Christianity in Malawi: A Source Book

R. Ross

Description

Many scholars have noted the importance of Christianity in Malawi and have written on the social, economic and political influence of the Christian faith. What is harder to find is a study of the nature of the faith, and an analysis of the inner logic of the religious consciousness which developed in Malawi as its peoples responded to the Christian message. By bringing forward a selection of key primary sources this book provides the opportunity to read the story of Malawian Christianity "from the inside." It allows some Malawian Christians to speak for themselves so that church history might be formed by listening directly and critically to voices from the past. This revised and expanded edition includes all the primary texts that appeared in the original 1996 version as well as six additional documents that extend the range of the collection.

Informations

• Publié par: Mzuni Press
• Date de parution: 24 août 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789996060892
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 5 Mo

Extrait

Christianity in Malawi

Copyright 2020 Kenneth R. Ross

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

First Published by Kachere Series in 1996. nd Revised and Enlarged 2 edition 2020

Published by Mzuni Press P/Bag 201 Luwinga Mzuzu 2

ISBN 978-99960-60-88-5 eISBN 978-99960-60-89-2

Mzuni Books no. 46

Mzuni Press is represented outside Malawi by: African Books Collective Oxford ([e-mail])

www.mzunipress.blogspot.com www.africanbookscollective.com

Cover: St Michael and All Angels' Church, Blantyre, built 1888-91 (Photo: Kenneth R. Ross)

Christianity in Malawi A Source Book Revised and Enlarged Edition

Edited by Kenneth R. Ross

Mzuni Press

Mzuni Books no. 46

Mzuzu 2020

Foreword

The publication ofChristianity in Malawi: A Sourcebook, a compilation of crucial documents on the development of Christianity in Malawi, should be welcome news to all who are interested in the advancement of theological education in Malawi. It will enhance the extent to which the growing interest in the study of theology/religion currently being witnessed in Malawi can be matched by the availability of re- sources with which to meet the teaching and learning needs at stake. The study of theology in Malawi entered a new and dynamic phase in 1991 with the introduction of the Degree in Theology at Chancellor College, University of Malawi. Prior to that, progress in this area had been rather slow: Diploma-level studies in theology were offered at the Catholic Major Seminaries of Kachebere in Mchinji and St Peter's in Zomba and the Protestant Zomba Theological College, while di- ploma and degree-level training in Religious Studies was offered at Chancellor College, primarily for would-be teachers. But now, as a result of the tremendous progress occasioned by the introduction of the Theology Degree, the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Chancellor College has attracted a team of diligent and ded- icated teachers and scholars on to its faculty, whose enthusiasm has been rewarded by increased undergraduate enrolment and a growing stream of part-time postgraduate students.

There is thus great need for publications that answer to the needs of the growing studentship not only around the Department of Theol- ogy and Religious Studies in the University, but also at the various theological colleges and seminaries in the country. Such a develop- ment was already anticipated by the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Chancellor College, as early as the late 1970s, through its publication of pertinent research reports, annotated bib- liographies, field interviews, letters, archival documents etc, under the title Sources for the Study of Religion in Malawi. The publications in

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question have been released, intermittently, with the serious or re- search-inclined student in mind. There is thus a way in which the present volume builds on this earlier effort by the Department of which the editor is a member.

What makesChristianity in Malawi: A Source Bookunique is its compre- hensiveness. It pulls together under one cover written documents and testimonies from different times and places which, taken together, offer us a composite picture of how Christianity in Malawi has evolved from the time of its introduction in the last quarter of the 19th century to its recent interaction with the politics of transition to democratic rule. The documents recapitulate triumphant moments in the history of Christianity in this country, as well as moments of struggle or of redefinition of the church's mission. They are, further- more, quite revealing of the experiences, aspirations, insights, and struggles of Malawian Christian practitioners through time and space. That one can now read them all from one volume is the chief merit of this source book, and Dr Ross deserves our compliment for providing such a service. In the final analysis, one cannot help but opine that this book is likely to stimulate demand for similar works on such other branches of religious studies as African Traditional Re- ligion and Islam. Kings M. Phiri Associate Professor of History, Chancellor College, University of Malawi January 1996

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Acknowledgements

Several of the documents included in this volume have previously been published and I therefore wish to gratefully acknowledge the permission to reproduce them which was granted by the following individuals and organizations. Dr. Ian Linden of CIIR and the White Fathers in Lilongwe gave permission for extracts from the Mponda Mission Diary to be included in Chapter 1. CLAIM gave permission for extracts from the Memoirs of Lewis Mataka Bandawe to be in- cluded in Chapter 3. The CCAP Synod of Livingstonia gave permis- sion for some hymns from theSumu za Ukhristube included in to Chapter 4. The Rev. Stephen Kauta Msiska gave permission for ex- tracts from his unpublished manuscript to be included in Chapter 5. The CCAP Synod of Blantyre gave permission for the inclusion of the documents found in Chapters 6, 7, 17 and 19. The Rev. Canon Rodney Hunter and Mrs. E.C. Kishindo gave permission for the in- clusion of their letters found in Chapter 9. Likewise, Dr J.C. Cha- kanza and Fr. A.B. Chima gave permission for the inclusion of the texts of their addresses found in Chapter 10. Prof. Harry Langworthy kindly gave permission for the inclusion of the extracts from his edi- tion of theLettersof Charles Domingo which are found in Chapter 11. The International African Institute gave permission to quote the prayer from Monica Wilson'sCommunal Rituals of the Nyakyusawhich is found in Chapter 14. Dr. John Parratt gave permission for the in- clusion of the extracts from his edition of Yesaya Zerenji Mwasi's Essential and Paramount Reasons for Working Independentlyare which found in Chapter 15. Finally, the Episcopal Conference of Malawi kindly gave permission for the inclusion of the two Pastoral Letters found in Chapters 18 and 20.

Inspiration and financial support for the research on which this book is based came from the Church History Project of the Association of Theological Institutions in Southern and Central Africa (ATISCA)

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1 which was launched here in Zomba in 1991 . I am grateful to the Association for the encouragement which sustained the research until this book was completed. In particular, I would mention Ms. Isabel Mukonyora of the University of Zimbabwe who undertook parallel research with a view to preparing a similar book on Christianity in Zimbabwe. More than most books, this one is the fruit of collaborative work. It will be apparent that, as editor, I have "reaped where I did not sow." Very gladly I acknowledge the suggestions of colleagues which proved to be fruitful. Rev. Dr. Fergus Macpherson, formerly of the University of Zambia, drew my attention to the hymns found in Chapter 4, Dr. Isabel Phiri of the University of Malawi suggested the records of the 1949 Women's Missionary Conference found in Chap- ter 8, Dr. Jack Thompson of the University of Edinburgh made me aware of the letter of Yesaya Chibambo reproduced in Chapter 13, Dr. John McCracken of the University of Stirling drew my attention to the texts found in Chapters 12, 14 and 17, while Dr Klaus Fiedler of the University of Malawi suggested the extracts from Joseph Booth'sAfrica for the Africanfound in Chapter 16. Valuable sugges- tions at several points came from the Chancellor College students who took TRS350 in 1994-95 - the course in which these texts were given a "trial-run" in the classroom context. I am also grateful to the staff of the National Archives of Malawi and the Malawi Collection of the Chancellor College Library in the University of Malawi where the original copies of many of the documents compiled in this book are held. They never failed to offer me maximum cooperation in my search for the material which is now found in this volume. Finally, I must thank my colleagues in the Kachere Series - Joe Chakanza, Felix Chingota, Klaus Fiedler, Hilary Mijoga, Fulata Moyo, and Isabel Phiri. As always, they were ready to offer constructive criticism and at many points contributed to the formation of the material presented here. Jolly Mwakafwira typed much of the text while Laura Perry gave 1 SeeATISCA Bulletin, No. 1 (1992), 33-34. 7

it detailed editorial attention and prepared the index. These many hands have helped the work on its way but, of course, full responsi- bility for its remaining deficiencies is mine. It is now presented in the hope that it will play a part in the development of a fuller appreciation and more critical understanding of the richness and diversity of Christianity in Malawi.

Kenneth R. Ross Zomba, January 1996

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Foreword to New Edition 2020

WhenChristianity in Malawi: A Sourcebookwas first published in 1996 it brought something new to the study of Christianity in Malawi. To some extent it built on the work that had been done by the University of Malawi, Chancellor College, Department of Religious Studies dur- ing the 1970s and 1980s when it published an occasional series of Sources for the Study of Religion in Malawi. However, it took attention to sources to a new level by collecting in a single volume 20 seminal texts culled from Malawi’s documentary church history.

For me it was an absorbing project to assemble these documents and introduce them to scholars and students. Over the years I have been gratified to see how much the book has been read and quoted. How- ever, it has now become scarce and I even struggled myself to find copies when I was teaching Malawi Church History at Zomba Theo- logical College in 2019-20. This prompted the idea of a reprint. How- ever, I was reluctant to proceed with a simple reprint when I had become aware of significant gaps in the original edition and when I had noticed some very illuminating primary sources that I had missed when preparing the first edition. Hence this new version of the book includes all the material that appeared in the original edition but now features the addition of important strands in the story of Christianity in Malawi, such as the Seventh-day Adventists and the Pentecos- tal/Charismatic movement, which were absent from the first edition. It also features documents drawn up by such outstanding Malawian leaders and thinkers as Harry Kambwiri Matecheta, John Chilembwe, Patrick Kalilombe and Augustine Musopole, which were not included in the first edition. My hope therefore is that it is now a yet richer resource to stimulate and enable students to engage with primary texts that shed light on the story of Christianity in Malawi.

The list of those to whom I am indebted has grown longer as a result of additions that have been made. For the extract from Harry Kamb- wiri Matecheta’sBlantyre Mission: Stories of its Beginning, I am thankful

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