Deliverance Ministry in an African Cultural Perspective, by Jim Harries
Further reading
From PneumaFoundation.org: “Understandings of Pneuma in East Africa, that point to the Importance of ‘Vulnerable Mission’ Practices from the West” by Jim Harries. Encouraging Western missionaries to carry out ministry in non-Western contexts using the languages and resources of the host culture. http://pneumafoundation.org/resources/articles/JHarries-VulnerableMission.pdf
Isaac Phiri, “Saving Witches in Kolwezi: Accused of witchcraft by parents and churches, children in the Democratic Republic of Congo are being rescued by Christian activists” Christianity Today (Sept 2009). Available online: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/september/27.62.html
Sunday Agang, “Who’s Afraid of Witches?: Among African Christians, too many of us are” ChristianityTodayOnline: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/septemberweb-only/137-21.0.html
Endnotes
1 I have noted this in Harries (2007:233). It has been striking to me how frequently when some evil arises in the communities with which I am familiar in Western Kenya, a neighbour or other local person is considered to be responsible. For example should a thief break in to someone’s house, few will suspect him or her to have come from a distance. They will immediately suspect a close neighbour, even though that neighbour is likely to be a relative.
2 This has been carefully articulated in relation to Nigeria in a Dispatches special shown on channel 4 on November 12th 2008. This gives instance after instance of children being physically abused in the course of attempts to drive witchcraft from them. All this is considered to have been inspired particularly by Helen Ukpabio’s film entitled ‘End of the Wicked’ (nd). The blame for such abuses of children is often laid at the feet of Christian pastors. Phiri reports on children in Congo being accused of being witches (2009).
3 There are many issues with this kind of ‘reporting’ of the African context. Not least, questions of what terms to use in English to refer to things that are African such as ‘witchcraft’. Sometimes an English term could be used that could seem to be inappropriate in certain African uses of English. Many ‘differences’ between African and Western ways of life that are visible to Westerners may not be easily visible to Africans, but does that mean that they are not there? Sometimes the multitude of such questions can have scholars minimise or even pretend to do away with differences that are very real.
4 Pentecostal (2006) reports this for the UK. The phenomenal growth of Pentecostalism is being increasingly recognized throughout the world.
5 Maranz explains that in Africa “a disinterested friendship is something without sense” (2001:65). Maranz goes so far as to say apart from their resources, Westerners “lack most other qualifications for meaningful relationships” (2001:9).
6 Many factors contribute to donor’s funds encouraging corruption. For details see Harries (2009).
References Cited
Anderson, Neil T., Zuehlke, Terry E., and Zuehlke, Julianne S., 2000. Christ Centred Therapy: the practical integration of theology and therapy. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan.
Blunt, Robert, 2004, ‘Satan is an imitator: Kenya’s recent cosmology of corruption.’ 294-328 In: Weiss, Brad, (ed.) 2004, Producing African Futures: ritual and reproduction in a new liberal age. Leiden. Boston: Brill.
Burnard, Clive, 2001. ‘Deliverance: a vital ministry for the church today.’ Master of Theology dissertation. Spurgeon’s College, University of Wales. July 2001.
Gifford, Paul, 1992, ‘Reinhard Bonnke’s Mission to Africa, and his 1991, Nairobi Crusade.’ 157-182 In: Gifford, Paul, (ed.) New Dimensions in African Christianity. Nairobi: All African Conference of Churches.
Category: Ministry, Pneuma Review, Winter 2011
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