THE RELEVANCY TO THE BLACK PEOPLES OF AFRICA OF A CALVINIST

“T he relevancy to the African of a Calvnist cosmoscope (or lifeand world-view)” is not an easy topic. However difficult it may be, it is nevertheless a subject of the utmost im portance today for Christianity in Africa. I have two particular problems in mind: Africanization and Calvinism. Basically the questin before us is this: C an the Calvinist (or Reformed) view of life advance the indigenization or Africanization of the Gospel? Can the Reformed approach help bring about a real Biblical, bu t a t the same time fully African, Christianity? M any, I know, will immediately answer the question with a denial. We, however, shall take a closer view. A frican iza tion

" T h e relevancy to the A frican o f a Calvnist cosmoscope (or life-and world-view )" is not an easy topic.How ever difficult it m ay be, it is nevertheless a subject of the utm ost im portance today for C hristianity in Africa.I have two particu lar problem s in mind: Africanization and Calvinism.
Basically th e questin before us is this: C an the C alvinist (or Reform ed) view o f life advance the indigenization or A fricanization of the Gospel?C an the R eform ed a p p ro ach help b rin g a b o u t a real Biblical, b u t a t the same tim e fully African, Christianity?M any, I know, will im m ediately answer the question w ith a denial.We, however, shall take a closer view.
A fric a n iz a tio n T h e topic brings us to the m uch-debated, explosive question of the A fricanization, inJigenization or contextualization of the Gospel.T he situation a t present is that, while m any Africans are trying to adapt the Bible to their traditio n al religion, others openly reject this attitude, propagating a retu rn to traditional African beliefs and customs.Very few Africans adhere to th e th ird possibility -w hich I consider to be th e correct one -viz.a real Biblical C hristianity relevant to th e specific needs o f th e Black m an w ithout com prom ising to traditional beliefs.
T his th ird view point stresses the fact th at w here there is no indigenization o f th e Gospel, th e danger o f syncretism is usually th e greatest.W ithout indigenization there is no m eaningful confrontation between the Bible and th e A frican's trad itio n al religion an d consequently no intelligent accep tance o r rejection o f th e claims o f th e W ord o f God.Im ported C hristianity (so-called " w hite C hristianity" ) will never satisfy the spiritual needs of the African peoples.As a w hite m an I would not presum e to tell you how this can be attained .I can m erely give you the norms th a t should not be violated in trying to reach this goal.

C a lv in ism
A p art from the problem of genuine African C hristianity, the topic presents a second problem .T h e title as stated above speaks of the relevance to the A frican o f a Calvinist life-an d world-view.• But, you may im m ediately ask, can this life an d world-view, w hich originated in 16th century W estern E urope, have any message for the African of today?Is the difference in time an d space not too great?H ave the church denom inations in Africa not suffered from the fact that they inherited the conflicts of the E uropean an d A m erican churches?
I hope it will become clear in w hat follows why I am convinced th at the R eform ed, Calvinist view of life is the type of C hristianity closest to the Bible.Considering th a t (the greatest part of) th e Bible h a d its origin in the M iddle East, it is obvious that C hristianity is not th e m onopoly of th e w hite European.Accordingly there is no reason why the Calvinist tradition with its strong emphasis on the encompassing nature and total character of religion should not find a n atu ral home in Africa.
O n e last rem ark: If I had the tim e at my disposal, I would have included m ore references to th e Bible.Exegesis of certain parts of G od's word would have greatly enhanced my argum ent.It could have m ade it clearer th at the Calvinist world view is founded on the Gospel an d have explained the way in which this occurs.Perhaps th e reader could improve upon this weakness by asking themselves th e question: w hich parts o f the Bible could be used to prove the validity of a Calvinist cosmoscope?
T he e sse n tia l c h a ra c te ris tic s o f a C a lv in ist co sm o sco p e We will not discuss th e character o f a life-an d world-view as such.It is sufficient to say th at every norm al hum an being -w hether he/sh e is aw are of it or not -has a certain vision of reality.A life-and w orld-view is not the m onopoloy of educated m en an d women.It is pre-scientific.Therefore it is also not equivalent to theology.You im bibe it, so to say, with your m other's milk.From the tim e o f your birth your parents, family, environm ent, teachers at school, the church etc. play an im p o rtant róle in its form ation.
Everyone o f us views life through spectacles coloured differently from those of ano th er person or o f a group.O u r fundam ental convictions determ ine the way we regard life or the way we act.
In which way does the Calvinist o r Reform ed C hristian look at life? W hat kind of spectacles does he use?
In w hich way does the Calvinist or Reform ed C hristian look a t life?W hat kind o f spectacles does he use?
Basically the reform ed way of life in accordance w ith Calvinistic tradition is very simple.At th e sam e tim e it is absolutely radical.It will become evident from th e fourfold Sola (the L atin w ord for solely o r only) with w hich I wish to cap tu re th e essence of this view of life.
idolises.H um anism , for instance, focuses on autonom ous m an.Liberalism regards hum an freedom as the absolute norm.Communism, again, strives for possession of everything by everyone -usually with the result th at no one possesses anything.
You will see th at alle these viewpoints about reality are called -" isms" .An " -ism" arises w hen one over-emphasizes anything.M an is im portant, but his well-being is not the absolute norm such as H um anism believes.Freedom is m arvellous, but not to be em phasized at the cost of everything else.In the same way there is nothing wrong in striving for the m aterial welfare of all, b u t m an cannot live by bread alone.H e has spiritual needs as well.
O ne can say th at all these different " -isms" indicate w hat is regarded as the highest«goal, the essence of a god according to a specific view of life.
In accordance w ith the First C om m andm ent (" T hou shalt have no other gods before M e" , Exodus 20:3), Calvinism believes th a t there is only one true, real God.He is the C reato r of the universe and the Absolute Sovereign, the Supreme R uler over all things created.Everything is subjected to His laws.He is the W riter of history.H e inserts the commas and full stops according to His sovereign will.
O u r first duty therefore is to obey the com m andm ents of God T ri-une (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).We should love an d glorify Him: Soli Deo gloria -to G od alone th e hon ou r (Revelations 7:12 and m any other texts).H um anists are of the opinion th at if this principle is obeyed, hum an life is neglected.However, the infallible Wod o f G od teaches the opposite: if we really obey an d serve G od we shall have life in abundance.
Christ H im self has exemplified this attitu d e by His life: " I have glorified thee on earth ..." (John 17:4).O u r prim ary and fundam ental duty is the same.This we can do by praising H im , doing His will, suffering with Him, bearing the fruits of good works, loving one another, and in m any more ways.
These basic principles of the Reform ed life-and world-view assure its broadm indedness, its wideness of scope.It is a real cosmoscope, a view on the whole reality -not a narrow -m inded ideology or theology.Its purpose is to bring every aspect of life to subservience to the Sovereign God.It is not only concerned w ith w orshipping an d serving G od on Sundays, in church, in private Bible reading and prayers.Life itself is worship.God should be served always an d everywhere w ith one's whole being i.e. w ith heart, intellect, hands, feet, m outh.(C om pare 1 C orinthians 10:31: " W hether therefore you eat, o r drink, or w hatsoever you do, do all to the glory o f G o d " .Cf. also Colossians 3:17).
C hrist is not merely the saviour of the souls of individuals.He is interested in the whole hum an being.T he so-called " winning of souls" for Christ is not a Biblical idea in any sense of the word.
R adical Calvinism also denies the sacred-secular distinctin which implies th at hum an life is divided into two realms (soul and body, church and world, clergy an d laym en, faith and reason etc.).According to this theory of two realm s it is only possible to serve G od in sacred or holy m atters.It is not possible in secular or profane life (bodily life, intellectual life, economics, politics etc.).For instance, it is affirmed that the clergy (priests, ministers, elders, deacons) are in the direct service of God as opposed to the ordinary church members.Calvinism, however, teaches the priesthood, kingship and duty to proclaim the gospel of every Christian.
Calvinism is simple: it has only one principle -the glory of God alone.C alvinism is radical: this fundam ental viewpoint should be applied consistently to the whole of hum an life.This brings us to the second sola:

"Sola Scriptura": from the Word o f God alone
This sola tells us ab o ut the source of the first sola (the Soli Deo gloria).At the same time this sola reminds us again of the radical character of C alvinism , viz.not th e Bible plus o u r own wisdom, and not the Bible plus trad itio n al beliefs, the Bible alone is th e absolute source of tru th .It is the only W ord w ith absolute authority.
T h a t th e radicality o f Calvinism does not imply narrow -m indedness has already been indicated under the sola Deo.It also applies to the sola Scriptura." T h e whole W ord for our entire life" is the Calvinist slogan.Not only in some facets of life, but in every area of hum an activity should we ask for this Light on o u r path.
T h e Scriptures are a revelation given by God, His letter to us revealing His purpose, His will, His works and His kingdom.They also throw light on man: not only his creation, fall and ruin, but also the way of his salvation, his duty of thankfulness and his destiny.
G od Him self gave us the Bible to serve as spectacles in our blindness to see w hat the purpose of life as a whole constitutes: worship of the only true God.If we have doubts as to the validity of the Bible as the real and only W ord of G od, viewing it m erely as a product of m an's own thinking, guessing and speculating about the essential questions of life and death, then we are like a drifting ship at sea w ith no rudder and no safe port.

"Sola fide": in faith alone.
This sola indicates the way in which we become sure of the tru th of the Scriptures.It is not possible to verify th a t the Bible is the Word of God with rational argum ents.We have either to believe it, or reject it.Rejection, however, is also based on belief, for nobody can prove the Bible not to be the W ord of God! Belief in G od's W ord is not a result of hum an brilliance of intellect or of inherent goodness.Its acceptance is due to the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of man.
Does th e sola fid e then imply th a t the Reformed C hristian has to believe blindly?N ot at all!But the C hristian m ind is different from that of the non-C hristian: it is an intellect illum inated by the W ord and the Holy Spirit: it is not an autonom ous m ind, b u t one subordinated to the Scriptures, bound by obedience to God.T h a t is why a C hristian school, college or university differs from a secular one.Science is practised in such institutions in the spirit of In lumine Tuo (in T hy light), i.e. in the light given by G od in His W ord. We do not have the dilem m a of a choice betw een Christian faith or science.(Some people are inclined to think th at if you are a C hristian it precludes your being a scientist, and if you attend university you can no longer be a C hristian.)We believe in a science directed and inspired by our faith -which also holds good for all scientific activity in spite of the fact that so-called neutral scientists deny it.As is the case in every field, science is also practised either to the glory of G od or aim ed at the glorification of man.A definite choice has to be m ade here.T here is no middle way.
O nce again we discern the radical character of the Reformed point of view in th e principle o f faith alone.It brings us to the root (radix) of the differences betw een one m an and another.T h e only living, true root that will b ear fruit to the honour of God, is the C hristian faith grounded on Scripture, a gift of the Holy Spirit.
It is not necessary for me to verify and illustrate the sola fid e from the Bible.I m ention only one chapter from Scripture: chapter 11 of the Book of Hebrews.T h e words " by faith" echo through this whole chapter.Now let us deal w ith the last of the four solisms:

"Sola gratia": through grace alone
This principle of Reform ed C hristianity explains how we have the power to believe G od's W ord an d how to glorify Him.
In ourselves it is impossible to serve the kingdom of God.We are slaves of the devil, unable to do any good.R adical Calvinists, basing their beliefs on Scripture, believe in m an's radical fall into sin.N othing good, nothing pleasing to God can be found in unregenerated man.T hrough the redem ptive work of C hrist alone can m an be restored into love towards God and render obedient service to God an his fellowmen.
As opposed to a variety of ideas about the inherent goodness of m an and his so-called free will, we have to make a clear case for the sola gratia of the Scriptures.
This sola, again, indicates the simplicity and radicality of Calvinism: there is only one Biblical way: grace irrespective of natural capabilities, grace irrespective of m eritorious works.Some Christians believe th at m an c an practically a tta in God as a n atu ral, unregenerated being and th at divine grace is merely a means of scaling th e last steep hill on his way tow ards God.
In recaputulation of the foregoing: * Soli Deo gloria, the honour o f G od T ri-une in a life of worship, is our basic motive; * Sola Scriptura, the W ord o f o u r Father is ou r only truth.* Sola fide: faith im planted by the Holy Spirit alone is o u r light.* Sola gratia: divine grace through Christ Jesus is our only power.
You will not fail to notice the theocentric, G od-centred character of Calvinism: through the W ord of the Father, through faith given by the Holy Spirit and through grace in Christ Jesus, hum an life is directed towards God Tri-une.

T h e r e le v a n c y to t h e A f r ic a n s i t u a t i o n o f t h e C a l v i n i s t co m sm o sco p e
We have now arrived at the m ain p art of the problem: the Biblical lifeand worldview in an African setting.How should we express our reformed insights in terms of African situations?
It is not correct to say th at we m ust render the Gospel relevant, or more relevant to a certain situation.It is already most relevant -also to the Black people of Africa.It is not necessary to change th e Bible or to have a Black C hrist, a Jesus of o u r own fabrication, to be relevant.T here is also a vast difference betw een advocating a retu rn to African traditional religions and expressing Biblical truths in a way meaningful to the African.
In any effort to express C hristianity in th e context of Africa, the Bible m ust rem ain the absolute source.O nly with the provisio th at it is accep ted as G od's W ord can it have an authoritative and relevant message for Black Africa -and for any other part of the globe.
It is not a question of whether the Reformed view of life is relevant but in what respect it is relevant.How to be fully Biblical and yet truly relevant -th at is the question.
I think there are m any factors in A frican culture wich can be reformed according to Biblical principles.Let me mention two exam ples only: Firstly the intergral religious ap p ro ach of the African.T hey do not accept the W estern idea of th e existence of religiously neutral areas in life.Therefore th e converted A frican should not have problems w ith the radical, integral and total ap p ro ach o f th e Reform ed life-and world-view.Secondly they have strong social feelings an d a n a tu ra l friendliness w hich will enable them to u n derstand th e com m union of the faithful more readily.
T h ere are, however, also facets of th e traditio nal A frican culture of the incorporation o f w hich m ust be rejected.H um an sacrifices, polygamy, ancestor w orship, initiation rites etc. are not C hristian practices, however au th en tically A frican they may be.Black must be Biblical before it can be beautiful.
In w hat follows I shall concentrate on the m odifying influence of the C alvinist lifeview on th e trad ition al A frican lifeview, in o th er words on certain prom inent aspects w hich prove unaccqj table stum bling blocks in the way of the Gospel.M y object is not to be unkind or to hum iliate anyone.W h at is m ore, w e a re His vice-regents on earth .In His nam e we have to cultivate, develop creatio n an d keep guard.W e do not ow n anything here on earth -we are merely stewards and therefore resposible to the Sovereign God for the way in which we fulfil o u r calling.
O u r daily task, from the most im p o rtan t to th e simplest piece o f work, everything we do o r leave undone, is perform ed in the spirit of coram Deo, in the presence of God.T h e entire C hristian life constitutes religion, i.e. service in His kingdom.In this way nothing is done in vain.
M ost African tribes and nations believe in a god.T he interesting fact is that, in spite o f th e differences in the details of th eir conception about their gods, they generally agree th a t god is a being not very m uch interested in w hat he has brought forth.H e is a concealed, absent, distant being.(In W estern term inology we m ay call th e Black m an 's concept o f the divine deistic.)G od acts as an absentee landlord.M an finds him self m ore or less alone in th e world.T here is no personal relationship betw een G od an d m an, an d m an is not responsible to his god fo rw h at he is doing.N either is there a final fudge in the life hereafter.
T h e difference is clear.A ccording to the reform ed view, life is theocentric, focussed on God, His service, honour and glory.T h e Bible clearly counts as the highest norm in life: " Seek ye first th e kingdom o f G od an d His righteousness" (M atthew 6:33).
In the African life-and world-view G od stands a t the periphery and not in the centre.T here is no religious m otivation for Africans to serve th eir god(s) in everything.At the most he is m ade use of or exploited in very critical situations where even the ancestors can not be of any avail.
Let me m ention another exam ple to illustrate the significance o f one's conception of God and religion as a guiding principle for practical life.If the one true G od is central then there can be real unity and d eep fellowship am ongst hum an beings -in spite of great diversities of colour, tribe, language, age, sex and denom ination.It is only in C hrist th a t we can atta in real unity.If we find the L ord Jesus we can find each other an d o u r barriers will be broken.G od is greater th an a so-called theological box!If m an o r a hum an com m unity has the central position in life (personally I think the original Black philosophy o f life is strongly anthropocentric, directed to m an, his im portance, his needs), then you get divergence, even hostilityas we clearly see today, especially so w hen the different groups also worship different gods.Against the R eform ed claim of Sola Scriptura (the Bible alone) we w ant to delve a little m ore deeply into the details of A frican syncretism.
It is not easy to define w hat syncretism is.You may call it (like Jo h n Scott) " a fruit cocktail of religions" or (like th e W ebster D ictionary) " the reconciliation or union of divergent beliefs" .In this way, however, the danger of this phenom enon is not clearly stated.
Beyerhaus (in an article in Christianity today) brings the dangers out more clearly: " Syncretism is an unconscious tendency or conscious attem p t to underm ine the uniqueness of a religion by eq uatin g its elem ents w ith those o f other belief systems.Syncretism equates heterogeneous religious elem ents an d thereby changes their original m eaning w ithout ad m itting such a change." In this definition you can clearly see the dangers of syncretism: 1.It usually takes place unconsciously, spontaneously -people are mostly not aw are of the fact th at they are on the w rong road.
2. W hen the Gospel is m erely incorporated into traditional pagan beliefs it is no longer th e tru e Gospel.It has to be changed, twisted, w atered down (even if th e people doing it d on't realize it) and in this way, ad u lterated , and deprived of its real power.T he uniqueness, th e real m eaning of C hristianity, is underm ined.

Syncretism is an effort o f h eath en d o m to defend an d uphold itself by
taking C h ristian ity an d the Bible into its service.T h e W ord of G od is transform ed to an instrum ent of pro p ag an d a for paganism !Syncretism lives like a parasite on C hristianity -its greatest enemy!V an den Berg in his book, Syncretisme als uitdaging, distinguishes between tw o types of syncretism : a passive and a m ore active form.T h e first is encountered w here th e Bible an d th e claim s o f the L ord are understood in a very superficial, im perfect way an d therefore not view ed as a d an g er for the old life-and world-view.T h e second type, active syncretism, occurs where the Revelation o f G od is recognised as a th reat to traditional belief and where there is a deliberate attem pt to render it harmless.I think we encounter both types of syncretism in Africa today.
It is very im p o rtan t for us to have a look at the causes of syncretism.To mention only a few:

Poor knowledge o f the Bible
Christians with a feeble knowledge of the Bible are on easy prey to syncretism.Any kind of veneer of teaching, if it is not followed up continuous ly, will quickly be mixed up with previous beliefs.You im m ediately realize the im portant rfile serious Bible study can play in counteracting syncretism in this respect.

Denying the absolute and sole authority o f the Scriptures
African C hristianity is not as isolated from th e W estern world as one may think.T h e influence of different W estern theological trends is also experienced on o u r continent.I shall m ention only a few of those which I consider especially to prom ote syncretism.They are pluralism , universalism, dialoguism and ecumenism.Let me explain these terms in brief: # Pluralism recognises not only the existence of various religions, but furtherm ore regards one as being as valid as another.
* Universalism is closely connected to pluralism .It is the doctrine which m aintains th at God shall redeem all men w ithout any exception.No m an can be evil enough to deserve hell!
• Dialoguism tries to a tta in universal truth , a religion acceptable to all hu m an beings by so-called open, round table discussions between Chris tians, H indus, Buddhists, Moslems, Confucians, Africans adhering to various forms of prim itive religion and even atheists like the Marxists..In ternational conferences are no rarity today.M any church leaders suffer form the illness I would like to call "conferencitis" .They travel from the one conference and continent to the other w ith barely enough tim e to think in between!
• Ecumenism, in its b ad sense, encourages the form ation of a visible, organic union o f the various C hristian denom inations, even if they represent opposing and contradictory differences.(C om pare in this connection the W orld C ouncil o f C hurches where th e W ord of G od is definitely no longer the final authority).It is not necessary for me to draw your attention to the fact th a t the principle o f sola Scriptura is violated as well as the uniqueness of Christianity, paving the way for syncretism.W hat is even worse: total, unconditional and exclusive com m itm ent to God Himself (sola Deo) is no longer possible.C hristians who rem ain firm in their convictions, not willing to comprom ise, true to the Lord and to the Schriptures are accused of arrogance and im pertinence.We shall, however, not bow before wordly authorities, thus betraying our Lord.T he following assum ptions are ridiculous viz.that -there is no unique Revelation; -all religions (also Christian) are in a d e q ia te expressions of truth; -C hristianity is only qualitatively, and not radically, different from other religions; and -Christ is not the only way to God, but that there are m any ways.

A burning desire to defend African personality
I have nothing against an African experience of the Gospel.This, however, is not w hat I have in m ind here as a third cause of syncretism.M any today believe that C hristianity has come to fu lfil, enrich, crown and not to destroy trad itio n al, pagan African religion.C hristianity, however, stands to ju d g e every culture, destroying elem ents th at are incom patible with the W ord of G od, employing com patible modes of expression for its advance.I have stated already: Black has to be Biblical to be beautiful.
T he call to Africanize or indigenize C hristianity is an extrem ely com plex issue and m erits a separate study.I can only m ake a few m ore rem arks about this so-called contextualizatino of the Gospel.
Africa has lost its own soul because of W esternization. M any people are uprooted, unsteady and in search of identity an d authenticity -often in an extrem ely reactive way." O u r noble past has been forgotten" they say.T he mistake m any C hristians then m ake is to dig up their whole past and incorporate it wholesale into the church.Everybody can and should be proud of some aspects of his past w hen he becomes a C hristian.However, there are also certain ignoble m atters in o ur past w hich we should rath er shake off.
T here is nothing w rong w ith the contextualization of th e Gospel.(Simple translatio n of th e Bible is an exam ple thereof!)I believe in African church music, African songs an d other forms of worship, even a Confessio Africa (African confession), an African (but Biblical) Theology and all such African ways of com m unicating th e Gospel.C ontextualization should, however, not be m isinterpreted to imply th at we have to mix C hristianity with pagan rites in order to m ake th e Gospel m ore indigenous.No, we should not a d u lte rate biblical faith in order to be able to express it in Africa for the Africans.
T o try to rew rite the Bible or give a new Alrican nam e to replace tne one o f Jesus, to search for an African, L atin A m erican or Asian Christ will never m ake His Gospel relevant.T h e result will be the opposite: the total irrelevance of the true Gospel.How can anything still be relevant (i.e. the Gospel) if it is degenerated?I hope you are not thinking th a t I am som ew hat one-sided or unfair.I have already em phasized th at Calvinism is radical: If we have to be careful th at African traditio nal practices which are incom patible w ith the Gospel do not infiltrate into ou r message, we m ust assure ourselves equally that W estern ideologies, habits and trad itional attitudes are not assim ilated into th e T ru th , confounding and disguising th e message. .T here are m any more causes of syncretism.I shall m ention only a few:

Political and social pressures
A nyone a ttem p tin g to convert the African to C hristianity is suspected of sinister motives against society or the governm ent.T he new national consciousness of the African does not often favour C hristianity w hich it considers a divisive factor.Fellow citizens should bury their differences in o rd er to work together for the establishm ent of a united, strong and prosperous nation.

The friendliness o f the African
T h e A frican w ith his strong social feelings often needs m ore courage th an a W esterner to contradict a false idea.H e is dom inated by the crowd.In ad d ition to his already-m entioned a u th o ritarian orientation, the high respect for elders an d superiors is a stum bling block in this respect.

Poor training
T h e leaders of most African churches are not highly educated.T he average pastors possesses only a little prim ary education -and his parishioners are even less trained th an he is.H e is not capable of forming a strong personal opinion and can easily fall prey to the confusion caused by the contradictory voices of so m any C hristian denom inations and thousands of so-called sects.
T here are m any causes but, I think, only one cure for syncretism!We must, m ore th an ever, individually an d together, reaffirm total, uncon ditional and exclusive com m itm ent to the authority of the Holy Scriptures.A lack of firmness in this respect destroys our message and our hope for the future of the church in Africa.
It T h e Black people of A frica prefer direct experience and they have a concrete, practical attitu d e tow ards life.This feature is also noticed in their religious practices.H ow will they react to th e call tow ards faith, a faith in th e invisible G od, His kingdom w hich is not o f this earth?O f course, this is a universal problem a n d not som ething peculiarly African.Every hum an being cannot believe in G od of his own accord.B ut perhaps this concrete ap p ro ach to life is m ore strongly developed in the A frican m ind.In the Book of H ebrew s (11:1) we are told, however, th at faith is the substance of things hoped for, th e evidence of things not seen.
It will be necessary to m ake clear to the African th at in spite o f the fact th a t faith is not som ething concrete in th e sense o f being m aterial, it is nevertheless real!Life in C h rist does not change a h um an being into som ething else.M em bers o f the body of C hrist do not have either m ore or fewer toes on their feet th a n do other people; they do not ride their bicycles differently; they too are likely to peel th eir prickly pears before eating them ; they have friends an d people they don't like so m uch, w ear m od clothes, enjoy sexual life, buy an d sell, etc.
At the sam e tim e life in C hrist makes the new born C hristian a different being.T h e difference is not necessarily to be sought in outw ard appearance, b u t in th e new direction w hich the C hristian's life takes.Because it is a difference o f religions direction (for or against G od, for o r against His glorification) this difference necessarily evades the notice of the outsider.This new life in the Spirit cannot be seen by those who are not spiritually reborn (John 3:3).
T h e fact th at th e new b irth is a spiritual one, and the kingdom of G od a sp iritual kingdom does not imply th a t a difference will not be observed.E ating and drin kin g to the glory of G od is still eating b u t definitely (spiritually) different from the same act done to the glory of some other party.We should not look for the differences in the food, the preparation, utensils or eating habits (Luke 17:20-21).T h e fart th a t a C hristian says grace before having his meal is not the only contributory factor to this real difference.
Africans need to see this spiritual difference more clearly, viz. the antithesis betw een w hat the C hristian .and the pagan does.It is a mistaken idea th a t there is nothing very concrete ab ou t spiritual rebirth.W hat is spiritual is not m aterial or concrete b u t just as real as som ething capable of being weighed, seen or measured.
People perform all kinds of ordinary and concrete hum an things when they are Christians, b u t the real difference lies in the fact th at their activities are done for C hrist's sake, out of love for God.This is why C hrist said th at our faith should be like salt or leaven.H ow ever small or insignificant, the salt and leaven change the whole substance w ith w hich they are mixed.It is this ferm entation through our faith in all areas of life th a t the African has to experience, and then not only the African!R e ly in g on G o d 's g ra c e i n s te a d o f d e p e n d in g o n v ita l fo re » W hen discussing the African view of life it is im portant to pay attention to the central idea of vital force.T h e m ain aim for the Black m an, according to authorities, is to be richly filled with this mysterious vital force.It is of the utm ost im portance to fit into his appro priate place in this hierachy of forces.Linked to this is th e idea of a lim ited cosmic good: the vital force is not available to all to the same extent.
I can n o t discuss all the consequences o f this idea now.T h e m ain point is th at the Gospel has a different, liberating message to the A frican craving for vital power.T h e W ord of God tells us o f retd pow er through th e Holy Spirit, unlim ited power.T h e power of th e Spirit is not bestowed according to a certain position in a cosmic hierachy, b u t abundantly in each and everyone who firmly believes in G od, in Salvation in C hrist and who prays to be filled with the power o f th e Holy Spirit.
W itchcraft, m agic, ancestor worship -so im portant in the life of the African to protect him self against th e evils and perils o f life -are no longer necessary.God is more powerful th a n Satan.H e can also em pow er his children to w ithstand all the powers of darkness and hell.
As is the case w ith the other three principles, so also the principle of sola gratia is most relevant to the African situation.

C o nclusion
I hope th a t you agree th a t C hristianity, especially reformed Christianity, is not foreign to Africa.It is possible to bake an African bread with Calvinist I could have m entioned just as m any unbiblical traits on the W hite side!We shall apply the norm of the four solas as a test to the traditional African viewpoint.(O f course "African view point" is a gross generalization!) * W orshipping a personal G od alone instead o f using absent divinities * O bedience to G od's W ord alone instead o f a d ap tin g to traditional religion * Living by faith in G od alone instead o f resorting to m aterialism * Relying on G od's grace alone instead o f depending on vital force.Let us glance at each one o f these propositions.W o rsh ip p in g a p e rs o n a l G od in s te a d o f u s in g a b s e n t d iv in itie s A ccording to th e R eform ed view of life founded on the Bible, G od created m an in a personal, responsible relationship to Himself.H e is o u r Father; He becam e flesh in Jesus C hrist; His Holy Spirit dwells in th e hearts of His children; H e governs an d sustains the whole universe from m om ent to m om ent -not a single h air will be lost w ithout His will.God is not a distant being: a person on holiday six days o f the week an d only present on Sundays in the gath ering o f th e ch u rch members.
O u r second point of comparison: O b e d ie n d e to G od's w o rd a lo n e In s te a d o f a d a p tin g to tra d itio n o a l re lig io n A few prom inent features o f African thought are the fact th at African society is strongly bound by heritage, that there is great emphasis on the social dim ension of life as well as an a u th o ritarian orientation.Lack of space does not allow me to go into the details.I am only m entioning these characteristics of th e traditional African cosmoscope as contributing factors to the w idespread phenom enon of syncretism am ongst Black Christians.Because society, the auth o rity of the elders an d trad itio n have such a strong grip on the African C hristian, he finds it extrem ely difficult to keep a distance betw een him self and his past.T h e thousands of sects am ong Black C hristians in South Africa give am ple evidence o f how easily our Black brothers and sisters revert back to a traditional Black religion.
is not necessary for me to say th at a m ere formal recognition of the Schriptures bears no fruit.Everyone of us -not only th e m inister -has to study th e Bible day a n d night in ord er to u n derstand w hat G od's claims are.I repeat: syncretism is T H E d an g er to the churches in Africa, because it is a heresy from within th e churches.It develops mostly w here the Gospel is not understood and experienced.T he third point o f com parison: L iving b y f a ith in G od alo n e in s te a d o f re s o rtin g to m a te r ia lis m