4.1 The Church and Social Transformation in Colonial Era
4.1.1 Thought of David Livingstone: A Template for Social Transformation
Nkomazana (1998:46-50) has defined some of the influences contributing to Livingstone‟s thinking. He says Livingstone shared the Evangelical world view in Scotland and England which closely linked the growth of Christianity to prevailing educational, economic and political factors. He grew up in an environment where English evangelicals and Scots reformers strongly believed that comprehensive improvement in education was necessary to uplift people‟s social and religious lives (Nkomazana, 1998:46). Nkomazana (1998:46) observes that from the 16th century onwards, social transformation in Scotland was achieved through: opening up schools that helped to transform each successive generation (by 1732 schools were opened in 109 parishes); the Church coerced parents into sending their children to school; and the Bible was the main textbook of the schools, and became the main reading at home.
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Livingstone‟s family contributed a lot to his thinking, especially reading habits of his father, Neil Livingstone, who loved to read Scottish theology and could not allow novels or scientific works into his house as he viewed them unfriendly to Christianity (Nkomazana, 1998:46). Nkomazana (1998:47) mentions that Livingstone‟s idea of combining Christianity, commerce and civilization for humane causes can be traced in the activities of two English evangelicals William Wilberforce, a campaigner for the abolition of slave trade, and Thomas Buxton who suggested that the best means of eliminating slavery in Africa was the introduction of legitimate commerce. Conradie (2013:119) points out that Wilberforce‟s own vision for a better world lay in the transformative potential of faith and business and it was in pursuit of this vision that he initiated radical social transformation on a global scale.
Wilberforce believed that since both Christianity and legitimate commerce had human liberty at their core, they were destined to work together for social reform (Conradie, 2013:119-20).
As Wilberforce‟s successor, Buxton believed that once Africa was introduced to legitimate trade, African chiefs would stop to barbarically sell their people for beads, cloth, guns and jewels they coveted; thereby weakening slave trade at its source (Conradie, 2013:120).
Nkomazana (1998:49) observe that Buxton was not only calling for complete eradication of slave trade, but he went further to suggest other necessary measures that would facilitate the elimination of slave trade, which included: stimulation of missionary enterprises; introduction of more sophisticated methods of agriculture; study of African languages; elimination of tropical diseases; exploration of the geography of the continent; and institution of legitimate commerce and of engineering projects.
The time David Livingstone spent with Dr John Philip at the Cape when he first arrived in Africa in March 1841 before proceeding to his final destination helped him to position himself with those who fought to protect the rights of Africans (Nkomazana, 1998:49). It helped him understand that Philip‟s struggle for civil rights in South Africa created enmity between the London Missionary Society and the Boers, who were intolerant of Philip‟s ideas (Nkomazana, 1998:48). In a letter written before his own aversion to the Boers had reached its highest pique, Livingstone is quoted as saying:
They have in general a great aversion to missionaries. The cause of their dislike seems to be an idea that we wish to furnish the natives with fire-arms, and whether right or wrong always take [their] sides (Comaroff & Comaroff, 1991:274).
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At the same time, Livingstone noticed divisions among the LMS missionaries over the question of Church-State relations; some sympathized with colonists while others with the African people (Nkomazana, 1998:49). Philip had blamed the corrupt colonial system of law in the Cape for the unjust treatment of Africans; he wanted dignity restored to those Africans forced to work for Boers for no pay, by giving them legal contracts and conditions of service (Nkomazana, 1998:47-8). Having witnessed the role of Christianity in the Scottish civilization, Philip believed that development of Christianity, education, better civil rights, industry and commerce would do the same in Africa (Nkomazana, 1998:48; Conradie, 2013:120). He believed Christianity always brings civilization.
These factors and ideas had a major impact on Livingstone. He was able to articulate them as he laboured to bring the three Cs to Africa. Conradie (2013:121) stresses that one of the aims throughout Livingstone‟s travels was to find suitable bases from which the three Cs could play their role in transforming Africa without the violence, injustice and slavery which he believed had characterized the meeting of European and African heretofore. Livingstone emphasized the importance of education because he understood it to be the key to the progress of Christianity and commerce. The logic behind Livingstone‟s ideas of combining Christianity, commerce and education, was that Africans should produce raw materials which they could trade with Europe for manufactured goods. In essence, Livingstone was looking for spiritual freedom, cultural freedom and economic freedom of African peoples (Conradie, 2013:119-121).
4.1.1.1 Livingstone’s Idea of Three Freedoms: Spiritual, Cultural and Economic Freedoms
With respect to spiritual freedom, Livingstone believed that people had to be set free from sins and practices (such as superstition) that prevented them from living lives that honour God (Conradie, 2013:119). Part of his theological understanding was that the Holy Spirit empowers people to live holy lives and move away from sin; thus, social change is facilitated when more and more people followed that example (Conradie, 2013:119). He clearly believed in the essential relationship of saving souls and social transformation towards becoming more like Christ and living out the principles of the Bible (Conradie, 2013:119).
Since people had to be set free from cultural practices, like slavery, that prevent social and intellectual development, cultural freedom was essential. Livingstone encouraged a cultural
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value system that was meant to facilitate education, health and law and order – a package he understood to be civilization (Conradie, 2013:119).
In terms of economic freedom, people had to be set free from poverty that encouraged them to sell others into slavery (Conradie, 2013:119). Because economic development in Africa required commercial activities, commerce became one of the powerful tools for social transformation of communities. Livingstone believed that the arrival of honest traders and missionaries would provide the opportunity to exchange the natural resources of Africa for European trade goods (Conradie, 2013:120-121). This move, he thought, would undercut and end slave trade, paving way to the growth of Christianity and development of a more prosperous African society. Christianity was the driving force in the missionary task. As a theologian, observes Conradie (2013:125), he believed that essential to the missionary task was the connexion between biblical faith, social transformation and enterprise development.
Because Christianity and commerce were closely linked, it was easy for missionaries to fall prey to the imperialist‟s agenda.