Lokho Okuye Kwahlwanyelwa ELobukholwa EAfrika
NGO-1867, uCharles Lavigerie, umKatolika ongumFulentshi, wafika eAfrika njengombhishobhi omkhulu owayesanda kumiswa waseAlgiers. Wathi: “UNkulunkulu ukhethe iFrance, ukuze yenze iAlgeria ibe isiqalo sesizwe esikhulu nesobuKristu.”
Iphupho likaLavigerie lafinyelela ngalé kweAlgeria. Eqinisweni, wathumela abavangeli ngaphesheya kogwadule ngomgomo “wokuhlanganisa amazwe aseAfrika ePhakathi naseNyakatho ukuze aphile ngendlela efanayo yeLobukholwa.”
Phakathi nalesosikhathi, ezingxenyeni ezisentshonalanga, eningizimu, nezisempumalanga zalelizwekazi, abavangeli bamaProthestani base besebenza kakade. Babhekana nezimo ezinzima eziningi, ezinjengokuhlaselwa ngokuphindaphindiwe isifo sikamalaleveva, nezimpawu zaso zokuvevezela, ukujuluka, kanye nokuphazamiseka kwengqondo. Benziwe buthaka ngokushesha izifo zasezindaweni ezishisayo, abaningi bafa ngokushesha ngemva kokufika kwabo. Kodwa abanye babelokhu betheleka. “Noma ubani ohambela elaseAfrika,” kusho uAdlai Stevenson, “ngaso sonke isikhathi ukhunjuzwa ngobuqhawe babavangeli. . . . Balwisana neyellow fever, isifo sohudo esinegazi, isifo esibangelwa izilwanyana ezincela igazi futhi . . . ngabona . . . amatshe abo esikhumbuzo—kulo lonke elaseAfrika.”
Izithelo Zabavangeli
Njengoba abavangeli babengena eAfrika, bathola ukuthi izizwe eziningi zazingafundile. “Ezilimini [zaseAfrika] ezicishe zibe amakhulu ayisishiyagalombili,” kuchaza uRam Desai encwadini yakhe ethi Christianity in Africa as Seen by Africans, “zine kuphela ezazibhalwa ngaphambi kokufika kwabavangeli.” Ngakho abavangeli basungula indlela yokubhala lezilimi ezazingabhalwa. Khona-ke banyathelisa izincwadi futhi baqalisa ukufundisa abantu ukufunda. Ukuze bafeze lokho bakha izikole kulo lonke elaseAfrika.
Futhi abavangeli bakha izibhedlela. “Ayikho enye inhlangano enomlando ofana nowabo ngokuqondene nomsebenzi wokuthuthukisa ezenhlala-kahle,” kuvuma uRam Desai. Ngaphandle kokunakekelwa kwezokwelapha, abantu baseAfrika babefuna izinto ezibonakalayo zaseYurophu. Abanye abavangeli bavula izikhungo zokuhweba, njengoba babecabanga ukuthi lokhu kwakuyoheha abantu abaguqukile. Ngokwesibonelo, iQembu Labavangeli laseBasel eSwitzerland lasungula inkampani yokuhweba eGhana. Lathola ukuthi imithi yecacao yayikhula kahle lapho, futhi namuhla iGhana iyizwe lesithathu kwamakhulu kakhulu akhiqiza icocoa emhlabeni wonke.
Okuvelele okwafinyelelwa abavangeli beLobukholwa kwakuwukuhumusha kwabo iBhayibheli. Kodwa ukusakaza isigijimi seBhayibheli kwakuhambisana nomthwalo wemfanelo owengeziwe ongathi sína. Umphostoli uPawulu ongumKristu wabonisa lokhu ngokubuza: “Wena-ke ofundisa omunye awuzifundisi wena na? Wena oshumayela ukuthi akungebiwa uyeba na?” IBhayibheli lixwayisa ngokuthi labo abafundisa ubuKristu kumelwe bona ngokwabo baphile ngokuvumelana nezimiso ezinhle ezivezwe ngokucacile eZwini likaNkulunkulu.—Roma 2:21, 24.
Kuthiwani ngomsebenzi weLobukholwa eAfrika? Ingabe uye wamdumisa uNkulunkulu weBhayibheli, noma uye wazimelela kabi izimfundiso zobuKristu?