The idea that Christianity is the “white-man’s religion’ or a part of Western civilization is very wrong indeed. This is the ignorance of our people. The European or American has no right whatsoever to lay claim to Christianity more than the African. The fact that the Europeans came in contact with the Christian gospel earlier and had the advantage of first being in possession of copies of the Holy Bible does not in any way place them in a position of superiority over Africans in God’s order of things.
And so in Christianity, the blackest man in Africa has the same opportunity as the “whitest” man in Europe, America or else-where. Even the natural Jews who were once the Lord’s favoured people and from among whom Christianity originated have equal opportunity with any other race that accepts Christianity. When a knowledge of this divine fact was revealed to the apostle Peter at the time of the conversion of Cornelius, he declared: “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in EVERY NATION he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him.”—Acts 10: 34, 35.
To regard Christianity as a religion of any particular tribe, race or nation is a blatant error. Christianity is for all the world irrespective of nationality, race or colour. (Matt. 24: 14; 28: 19, 20; Acts 1: 6-8) Jesus Christ is the promised seed of Abraham through whom God had purposed to bless all the families of the earth. (Gal. 3: 13 – 16) Simeon, that devout man, spoke of him as “a Light to lighten the Gentiles”.
It could be recalled that when some of the Jews in their characteristic obduracy rejected and opposed the Christian gospel, St. Paul and Barnabas told them in plain language: “It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting lasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation into the ends of the earth”.—Acts 13: 46, 47.
Christianity aims at the universal modification of the various religious systems, traditions and cultures of all peoples of the world, and at directing all men to the clean worship of the Almighty Creator through One and the only Mediator, Christ Jesus. It was the stubbornness of the Jews and their failure to understand and appreciate this divine purpose of Christ’s mission on earth that led to their rejection of Christianity to their own grief and ruin. And their suffering even up till now cannot be dissociated from their attitude of having treated the grace of God with contempt.—John 1: 10, 11; Matt. 23: 37-39; Acts 13: 44-52.
And so today a Nigerian or Ghanaian or any other national who accepts Jesus Christ and worships God in truth stands a better position to claim Christianity than a Jew who is an agnostic or a non-Christian. In true Christianity there is no room for tribal discrimination or racial segregation. And St. Paul said: “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: FOR YE ARE ALL ONE IN CHRIST JESUS.”—Gal. 3: 27, 28.
What the colonialists brought to Africa was nominal Christianity, It is replete with anomalies both in doctrinal content and in other practices for which there can be no scriptural justification. This is by no means saying that the missionaries did not do good works but there were observances brought under the cloak of Christianity which, in fact, originated from Romish paganism or were features of European culture.
To blame whatever was their shortcomings on Christianity is most unfair—it is an error of judgment. Any nation that denounce Christianity and will not serve God through Christ will be cutting off itself from God’s universal arrangement, and the consequences will be disastrous. As it is written; “And He (God) shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you… And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not fear that prophet (Christ Jesus), shall be destroyed from among the people.”—Acts 3: 20-23; see also Isa. 60: 12; Jer. 10: 10, 11: Rev. 14: 6, 7.