Applying the principles of social action in contemporary Christian mission in Africa. Issue 2 (April 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Diara, Benjamin; Uroko, Favour
• Is Part Of: Missiology. Volume 48:Issue 2(2020)
• Page Start: 169
• Page End: 180
• Publication Date: 2020-04
• Subjects: society -- social action -- Christianity -- mission -- evangelism; Missions -- Periodicals; 266.005
• DOI: 10.1177/0091829620910191
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0091-8296

Abstract

This article examined the need to apply the principles of social action in contemporary mission work in Africa. Early missionary enterprises in Africa employed some forms of social action but it is a historical fact that the missionary agents may have failed to adhere to the principles of social action. Thus, they ministered to Africans as masters and not servants, and as leaders and not facilitators which is contrary to the principles of social action. This may be considered as the reason African converts could not learn to do it themselves. The missionaries did not believe that the African people, especially the converts, had any skill, experience, or understanding that they could draw to tackle the problems they faced as a people. They also did not recognize the fact that all people have the right to be heard, to define the issues facing them, and to take action on their behalf. These are pieces of evidence of failure to apply the principles of social action on the part of the earlier missionaries who worked in Africa. This article recommends that for more effective missionary enterprise, contemporary Christian missionaries in Africa should study the interface between mission work and social action and pay strict adherence to the principles of social action in their work. The phenomenological method with ex post facto research design was employed for the research. Data were collected through both primary and secondary sources and qualitative descriptive analysis of the data was accordingly carried out. It was discovered that the need to apply social action principles in contemporary mission work in Africa is superlative.