AFRICAN TRADITION Vs SCRIPTURES Part 2

This is Part 2 of an article titled 'AFRICAN TRADITIONS Vs SCRIPTURES.' It is done by Pastor Sam Oluoch of Grace Baptist Church - Kisumu, Kenya.

1. Case study of Colossian.

By the year A.D. 60 the church in Colossae was already established. Though it was progressing steadily in its Christian faith and doctrines, heresies began to drift into its ranks in all its kinds and forms. One top in the list was ascetism (life of self denial and punishment of the body) which came in the form of ‘do and not do’ (Col.2: 21-23). Buttressing this was also dependence on wisdom of man and traditions (2:4, 8). These things did not go well with the Apostle and they drove him to go to his study room to write the letter in question in order to combat these heresies. To this end he exalts the supremacy of Christ Jesus over all- the very image of God. Christ is exalted as head of the church (1:18) to be worshiped and obeyed at all cost. He alone is adequate to receive our worship and adoration. Chapter 2: 4, 8 and 21-23, is Paul’s telescope focussing to the world of the twenty first century as well addressing similar situation we find ourselves in today. Our elders’ fine sounding arguments and reasons for men to bow down to some of our traditions sound convincing and very scary at its best leaving no alternative but to bend the knee to these idols. One may ask: Is this right before God?

Imagine you standing before the Lord of glory on that great day of assize and you have to give reason for your idolatrous life in worshiping traditions and your reason goes something like this: ‘Oh, you know God, this old man Mr. Kamau (or my dad or mum or aunty or uncle) gave me such a fine sounding and convincing reason that I could not help but bend your laws to follow them in obeying the ungodly traditions.’ May be Mr. Kamau counted to you some deaths which have purportedly resulted from the disobedience (we will see more on death threats under the portion dealing with ‘fear’ in due time). Or he recites to you the names of some Christians who are older than you in faith and have succumbed to the traditions without any qualms. Here, listen to Paul speaking in Colossians 2:4-5. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine sounding arguments. For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is. These might as well be the words of Christ to you and me when we are tempted by the fine sounding convincing arguments. Alternatively compare the wisdom of such men with that of Christ Jesus in Colossians 2:3, the one in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. My beloved see to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy which depends on human traditions and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ (2:8). These practices, whether done in the context of knowing God more (as Colossians purported) or as in traditional observances of ancestral beliefs are all summed up in one word, idolatry, and is not worship of the supreme God whose full image is present in Christ Jesus. See the break in Colossians 2:20-23. The Apostle sums this up in a wonderful way that I feel if I added my words to it I may blur the gist of it. He says: Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules? Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch”. These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. It is interesting to note that the Apostle attributes such rules as rules of the world. In other words, these are the very things that are propagated and observed by the unconverted mind that has not experienced any saving knowledge of Christ Jesus. If you do them, you tell the every one watching that you are not a believer in Christ. The fact that you profess it does not matter. Action carries the fact not words. You will be telling the world that Christ does not satisfy you, he is not the exact image of God and in fact not the only God you know of.

Pain in idolatry.

It has always been deduced from the Bible that Christianity is indeed a free religion yet it is not free to God the Father because it cost Him His dear beloved Son. God does not therefore expect us to in any way pay our way to salvation (not even by good works) save to trust in His Son Jesus Christ our sin bearer (Eph 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). On the other hand, cults expect their followers to give for their ‘salvation’. Their god is a task master seeking to inflict pain in the followers’ bodies and souls. Some people even go the painful extra mile of sacrificing their loved ones to these gods. You may read this and say, ‘that is very strange and extreme’. Extreme it may be, but have you, as Paul says above, imagined the pains traditionalists go through? In my ethnic group, when one is widowed, in spite of the pain she goes through, she is expected to sleep in the cold (not in the warmth of her bedroom) supposedly with the spirit of her dead husband. Meanwhile she is not to sweep the house nor even take a bath. Not only this, a male inheritor at this time is ready for the kill. Add to this, the bereaved is expected to produce a bull to be slaughtered to appease the spirits. Such are the practises Paul calls in verse 23 regulations that indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self imposed worship, their false humility and their hash treatment of the body. Take Baal worship as an example also.  Priests of Baal at the contest in Mt. Carmel, on account of the fact that their prayers were not being answered resorted to inflicting pain to their bodies to receive favour from a sleeping none existent god (1Kings 18:28-29). These pains inflicted are as a result of self delusion, pity and seeking for sympathy from a none existing being. Idolatry is costly. God Almighty does not require this. Some Christians today have assumed such postures in praying to God by hoping that they will in a way arm-twist God to answer their prayers in accordance to their own prescription. Do not be misled; self infliction of pain if done for the purposes of seeking favour from God is synonyms with idolatry and ancestral worship. Christian, be warned, uphold no one else as God in your life save God the Father the son and the Holy Spirit who is humble, loving and caring. The worship of other forces in life is abhorred for they have no place in the adoration of the God Christians worship. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:20-22 as he warns the Corinthian church of idolatry (a discussion worth following from 1 Cor. Chap. 8-Chap. 10 when he under took to answer some questions on idolatry in the Corinthian church):  but sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of the demons too; you cannot have apart in both the Lord’s Table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than He? The apostle’s argument here is that any Christian who sits to take the Lord’s Table with other believers shows by doing so that they agree together that Christ is their God and Lord worthy of worship-it is a family table. In the same way, any traditionalists (or a Christian who veers to join with them) in their sacrifices tell everyone that they actually belong to the people who worship these spirits. Such a person sits with them as a family member, identified together in the sacrifices they offer to demons!

2. There is more to it.

Several factors underline the desire to synchronise Christian faith and ancestral worship (or spiritism). In the following pages I will be looking at some of these factors as I seek to present suggestions on how to navigate our way through them as believers in Jesus Christ.

a)      Anxiety about tomorrow. Every normal human being is conditioned by the way God created us to have just one day at a time. This is how God knows us and He even promises to provide for us our daily need in that way (the Israelites depended on Manna from heaven daily and no one was allowed to store any for the next day). However, there is always this strange instinct in man that seems discontent until it somehow peers into events of tomorrow in spite of the inaccuracy that such peering brings to us. There comes a time in our lives when such necessary anxieties weigh us down bogging us to non productive, scared individuals. Take a situation where a young lady is widowed and left to fend for her children. Her needs will be more than just providing food for the children but also to provide a roof over her head and probably school fees. Questions like; who will inherit her with the two or more  children she is left with and take care of them as their late father would have. Who will be willing to bequeath his wealth to her and the foster children when his time on earth is over? Christians are not exempt from such cares; the object of their hope is where they differ with the world. Traditionalists purport to provide answers in these matters through the avenue of ancestral worship and observation of many traditional rites.

Because these are real concerns in one’s life, Christians at this point need very close pastoral care, fellowship and support from other believers lest the bereaved is led to succumb. It is important also to let the word of God (the Bible) play in your mind. For example the Lord Jesus Christ who sympathises with our feeble nature exhorts His followers not to worry about tomorrow, about food, clothing and shelter for all this should be left to His care, not us who have no control at all of tomorrow (Matthew 6:25-34). The folly of worrying about tomorrow lies in the fact that we totally do not have any power over it. Even the richest men on earth, the Bill Gates of this world still have no control of tomorrow. They better leave it in the hands of He that created the heavens and the earth and controls it fully. By worrying one can neither change tomorrow’s lot for him whatever the matter. In fact, many times Christians assume that they can change God’s will for them by changing, through fervent prayers what has been predestined by God to suit their circumstances and will. Prayer in its self does not change God but prepares us, empowers us, and enables us to face the Lord’s will for us in life’s circumstances. That is the beauty of prayer. It changes the supplicant but not God. In situations when we are bent to be bogged in worrying about tomorrow, let us leave things in the hands of God and his peace that surpasses understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4: 6-7). Peter adds: ‘Cast ALL your cares on the Lord’ (1Pet. 5:6-7). It therefore resonates that when a Christian turns around and succumbs to traditionalists’ pressures due to the fear of tomorrow, he/she openly declares that the above Scriptures have no meaning and at best, presents God in his/her eyes as a liar.

b)      Fear

Fear is closely related to the anxiety discussed above but it has its own place in this subject. In the context of bowing to other gods fear has been brought to play in that stories which are often coined up and scary are used to outwit our defences. Things like: ‘Oh, your cousin (or grandfather) refused to do this thing we are asking you to do now see what has befallen his family.’ ‘Oh, you say you are a Christian? For your information, we have seen many Christians who have been at it longer than you and stronger than you joining us in these rituals, in fact, even pastor so and so has done this before. Do you think your case is so special’? Friends, if it is true that a so called Christian has succumbed and continues to, make it clear to your adversaries that it appears the god that that ‘Christian’ purports to worship is different from the one you worship and that is why you are standing firm in not bending the knee to other gods. Yours is a jealous God while his is an adulterous one who does not care sharing his bride with others. The ‘Christian’ should not therefore tell the ‘wazees’ that he is a believer in Christ who is the Lord God almighty but declare openly that he is polytheist after all. Be warned, primers to fear will come in many forms but remember Apostle Peter’s words: But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to every one who asks you to give reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.’ (1 Pet 3: 15).

May I share a personal experience here. In the year 1992, my wife and I attended a funeral function at our rural home. I remember that we arrived on a Friday evening because the function was to be held the following day a Saturday and I had planned to travel back to my work station that same Saturday since I had church service to attend to. Things ended well on Saturday at 5pm leaving me ample time to get back to town which is 30 Km away. As we were innocently parking our bags to leave, hardly did we know that our action had attracted the attention of elders within home who were sitting by some shade tree. We were not aware of some rituals relating to the order of leaving the homestead. Apparently my elder brother was expected to leave first then the rest of us would be free to leave. An emissary was sent to call me to appear before this little ‘Sanhedrin’ to give reasons why I wanted to leave before my elder brother who was any way, planning to leave the following Monday. Their enquiry shocked me but all the same, after summoning all the respect due them, I explained my case. It became clear to me that the verdict had been long arrived at even before I appeared before them and they were not interested in my reasons for leaving, after all, they were, in their own eyes, protecting me from the calamities of curses that come with my intended action. The verdict was quickly given and I was ordered to take back my bag (which was on my back) to the house and cool my heels. It went something like this: ‘Sam, we have been informed that you and your wife are preparing to leave to town now. Is that true?’ ‘Yes’ I answered. ‘Take back your bag and wait until such a time that your elder brother Paul leaves this homestead and he is the one to first step out of that gate.’ Meanwhile, my dad who was also in the ‘Sanhedrin’ listened to the proceedings with his eyes glued to the ground between his knees, probably praying that I will listen to the elders or waiting to see if I will obey this one today. I gently refused this verdict giving my reasons as being a Christian who is not bound by their beliefs and secondly my involvement in the church the following day. As is expected they were determined to have their way. I was asked if I knew that I am not the first person to have ever professed faith in Christ in the village (by the way my parents claim to be Christians). Examples of the fate that befell some Christians who once refused to listen to traditions were paraded before me intended to scare me to submission. I also remember one ‘mzee’ asking if my God is different from theirs meaning to say that we serve the same God yet they also bend their knees to extra gods. In my heart I was convinced that their god is very different from the one I was standing for and almost blurted this to their face but God helped to keep my cool. I did an about turn (all this time I was standing like a culprit before them with my luggage on my back-an evidence that they were not judging from hear say) and walked from the ‘court’ straight to the gate, beckoned at my wife who was watching from a distance and off we left to town. On this day, my sister Jane whom I follow and truly love tried to dissuade us from our action all the way to the bus stop; she was convinced that we were not going to arrive safely.

These were days when mobile phones were real novelty and if I am not wrong non-existent in Kenya. The only way our family could confirm our safe arrival was to send someone to our house Monday morning which Jane did willingly only to find us alive and safe with our hearts intact and beating well to any cardiologists satisfaction. To prove to her that she was not seeing some ghosts we served her tea and chatted about the Saturday incident warmly. I am still alive today and this is proved by my writing about it twenty years later and my elder brother Paul and sister Jane (who literally cried when she saw us defy the elders to our own ‘death’) have unfortunately both left this world before my wife and I.

This is just one of the incidents that have pitted me against traditionalists and elders of the land and I have always chosen consciously to side with my God. In Kikuyu land in Kenya I was once a best man to a dear friend. In this, it meant that I was to be his spokesman in the dowry negotiations. To my surprise, the last shot of demands from the bride’s side came in the form demanding us to do a ‘ngurario.’ This was hard. They made it clear that it was either ‘ngurario’ or if we are not interested their daughter goes nowhere. This is some blood spilling ceremony to ancestors by groom’s party by slaughtering a goat in the bride’s home. Being the spokesman I quickly said no giving reason as our Christian beliefs. Again the ‘wazees’ were not going to take this lying down. It was the mother of all negotiations that marked the day. Meanwhile I was receiving calls clandestinely from the bride who was hidden somewhere in her mum’s room (we were now in the era of cell phones) urging us not to give in and that she was praying for us. The Lord prevailed and today the couple still love the Lord and have been blessed with two lovely children. The threat was, no ‘ngurario’ no blessing of the marriage by ancestors and therefore no children in that marriage. What do we see today? A peaceful marriage with two lovely children!

Again remember Apostle’s words ‘stand firm let nothing move you.’ What I have proved over the years is that when we stand firm and not send double messages by sometimes succumbing then another time standing firm, the people will not understand the message clearly and they continue to bother you. When the message is constant and clear, it reaches a point when the ‘wazees’ and friends will not bother with you in these rites. Today I still join with both my family and clan members in funerals and other things but when it comes to these rites, I have self appointed advocates who just tell the instigators that, ‘you know, leave Sam out of this, he will not join you.’ Stand firm and the Lord will fight your battles.

May I invite you to journey with me a little while as I encourage you to stand firm and do not let fear ground you in to submitting your good faith to the whims of spiritism.

In as far as intimidation of fear is concerned, I invite you to rest in Jesus words in Matthew 10: 28. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell. This exhortation was given in the context of persecution and the need to stand firm in the midst of such. With the same voice it exhorts us to stand with Christ in the choice of unbiblical traditions even when death is threatened. Many stories that are designed to be points of reference to make Christians cringe at the thought of not obeying traditions have their rider and pillar in the promise of death or any form of calamity in case they are violated. In Matthew, Christ in a way is saying that; even if for a moment we assume that such stories are true and our ancestors have truly descended on uncompromising Christians with death, you still have to make a choice. Which one is a better choice? To save your body by escaping their death threat and lose your precious soul in hell or to let that death come but stand with Christ who is able to keep your precious soul safe in eternity with a glorified body? Christian wisdom chooses the latter. See similar calls in Romans 8:15; Psalm 56:3-4, 10-11 and Hebrews 13:5-6 among others. If anything a believer in Christ who has his hopes in being with Christ in glory should always be praying ‘Lord take me home’ and with sincerity of love and not fear the means of going to that great paradise promised to triumphant saints. See Apostle Paul’s attitude to death which we should all have in Philippians 1:20-26. Here he declares that had it not been for his love for opportunity to press on with gospel work, he would rather die and go to heaven. How about you? Do you fear death? Do you fear going to heaven?