Oko Kuye Kwahlwayelwa YiNgqobhoko EAfrika
NGOWE-1867, uCharles Lavigerie, umKatolika ongumFrentshi, weza eAfrika njengobhishophu omkhulu waseAlgiers owayesandul’ ukumiselwa. Wathi: “UThixo unyule iFransi ukuba yenze iAlgeria ibe sisiqalo sohlanga olukhulu olungamaKristu.”
Iphupha likaLavigerie alizange liphelele eAlgeria kuphela. Enyanisweni, wathumela abavangeli becawa ngaphaya kwentlango ngenjongo “yokumanyanisela uMbindi noMntla Afrika kubomi obuqhelekileyo beNgqobhoko.”
Ebudeni belo thuba, abavangeli becawa abangamaProtestanti babesele besebenza kwimimandla engasentshona, engasezantsi nengasempuma yelo lizwekazi. Bajamelana nobunzima obuninzi, njengokuhlaselwa ngokufuthi sisifo seengcongconi, nemiqondiso yaso yokungcangcazela, ukubila nokuphazamiseka kwengqondo. Bagqityw’ amandla ngokukhawuleza zizifo zakweleenjiko, itshoba lalal’ umbethe kwabaninzi nje bakube begalelekile kuloo mimandla. Kodwa abanye baqhubeka besiya. UAdlai Stevenson wathi: “Nabani na okhenketha kwelaseAfrika, ngalo lonke ixesha ukhunjuzwa ngobugorha babavangeli becawa. . . . Balwa nolubhelushe [yellow fever], isisu segazi, nezifunxi-gazi yaye . . . ndabona . . . amatye amangcwaba awayenzelwe bona—kulo lonke elaseAfrika.”
Iziqhamo Zobuvangeli Becawa
Njengokuba abavangeli becawa babetyhutyha iAfrika, bafumanisa ukuba inkoliso yezizwe yayingafundanga. URam Desai kwincwadi yakhe ethi Christianity in Africa as Seen by Africans uthi: “Kwiilwimi [zabaNtsundu] ezinokuba ngamakhulu asibhozo, zine kuphela ezazibhalwa ngaphambi kokuba kufike abavangeli becawa.” Ngoko abavangeli becawa basungula indlela yokubhala ezi lwimi zazingabhalwa. Bandula ke bavelisa iincwadi zokufunda baza balungiselela ukufundisa abantu indlela yokufunda. Ukufezekisa loo njongo bakha izikolo kulo lonke elaseAfrika.
Kwakhona abavangeli becawa bakha izibhedlele. URam Desai uvuma ngelithi: “Awukho omnye umbutho onokulinganiswa nengxelo yabo yemisebenzi yokunceda abantu.” Ngaphandle kwenyameko yezonyango, abantu abaNtsundu babefuna izinto eziphathekayo zaseYurophu. Bambi abavangeli becawa bavelisa amaziko entengiso, njengokuba babekholelwa kwelokuba oku kwakuya kutsala amakholwa. Ngokomzekelo, iCawa yaseBasel eSwitzerland yaseka inkampani yezentengiso eGhana. Yafumanisa ukuba imithi yekoko yayikhula kakuhle apho, yaye namhlanje iGhana ingumvelisi wekoko wesithathu ukuba mkhulu ehlabathini.
Into ebalaseleyo eyaphunyezwa ngabavangeli beNgqobhoko yayikukuguqulela iBhayibhile. Kodwa ukusasazwa kwesigidimi seBhayibhile kwakuthetha imbopheleleko enzulu ngakumbi. Umpostile uPawulos ongumKristu wakubonisa oku ngokubuza: “Wena ke umfundisayo omnye, akuzifundisi? Wena ke uvakalisa ukuthi, makungebiwa, uyeba?” IBhayibhile ilumkisa abo bafundisa ubuKristu ukuba bona ngokwabo baphile ngemigaqo elungileyo eyandlalwe eLizwini likaThixo.—Roma 2:21, 24.
Kuthekani ngemfundiso yeNgqobhoko eAfrika? Ngaba iye yamhlonela uThixo weBhayibhile, okanye ngaba iye yazigqwetha iimfundiso zobuKristu?