The contribution of Africa to Christianity.

challenge with many of our people is the belief that Christianity is a white man’s religion brought to Africa by European colonialists. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Sadly, many of us Black Africans just accepted what the colonialists taught us without making our independent findings about faith.

Take a country like Nigeria, for example. Do you think it is a coincidence or chance event that Catholics dominate in the Southeast, Anglicans in the Southwest, Methodists in the South-South, and Baptist-style African independent churches are prevalent amongst Northern Christians?

Of course not. Documents, which are now public records, exist in the British Library, proving that the British apportioned different denominations to different parts of Nigeria so that the people would not be united in religious dogma to maintain their rule.

Every religious denomination of Christendom had to apply to the colonial office for a charter before they could operate in Nigeria.

That you are a Roman Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, or other denomination of Christendom has more to do with an English colonial clerical officer’s decision than your ancestors’ conscious choices.

Let me give you a specific example which should resonate with many Nigerians.

Mary Slessor did not choose to come to Nigeria. Instead, she applied to the Foreign Mission Board of the United Presbyterian Church, which had a charter from the colonial office. And after her application, she was ASSIGNED to the Calabar region, which was in the charter areas covered by the United Presbyterian Church.

The truth Is that while the Europeans may have brought Catholicism, Anglicanism, Lutheranism, Presbyterianism, Pentecostalism, and other isms and schisms to Africa, they did not introduce Christianity to Africa.

Africa heavily influenced both Judaism and its offshoot, Christianity.

Judaism was founded in Africa by Moses. But beyond that, Moses was himself influenced by a Black African.

In fact, Moses was married to a Black African-Numbers 12:1. And she was the one who taught him to practice circumcision, which saved Moses’ life-Exodus 4:24-25.

Her Black African father was Moses’ mentor. In fact, Scripture says, “Moses listened to his father-in-law and did EVERYTHING he said.”-Exodus 18:24.

And the Burning Bush experience that Moses had with God’s angel occurred in Black Africa. You read this in the whole chapter of Exodus 3.

The very first place mentioned in Scripture is Africa-Genesis 2:13. And Black African kings were protecting Israel. You see that in 2 Kings 19:9.

And not just protecting, but Black Africans were advising the kings of Israel on religion and government. You see that in Jeremiah 38:7-13.

On Christianity, the Ethiopian eunuch of Acts 8:26-39 was most likely responsible for bringing Christianity to Africa. He would have been followed by Mark the Evangelist, who founded the Coptic Church in present-day Egypt. And that is why the Ethiopian and the Egyptian Coptic Churches are older than ANY European church, including the Roman Catholic Church.

The Ethiopian church 800 old. There are far older churches and relics in Lalibela and Axumi

Yet, some Black Africans have been deceived into believing that the first church on Earth is the Catholic Church. Meanwhile, Paul wrote letters to several churches mentioned in Scripture at least 50 years, maybe more, before the Catholic Church claims they were founded in the 1st Century AD.

And it is for the same reason that Black Africans believe the propaganda that Peter was the first Pope of the Catholic Church, when in fact, there is no scriptural, historical or archaeological evidence that Peter ever visited Rome. The spin is based ENTIRELY on the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church.

Might I remind you that until 1822, the official policy of this same Roman Catholic Church was that the sun revolves around the Earth? A claim that Galileo disproved in 1610 and was denounced as a heretic by the Roman Catholic Church.

Sadly, we Black Africans confuse The Way of Yeshua with the political Christianity called Christendom, which originated in Rome and Europe and was brought to Africa as a tool to politically dominate and economically exploit us.