The East African Revival is over; however reading Bowe’s analysis in our previous post is very sobering. On almost every issue that Bowen raises, we have to ask ourselves if we are repeating the same mistakes.
The pattern of acquiescence with evil has continued as the clergy support many evil actions of the Kagame regime. Cantrell Phillip in his article, “We Were a Chosen People”: The East African Revival and Its Return to Post-Genocide Rwanda writes:
The leadership of the Anglican Church is largely comprised of Tutsi returnees. Its leaders accept and endorse a misleading portrayal of Rwanda’s history, a history endorsed by the ruling party which serves to mask ethnic divisions in the past and social tensions in the present. The church, at times, even builds upon some of the traditions of the Tutsi monarchy.
Rwandan Author and International Development Professor, David Himbara argued that the real reason why Kagame is closing 700 Rwandan Pentecostal churches is not hygiene but fear of words and thoughts:
Kagame tightly controls the media, political parties, and civil society at large. The churches constituted the last open space. Kagame knows this. The localized community of churches offered a slight space for daring to imagine and talk about change. What mattered most was that these churches were willing to open their doors to the hurting and to the broken within their communities. The churchgoers sang and praised God who they believe will set things rights.
In Uganda, the situation is similar to that in Rwanda, if not worse. Most of the Church has become an extension of the rich, and powerful. Certain Pentecostal churches whose pastors participate in Inter-religious forums are close to the President or are generally sympathetic to the NRM government have gained much in prestige and contributions by their parishioners, but the gospel being preached has been greatly watered down because of this hypocrisy. This creates divisions and hatred from the general public.
The British Curse?
When Uganda began independent self-rule, one author said that the British left behind a curse that Ugandans would never make it without them. If that is true, then it’s not a coincidence that traditional rituals in the church led to the appearance and power of communists, and the subsequent tragedies that have engulfed that beautiful nation. Today it’s among the most corrupt and poorest nations on earth.
The spiritual condition of the church determines the economic, political, and social condition in the nation in which that church exists. So why would it seem strange if a country has all these problems yet leaders many of whom call themselves Christians, also believe in African traditional witchcraft? Is this the reason why the Church doesn’t transform the nation?
For example, President Museveni’s wife and daughter are Born Again Christians.. Is the daughter who is a pastor condoning her father’s actions? Well, I don’t know; salvation is a personal experience. It is a matter of the heart, not of the head and it is a love relationship that spills over into everything you say and do. Jesus says, “You will fully know or recognize people them by their fruits” (see Matthew 7:16-20). He also says,
I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and how greatly and sorely I am urged on (impelled, constrained) until it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I have come to give peace upon earth? No, I say to you, but rather division; For from now on in one house there will be five divided [among themselves], three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law (Luke 12:50-53 AMP).
The Consequences of Idolatry
In churches everywhere, there are large numbers of people in pain. Several of us have suffered unspeakable abuse in childhood, others were betrayed and rejected and others rendered powerless and unable to establish themselves in their world. It is inevitable that the gospel will be modified. The people will then be affirmed in their assumptions and left unchallenged. The structures which they have set up to protect themselves from inner conflict and pain will remain, and so the option for healing will be consciously or unconsciously rejected. The consequences of this idolatry are to be seen all around, particularly in the lack of impact that the church has on society.
If this idolatry is going to be removed from the church this will have to be addressed. There is, of course, a fear of rocking the boat, a fear of persecution. How can one move out when one is desperately trying to ease the pain inside? How can one take risks of upsetting people when so many of us are already hurting and when we are also so insecure in ourselves? For the traditionalists like it was in Uganda and Rwanda, the fight was to retain what is familiar, to feel comfortable in the surroundings, and in the form of worship that never changes.
When we turn to the national scene, we see that the idolatry of the church has had devastating consequences throughout the centuries and allowed the spread of evil held in check to erupt when the conditions are right. John Dawson in his book Taking Our Cities for God has this to say:
In human history, it is easy to see the enemy coming in like flood and the Lord raising up a standard against him. In a global sense, each generation faces Satan in the form of the spirit of antichrist or communism. This is the spirit of those puppets who have the ambition to rule the world. A praying church should face this spirit and drive it off long before we find ourselves in a world at war. Physical violence, whether in families or nations represents an encroachment of spiritual violence into the material realm. The spirit of world domination can emerge only when the saints have lost their vigilance or when the international church has become severely divided over some issue.
If one looks at the history of the East African Revival Fellowship in Uganda or Rwanda prior to 1970 and 1990 respectively, one can see how it had fallen into idolatry and “lost its vigilance” as Dawson eloquently put it.
Uganda and Rwanda’s clergymen are treading a very dangerous political path by closing their eyes to the injustice in exchange for the right to live. When the German professor William Hermanns asked Albert Einstein whether “it isn’t only human to move along the line of least resistance” during the dark period of the Holocaust, Einstein responded:
Yes….It is indeed human….Since when can one make a pact with Christ and the devil at the same time? The moment I hear the word “religion”, my hair stands on end. The Church has always sold itself to those in power, and agreed to any bargain in return for immunity. It would have been fine if the spirit of religion had guided the Church; instead, the Church determined the spirit of religion. Churchmen throughout the ages have fought political and institutional corruption very little, so long as their own sanctity and church property were preserved.
Final Thoughts
The aim of every Communist state is to replace God and to conquer the whole world. For this, no one and nothing will be spared. In each country they will try to get a selected part of the population on their side, making all kinds of promises. It is a tactic that was propagated by the then Chinese premier, Chou En-lai, many years ago. He said,
If you want to destroy someone but you are unable to get near him, then you must befriend him. Once you are his friend, you can embrace him and stick a knife in his back.
That method is still being practiced today. A friendship is formed with a certain number of people, not because they particularly love them or want to help them but to use them for their own purposes. As soon as the Communists have the power in hand, they turn against their former allies. Overnight their friends become enemies. There is only one way of breaking the Communist power: “And this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith” (1 John 5:4).
Our faith in Jesus Christ, as the Redeemer of the world, and our dedication to Him must be greater than the dedication of the Communists to their ideology. We must regain that living, vibrant faith if we are to endure the battle against an enemy that seeks to destroy us.
Before we rush to embrace the East African Revival, it is wise to ask what its legacy is in the world outside of church meetings, in the practical day-to-day of political life and society.
The human race is both selfish and stupid, and every time a clock ticks somebody dies to prove it! If that makes us angry, so it should. God is angry too. The proper prayer response is to be penitent for our own part in the world’s injustice and to ask God to help us discover what we can do to help those who suffer.
The voice of God to nations today comes through the whole body of the church. The church’s existence, way of life, and principles of service should be a constant challenge to the ways of the nations. When a church ceases to bring God’s redemptive vision to a nation, calamity is near, which is why the church must be prophetic.
In Africa, this has been a period of enthusiastic church building-a response to local needs and concerns. As we’ve examined, neither has the Church been immune from the general social disintegration. Corruption, idolatry, witchcraft, personal rivalries, ethnic conflicts have all been present in the Church as well.
Many of the weaknesses which the East African Revival Fellowship first encountered in the 1930s still persist within the Church. The Church has been susceptible to the erosion of moral standards and integrity as has the rest of society. In this situation, there is surely a need again for a revival of the Church and a great awakening in society.
The difference between revival and a great awakening is that the former affects only the Church, reviving and empowering it; a great awakening is more than revival-it impacts culture, politics, secular institutions, the world, government, and society outside the Church.
We must pray for revival, yes; but what is needed at the present time, is something that will affect the entire world, especially the African nations. I am afraid that no movement of the Holy Spirit has done that for a long time.
