The Church in Africa

[jay santos]

Originally Posted by JohnnyLingo

"Amid the seemingly endless shacks and open sewers on haphazard Llesanmi Street, one lovely place stood out: a gated, cream-colored compound with a steepled church. Inside the spotless chapel, about 170 people sat in neat rows under whirring ceiling fans as an organist played quiet hymns. Almost every worshiper was black, and every male worshiper wore a white shirt and tie."

What mullahs, all of them.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...T2007111801409

So you're a mullah if you wear a white shirt and tie?

[JohnnyLingo]

Originally Posted by jay santos

So you're a mullah if you wear a white shirt and tie?

I was being sarcastic.

You've missed all the "white shirts are for mullahs" threads on CB?

[PaloAltoCougar]

The stake president (Jerry Kirk) who extended my call as bishop long ago (thereby calling into serious question the man's inspiration) has served at least three missions to Nigeria and Ghana, including as mission president and temple president. I've instructed him to find basketball players for BYU, but the guy's a Utah grad and, as noted earlier, lacks the requisite spiritual skillset for the task. That said, he's one of the greatest people I've known, and the challenges he's dealt with in Africa have been considerable, but very rewarding.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by PaloAltoCougar

The stake president (Jerry Kirk) who extended my call as bishop long ago (thereby calling into serious question the man's inspiration) has served at least three missions to Nigeria and Ghana, including as mission president and temple president. I've instructed him to find basketball players for BYU, but the guy's a Utah grad and, as noted earlier, lacks the requisite spiritual skillset for the task. That said, he's one of the greatest people I've known, and the challenges he's dealt with in Africa have been considerable, but very rewarding.

It seems as if you wish to place the poor man on the FBI's most wanted. He made or continued you as bishop, he is a Utah grad and has failed to identify Honor Code worthy basketball players.

I wonder how his name ever crosses your lips.

[bluegoose]

Originally Posted by Indy Coug

Nigerians are great too. Ever had foo foo with peanut soup? MMMMmmmmm.

Do Nigerians make foo foo as well? I've had the Ghanaian variety and it is awesome. I had more of a hard time with fish head soup. I'm sure I had it at a Ghanaian families house.

[JohnnyLingo]

Okay, so outside of my trolling attempt that seemed to work (the "white shirts are for mullahs" crowd was afraid to criticize Nigerian church members for fear of appearing racist), I'm always interested in hearing about how the church is doing in Africa.

I'm taking an African History class and we've spent quite a bit of time discussing problems in Africa today. Civil wars, bad economies, public health issues; all these things are major obstacles for the church in Africa as well, I'd assume. I can't imagine there are any missionaries right now in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example.

Tough times. Though some countries, like Ghana, seem to be doing well. Does anyone have any first- or even second-hand information on this topic?

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by JohnnyLingo

Okay, so outside of my trolling attempt that seemed to work (the "white shirts are for mullah" crowd was afraid to criticize Nigerian church members for fear of appearing racist), I'm always interested in hearing about how the church is doing in Africa.

I'm taking an African History class and we've spent quite a bit of time discussing problems in Africa today. Civil wars, bad economies, public health issues; all these things are major obstacles for the church in Africa as well, I'd assume. I can't imagine there are any missionaries right now in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example.

Tough times. Though some countries, like Ghana, seem to be doing well. Does anyone have any first- or even second-hand information on this topic?

I wouldn't criticize, poor, but striving members in any country earnestly doing what they desire to live better lives. My former stake President served as have several others. It is interesting and the Church is taking a very go-slow approach as opposed to other churches. Time will prove whether the discretion won out.

[Detroitdad]

Not to hate on the Africa love that is going on here that is wonderful...but lets get serious now. The primary issue that church in Africa has is the kleptocracies that dominate almost all aspects of African life, from the government to the police to individual persons. I imagine that it is much the same in other developing countries where resources are scarce.

For example, my father as a mission president in West Africa was held up at gunpoint three times for tithing receipts (which was almost certainly done with inside knowledge of a member), he was also carjacked, had his car stolen twice and was robbed twice more in his regular daily activities. Furthermore, he was forced to fire several employees that were stealing money from the mission. These incidents represent a pattern that is meant to in

Corruption is endemic in the society that we lived in and it frequently stifles the growth of organizations within those societies. Furthermore, many African states are very politically unstable and may shut off missionaries or outlaw meetings as Ghana did in the 1980's, etc. This is not to mention the whole Muslim/Christian thing which has the potential to conflagrate rather quickly in places like Cote D'Ivoire and Nigeria.

Of course, as ya'll have pointed out the African people that I met were the warmest, most caring people I have come across. I would jump at the chance to go back without reservation, it was one of the seminal points of my life.

[Indy Coug]

I've always had a hard time reconciling the serious disconnect between my experiences with individual Africans and the unbelievable corruption and atrocities that happen there.

Head scratcher.

[ChinoCoug]

Originally Posted by Detroitdad

Not to hate on the Africa love that is going on here that is wonderful...but lets get serious now. The primary issue that church in Africa has is the kleptocracies that dominate almost all aspects of African life, from the government to the police to individual persons. I imagine that it is much the same in other developing countries where resources are scarce.

For example, my father as a mission president in West Africa was held up at gunpoint three times for tithing receipts (which was almost certainly done with inside knowledge of a member), he was also carjacked, had his car stolen twice and was robbed twice more in his regular daily activities. Furthermore, he was forced to fire several employees that were stealing money from the mission. These incidents represent a pattern that is meant to in

Corruption is endemic in the society that we lived in and it frequently stifles the growth of organizations within those societies. Furthermore, many African states are very politically unstable and may shut off missionaries or outlaw meetings as Ghana did in the 1980's, etc. This is not to mention the whole Muslim/Christian thing which has the potential to conflagrate rather quickly in places like Cote D'Ivoire and Nigeria.

Of course, as ya'll have pointed out the African people that I met were the warmest, most caring people I have come across. I would jump at the chance to go back without reservation, it was one of the seminal points of my life.

I had a Ghanaian landlord who went back there for a couple of weeks. Power struggles there are almost comical and exist in the Church no less. Leaders don't delegate and do everything themselves. They shun RMs because they're afraid that the RMs will seize their positions.