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Ecumenism in Nigerian Context: Any Way Forward?

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Ecumenism in Nigerian Context: Any Way Forward? Anokwulu: Ecumenism in Nigeria Context: Any Way Forward? ECUMENISM IN NIGERIAN CONTEXT: ANY WAY FORWARD? Sebastian C. Anokwulu Department of Theology, Blessed Iwene Tansi Major Seminary Onitsha, Nigeria. Email: [email protected] Abstract Many challenges face the realization of Christian unity among Nigerian churches, just like other places in the world. But peculiar ecumenical challenges face Nigeria; like so many churches are without history-line, many theologically untrained clerics own churches, lack of common ecumenical forum to understand one another’s confession of faith, virulent verbal antagonism against one another’s faith, uniting bodies like CAN or CCN are highly politicized, trained experts in ecumenical issues are not given opportunity to help in leadership positions, etc. In the face of these challenges, one questions if true practice of Ecumenism is possible in Nigeria. Through a survey of Nigerian ecumenical history, the paper presents the backgrounds of ecumenical challenges in the first part. Then, using analytical principles, the succeeding chapter examines the openness of Nigerian clerics and faithful to Ecumenism. In the remaining chapters, the paper uses critical tools to present Ecumenical paradigms both from the Catholic and Protestant fronts for Nigerians to follow. In the end, the paper evidently shows that seed of true Ecumenism has been sown in Nigeria with new consciousness and trained experts getting involved in the discussion of the matter. As the work of the Holy Spirit, there is already a ray of light seen at the end of the tunnel for Nigerian Ecumenism. Thus, the paper recommends that Nigerian churches should be converted from confessionalism to have one Christian identity; should be open to listen and dialogue with one another; should be involved in healing of past memories and reducing the ecclesiological issues that divide them and finally be ready to bear common witness to Christ among non-Christians. Introduction As a little boy learning Catechism to receive Holy Communion, I was taught that I should not read any book that is not Catholic. I held on to this view since childhood till I went for further studies abroad. I am not sure that anybody still teaches that Catechism of Trent in the Catholic Church now, but no one has explicitly made effort to remove the sticking old voices of the past in the minds and hearts of the faithful. This is a Catholic experience. Other faith denominations have similar infused biases into their young ones as they grow up. Theological Truths remain the same throughout the ages, like God is the Creator of everything, Jesus saved the world through His blood, and the Holy Spirit is the Mighty Counsellor. These never change. But the way these theological truths are passed on or communicated to people of different age brackets, language, culture and period may change according to their givens. The Holy Spirit is at work in the Church in the past two centuries breaking barriers and bringing back the scattered children of Babel with the divine flame of Pentecost. Using institutional authorities of the Second Vatican Council (for Roman Catholics) and (World Council of Churches) for other churches, the Holy Spirit is 59 Ministerium – Journal of Contextual Theology Vol. 2 No. 1 (2016) 59-72 bringing the need for unity of Christian to the attention of everybody, that it is no longer an option for anyone who is asked like Cain ‘where is your brother?’ to reply, ‘I do not know, am I my brother’s keeper?’ It is imperative to look for your brother or sister. The Ecumenical movement is set to achieve this purpose. Thus, in this paper we shall survey the practice of Ecumenism in Nigeria from its background to the present situation, highlighting the challenges, past and present ecumenical efforts and the ecumenical openness among the clergy. This leads us to recapture the ecumenical Principles that should guide every meaningful ecumenism for the churches. Then, we shall present a recommendation for the churches on what proper Ecclesial Identity should be following the thoughts of Groupes des Dombes. Lastly, we shall give our final thoughts on the Nigerian ecumenical efforts. 1. Practising Ecumenism in Nigeria – Survey of Churches’ Effort 1.1 Going Back to the Roots of Churches’ Rivalry in Nigeria When the Missionaries arrived in Nigeria, they found it a non-individualistic society, a common feature in Africa. They found a people so strongly tied in a communal bond that went beyond the present generation to their primogenitors and progenies. A society, as S. Thorpe described it, where …every member of the society is closely linked with the community. This creates a chain which binds each person horizontally to the other members of the tribe, and vertically to both the deceased ancestors and coming generations. Individuals cannot exist alone. They are because they belong. Surely, before the Colonial Masters and the Missionaries arrived in Nigeria, the natives were a community-conscious-people, structurally disposed to dialogue and rich with varieties of groups that gave the native environment its lustre and attractiveness. These three binding qualities (community consciousness, dialogue and variety) have never been sources of division and rivalry in the native Nigerian society but markers of togetherness and unity. Then came colonial Westernization and missionary Christianisation. Without disregarding the positive effects of contacts with the West (formal education, medical equipment and facilities, civilization and infrastructures, etc), the slave trade, inter-family feuds and tribal wars generated in the originally peaceful community (as the Colonial Masters pursued their economic and Political interests) are the main sources of division and rivalry in what they handed over as part of our structure and institutions.We inherited division as part of British legacy. Likewise, the Missionaries will ever be remembered for their positive impact in Nigerian civil and religious settings – the Light of the Gospel and the faith, the Christian morals and values and most importantly, education. Unfortunately, as they sowed these good seeds, the bad seeds of rivalry and division they carried from their 60 Anokwulu: Ecumenism in Nigeria Context: Any Way Forward? mother Churches sprouted alongside as weeds. Each group struggled “for mission space, acceptance and converts…These missionary groups used schools and hospitals to lure the Igbo to their individual denominations.” Hence, from the beginning, the Gospel message was received in the Nigerian context with unhealthy spirit of rivalry and competition. Thus, when the Missionaries were planting Christianity in Nigeria, the seed was already infected with division. As Christianity sprouted and matured without proper treatment of the infection, her foliage (ecclesial bodies) is wild with competition and rivalry. 1.2 The Present Ecclesial Denominationalism – Serious Challenge to the Practice of Ecumenism Within the space available, we cannot justifiably give the complete picture of the denominational rivalry among Christians in Nigeria. The effort here is to give a picture of the denominational distribution and the extent of the gap between them so that when we discuss the need for cooperation through Ecumenism, it becomes understandable. Christianity in Nigeria has grown in population from 21.4% (in 1953) to 49.3% (in 2010) of the over one hundred and forty million (140, 000, 000) Nigerians. Presently, it is believed that Christianity has taken more than half of the country’s population. An overview of the confessional distribution using the research reference of 2012 has it thus: Protestants – 26%; African Independent Churches – 18.25%; Catholics – 13. 45%; Anglicans 10.1%; Marginal/Unaffiliated Christians – 2.1%. Note that outside the Catholics who are homogenous in sect, others have sects and sub-sects running in thousands. For example: Protestants (Anglicans, Pentecostals, Evangelical Church of West Africa, Tekan, Baptists, Methodists, etc), African Independent Churches (Christ Apostolic, Aladura, Cherubim and Seraphim, Deeper Life, more than 4200 other African Christian churches) and so on with Marginal/Unaffiliated Christians. In other words, it needs a weekly review to be updated in the number of Christian sects we have in Nigeria because new churches spring up every week. In the face of the above confessional spread of Christian churches in Nigeria, the first challenge any ecumenical effort faces is recognition and acceptance of one another. One of the strongest theological grounds qualifying any ecclesial body to be a member of the WCC is that The church recognizes the presence and activity of Christ and the Holy Spirit outside its own boundaries and prays for the gift of God's wisdom to all in the awareness that other member churches also believe in the Holy Trinity and the saving grace of God. 61 Ministerium – Journal of Contextual Theology Vol. 2 No. 1 (2016) 59-72 Ecumenism is possible when there is mutual recognition and sincere openness to dialogue with the issues that divide or unite. To create a broader space for churches to meet, in 1998, the World Council of Churches (WCC) through the Commission of Common Understanding and Vision (CUV), created the “Global Christian Forum”, a common platform where every denomination can participate in ecumenical dialogue. This forum brings together, the Roman Catholic Church, WCC members, other churches – Evangelicals, Pentecostals, Independent churches, as well as para-church
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