Reflections on Disciples of All Nations

Sanneh, Lamin. Disciples of All Nations. Oxford, 2007

Chapter 1: Whither Christianity?
Lamin Sanneh states that “no culture is so advanced and so superior that it can claim exclusive access or advantage to the truth of God, and none so marginal and remote that it can be excluded” (25). The English culture is steeped with pride and independence. Sanneh goes on to state that the gospel “conflicts only and unavoidably with idolatries of race, nation, and power” (56). It is the duty of the church to admit cultural equality, and learn, from other cultures, the wealth of ecclesiology they offer. “Irenaeus pointed out, the gospel did not strip nations of their distinctions; those distinctions were the rich tapestry adorning the communities of faith” (26). The enrichment of community, because of the diversity people from different nations bring, is a paradigm that Faith Life (my home church) appreciates.

Chapter 2: The Christian Movement in Islamic Perspective
Anthony launched the counterculture monastic movement, which influenced Hilarion. Then Hilarion’s influence spread among the Arabs, but Christianity has still been largely unproductive in reaching Islam. It is shocking to hear that “Arab nomad’s social custom was effectively cut off from the cultural current of Christianity, the Arabs were bypassed by the religion” (64-45). Once more, Islam was able to reach the Arabs by responding to the “social basis of religious allegiance” (65). This exemplifies the dire need for cultural barriers, which hinder the transmission of the gospel, to be eradicated. England must heed to this truth, before it becomes a Muslim nation and it is too late.

Chapter 3: Old World Precedents and New World Directions
I am in admiration of the antislavery cry that Medouça proclaimed, which had such a huge impact that it became a “dominant theme in the renewal of the worldwide missionary movement in Protestant Christianity that had for the most part rejected mission as a Roman Catholic preserve” (108). Although, with time, missionaries plotted for colonial assault, there is still a lesson to be learned. Today, mission is perceived as a geographical endeavor that the compassionate go on. Slavery has not ended; the sex slave industry is invading the West and could possibly be a cause that awakens the church again to an authentic missional lifestyle.

Chapter 4: The Yogi and the Commissar
The vernacular Bible empowered the Watu wa Mungu Africans to end the colonial system. Although it was mixed with violent forces, the Bible stilled served as the “highest and most universal authority” and was able to break “the spell of local stigma” and tap “a rich vein in the cultural resolve” because of the stories of “slavery and freedom, captivity and liberation, exile and homecoming, death and resurrection, made it a primer for the decolonization campaign and a godsend for nationalist aspirations” (151). The power of the Word is exemplified in this transitional time for the missionaries and indigenous people. The Word needs to be utilized again to empower indigenous people to discover the truth for themselves, rather than a dictatorship style of missions, in which the “missionary” determines the truth according to their own opinion.

Chapter 5: Pillar of Charismatic Renewal
The members of my home church represent various nations, such as Ghana, New Zealand, Lithuania, Nigeria, and many more. However, the worship practice reflects the English culture. Wisdom can be applied from Mojola Agbebi who urged “every country to use their own ceremonies to set forth God’s honor and glory” (165). The worship practice of a congregation should be representative of the variety of nations that make up the congregation. If this is not implemented, then the worship will be “sapping the talent for hymnology among” people instead, like it did when English missionaries imposed their practices upon African Christians (165).