A Biographical Study of Bishop Ralph Edward Dodge 1907 – 2008
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ABSTRACT Toward a New Church in a New Africa: A Biographical Study of Bishop Ralph Edward Dodge 1907 – 2008 This biography of a Methodist Bishop, Ralph Edward Dodge is an extensive look into how, as a missionary, mission board executive, and bishop, Dodge applied principles of indigenization he embraced as a young man preparing for missionary work to the complexities of ministry in Southern Africa when empires were withdrawing and new nations were forming. Written by an African, the dissertation examines Dodge’s impact upon the several countries in which he was involved as a churchman ‒ countries that would soon move from imperial subjugation to independence. Ralph Edward Dodge (1907–2008) was an American missionary and Bishop of the Methodist Church and United Methodist Church. He was born in Iowa and went to Africa in 1936 at age 29. He began his missionary career in the Portuguese colony of Angola. Except for four years during World War II, he would serve there until 1950. During the war, he continued his postgraduate work, obtaining two more degrees, including a PhD. Afterwards, Dodge and his family returned to Africa. In 1950, he was asked to serve as Executive Secretary for Africa and Europe at the Methodist Church’s Board of Missions in New York. Six years later, the Reverend Doctor Dodge would return to Africa as Bishop Dodge, the first Methodist Bishop elected by the Africa Central Conference, and the only American. His Episcopal Area included the colonial territories of Angola, Mozambique, and Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). When his twelve-year term was ended, he was elected “Bishop for Life.” Bishop Dodge remained in Africa until his “retirement” in 1968. During those years, he led the church in Southern Africa through a time of seismic political and national shifts, helping it change from a missionary-led church to an indigenously-led church. This dissertation shows how Dodge’s deeply-held missionary principle concerning the primacy of partnerships between missionaries and indigenous Christians made for more effective evangelism and greater trust, but that his primary motive the gospel itself had its call for mutual sharing and identification among kingdom citizens. During the years of tumult, the principle held through troubled and difficult waters in a time when race relationships in Southern Africa between whites and blacks were disintegrating because of segregation, oppression, and mistrust. In the face of these complex challenges to the society and the church, Dodge’s response was prophetic while remaining evangelistic. Convinced that race discrimination and injustice were not just wrong but a hindrance to attracting people to the gospel, Dodge wrote and spoke courageously against colonial practices that reduced Africans to second class citizenship. As a result, he earned an unusual degree of support and respect from Africans who saw in him a man who lived the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Moreover, under his leadership, African churches and their leaders increasingly became bolder advocates of radical social change. However, Dodge’s positions also aroused controversy and the antipathy of the Portuguese and British colonial governments who saw him as a national threat. Fearing his influence, the Portuguese revoked his residency and visiting permits in Angola and Mozambique in 1961 and 1962 respectively. In 1964, the Rhodesian government expelled him too. This dissertation considers in detail all these events. Dodge’s higher education initiative is shown to be of special note. Through it, indigenous leaders for the church—much needed after the transition from colonialism— were trained. Moreover, hundreds of young men and women would go on to higher education and training in Brazil, Europe, India and the United States. The program also produced political leaders in several independence movements, who played key roles in challenging European colonial rule. This dissertation relies on the papers of Ralph Dodge at Syracuse University, missionary documents at the United Methodist archives at Madison, New Jersey, Drew University, and extensive interviews. It adds many new details, corrections, and insights to previous accounts of Dodge’s life, including Dodge’s autobiography. Scholarly biographies of missionaries by writers indigenous to the lands in which those missionaries served are few. This dissertation by a Zimbabwean adds to that small corpus. DISSERTATION APPROVAL SHEET This dissertation, entitled Toward A New Church in a New Africa: A Biographical Study of Bishop Ralph Edward Dodge 1907 – 2008 written by Samuel Dzobo and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy has been read and approved by the undersigned members of the Faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary _________________________ Dr. Arthur G. McPhee, Mentor ______________________ Dr. Stephen Offutt, Reader April 2017 TOWARD A NEW CHURCH IN A NEW AFRICA: A BIOGRAPHICAL STUDY OF BISHOP RALPH EDWARD DODGE 1907 - 2008 A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE FACULTY OF ASBURY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY WILMORE, KENTUCKY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DISSERTATION COMMITTEE: DR. ARTHUR G. MCPHEE, MENTOR DR. STEPHEN OFFUTT, READER BY SAMUEL DZOBO APRIL 2017 Copyright © 2017 by Samuel Dzobo ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TABLE OF CONTENTS List of pictures……………………………………………………………. iv List of maps.................................................................................................. iv Abbreviations……………………………………………………………… v Acknowledgements………………………………………………………... vi Preface……………………………………………………………………… ix Introduction………………………………………………………………… xii CHAPTER 1. Early Years: Born and raised in Iowa Ralph Dodge’s childhood and education……………………………… 1 Ralph Dodge’s conversion and call to ministry..………………………. 8 The Love Story: Ralph Dodge’s engagement to Eunice Elvira Davis… 18 Boston University: Student pastorate and marriage …………………… 22 Ministry in North Dakota.……………………………………………… 26 Missionaries to Africa: Ordination and commission …………………... 29 Orientation at Hartford and birth of child ................................................ 34 2. Missionaries in Angola 1936 – 1941 Ministry in Luanda ……………………………………………………. 42 Portuguese policy of assimilation...……………………………………. 48 Ralph Dodge as District Superintendent….……………………………. 51 Family life in Angola…………………………………………………… 63 Assignment to Quessua and first furlough……………………………… 66 3. Ralph Dodge as Foreign Division Secretary and bishop World War II and back to school..……………………………………… 75 In the footsteps of Bishop William Taylor..…………………………….. 78 Partnership and collaboration in missions……………………………….. 82 i Dodge and the Social Gospel ………………………………………….. 84 Western civilization versus the Gospel..……………………………….. 89 Early African resistance to Portuguese labor laws..……………………. 92 Back to Angola…………………………………………………………. 93 Eunice’s illness and birth of Peggy…………………………………….. 99 Close call with malaria………………………………………………….. 100 Peggy’s baptism…………………………………………………………. 106 Africa central Conference in Zimbabwe………………………………… 108 A new Methodist mission center among the Dembos.………………….. 113 Foreign Division Secretary for Africa..…………….…………………... 122 Reverse culture shock again…………………………………………….. 126 Life as Foreign Division Secretary……………………………………… 130 4. Life of a Bishop in Africa First election and consecration of a Methodist bishop in Africa……… 140 Brief history of Old Mutare…………………………………………… 150 African nationalism in Zimbabwe…………………………………….. 157 Brief history of colonization of Zimbabwe……………………………. 162 Brief history of missions in Zimbabwe and comity agreements………. 167 Efforts to make the Methodist Church an indigenous church…………. 171 The revival of 1918 at Old Mutare…………………………………….. 175 The Methodist Church in Mozambique………………………………… 178 Tribal issues in the Angola Annual Conference……………………….. 180 Bishop Dodge’s higher education initiative……………………………. 187 Leadership development program for Africa…………………………... 199 5. God is in Control (1961 – 1964) The beginning of war of liberation in Angola…………………………. 210 The Safari to Learning and push for transfer of responsibility………… 220 Bishop Dodge at the State Department in Washington, DC…………… 234 Bishop Dodge’s call for a new church in a new Africa………………… 243 Bishop Dodge’s deportation and the Methodist Church’s response…… 256 Bishop Dodge in exile………………………………………………….. 270 ii 6. Leading the Methodist Church in Exile (1965 – 1968) Bishop Dodge in exile: The challenges .…………….………………… 278 UDI and Dodge’s call to evacuate missionaries……………………….. 287 The long separation……………………………………………………. 293 Bishop Dodge’s position on social issues……………………………… 299 Bishop Dodge’s evaluation his own work……………………………… 308 Argument about Gospel and politics…………………………………… 312 Bishop Dodge’s work in retirement. ..…………………………………. 316 Bishop Dodge’s return to Africa….……………………………………. 323 Mrs. Eunice Dodge’s death…………………………………………….. 325 Bishop Dodge’s illness and death…….………………………………... 327 “My cup overflows”…………………………………………………….. 330 7. Summary African nationalism as opportunity for the church…….………………. 334 Indigenize the church…………………………………………………… 337 Train future leaders……………………………………………………… 339 Joining Evangelical views with Social Gospel………………………….. 341 Future of the United Methodist Church in Zimbabwe…………………… 343 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………… 345 Appendices…………………………………………………………………….. 354 iii List of Photographs Ralph and Eunice Dodge wedding pictures……………………………. 25 The 1936 family passport photo………………………………………. 37