A Malawi Church History 1860 - 2020

R. Ross

Description

This is the first attempt to comprehend the whole of Malawi's church history in a single volume. The focus of this book is about documenting the religious experience which was at the centre of founding the new nation of Malawi as we have come to know it. The book strikes a balance in covering issues pertaining to both mission activities and African agency. In many instances interesting pieces of evidence have been marshalled to corroborate or emphasize some of the conclusions reached.

Informations

• Publié par: Mzuni Press
• Date de parution: 17 novembre 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789996060755
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 12 Mo

Extrait

This is the first aempt to comprehend the whole of Malawi’s church history in a single volume. It aims to unfold this history from beginning to end, considering every expression of Chris�anity and taking account of its every dimension.

“A great achievement, offering a comprehensive analysis of the history of Chris�anity in Malawi… a must-have book for ins�tu�onal and personal libraries in Malawi and for all those interested in the impact of Chris�anity in Africa.”

“The significance of this book cannot be over-emphasised … a one-stop account for understanding Malawi’s church history … cap�va�ng and refreshingly informa�ve.”

Kenneth R. Ross has been teaching and researching the history of Chris�anity in Malawi since he first arrived in Zomba in 1988. He is a scholar of World Chris�anity, currently Series Editor of the Edinburgh Companions to Global Chris�anity. Living and working in Malawi since 1992, Klaus Fiedler has taught church history at Chancellor College, University of Malawi and Mzuzu University, developed postgraduate research and been ac�ve as a publisher.

which offers a range of books on religion, culture and society

A Malawi Church History -

Kenneth R. Ross and Klaus Fiedler

A Malawi Church History 1860 – 2020

© Kenneth R. Ross and Klaus Fiedler

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mecha- nical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from the publishers.

Published by

Mzuni Press

P/Bag 201, Mzuzu Malawi

ISBN eISBN

978-99960-60-74-8

978-99960-60-75-5

Mzuni Press is represented outside Malawi by:

African Books Collective Oxford (also for e-books) ([e-mail])

www.africanbookscollective.com

www.mzunipress.blogspot.com

Cover: Daniel Neumann

Cover picture: Girls' Tea Party, Blantyre Mission, c1888 (by kind permission of the National Library of Scotland)

Maps: Jonathan Gwaligwali

Mzuni Books no. 41

A Malawi Church History 1860 – 2020 Kenneth R. Ross and Klaus Fiedler

Mzuzu 2020

 4 Acknowledgments A book like this one cannot be completed without incurring many debts. We are glad to acknowledge our excellent academic colleagues in Malawi and elsewhere who, knowingly or unknowingly, have ex- panded our understanding and sharpened our awareness of key issues in ways that helped to equip us for the task of producing this book. We also owe a huge debt to students at Chancellor College of the University of Malawi and at Mzuzu University – the undergra- duates who offered classroom contributions and wrote dissertations; and the postgraduates who created new knowledge through their re- search. The book was written in Zomba where we were able to benefit from the theological libraries found at St Peter’s Major Seminary, Zomba Theological College and Chancellor College, University of Malawi. Despite the constraints and restrictions imposed by the coronavirus during 2020, the librarians at all of these institutions spared no effort to enable us to access the literature and documentary resources that were needed, particularly Frank Kathumba, Glory Muthala and Brian Sitima Ndau. We are grateful to those who allowed us to draw on their photographic collections, particularly Dr Hany Longwe, Dr Martin Ott and the Mua Mission, the late Dr Jack Thompson and Alison Metcalfe of the National Library of Scotland. Mr Jonathan Gwaligwali of Chancellor College very kindly prepared the maps and we are grateful indeed for his expertise.

Finally, we must acknowledge the generous colleagues who took time to read the manuscript, in whole or in part, and gave us their corrections and suggestions: Mr Khetwayo Banda, Mr David Bone, Fr Francis Bonongwe, Rev Dr Gertrude Kapuma, Dr Hany Longwe, Prof Wapulumuka Mulwafu, Sr Cecilia Mzumara, Dr Bryson Nkhoma, Dr Felix Nyika, Prof Martin Pauw and Dr Mark Thiesen.

We are happy to acknowledge the assistance of Hope Kaombe, intern at Mzuni Press, especially in the preparation of the index. For

 5 the remaining deficiencies in the book, we alone, of course, are responsible. We are also truly grateful for the award of a grant to support the publication from The Drummond Trust, 3 Pitt Terrace, Stirling, Scotland, UK.

Kenneth R. Ross and Klaus Fiedler, Zomba, September 2020

6

 7 Foreword While the quest for writing about Malawi’s past is greatly desirable, rarely do we get comprehensive accounts that are solidly anchored in their broader historical contexts. With the exception of McCracken’sHistory of Malawi, magnum corpus historical accounts are rare. Much of the historical writing tends to focus on case studies or thematically oriented works with clear delimitations in terms of time and space. Ken Ross and Klaus Fiedler, authors ofA Malawi Church History, have departed from that rather familiar tradition to provide a one- stop account for understanding Malawi’s church history as a whole. While a common challenge with such ambitious undertakings lies in the level of generalization, Ross and Fiedler have meticulously woven together a detailed treatment with discernment of broader trends, to account for the Church’s enterprise in Malawi. This has turned out to be a masterly crafted narrative of the church’s history in Malawi highlighting, in an analytical manner, both past and present developments.

What makes this book unique is the effort by the authors to relate the whole story of the entire presence of Christianity in Malawi. As far as I can tell, there has not been any publication on Malawi’s church history using this approach and developed with such degree of breadth. The book strikes a balance in covering issues pertaining to both mission activities and African agency. In many instances interesting pieces of evidence have been marshalled to corroborate or emphasize some of the conclusions reached.

The significance of this book cannot be over-emphasised. Apart from its didactic value as an essential companion for teachers and students, the book fills in critical gaps in historical scholarship on Malawi. As the authors themselves have clearly pointed out, it is an indisputable fact that the church history of Malawi is closely related to the history of the nation. Thus, by addressing some of the issues often not covered in mainstream historical scholarship such as

 8 African initiative, the role of women, Christianity as spirituality, use of statistics, the book takes us to a new level of understanding the origins and impact of the church in Malawi. The book is written in a language that is highly accessible and this makes it suitable for use by groups of people with different interests. Another distinctive aspect of this book is the inclusion of captions, testimonies, pictures, and portraits drawn from original sources. This makes the reading captivating and refreshingly informative.

The book has conveniently been divided into four chronologically determined sections. This periodization has moved away from colonially influenced scholarship which tended to demarcate African history based on European colonial presence featuring the pre- colonial, colonial and post-colonial periods. The first section entitled Founding Charisms presents a panoramic view of mission enterprise from 1860 to the early years of colonialism in 1910. This chapter provides a lens into understanding the nineteenth century world which had to deal with a range of issues including the establishment of the early church, missionary ideas about racial prejudice, African agency, missionary dilemma on fighting against slave traders, and the desire to cooperate with Africans in co-building a new and just society.

The second section spans probably the most eventful period in the transformation of missionary church resulting into establishment and consolidation of churches in Malawi between 1910 and 1960. The evolving and at times uneasy relations between missionaries and Africans as well as with the state are well articulated. At the same time, the quest for identity of the Church in the wake of African nationalism is addressed. The third section focuses on the growth and expansion of churches between 1960 to 1990 and was marked by the tendency towards Africanization and independency. The final section covers the contemporary phase (1990-2020) where the Church has not only come of age but has also become a formidable

 9 force in Malawian society. Particularly prominent themes are the rise of Pentecostalism, the church’s catalytic role in promoting good governance, and the role of women in church. A Malawi Church Historyreaffirms the old belief that history can be written from different angles which cut across the entire spectrum of human experience. The focus of this book is about documenting the religious experience which was at the centre of founding the new nation of Malawi as we have come to know it. Ross and Fiedler are certainly not professional historians in the narrow sense, but they are well qualified scholars of church history with immense experience on Malawi’s academic landscape. What they have done is to open the academic window into the vast and varied ranges of Malawi’s church history. Wapulumuka O. Mulwafu, Professor of Environmental History and Dean of Postgraduate Studies, Chancellor College, University of Malawi.