NEWS FOR END OF SEPTEMBER 2009
Dear all,
The availability of power is increasingly unpredictable at Kima, I write after having cycled 16 miles (there and back) the other day to use my computer, only to find that the power was off.
Prayer valued as an orphan child has come to my home determined to stay with me, without being brought by her relatives, some of whom are far away. I need to visit some relatives and hope that they will take her back.
The rain situation has recently changed, and we are currently experiencing deluges. Everyone is hoping that the rain will continue for a while so as we can have a good crop for the short-rains.
Tim Reeves of Norwich Central Baptist Church is looking into producing material that bring toay's mission issues in Africa into reach of the normal church goer! Please contact me if you would like to communicate with him.
One thing that has arisen in the course of discussion is the prevelance of and harm caused by 'envy' in thee communities. Is it helpful to empower envy by telling people more and more things that they should have, in the name of God, we are asking ourselves?
Best wishes,
Jim
PS: The quote below is from Christianity Today:
I am glad that people are realising this: that fear of witchcraft is one of the powerhouses of the African church. Working with the church in Africa, one is under constant pressure to be active against witches.
But, beyond inadequate public health measures, there is another reason the church hasn't stamped out fear of sorcery. Church growth is directly linked to that fear. People seek protection from witches and thus help fuel the unprecedented growth of Christianity in Africa. Many, from top government officials to the lowest in society, join neo-Pentecostal churches because of their emphasis on deliverance and protection. The proliferation of this ministry has caused even classical Pentecostals and others in Africa to reconsider their orthodox beliefs and practices.
African scholar Aylward Shorter writes that belief in witchcraft is so pervasive that "at the popular level the African believer is often more engrossed in the identification of human sources of evil, and in counteracting them, than in the acknowledgement and worship of superior forces of good." As a result, witch finding is an important part of social life.