As a Christian, I truly Believe That Britain Just Like Africa Needs God

by Ahmed Olayinka Sule, CFA

I read with interest your article titled “As an Atheist, I truly Believe Africa Needs God”,
which was published in the 28th of December 2008 edition of the Times Newspaper. Your
article notes the contribution that Christian evangelism has brought to Africa. You also
suggest that Christian Missionaries rather than aid are the solution to Africa’s biggest
problem, which you describe as the crushing passivity of the people’s (Africans) mindset.

As an African Christian living in Britain, I agree with the overall theme of your article
i.e. that Africa needs God, however, I disagree with your assumption of the passivity of
the people’s (African) mindset. I also find the comments in the final paragraph of your
paper i.e. “Removing Christian evangelism from the African equation may leave the
continent at the mercy of a malign fusion of Nike, the witch doctor, the mobile phone and
the machete.” quite aberrant.
While I will not address your comments regarding Africa referred to above, I would
however, like to raise and answer the following questions in this paper

• If Africa needs God so much, doesn’t Britain even need him more?
• Are God’s benefits restricted only to Africa?
• Is God not capable of changing our mindset here in Britain?

In addressing these questions, I will focus on four Christian values.

Before, I address the above-mentioned questions, I would like to point out that what you
have observed in Africa as a result of the impact of Christianity is not strange. The
changed lives and attitude you observed is a result of the transforming power of the
teachings of Jesus Christ, which results in a renewed mind and a transformed life. From
the Scriptures, you will observe that everyone that had an encounter with Jesus Christ
never remained the same and this transforming encounter still exists today and is
available to anyone who is willing embrace Jesus Christ.

Britain has a very rich Christian heritage and through the efforts of a number of
missionaries both past and present, it has brought the gospel message to the four corners
of the world including Africa. However, in the past couple of decades, it appears that
Britain is gradually becoming a ‘God-free zone’.
I strongly believe that Britain like Africa would be transformed if we embrace the values
expounded in the Scriptures such as the teachings and actions of Jesus Christ, the epistle
of Apostle Paul and the Ten Commandments among others.

What are some of these teachings/values?

Respect for parents/elders

In recent years, Britain has experienced a gradual breakdown in the relationship between
parents and children in the family. An evidence of this breakdown is the lack of respect
given to parents by the younger generation in a number of homes. The Scriptures makes it
very clear that we should honor (respect) our parents and it advises us to treat those older
than us with respect. In most parts of Africa, children are taught to respect their parents
and elders right from their formative years and it is a taboo to treat ones parents with
disrespect. However, this positive value appears to be lacking in a number of British
homes. For instance, it is not unusual to see a six-year-old child swearing at his parents or
teacher.

The discouragement of the discipline of children in schools and homes is a contributory

factor to this lack of respect, which has also contributed to the rising incidence of gang
culture, knife related crimes, teenage pregnancy etc. We are all witness to the disgraceful
scenes we see on television of British youths loitering drunkenly on the streets of the UK
and other European capitals late at night. These disgraceful scenes have given Britain a
bad reputation throughout Europe.

By observing and implementing the Scriptural teachings on respect and discipline, the
British Government can save lives and avoid the excessive spending on curbing anti-
social behavior.

Non-violence

Jesus teaches us to love our neighbors just as we love ourselves and to forgive those that
offend us. He also instructs us not to be violent. Furthermore, the Sixth Commandment
commands people not to commit murder.

At present, the murder rate in the UK is one of the highest in Europe. A week hardly goes
by without us hearing or reading about the murder of a teenage in London. Knife crime is
increasing with almost 277 deaths from stabbings in England & Wales alone between
2007 and 2008. Violence in other areas is also on the increase with almost a hundred
thousand women per year seeking treatment in London for violent injuries received in the
home. In the UK, an average of two women die per week due to domestic abuse.

I believe that Britain could be really transformed if we embrace God’s value of love and
forgiveness.

Reverence for the name of the Lord

God stipulates in the third Commandment that we should not take the name of the Lord
for granted (in vain). However, partly due to the freedom expressed in Christianity, the
Lord’s name appears to have been taken for granted here in Britain. It is common for
people to swear using God’s name. Moreover, a number of blasphemous films about
Jesus Christ have been produced and relayed in the media. In addition, books denouncing
the name of the Lord have been written and are widely distributed. Recently a bus
campaign took place in Britain with the slogan "There's probably no God. Now stop
worrying and enjoy your life."

The misuse of the Lord’s name in Britain has many implications. One result has been rise
in radical Islamic extremism. There is a popular saying that ‘if you do not respect
yourself no one would respect you’. Similarly, a person that does not respect his religion
should not expect other to respect his own religion. As mentioned earlier, Britain has a
rich Christian heritage, however, due to the drift towards a ‘God free zone’, there appears
to be a void. This void has enabled Islamic extremist to perceive Britain as a Godless
nation, especially when they see how the name of the Lord is ridiculed. This therefore
motivates them to impose their ideologies by whatever means available including the use
of force.

One way to mitigate Islamic fundamentalism in the UK would be for the people to
reverence the Lords name and Christian should be allowed to be more open about their
faith. Recently, Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister stated that Christians should be
proud of their Christianity and be able to express it as they wish.

Contentment

Britain as a society would benefit immensely by applying the biblical teaching on

contentment as clearly stated in the tenth commandment, which states, “You should not
covet your neighbors properties”. Furthermore, we can learn from the Apostle Paul in his
letter to the Philippians in which he informed the people of how through God’s strength
he had learnt to be content in whatever situation he found himself in.

Unfortunately, contentment is lacking in the modern British society. In the quest of

‘Keeping up with the Joneses’ a number of people have been caught in the debt trap by
spending beyond their income and living beyond their means. The principle of delayed
gratification is no longer relevant and this has resulted in the unnecessary build up of
debt.

This lack of contentment has contributed to the recent economic crisis currently inflicting
Britain, which is due mainly to unsustainable level of debt. Britain is currently the most
indebted country in the developed world, with personal debt rising at the rate of a billion
pounds every 5 minutes prior to the collapse of the credit bubble. As at August 2008, the
total personal debt in the UK was in excess of £1trillion.

If Britain is to avoid future housing and credit bubbles, we should adhere to God’s
teaching on contentment and covetousness as espoused in the Scriptures.

Conclusion

In conclusion, just as you have noticed the drastic implication of removing Christian
evangelism from Africa, I also draw a similar conclusion resulting from Britain’s
continual drive towards a ‘God free zone’. In short, removing God from the British
equation may leave Britain at the mercy of a malign fusion of the dagger, a Taliban
regime, the empty vodka bottle, and an unused credit card.