The African Church as a Mixed Bag

Its Quantity and Quality Reduced to a Remnant Status

Abstract

The primary focus of this article is on the remnant nature and scope of the African church. Thus, I employ the biblical concept of a “remnant” to argue that the present demographical statistic of church growth in Africa does not translate to a concrete or tangible moral and ethical impact on society. In spite of the Southward movement of the centre of gravity of Christianity, the African church remains vulnerable like a remnant. It is in short supply of strong prophetic voices against enormous socio-economic, socio-political, and socio-religious injustices or corrupt practices at all spheres, including the church itself. The concept of a “remnant” is a key concept in the Old Testament (OT). It indicates a distinction between the “true” believers and the large bulk of outwardly religious people that does not abide by the basic requirements of being the people of God. I am using it in this article to make a comparison between the statistical evidence and the real impact on the society. Therefore, in the article I seek to argue that the African church statistics should not bluff us. Of course, looking at the multidimensional social, ethical, moral, economic, political and religious matters confronting the African continent even where the church seems to be in the majority, one cannot help but conclude that the African church is a remnant church. But, how can one convince a reader that African Christianity is a remnant faith when the current statistics is showing otherwise? For example, in 2020 the Center for the Study of Global Christianity published data that claimed, “[T]here are more than 631 million Christians that currently reside in Africa.”

This figure accounts for 45 percent of the Africa’s population. Furthermore, the Pew Research Center postulated that, “By the year 2060, six of the top ten countries with the largest Christian populations will be in Africa.” In spite of this apparent growth of the church, this paper argues that the African church is a remnant. Taking the statistical evidence available at face value, it is ridiculous to say that the African church is a remnant. Of course, we can define a remnant as a few people who remain after a catastrophe or war has struck the larger group. In the sense that we are using this concept here, we are not only referring to numbers or quantity. Rather, we are concerned with both the quantity and quality. What are the evidences that the African church is a remnant? The paper seeks to answer this question by addressing the following issues: the African church and its remnant reality; why the African church still remains a remnant church in spite of its enormous numerical growth; and the need for a radical spirituality.