African Culture and Christianity

I had the privilege of doing a common course in Law and one of the core things I learned is that the law is made for man and man is not made for the law. This fundamental principle means that the law is made to serve man and correct a wrong that is for the good of society. Any piece of law that fails to serve this purpose is either repealed or abolished. 

I am a Luo from Western Kenya and we have a strong attachment to our culture and customs. When speaking to my people about living a holistic Christian life, I am always met with objection regarding observing our customs. The argument always is that Christ came to fulfill the law and not to abolish it. To them this text of scripture allows them to observe the tenets of our culture and still be Christians. This is a product of misrepresentation of the gospel by the missionaries who did not take time to understand our culture. Africans ended up becoming Christians because of the goodies that was associated with it rather than its true essence. I do not have a problem with the whole of Luo culture but the few which involves rituals, slaughter of animals and engaging in sex as a cleansing ritual. these culture was made for us, and it is good to the extend which it serves us.

In this regard I always refer to the book of Ruth where this Moabite widow decided to go and worship the God of her mother in law and forgot all about Moab. She ended up inheriting an inheritance that all Israelite women would desire; being a grandmother of Christ. The word of God (James 1:8) says that a double minded person is unstable in all his ways. Christianity is about living life in its abundance and having the freedom that the friendship with Jesus brings. The law is burdensome and image oriented where as a relationship is all about Love which is basis of Christianity.

To my people it may be our customs; to you it may be a way of life that you still cling on to even after accepting Christ just because that is how you have been doing it.  The next four weeks I will be sharing on the gems in the soap opera ‘Ruth in Bethlehem.’

© 19th April, 2011: kenyatta otieno