Ingabe Amasonto Angahlala Enobunye?
“ABANTU baseBrithani basakholelwa kuNkulunkulu kodwa abafuni ukuzinikela kuKristu,” kusho uStephen Tirwomwe, umfundisi wase-Uganda. Eminyakeni engaba ngu-20 edlule, wasinda ekuqothulweni ngobudlova kwesonto lakhe e-Uganda. Namuhla, uhambela amaqembu abesilisa kaqed’ isizungu eLeeds, eNgilandi, ashumayele imizuzu eyishumi ngaphambi kokuba izilaleli zakhe ziqale ukudlala i-bingo.
Kuwo wonke amazwe angaphesheya kwe-Atlantic, i-Anglican Mission in America, inhlangano esanda kumiswa, ishikashikana nesimo esifanayo esibucayi ngokomoya. “I-United States manje isiyikhaya labantu abaningi abakhuluma isiNgisi emhlabeni abangasonti futhi abangenandaba nezinto ezingokomoya,” kusho ingosi ye-Internet esemthethweni yale nhlangano. “I-United States isiba yindawo edinga izithunywa zevangeli.” Idikibaliswe yimizamo yayo ebhuntshile yokwenza ushintsho ngaphakathi esontweni, le nhlangano esanda kumiswa yazishiya phansi izinkambiso zesonto yayisizihlanganisa nabaholi besonto base-Asia nabase-Afrika ukuze iqale “ukuba izithunywa zevangeli e-United States.”
Nokho, kungani izithunywa zevangeli zase-Afrika, e-Asia nezaseLatin America zishumayela emazweni aseYurophu nawaseNyakatho Melika okuthiwa angawobuKristu?
Ubani Ngempela Osindiswayo?
Iminyaka engaphezu kwamakhulu amane, izithunywa zevangeli ezizinikele zaseYurophu zazilandela ezithendeni zalabo ababehamba bemisa amakoloni aseYurophu e-Afrika, e-Asia, emazweni asePacific naseNingizimu Melika. Umgomo wazo kwakuwukuyisa inkolo yazo kubantu ababehlala kulawo mazwe okwakuthiwa bangabahedeni. Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, amakoloni aseMelika, okwakuthiwa asekelwe ezimisweni zobuKristu, nawo ahlanganyela ekusakazeni ivangeli lawo kuwo wonke umhlaba kodwa agcina esephumelela kakhulu kunezithunywa zevangeli zaseYurophu. Manje izinto sezigaya ngomunye umhlathi.
“Isizinda [sobuKristu bokuzisholo] sesishintshile,” kusho u-Andrew Walls, umsunguli futhi ongumqondisi we-Centre for the Study of Christianity in the Non-Western World. Ngawo-1900, amaphesenti angu-80 abantu ababethi bangamaKristu ayengabantu baseYurophu noma baseNyakatho Melika. Nokho, namuhla amaphesenti angu-60 abo bonke abantu abathi bangamaKristu ahlala e-Afrika, e-Asia naseLatin America. Umbiko wamuva nje wephephandaba elithile uthi: “Amasonto amaKatolika eYurophu ancike kubapristi abavela ePhilippines nakwelaseNdiya,” futhi “manje umpristi oyedwa kwabayisithupha abakhonza ezifundeni zamasonto amaKatolika eMelika uvela kwamanye amazwe aphesheya.” Abavangeli base-Afrika abakhonza eNetherlands, iningi labo elidabuka eGhana, bazibheka ‘njengeqembu lezithunywa zevangeli ezwekazini elingenandaba nenkolo’ kanti abaseBrazil manje baphume imikhankaso ezingxenyeni ezihlukahlukene zeBrithani. Omunye umlobi uthi: “Manje sekwenzeke ingwijikhwebu ngokuqondene namazwe okuthunyelwa kuwo izithunywa zevangeli zobuKristu.”
Izulu Liyahloma
Kungenzeka ukuthi ziyadingeka impela izithunywa zevangeli emazwekazini aseYurophu nawaseNyakatho Melika, lawo aya ngokuya engabi nandaba nenkolo. Umagazini othile wezindaba uyaphawula: “AmaKristu aya njalo esontweni eScotland angaphansi kwamaphesenti ayishumi.” Ambalwa nakakhulu eFrance naseJalimane. Omunye umbiko wephephandaba wathi lapho abantu baseMelika nabaseCanada behlolwa, “amaphesenti angaba ngu-40 kwabaseMelika namaphesenti angu-20 kwabaseCanada athi aya njalo esontweni.” Ngokuphambene, kuthiwa ePhilippines cishe bangamaphesenti angu-70 abantu abaya njalo esontweni, futhi kubikwa okufanayo nakwamanye amazwe asathuthuka.
Okuphawuleka ngisho nakakhulu ukuthi abantu abasontayo abaseNingizimu Nenkabazwe babonakala besadla ngoludala kakhulu kunabaseNyakatho Nenkabazwe. Ngokwesibonelo, uma kuhlolwa uvo lwamaKatolika ase-United States nawaseYurophu, njalo aveza umuzwa okhulayo wokungalethembi igunya labefundisi futhi alwela ukuba abantu abavamile babe nengxenye ethé xaxa esontweni nokuba abesifazane babe namalungelo afanayo nabesilisa. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, amaKatolika aseNingizimu Nenkabazwe amukela ngezinga elikhulu inkambiso yesonto kulezi zimpikiswano. Njengoba isonto seliya ngokuya lisekelwa abaseningizimu nenkabazwe, sesibekiwe kakade isisekelo salokho okuyosusa impi esikhathini esizayo. UPhilip Jenkins, isazi sezomlando nezenkolo, ubikezela lokhu: “Kungenzeka ukuthi eminyakeni eyishumi noma engamashumi amabili ezayo la maqembu amabili amaKristu ayobe ephikana, kungekho elifuna ukuqaphela elinye njengeqembu lamaKristu eqiniso.”
Ngenxa yalezi zimpikiswano, uWalls uthi inkinga edinga ukuxazululwa ngokushesha ukuthi, “yini engenziwa ukuze amaKristu ase-Afrika, e-Asia, eLatin America, eNyakatho Melika nawaseYurophu ahlale ngobunye esontweni elilodwa, onke evumelana ngobuqotho kulokho akukholelwayo.” Uthini wena? Ingabe amasonto angahlala enobunye kuleli zwe elihlukene phakathi? Siyini isisekelo sobunye bamaKristu eqiniso? Isihloko esilandelayo sizosinikeza izimpendulo ezisekelwe emiBhalweni kanye nobufakazi obusobala bokuthi iqembu lamaKristu elinobunye liyachuma kakade emhlabeni wonke.
[Isithombe ekhasini 4]
Lesi sakhiwo esasiyisonto ngaphambili manje siyindawo yokudlela nomculo
[Umthombo]
AP Photo/Nancy Palmieri