Popular Religion

By Simba B.

Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Kenya Constitution – right to religious freedom.Thankfully, religion is not a divisive issue in Kenya.
Christianity is perhaps the greatest of world’s religions in terms of numerical strength scattered in all corners of the world though perhaps not in terms of adherence to its teachings.

In Kenya, it is estimated that about 65-70 % of the country’s population is Christian. Through out the ages, Europeans have taken Christianity as their possession and used it as a tool to establish and maintain their control and suppression over other races.

Yet Christianity was in Africa long before the coming of the Christian influence or missionaries of the 15th and 19th centuries respectively.
The history of Christianity dates back to the Pentecost event where the apostles assembled to await the Holy Spirit as promised by Jesus Christ. (Acts 12 presents the birth of the Christian movement after the death and resurrection of Jesus). In his last words, Jesus mandated the apostles to be his “witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8). Then there was the succession question with regard to the position of Judas, then Acts 2-8 is on Christianity in Jerusalem, acts 8-12 is on Christianity outside Jerusalem but within Palestine, and Acts 12-18 begins with the Pentecost Event which marks the spread of Christianity outside Palestine throughout the then known world. Among the first places of “the end of the world” where Christianity spread within the early times is Africa: the first seeds of Christianity were sown in present day North Africa within the first centuries of the faith. Moreover, initial evangelization work lay significantly in the hands of Africans. If this be the case, then it seems that writers of Christian history may consciously or unconsciously have omitted and probably added certain facts to support their understanding of Christianity as a European religion. There is need to correct this impression.
Many churches have been started where Christians go to worship.colleges that train pastors and courses such as theology also exists.many who have done these courses have stable careers n they get their daily bread thanks to Christianity. I urge our innocent pagans to try out this religion because it will make a difference in their lives.