" count for no more than 5%
of the population. In reality, their ministers preach to about a third of
the country every week. Their rise reflects an important trend across
Africa. According to the World Christian Encyclopedia, about 17m Africans
described themselves as born-again Christians in 1970. Today the figure has
soared to more than 400m, which accounts for over a third of Africa's
population. And as in Nigeria on the other side of the continent, they are
now having a noticeable effect on public-policy debates in east Africa.
Regardless of the outcome of the vote on the constitution in Kenya, for
example, their interventions are likely to make abortion a defining
political issue in the country. Similarly, the efforts of new churches in
neighbouring Uganda have made political controversies out of homosexuality
and the right of Muslims to convert to Christianity.
Ms Wanjiru's own church, Jesus Is Alive Ministries, is a good example of the
new genre. She can draw 100,000 worshippers to a meeting. Add in a visiting
televangelist and the number can rise to as many as 500,000. Ms Wanjiru has
lived the Pentecostal dream. She is from a poor family of casual labourers
and eked out a life as a housemaid and toilet cleaner before working her way
up to a marketing job. She then experienced a vision from God calling on her
to save Africa. These days videos, CDs and other accessories can be bought
from her website using credit cards or phone credit. She makes good use of
Facebook, Twitter and other social media. She is not afraid to court
controversy, last year baptising the boss of the Mungiki organised-crime
outfit, Maina Njenga. Mr Njenga's gang had been involved in extortion and
had a history of hacking off the heads of its enemies.
But the business of owner-operated churches is competitive. A few dud
sermons and the crowd thins. That is one reason why they are so upbeat and
aspirational. Indeed, their insistent calls for self-discipline and
education, striving and victory prompt some people to say Pentecostalism
should be encouraged in Africa as the new version of Max Weber's Protestant
work ethic. The churches are certainly prominent in anti-corruption
campaigns.
However, there is also plenty of hucksterism. You will be blessed with
health and wealth by God, congregants are told, especially if you give
generously. As in other parts of the world, the new churches in Kenya and
Uganda provide a place for the ambitious poor to get ahead. Yet the real
competitive advantage of the new churches in east Africa seems to be their
willingness to tap, at least subliminally, into traditional beliefs. "They
give full play to the enchanted mentality, which holds the world to be
inhabited with ghosts and spirits," explains Paul Gifford, a professor of
African Christianity at the University of London. It makes economic sense:
getting spells lifted and spirits cast out on a Sunday morning saves money
on a visit to the witch doctor during the week.
New churches are good at exploiting gaps in the market and profiting from
them. A Ugandan Pentecostal preacher, Martin Ssempa, for instance, has mined
a rich seam of homophobia in Uganda to help build up his standing. He and
other Pentecostals pushed for the tabling of an anti-homosexuality bill in
the Ugandan parliament, which advocates spying on gays and proscribes
imprisonment for sodomy. Earlier versions of the law called for the death
penalty in some instances. Mr Ssempa has in the past had ties with a
prominent American evangelical, Rick Warren (who has condemned the anti-gay
law), and with Uganda's born-again first lady, Janet Museveni. "In Africa
sodomy is an abomination," he says. Some of his actions, such as screening
gay pornography to his congregants, look clownish and self-publicising, but
Mr Ssempa has been astute in targeting students at Makere, Uganda's best
university. Other Pentecostals have also had success in Uganda with missions
to convert Muslims to Christianity.
New churches are making headway in other parts of east Africa too. Despite
threats of imprisonment from a repressive government they are enjoying
success in Eritrea and have also built a large following in traditionally
Coptic Christian Ethiopia, where all Protestants are simply known as
"Pentay" for Pentecostal. The largest denomination, Kale Heywet, which
claims 5m members, has been influenced by the new church movement, as has
the 2.5m strong Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. It now says that it
will reject money from Lutheran churches in richer countries to protest
against their support for gay marriage. Returning refugees have introduced
Pentecostalism into Burundi and Rwanda. Burundi's president, Pierre
Nkurunziza, is a born-again Christian. He holds prayer sessions and has
overseen the introduction of new laws criminalising homosexuality in the
country.
However, the new churches may not be able to translate today's assertiveness
into permanent political power. There have been investments from Pat
Robertson and others, but the influence of the American Christian right is
often overstated. Nigerian Pentecostals are more important in establishing
business models and preaching styles. Being independent has helped with
growth, but it makes it harder to lobby governments. Then there is the
question of class. Pentecostalism cannot quite shake off its impecunious
roots. The cabal of civil servants, soldiers, and businessmen who dominate
the golf and social clubs of Nairobi and Kampala, the capitals of Kenya and
Uganda, are mostly Anglican and Roman Catholic and are unlikely to be swayed
by any casting out of demons. Likewise, the former Marxist rebels running
Eritrea and Ethiopia probably won't be moved by speaking in tongues.
Besides, the swagger of preachers like Mr Ssempa can backfire. Support for
the anti-homosexuality bill in the Ugandan parliament has fallen away after
Mr Ssempa and other preachers accused a rival Pentecostal, Robert Kayanja,
of sodomy. Mr Kayanja, coincidentally a half-brother of the Archbishop of
York, John Sentamu, has himself been criticised in Uganda for milking the
poor to live a luxury life. And the clear anti-Muslim sentiment scares
politicians who want to win the sizeable Muslim vote.
Even so, the emphasis on youth in new churches means they cannot be
discounted. A new generation of born-again political leaders may seek to win
power on Christian votes alone, even at the cost of division.
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