From Lighter Africa -- A Nigerian Report
The ancient custom of killing twin infants at birth is now illegal and the government grants a small financial assistance to parents of twins. Cannibalism is as rare as axe murders in America, because punishment is death by hanging. Many of the most vicious tribal cults are dissolving as their old members die off and the younger men shun their obscenities. Women can now have legal protection against their husbands' polygamy (punishment is five years in prison and a fine of about a years wages). Free primary education is now available to any child. A white man can drive or walk on any bush path in the darkest night without fear of violence or danger. In two years, the most dreadful animals we saw were a small baboon and an alligator — both on their way to the native cooking pots.
In the past one hundred years, the name of Christ and his cross have pushed into most of the corners of Nigeria, from the creed books, catechisms, and clergymen of devoted Europeans of incomplete faith in Christ, whose sacrifices and sufferings are deserving of great admiration. The rise of education and medical services is attributed largely to men who came in the name of Jesus. The morality and standards of the New Testament are no longer unknown. The Old and New Testaments can be brought in the native tongue for the price of two days food.
The incompleteness of this traditional Protestant faith is to be seen so tragically in many ways, however. Among the people, the church is considered an intermediate step to a school, hospital, or maternity clinic. The people have learned how to wear the appearances of spirituality to obtain the material benefits of the white men. The missions have fostered a view of the gospel which is centered in social services, with the spiritual powers, spiritual values and spiritual duties being peripheral. The village church is secondary to the village school — in finance, in influence, and in the hearts of the villagers. The common understanding prevails that "To become a Christian," a Nigerian must be educated in a mission school, know how to wear western clothes, speak English, take his illnesses to a white doctor instead of the native sorcerer, and attend church occasionally. To be able to do these means he is no longer a Pagan but now a "Christian." The meaning of faith, sacrifice, repentance, self denial, discipleship, baptism, consecration — These are just words to the average "Mission Christian." The offer of a school teacher's salary is sufficient to "Convert" most any "Steadfast member" to some new "Mission."
It was into this "Missionized Christendom" that the New Testament church was introduced about ten years ago. My family and I have just returned from two years of watching the power of God working in this country of Nigeria, which is now in the labor pains of a nation's birth. We were daily refreshed by the liberal financial and prayerful backing of brethren at home who couldn't go, and by the warm and reliable companionship of our brethren on the field — as perfect a relation among preacher brethren as I have ever seen.
In this two years we have had a part in training young Nigerian men to preach to their own people. This has been done in several ways: A two year training program of full time study, three month training classes conducted among the churches, three month advanced courses for those who want to progress in study.
Appointments were made for preaching and teaching the churches, some times by weekly classes sometimes in Sunday meetings. Often we gathered a crowd together in a market or at a road junction or in a chief's compound to preach the New Testament message. With some three hundred churches in a radius of fifty miles, there is never any end of the need to visit these weak brethren to teach and encourage them. The only reason for not going more is physical exhaustion.
We try to always keep our eyes to the horizon, for West Africa is two thousand miles long and one thousand miles wide. During the last two years, I had a personal part in starting three groups of baptized believers in a new region, the British Cameroons (from where we live it is forty five minutes by plane or three days by automobile). Three of the two-year-trained evangelists are now working among these new churches and have recently planted a new congregation. J. W. Nicks and J. L. Finney have launched a new training and evangelistic work in Ibo country, the adjacent language group to our work among the Efik-speaking people. Two weeks after we left, Leonard Johnson and Sewell Hall went on preaching trips into virgin territory two hundred miles to the north and two hundred miles to the west respectively.
A correspondence course is growing rapidly, both in English and in Efik languages. This was launched by June Hobbs as a part of her work in Nigeria, and is now being carried on by Caneta Hall, assisted by several Nigerian students and evangelists.
We have also maintained as steady a program of printed preaching as money allows. Thirty thousand tracts on polygamy (in English, Efik and Ibo), twenty six thousand tracts on the identity of the New Testament church, and several thousand others of various titles have been printed. Many more thousands have been mimeographed. Reprints of gospel press ads are planned. Paid advertisements in the booming Nigerian public newspapers are being planned as soon as money is available.
Despite all the usual personal reasons for staying home (four growing children, aging parents, etc.) we feel so keenly the thrill and challenge of this work that we plan to return for another term about the end of this year. For the next several weeks I shall be visiting many of the churches who have shown interest in this work. Tenth and Francis church in Oklahoma City is continuing their fellowship in the coming two years, by providing our family living expenses.
I will be more than willing to supply full information to any preachers who are interested in going to share this rich work. My wife can alleviate most of the fears that women usually have when contemplating life in Africa. I will be ready at any time to provide full details to elders who contemplate adding more "great commission work" to the program of the church. Colored slides can be shown to any church wanting to see the people and country for themselves. There are also several sets of slides available with explanatory narrative, which can be used in Sunday School or Young People's Classes to build the Missionary spirit into the children of faith. A monthly newsletter is available without charge to anyone who wishes to keep up with the progress of the Nigerian work, For any of these services feel free to call on me. Write me in care of Tenth and Francis Church of Christ, Oklahoma, City, Okla. Pray for reapers.