Forty-Five Years of Turmoil: Malawi Christian Churches, 1949-1994

Forty-five Years of Turmoil: Malawi Christian Churches, 1949-1994 Andrew C. Ross he Republic of Malawi was, until 1964, the British Pro in 1902, when the White Fathers came to work in the central and T tectorate of Nyasaland, bounded by Tanzania in the northern areas. north, Mozambique in the east and south, and Zambia in the It is with the CCAP and the Roman Catholic Church that I west. Malawi's population of around 7 million is over 99 percent will deal in this essay because of their size and their dominant African, of whom about 25 percent are traditionalists, 15 percent role in the last hundred years of Malawi history, during which Muslims, and 60 percent Christians. they and their school systems profoundly affected the shape of Malawi Christians are divided fairly equally between the modern Malawi. Church of Central Africa, Presbyterian (CCAP) and the Roman The Livingstonia and Blantyre missions had a Widespread Catholic Church, each with about 25 percent of the population. schoolsystemin placeby 1900.At Livingstonia itself the Overtoun The Seventh Day Adventist Church has about 2 percent of the Institute provided a form of secondary education and teacher population, the Episcopal about 2 percent, and the remaining 6 training, as did the Blantyre Mission. Each of these Scottish percent is made up of the Zambesi Evangelical Church, the Presbyterian missions also had a network of village schools Churches of Christ, and a number of African Independent radiating out from the center; Livingstonia had seventy-eight Churches.Itshould be noted that, on the whole, beinga Christian schools, and Blantyre twenty-two. As a result, by 1900 the in Malawi means coming under a pattern of church discipline Presbyterian Christian community had an African leadership much more strict than is usual in the West. Itis also important to that could read and write in English as well as in Nyanja and notice that a large number of traditionalists-in fact, the over Tumbuka, the principal local languages. In the first years of the whelming majority-have close connections through the ex new century the CCAP produced its first ordained African tended family with either a Muslim or a Christian congregation, pastors, among whom was the Reverend David Kaunda, who sometimes with both. went as a missionary into what is now Zambia and whose son, The first Christian presence in the area was that of the Kenneth, became Zambia's first president. sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Zambesi mission of the Jesu In 1901 the presbyteries of Livingstonia and Blantyre united its. But, unlike their great successes elsewhere in that era, their in theChurchof CentralAfrica, Presbyterian, later to be joined by mission on the Zambesi had no true lasting success. The next the presbytery of Mkhoma. (Thus the churches produced by the mission was that of the Anglican Universities Mission to Central Scottish missions united twenty-eight years before their parent Africa, which came to Malawi during the period of David churches reunited in Scotland.) As the Christian communities Livingstone's Zambesi expedition in 1861 but withdrew to Zan grew, these presbyteries became synods with each containing zibar in 1864. Not until 1880 did the mission return to establish several presbyteries. the ongoing Episcopal Church presence in Malawi. Although arriving later than the Protestants, the Catholic It was the Scottish response to Livingstone's death that missions expanded rapidly, bringing many European mission- produced the first permanent Christian presence in Malawi. During the years 1873 and 1874 the Church of Scotland and the then Free Church of Scotland planned missions to Malawi. Some missionaries held Although the Free Kirk had seceded from the Kirk only thirty that Africans, even if years before and feelings in Scotland were still very bitter, the two groups of mission supporters talked of a united mission in ordained, would always memory of Livingstone. Though they failed to persuade their work under the supervision parent churches to agree, the two mission committees agreed that their missionaries should work in cooperation in the field. of Europeans. These two missions-the Livingstonia Mission and the BlantyreMission-werethe foundersofwhatare nowthe Blantyre and Livingstonia synods of the CCAP. Initially the two missions aries to Malawi and quickly extending theirschool system. In the divided the country between them but found it too heavy a task, years before the First World War there was intense and explicit so the Free Kirk mission invited the CapeSynod of theNederduits competition between the Presbyterian and Catholic missions Gereformeerde Kerk van Suid Afrika (NGK) to help them. Their and churches. We must also note a profound gulf dividing the Mkhoma Mission was the progenitor of the Mkhoma Synod of Livingstonia and Blantyre missions from the Roman Catholic today's CCAP. and Mkhoma missions. This divide was concerned with two The permanent Catholic presence in Malawi began in 1901 issues-the nature of the education given in the schools, and the when the Montfort Marist Fathers entered southern Malawi,and status accorded to African pastors, evangelists, and catechists. The difference is brought out very clearl y when the evidence given to the government commission set up to investigate the Andrew C. Ross is Senior Lecturer in the History of Missions and Deputy Director oftheCentreforthe Study ofChristian ity in the Non-Western World, causes of the Chilembwe Rebellion of 1915 is reviewed.' UniversityofEdinburgh, Scotland.Heserved asdean oftheFa cultyofDivinity, The Marist and White Fathers missions in their Widespread University of Edinburgh, 1978-84. He was assistant minister in the East school systems taught only in Nyanja and Tumbuka, and what Harlem Protestant Parish, New York, 1957-58, and ministerof the Church of they taught was limited. Thesame was the case with the Mkhoma CentralAfrica, Presbyterian (Malawi), 1958-65 . Mission. Furthermore, the Roman Catholic and the Cape Synod April 1994 53 missionaries with the Mkhoma Mission also agreed that Afri was one of the roots of nationalism in Malawi. cans, even if ordained, would always work under the supervi Meanwhile, although in the Mkhoma Synod the number of sion of Europeans. Any kind of autonomy was very far distant schools and new congregations increased rapidly, as also they indeed. Ferriera of the Mkhoma Mission said he could hardly did in the Catholic system, the insistence of both these bodies on conceive of autonomy ever being granted to African pastors and minimal academic education, and that only in the vernacular, evangelists. Bishop Auneau said, "The European staff will al meant that their Christians were ill equipped to playa respon ways keep the supervision and direction of the mission."? All this sible part in the modern sectors of society and the economy. (It is in direct contrast with the English medium education in the was only in the 1950s that the Catholic Church began to change two Scottish missions and even more with the freedom given to and follow a new emphasis on higher education and the rapid African ministers, evangelists, and elders. The difference in development of African leadership. They did this with great practice can be seen clearly in the response of Dr. Hetherwick of energy and drive, creating a new style of Catholicism in Malawi. Blantyre to the Commission of Enquiry: In the same period Mkhoma also came into line in the area of Q: Regarding religious instruction, you mention the Bible. education, but more slowly.) Can any native get a Bible? One final element in the background to the troubles of the A: Yes, we will sell it to any native. last forty-five years was the attempt by white-dominated South Q: Do you think the native, educated or otherwise, is capable ern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) to persuade Britain to allow the two of understanding the Holy Scriptures? British colonies of Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) and Nyasaland A: Yes, as capable as any other ordinary Christian. (Malawi) to be united with it in a new self-governing dominion Q: If a teacher selects an isolated portion or verse, may he to be ruled by an all-white parliament elected by an all-white misapply it? electorate. This is referred to by historians as the campaign for A: Yes, as a European might. amalgamation. The Scottish missionaries and the African Chris Hetherwick went on to describe the structure of the judica tian leaders of the Blantyre and Livingstonia synods gave evi tures of the church, emphasizing the one-person, one-vote na dence against such amalgamation first to the Hilton Young ture of presbytery and synod, where Europeans and Africans Commission of 1928 and then to the Bledisloe Commission of were in near parity of numbers and where inevitably there 1938. Theseweresetupbythe imperialgovernment to review the would be an eventual African majority. A commissioner, fearful situation at times of peak pressure for amalgamation from the of giving the "natives" so much power, then asked, "Are you white Southern Rhodesians. Each commission recommended to prepared for the Church of Scotland to be governed by a native London that amalgamation not be pursued. In their reports the majority?"? Hetherwick replied, "We have seen nothing of dan commissioners insisted that the Scottish missionaries and their ger yet, and I fear none.":' African allies had persuaded them that the African people of The Scots and the several Malawian ministers and elders Nyasaland were totally opposed to such a union with its inbuilt who gave evidence (it is not without significance that it was only race discrimination. In 1938, the Blantyre and Livingstonia wit from the Scottish synods that Africans volunteered to give evi nesses were supported by witnesses from the Episcopal and two dence to the commission) insisted that there were serious injus small evangelical churches.

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