3. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF CHRISTIANITY AND THE IMPACT OF THE REVIVAL MOVEMENT IN THE NORTH WESTERN DIOCESE OF THE
5.3. Some Weaknesses within the Revival Movement
5.3.2. Divisions among Christians
Although the Revival Movement was received in the North Western Diocese, there was a great deal of resistance. Not only among Christians who felt themselves to be the target of this new ideology and who took up a defensive position, but also among Christians who out of concern for the Church and its orthodox teachings thought the Revival Movement placed too much weight on external things and risked foundering in legalism. Some felt a concern for the Lutheran teaching and feared the influence of the Anglican CMS through the Revival against the background of former relationships. Sundkler indicates that the representative of the official, established Church in Buhaya was Pastor Paulo Kanywa. He was wary of trouble in his congregation and fought stubbornly against these strange innovations. He thus fought against the open confession of sins, special meetings for the revivalists and other similar things which might increase the tendency towards separation (1980:116).
Bernander asserts that the emphasis on personal confession was thought to contain the seeds of division within the church as individual experience meant more than the observance of form within the church (1968:108). This can be noticed in the use of the greeting tukutendeleza Yesu. This greeting is a problem in the North Western Diocese. The Abalokole knows exactly who belongs to their oluganda, their new Christ clan, and who does not or who has ceased to belong. A good example is the greeting itself. Revivalists greet their brothers and sisters belonging to the clan with the word tukutendeleza Yesu (praise the Lord). Whereas they greet other Christians who do not belong to fellowship groups with the Arabic word salaam (shalom) or in the Luhaya language literally translated olailota (how are you). This is one of the many ways of establishing a definite line between revivalists and non revivalists. This misunderstanding leads some Christians to a fatal narrowing of the concept of the church. The researcher argues that this misunderstanding depicts a new form of prejudice among the Bahaya Lutheran Christians in the area under study. Again this is exactly what Paul contended was happening in the Corinthian church. This confusion has led some of the Christians in the North Western Diocese to regard the "born again" as a separate group in the church. The Revival is against African social life. In most of the testimonies things such as drinking beer, polygamous marriages, going to traditional healers or attending engoma or amayaga (local dances) are discouraged. The Abalokole, as they call themselves,
reject vehemently some of the African customs that seem to be endangering their faith. Spirit worship, exorcism, and all dealing with ancestral spirits are evil. Even African medicine is condemned by some of the revivalists
The research has also revealed that the Revival is not without ambiguity. The Abalokole are accused of exclusiveness and arrogance. One respondent commented that some members of the fellowship are accused of exclusiveness even among the group itself; for instance the well off and the poor or not influential (Interview with Joshua Stephen, Bulembo, 9/5/2002).
It was also observed that the Abalokole sometimes sit in cruel judgment on their fellow Christians, even their pastor whom the Spirit has passed untouched. They regard some of their pastors as unsaved because they do not confess their sins publicly. Some pastors have viewed the existence of the fellowships in their churches as a threat to their authority. Pastor Kaijage says that it has happened in some parishes that fellowship meetings have been held w the pastor of the parish concerned being informed (Interview with pastor Danstan Kaijage, Ruhija, 7/8/2002). A strong fellowship, numerically and organizationally, tends to erode the power of the pastor as members become increasingly committed to their fellowship. In some cases where fellowships have become detached from the church leadership and grown larger with the passage of time, a problem of arrogance has emerged on the part of fellowship leaders. An example of such a problem occurred in 1996 in Magomeni, where the leader of a large inter denominational fellowship that had met in the Lutheran Church enticed many people to defect from the church and launched his own church composed mainly of members of the fellowship. Most fellowships are torn between adherence to tradition, on one hand, and to the manifestations of the Holy Spirit, on the other. As the ministrations of the Holy Spirit start affecting the fellowship in a more significant way, the Abalokole tend to see the church establishment as superfluous, especially when a leading pastor does not show strong affinity with the fellowship.
It was also observed that there is a tendency among revivalists to be intolerant of others who do not participate in Revival meetings. Such legalistic attitudes do not please other Christians who do not attend those gatherings. Hamulungi argues that this movement in Buhaya was not well understood. The Abalokole were not sincerely accepted by the society, they were considered as "crazy" people due to their peculiar conduct (1999:50). A good example is
Hezron Kibira, Protazi Nyongera and other certified teachers burnt their diplomas in education and quit their offices because the Lord was coming. Some women also left their earthly husbands for the preparation of the coming of the Lord (Lutahoire 1978:44). Through these confusions, in the year 1940 about forty (40) Lutherans left the Lutheran church and joined the Roman Catholic Church, claiming that they were tired of the unrest and disturbances caused by the Abalokole people in their respective parishes (Mushemba
1979:48).
This trend of division among Christians can be seen in some of the fellowship meetings in the North Western Diocese. This tendency has caused some Christians not to join fellowship groups. Loisiepiece Kasilima vehemently asserts that participants in the revival groups are accused of segregation. They restrict Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to their groups (Interview with Loisiepiece Kasilima, Kibona, 10/8/2002). This is seen when Kabyemela, a contractor in Bukoba defines the problem. He says "An unsaved person can very well have love and courage and energy; but he does not have a broken heart. But he who is saved has been broken. He listens when we speak to him and he speaks when the occasion arises, just like St. Peter the Apostle (Sundkler 1980:124). It could be argued that to love those who belong to the fellowship groups more than others is to violate Jesus Christ's golden rule to 'love your neighbour.' Whenever spiritual fellowship becomes tyrannical or imperious, then the tendency to emphasize the outward marks of piety is observed, and the result is often a divided congregation.
Mugambi see the danger when he says:
There are many young people who have formed or joined small sects, because they could not identify themselves with old ones. Such sectarianism is a response to specific needs, but it is also a scandal to Christianity because the older churches ought to be welcoming enough to accommodate diverse views andinterests(1989:52).
As Christians we should always remember that our view and idea of the Gospel is only one among many, and we should respect the views of others. Wherever we think that there is an error of interpretation we ought to indicate that finally it is God who will judge all of us.
Counsel is much better than condemnation. This is the only way we can avoid such
separatisms and factionalism as was found in some parts of the Apostolic Church and which Paul advised against (Rom. 12:3-8):
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you:
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
Just as each other of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many from one body, and each member belong to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve, if it is teaching, let him teach, if it is encouraging, let him encourage...
There is clearly a big gap between older Christians and young ones. The older Christians tend to think that youth is 'lukewarm' in faith; whereas the youths consider the older generation to be rigid and conservative. From this understanding, some of the young ones, have complained that the Revival Movement is too restrictive and exclusive. There are many young people who have formed or joined small sects, because they could not identify themselves with old ones. Some have left their fellowship because they found the norms of conduct too tied to the interests of the older members. For example, some unmarried revivalists have complained of interference in their choice of marriage partners. Let us remember that the Church needs youths for its own survival beyond the present generation.
Because of this, older Christians ought to find ways and means of accommodating the youths, who eventually become the pillars of the Church in the years to come Involvement of the youth should be incorporated in all activities of the Church, including the revival fellowship.
The above words of St. Paul emphasize the unity of the Church. This unity is not only for abalokole, or for members of one's own denomination. Rather, all those who confess Jesus as Christ ought to mutually respect and appreciate one another. Divisions among Christians give the Christian faith a negative image in the world. It is lamentable that a fellowship should break into groups meeting in different places or at different times owing to misunderstandings, disagreements and intolerance. Each individual should respect and be respected and appreciated by the rest of the fellowship. This reciprocal relationship should sustain the Church in general and the fellowship in particular.
Another contradiction is the "double service" Sunday service and fellowship meetings. It was observed at Ibuga parish and in some of the parishes that after the usual Sunday services there is another fellowship gathering immediately after the services. This gathering is usually a small group of at least five percent of the parishioners in that particular congregation.