Why is it important that more Christian authors in your country write and get published? Babatomiwa Moses Owojaiye of Nigeria responded in this article for the LittWorld 2012 Writing Contest:
In his 2011 convocation address, the President of Asbury Theological Seminary, Professor Timothy Tennent, said to his largely American audience that, “in the 19th century, God commanded us to Christianize Africa. In the 21st century, He may well be calling us to Africanize Christianity.” In a similar vein, Professor Andrew Walls predicted that “it is inevitable that the religio-cultural transformation of the 20th century will place Africans and Asians more and more in positions of leadership in world Christianity.”
If Nigeria as widely recognized by observers of African Christianity, is a major block in
world Christianity; the question then arises: what will the church in Nigeria contribute to the growth of the wider church? I believe God’s decision to shift the center of numeric gravity of the contemporary world Christianity to the global south is not a call to competition, rather it’s a call to a higher ministry. According to Walls, “that Africa will bring gifts to the church is widely recognized, and many see those gifts as including a zeal for Christ, unembarrassed witness to him, energy and delight in worship, and fervency in prayer, all of which will bless the wider church.” Walls however adds that Africa must bring intellectual and theological leadership to the wider church too.
One significant way to contribute is to be intentional in writing and publishing. According to Tennent, the new development in world Christianity “cannot be approached by a “business-as-usual approach”; it cannot be approached by a “pastor-as-comfortable-career-option approach; it also cannot be approached by a, “I’m going to spend my time preoccupied with my salary, my pension plan and parsonage” mentality; neither can it be approached by a “climb the denominational ladder” strategy.” It is a call to the ministry of quality writing and publishing by all stakeholders within our faith community!
Learn how you can submit articles and win cash in the LittWorld 2012 writing contest, “Blogging for Global Impact.”
Image above courtesy of Salvatore Vuono, freedigitalphotos.net
