New directions for the Church in South Africa?
At a recent academic conference of theological societies in Stellenbosch that I attended, a number of findings emerged that deserve some thought. The most striking was the fact that Christianity in South Africa is rapidly going Pentecostal, whether in its European-North American or African Initiated Church forms.
Recent statistics bear this out. Although the percentage of Pentecostals actually declined between 1996 and 2001, Pentecostal styles of worship have moved into the mainstream Protestant churches dramatically, both in terms of worship and in theology. The African Initiated Churches (AICs) have dramatically increased at the same time – from 26.3% in 1996 to 32.6% in 2001, and by all accounts they are still growing.
The Catholic Church, despite increased numbers, has declined: from 8.3% of the population (11% of Christians) to 7.1% (8.9% of Christians). The Zion Christ Church (ZCC) – the largest single church in South Africa – has roughly two million more members than us.
The Stellenbosch conference highlighted this seismic shift towards Pentecostalism-Independent forms of Christianity. Some scholars expressed uneasiness about aspects of this development, notably the way in which many of these churches express a fundamentalist form of theology based on a literal reading of the Bible. The danger here, stressed one speaker Dr Sarogini Nadar of University of KwaZulu Natal, is that literal readings of the Bible may well enforce harmful social practices: an abused wife, for example, may be brow-beaten into accepting her husband’s ill-treatment as a ‘command of God’ rather than taking action to protect herself from further abuse.
Why is this form of religion so popular? , many asked. Although there are no exact answers, there seem be some common themes that emerge. The first is that it appeals to emotion in an immediate way that many ‘mainstream’ churches seem not to address. The second is the way in which, for good and ill, the new churches seem to address the whole person – spiritually, socially, culturally. Many offer social networks, often based on age groups and professional interests.
Another theme is the question of healing. Whether in the more ‘western’ Pentecostal tradition or in the AICs, spiritual healing is a critical factor. In a world where one often feels powerless against social and economic forces beyond one’s control it is easy to see evil forces at work. Many are envious of the success of neighbours – in many cases this is read as witchcraft, whether used to succeed or used against the less successful. The rise or resurgence of chronic illnesses like AIDS or tuberculosis adds to this. Spiritual healing can be seen as a kind of religious counter-attack against what makes ordinary people feel powerless.
Finally, the decline in the numbers of clergy in mainstream denominations contributes to this development. As many parishes, particularly in rural areas, find themselves without fulltime pastors, people turn for spiritual nourishment to those churches that are there. We should not forget that denominationalism – the power of particular churches’ sense of identity and distinctness – is to a large degree a European issue, a throwback to the Reformation that has little meaning to the peoples of Africa.
I came away from this conference challenged, uncertain how we as church can move forward. I am still puzzled. I offer you these thoughts for your pondering.
Anthony Egan SJ
