A standalone study on the doors the gospel opens into the African worldview.
The big question
Once you understand how someone sees the spiritual world, how do you actually bring the gospel to them? Justice Okoronkwo, a Nigerian missionary, answers with entry points: the places where the good news of Jesus connects to the African worldview. At the center is one stunning offer, direct access to God. This study works through those entry points and the warning Okoronkwo gives about trying to mix two worlds.
Key takeaways
- The gospel comes as good news, not a list of things to do to become acceptable.
- It is for all nations, which answers the charge that Christianity is colonial.
- It lands when it shows a social face: love, hospitality, care for neighbor and creation.
- It must be preached with the demonstration of God’s power, not argument alone.
- Its heart is direct access to God in Christ; syncretism, by contrast, leads to bondage.
Scripture to sit with
Hebrews 4:16. Come boldly to the throne of grace. The direct access African cosmology says is impossible.
1 Timothy 2:5. One mediator between God and man, Christ Jesus. Not a chain of spirits.
Colossians 1:15-17. In Christ all things hold together. He is the highest authority over every power.
2 Corinthians 6:14-16. What fellowship has light with darkness? The ground of Okoronkwo’s warning against mixing.
Quotes worth discussing
Okoronkwo says, “The gospel of Jesus has brought light into the darkness of the whole world.”
On the heart of the offer, Okoronkwo says, “In Christianity, God links up to man… and then man is able to affect his world.”
On syncretism, Okoronkwo warns, “Having one of your legs in the church… and with the other one you’re exploring African traditional religion is actually setting up yourself for a great fall.”
Discussion questions
- Which entry point do you think would land most with someone you know?
- Why is direct access to God such good news to someone taught that God is unreachable?
- Okoronkwo says power must be demonstrated, not just argued. What does that look like responsibly?
- Where do you see syncretism, mixing faith with other spiritual practices, around you?
- How do you warn against syncretism with both honesty and love?
Go deeper
This study comes from the closing lesson of the Jude 3 Project’s Engaging African Spirituality course with Justice Okoronkwo. For a related conversation, see the Jude 3 work on whether a Christian can practice African spirituality.
A closing reflection
Pray this week for one person caught between two spiritual worlds. Then read Hebrews 4:16 with them in mind. The gospel is not asking them to add Jesus to a crowded shelf of spirits. It is offering them the one thing the spirits never could: God himself, directly, by the blood of Jesus.