•Thursday, March 20, 2008
Last Sunday was Palm Sunday. I traveled upcountry to join the local Christians there in celebration of...palm Sunday, I think. The city and its environs were full of same old same old processions. The Pentecostals ignored the day altogether and went on with their normal prosperity gospel. Aren't things back to normal? Tomorrow is Good Friday, ushering in the Easter weekend. It is rote. Kenya Christians will celebrate Easter in unchristian ways and move on to April. Life goes on.
Assuming 80 per cent of Kenyans are Christians, events that engulfed Kenya in December, January and February have left me wondering whether there are any Christians in Kenya or whether it is worth being one. Christians massacred Christians and burnt their homes and properties. Christians were burnt in a Christian church by fellow Christians.
Christians burnt 13 Christian churches in Kibera alone, and a further 400 Christian churches were burnt by Christians in the expansive Christian-rich Rift Valley. Christian leaders incited Christian supporters to rise up against their Christian neighbours, or looked the other way when they heard the plots against their fellow Christians. Christians are still burning and killing each other in Mt Elgon and Laikipia areas.
Yes, Christians cheated, stole and killed. They even cheated and rigged in the elections. They came up with justifications for their unchristian actions and plotted to cover up their misdeeds. Some even engaged in self-redemption tactics.
President Kibaki is a Catholic Christian and Prime Minister Raila is an Anglican Christian. These two Christians watched as fellow Christians killed each other, when they knew that their Christian words were enough to quell the violence. They are now both in power and have forgotten that their Christian countrymen are wallowing in the misery of IDP camps, refugees in their own Christian country.
The Christian spiritual leaders even vied for political posts. There is a bishop in parliament. She is not the first one; there have been others before her. They failed to make a Christian mark. Her three months in politics are a herald of things to come; no change. God had spoken to Bishop Muiru that he was the anointed one for the presidency. Kalonzo Musyoka was supposed to be a presidential product of a Christian prophecy. A miracle.
Oh ye Kenyan Christians, who has bewitched you?
Do we really have Christians in Kenya? I doubt. They all live in denial. They are ungodly Christians. Maybe the Christian religion cannot be sustained without the shedding and burning of human blood? There are no Christians in Kenya! If they are there, their Christian voices would have been heard and respected during the pre and post election unchristian crisis.
Now that there are no Christians in Kenya, how can there be Christian spiritual leaders in Kenya? In Kenya today, there is at least one cardinal, several archbishops, hundreds of bishops, thousands of reverends, tens of thousands of pastors and hundred of thousands of other fancy titles like apostles, deacons, fathers, brothers, sisters, and church elders. Yeah, titles devoid of Christian leadership and values.
In Kenya, the Easter Christian message is yet to change Kenya Christians’ unchristian hearts and minds. It is not worth being a Kenyan Christian, don't you think so?
Assuming 80 per cent of Kenyans are Christians, events that engulfed Kenya in December, January and February have left me wondering whether there are any Christians in Kenya or whether it is worth being one. Christians massacred Christians and burnt their homes and properties. Christians were burnt in a Christian church by fellow Christians.
Christians burnt 13 Christian churches in Kibera alone, and a further 400 Christian churches were burnt by Christians in the expansive Christian-rich Rift Valley. Christian leaders incited Christian supporters to rise up against their Christian neighbours, or looked the other way when they heard the plots against their fellow Christians. Christians are still burning and killing each other in Mt Elgon and Laikipia areas.
Yes, Christians cheated, stole and killed. They even cheated and rigged in the elections. They came up with justifications for their unchristian actions and plotted to cover up their misdeeds. Some even engaged in self-redemption tactics.
President Kibaki is a Catholic Christian and Prime Minister Raila is an Anglican Christian. These two Christians watched as fellow Christians killed each other, when they knew that their Christian words were enough to quell the violence. They are now both in power and have forgotten that their Christian countrymen are wallowing in the misery of IDP camps, refugees in their own Christian country.
The Christian spiritual leaders even vied for political posts. There is a bishop in parliament. She is not the first one; there have been others before her. They failed to make a Christian mark. Her three months in politics are a herald of things to come; no change. God had spoken to Bishop Muiru that he was the anointed one for the presidency. Kalonzo Musyoka was supposed to be a presidential product of a Christian prophecy. A miracle.
Oh ye Kenyan Christians, who has bewitched you?
Do we really have Christians in Kenya? I doubt. They all live in denial. They are ungodly Christians. Maybe the Christian religion cannot be sustained without the shedding and burning of human blood? There are no Christians in Kenya! If they are there, their Christian voices would have been heard and respected during the pre and post election unchristian crisis.
Now that there are no Christians in Kenya, how can there be Christian spiritual leaders in Kenya? In Kenya today, there is at least one cardinal, several archbishops, hundreds of bishops, thousands of reverends, tens of thousands of pastors and hundred of thousands of other fancy titles like apostles, deacons, fathers, brothers, sisters, and church elders. Yeah, titles devoid of Christian leadership and values.
In Kenya, the Easter Christian message is yet to change Kenya Christians’ unchristian hearts and minds. It is not worth being a Kenyan Christian, don't you think so?
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2 comments:
Your post is disheartening to say the least...
Behind the scenes as Kenyans all over the country looked on in hopelessness at a bleak future, Christians turned to God for forgiveness, for answers, for hope, for strength...you may not believe in the power of prayer. But behind the scenes we prayed, we fasted, we we sought out those in need and fed them, clothed them, invited them into our homes.
JP the crux of Christianity is righteousness attained through Christ and not righteousness through human acts; our own feeble attempts at perfection.
-Aggey
Aggey: It is disheartening because the Kenya Christians and spiritual leaders failed during the crisis. Just today 120 church leaders affiliated to Evangelical Churches of Kenya (ECK???) met in Nakuru and issued a statement. They admitted they were bipartisan,took sides, and misguided the flock during the elections.
I do not want to belittle prayer. My wonder is where was the Christianity of Kenyan Christians as they acted as ECK commissioners, poll clerks, poll officers, poll agents, politicians, police, village elders and wananchi. The wananchi Christians who cheated, stole and killed. The wananchi who were bystanders as evil was plotted and watched as it was executed. Where was the saltiness of the Kenyan Christians as evil unfolded. Or was it salt that had lost its saltiness,hence was trampled?
Whether the Kenyan Christians are truly repentant and reformed is another issue. Whether they have learnt a lesson is something we will wait and see.
God is the judge of the hearts of men, but the Christian Bible gives a barometer and warns: You shall know them by their fruits. Only time will tell whether the Kenyan Christians and their leaders will bear fruits worthy of repentance.