Here’s What No One Told You About Africa’s Ancient Christian History
If you read yesterday’s article, you know that I asked Black churches to consider taking their congregations on group trips to Africa. Today, I want to talk about some of Africa’s ancient Christian history. I’m not a member of any church or denomination, but I hope what we’re about to discuss is helpful to those who are.
So, let’s get into it…
The Truth About Christian History in Africa
One thing that has long bothered me is the way some admonish Black Christians for practicing a faith they maintain is a “White man’s religion”. People say these things because they don’t know any better and they don’t know any better because they haven’t been taught better. Now, I’m no theologian, but I do know a thing or two about the African presence in the Bible. I also know that no White European had a thing to do with creating Christianity, nor were all Africans in the dark about the faith before Europeans began taking Africans captive. I’ve literally heard White and Black Christians argue that slavery was good for Africans because it introduced them to Christ! This is a lie from the pit of hell, but since people don’t know any better, I’m calling upon the church to adopt a Black to Africa mindset and take deliberate steps to correct such misinformation.
Here’s What Black Christians Need to Know
I’d love to hear more Black preachers talk to congregants about how Christianity developed in the Levant Region, an area directly adjacent to Egypt, which, by the way, is in Africa. Egypt is so close that I’ve even heard a few refer to it as though part of the Levant. Perhaps it would help Black congregants better relate to Africa if they were reminded that Mary and Joseph fled from the Levant region to Egypt (Africa!) in order to save their child when King Herod wanted the infant Christ killed.
Black preachers and theologians could also highlight one particularly dutiful African known in the Bible as Simon of Cyrene. If the name isn’t familiar to you, Simon is the man who carried the cross part of the way for the Christ as He was marched toward crucifixion. And, yes, Simon was actually African. See, Cyrene is in Libya and Libya is in the Motherland.
Pastors and ministers could even talk about how some of the oldest Christian churches and texts in the world today exist in Ethiopia. Perhaps they could even speak on how Christianity became the state religion in Ethiopia in 330 AD. Or how Orthodox Ethiopian Christians believe the Ark of the Covenant containing the Ten Commandments is inside Our Lady Mary of Zion Church where it is being heavily guarded 24/7 at this very moment!
They could also teach about the fact that one of the earliest Christian converts discussed in the eighth chapter of Acts was actually a Nubian man. What would all of this African-centered history do for a Black Christian’s self-esteem and pride in her own religion?
Ancient Christian Kingdoms
As far back as the 5th and 6th centuries AD there were Christian kingdoms in Africa, such as Nobadia, Makuria and Alodia, which are around present-day Sudan. In the case of Makuria, some kings were so devoted to the faith that they adopted biblical names such as King Abraham, King Solomon and King David. Which one of these Black African kings have you seen represented in a Black history month celebration at your church?
Pre-Slavery Congo
Giving credit where it’s due, early Europeans did play a role in Christianity’s spread, especially to central Africa. However, this didn’t start with slavery or even colonization. Note that Congo engaged in trade with Portugal before the inception of European slavery and it was at this time that Christianity took root in the central African county. Now, while Portugal eventually started trans-Atlantic slavery and other European countries soon followed, their trading relationship with the central African nation existed before the Portuguese became human traffickers or colonists. In other words, Christianity was adopted in Congo by choice, not by force.
It’s Time to Rebuke the Lies
White Europeans literally manipulated the Christian religion and have fooled many into believing they are central to it. Black people who practice the faith or who may even be critics of the faith don’t seem to know this. Europeans were successful fooling the masses, in part, because of the imagery used to depict the Christ and characters of the Bible. By using lighter skinned, often blonde haired and blue eyed artist renderings, White manipulators were able to position themselves as having a central role in the faith, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Not only does the Bible give a description of the one people call Jesus as having feet like burnt brass and hair like wool, but Paul was also mistaken as an Egyptian (African!) in Acts chapter 21. Throughout the old and new testaments, the Bible is filled with folks who would be labeled “people of color” in today’s parlance. Some of them might even straight up be identified as Black!
For more on the subject, take a look at Jerome Gay, Jr’s book The Whitewashing of Christianity. Or simply head to Google or YouTube and learn a little more about the Black presence in the Bible. This information isn’t well-hidden, it’s just not being searched for or discussed in places where it should be… namely the Black Church! Long before Africans were held in captivity, Christianity was alive and well on the Continent.
Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil
I’m not here to deny that Christianity was, to a large extent, introduced to many of our ancestors through enslavement. Africa is a huge continent after all and Christianity being present in one or two regions doesn’t mean it was available to all. However, none of this negates the fact that the religion was present on the Continent before Europeans were. Neither does it support the portrayal of Christianity as a “White man’s religion”.
Truth is that what those evil people who held our ancestors captive were practicing was not Christianity, but was a bastardization of a Middle-Eastern religion with natural roots that extended to various parts of Africa long before Europeans came along and mucked everything up.
Coming To a Church Near You?
Wouldn’t it be great if all Black churches taught the history of their religion through this vantage point? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they then led their congregations on pilgrimages to places like Ethiopia where some of the oldest churches in the world still remain? Wouldn’t it help adherents in affirming their loyalty to a religion they hold sacred, but have often only seen through a White lens? Wouldn’t it be nice to see Black preachers join the movement to focus on the Motherland? That, my friends, is how we go back to Africa!
Did you know any of this information before today? Does your church regularly teach about the ancient history of Christianity in Africa? Did you learn anything new about Christianity while reading this? Is there something you think I’ve gotten wrong or am mistaken about? This story isn’t complete until you also share what you know in the comments, so thanks for reading and the floor is now yours.