earning to share with Animists by Robert. cavert and david r. crane \ I \] \ equip Study 4: I was recenty paying gof with a we-educated American friend. Just after he peaded with his ucky tee and begged his gof ba to hep him hit we, he admitted with chagrin, I ony tend toward animism on gof course! His comment was in jest, but it refects how much animism has infuenced Western word, where many think of it as a Third Word reigion for iiterates or backwards triba peopes. From science fiction movies to Harry Potter to astroogy to ceebrities touting ir new-found reigions, Westerners are awash in beiefs that are animism, pure and simpe, abeit packaged with Hoywood rhetoric and eaborate marketing schemes. Animistic beiefs permeate entire word, often mixed with or beief systems. Modern Christians, who hod to Bibe as God s fina authority, hoy and inerrant, must speak to se issues. Dr. Robert L. Cavert is a career missionary with IMB who ministered with Maasai tribe in East Africa for more than 20 years. He has frequenty taught at Kenya Baptist Theoogica Seminary. He has served in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. He is currenty serving as Engaging Team Leader in South Sudan and South Chad. David R. Crane is a career missionary with IMB who ministered with Maasai tribe in East Africa for more than 11 years. He has frequenty taught at Kenya Baptist Theoogica Seminary. He has traveed East Africa extensivey as we as served in Kenya and Uganda. He is currenty serving as Custer Strategy Leader for South Sudan and South Chad.
Cutura Connections Most credit British anthropoogist Sir Edward Burnett Tyor with use of term animism. 1 The word is derived from Latin anima, meaning breath or breath of ife. He postuated that primitive cutures defined reigion as a beief in spiritua beings. This incuded a beief that non-iving objects have ife, personaity and even sous. Tyor used term animism not as a technica term but more of a descriptive term to distinguish a deep spirituaism from a materiaistic phiosophy. Animism is sometimes referred to as a triba reigion. But non-triba Europeans and Americans empoy aspects of animism in a non-triba fashion. Ors refer to animism as a primitive reigion even though it is quite compicated, incusive and pervasive throughout word. We beieve, however, it is a usefu term for comparing a common wordview to that of Christianity. Many Africans try to ive with duaism of keeping one foot in Christianity and one in ir traditiona beiefs. This duaism is refected by Emeka Onwurah: Most Africans tend to uphod two faiths. They maintain Christian faith when ife is gay and happy, but hod to indigenous faith when fundamentas of ife are at stake. 2 Don t be surprised to see a simiar duaism wherever you go, regardess of professed reigion. Core Beiefs For our purposes we wi treat animism as a reigious system that (1) focuses on beief in spirit word, and (2) is characterized by quest to contro one s ife in ight of spirit word. Yusufu Turaki 3, professor at a Nigerian seminary, identifies basic five phiosophica beiefs of animism: 1. Hoism: The seen is reated to unseen Humans are controed by spiritua forces, wher ancestors, ghosts, spirits, witchcraft and curses or evi eye. Peope in turn seek to appease powers through sacrifices, to access power to cope with evi through ritua and to protect mseves through charms and amuets. Life is mysterious, but a whoe, and whoe seeks baance and harmony. 2. Spirituaism or aw of spirit: Life is interconnected This word is in essence spiritua. Good reations must be maintained with spirits. Each event demands a spiritua expanation and response. One s destiny, we being, ife of individua, can and tribe are determined by aw of spirit. 3. Dynamism: Power is sought to contro ife Life s essentia quest is to secure and use power. The same power can be used for good or bad, but private use of power is usuay associated with evi. The search for power supersedes moras or
ethics. Animists evauate or reigions through grid of power acquisition. A poweress reigion has no vaue. Animists seek to determine by divination which powers and forces are infuencing ir ives. Animists are controed by fear, constanty feeing y are subject to whims of powers outside of ir contro. 4. Communaism: Peope are not independent Animists stress obigations to famiy, can and tribe more than persona iberties. The concept of brorhood is most powerfu principe of socia organization. It demands oyaty, affinity and obigations. Dead ancestors, unborn chidren and nature are considered part of community. One must exercise as much caution not to offend ancestors as he does with iving famiy members or coeagues. Offenses are shared by whoe can. There is no sense of individua responsibiity or guit, because person may be under power of a curse or a capricious spirit. 5. Fataism: Everything that happens is inevitabe Humans are poweress. At birth y are given a destiny. A shaman can hep one discover his destiny. God does not provide protection. One has to find his own protection in order to fufi his destiny. If a tribe fees y have a higher destiny than ir neighbors, y wi ook down on m. An animist wordview, such as African Traditiona Reigion, a term that describes most reigious activity in sub-saharan Africa, recognizes word is under contro of spirits but rejects both authority of God over His creation and idea of human accountabiity. The animist beieves man must secure offices of capricious spirit word to make ife meaningfu and to attain his own sefish desires. The animist views spirit word a around him ike he is engufed in water. Most African Traditiona Reigions are men-centered vs. God-centered. Those who practice m beieve word revoves around m and is to provide for m power, heath and weath. Bibica view of animistic practices The Bibe does not deny spirit word, but maintains God contros universe and is Lord over a aspects of ife in keeping with His hoiness, ove and wi. He intervenes in affairs of man. God wants us to use faith, not ritua, to pease Him (Ephesians 2:8-9; Hebrews 11:6). The bibica view maintains spirits created by God do exist and infuence ife. Some spirits are evi; ors obey God and serve Him and His foowers (Isaiah 6:1-7; Matw 4:11; Hebrews 1:14). African Traditiona Reigion practices that vioate Scripture, such as ido worship, ungody rituas and witchcraft are condemned and futie. A forms are forbidden because y show a ack of faith in and disobedience to One True God.
Barriers to Gospe The animist bames outside sources for sin and death The book of Genesis records that man was created in harmony with Creator God unti man disobeyed and was driven from Garden of Eden to be separated from Hoy God (Genesis 1:26-3:24; Isaiah 59:2). Myths and ora traditions abound in Africa and esewhere about fa of man, but most African stories te of God withdrawing to heaven because man did something wrong rar than God driving man from Garden of Eden. 4 Bibicay speaking, it was through sin of man that a curse was put on a mankind and death entered word. Animists, however, see sin and death in a different ight. Most animistic death stories do not refer to persona sin, but bame outside forces. Among many animists, a share responsibiity incuding famiy and tribe. An animist beieves he is being acted upon by spirits and powers beyond his contro. His greatest fear is witchcraft or a curse. Since he beieves he is a good person abiding by a customs and taboos, he is free from any wrongdoing. If he does break some custom or taboo, he wi visit rituaistic expert to divine who is actuay responsibe. 5 The animist beieves sin is chiefy an offense against one s neighbor, punishabe here and now. 6 The traditiona African animist view is that evi does not come from God or a broken reationship with God, but from a break in reationships with ancestors or with iving. 7 This uncertainty in reationships with se spiritua beings causes animist to be constanty motivated by fear. 8 The animist sees no need for redemption The Aposte Pau points out in book of Romans that through Adam s sin, a have sinned and a die as a resut of that sin (Romans 5:12). Furrmore, because man has sinned against Hoy God, he is hepess (Romans 5:6), a sinner (Romans 5:8) and an enemy against God (Romans 5:10). But animist does not see need to be redeemed from any sin committed against one high God. When sin is committed against or iving humans or ancestors, animist can purchase services of a reigious speciaist, perform a ritua act, use a charm or fetish, or observe taboos to rectify any erring on his behaf. The animist has no need to be redeemed because he desires more than anything to contro his own destiny and to be his own god. 9 The animist is concerned about acquiring power to provide rain for animas or crops, bessing in reationships, success in ife s endeavors, protection from sickness or evi, or just persona aggrandizement. 10 The animist has no need for restoration The Lord Jesus Christ s decaration to Martha, I am resurrection and ife, is crowning statement of victory over death, grave,
he and Satan. Beief in Lord Jesus Christ secures that victory as we as ife everasting, even when one dies physicay (John 11:25-26). The animist, however, does not view time as inear but circuar. 11 There is no distinction between natura and supernatura; death ony changes form or essence of a person. Some Africans beieve death is but a transition. Or African peope consider death a separation of materia body, fesh, from immateria part, spirit or sou which ives on. 12 Animists beieve re is no punishment for those in disharmony with one high God, esser deities or ancestors. They don t beieve re are any rewards for good iving. Most Africans caim God punishes peope and rewards m ony in this ife; re is no hereafter. Bridges to Gospe Phiip M. Steyne in Gods of Power: A Study of Beiefs and Practices of Animists proposes five steps for evangeizing animists. The convert who experiences se steps wi know basis of his beief and not strugge to know what it means to be a discipe (Acts 26:18). 1. They must have ir eyes opened and be brought to an awareness of God Storying Bibe chronoogicay is a great way to open ir eyes. 2. They must reaize two kingdoms are vitay interested in ir response to ife Emphasize distinction between two kingdoms and what s invoved in submitting to eir one. Hep m to understand Gospe can bring rea change. Move m from mistrust of an irresponsibe spirit word to confidence in an eterna, oving and just God. Consider ir motivations for accepting Christ. Recognize that comprehension may not equa conversion. 3. They must decide wher or not to turn from one kingdom to or They must repent of ir sins and confess Jesus as Lord. They shoud understand victory avaiabe in Christ because of His defeat of death and grave. 4. They must consummate decision in an encounter with powers of darkness by turning to God in order to accept savation and forgiveness of sins This is where y pubicy renounce Satan and a demonic activity. A hidden things are exposed. A paraphernaia is destroyed. 5. They must be incorporated into ife of a church Converts from animism must have a sense of beonging to a oca church. They must truy experience body ife. They shoud be ed to participate in a aspects or types of ministry. Steyne adds that Christian message must be contextuaized within individua and within his cutura frame of reference. He must discover a bibica oogy that answers to his wordview. Syncretism wi be minimized if he has made a decision based on a progressive and we-informed instruction.
Concusion Beievers in Lord Jesus Christ today can no onger ignore animists in word around us. Beievers must address ir wordview from a bibica perspective. They must teach a oogy that incudes bibica account of God in history and His persona deaings with mankind on a daiy basis. This oogy must detai His constant ove, provision, heaing and protection for those who have rejected this word and its reigious systems, having paced ir trust in Lord Jesus Christ as ir Savior and Lord. The oogy of spirit word, compete with doctrine of Hoy Spirit, must be taught. This woud incude teaching on spiritua warfare to guard against evi one and his foowers. Understanding wordview of animists wi better equip Christians to bring m to a saving knowedge of Lord. A good understanding of animism wi aso assist beievers in rejecting any animistic practices in ir own faith, wher one is a missionary in an exotic ocae or a duffer on a gof course in United States. Additiona considerations Theoogy and Practice of Mission edited by Bruce Riey Ashford To earn more, read chapter used as a source for this guide Mission to Animists. In book, more than a dozen experienced missionaries, pastors and professors write essays providing a cear bibica/oogica framework for understanding church s mission to nations, incuding in-depth materia on Hindus, Musims, Buddhists, animists and postmoderns: http://www.bhpubishinggroup.com/books/products.asp?p=9780805464122. 1 Edward Burnett Tyor, Primitive Cuture (NY: Bretano s, 1924. 7th edition). London: John Murray, 1871, II, p. 2. In actuaity, 18th-century German physician and chemist Georg Ernst Stah coined word animism to describe his ory that sou is vita principe responsibe for organic deveopment. Since ate 19th century, term has been mainy associated with anthropoogy and British anthropoogist Sir Edward Burnett Tyor. 2 Emeka Onwurah, The Quest, Means, and Reevance of African Christian Theoogy, African Christian Studies, 4, 3 (November 1988): p. 6. 3 Turaki, Yusufu, Foundations of African Traditiona Reigion and Wordview (Nairobi, Kenya: WordAive Pubishers Ltd., 2006) pp. 31-41. 4 Joseph Heaey and Donad Sybertz, Towards an African Narrative Theoogy (Nairobi, Kenya: Pauines Pubications Africa, 1996), p. 63. 5 Phiip M. Steyne, Gods of Power: A Study on Beiefs and Practices of Animists (Coumbia, S.C.: Impact Internationa Foundation, 1990), p. 67. 6 Adeyemo, Tokunboh, Savation in African Tradition (Nairobi, Kenya: Evange Pubishing House, 1979), p. 66. 7 Heaey, p. 218. 8 Steyne, p. 77. 9 Steyne, p. 171. 10 Steyne, pp. 38-39. 11 Rheenen, Gaiyn Van, Communicating Christ in Animistic Contexts, Pasedena, CA: Wiiam Carey Library, 1991, pp. 34-35. 12 Adeyemo, p. 61. Excerpts used by permission, B&H Pubishing Group. Excerpts used by permission, Dr. Phiip Steyne, Gods of Power.