When Evil Strikes

Faith and the Politics of Human Hostility

Agang

• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN: 9781498235679
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

Human hostility is not the narrative of a selected few. Since the fall of the grandparents of the human family, Adam and Eve, all humans have continued to participate in the reality of evil. Accordingly, the question is no longer whether evil will strike, but rather, when evil strikes, how should humans, particularly Christians, respond to it? This book offers a relevant and effective theology and ethics for addressing the issue of Christian response to violence in Nigeria and beyond. It situates the whole gamut of the reign of human hostility in its various manifestations: self-interest and greed for power, deception and social injustices, governmental official corruption, terrorism and so on. It encourages humans to take seriously both the fact of God creating humans good and the fall serving as the gateway of evil into the human race. It recognizes the complexity of human problems. Yet it offers possibility for just peacemaking. In spite of the horrific violence across the globe, humans are still able to do tremendous good. Thus the book recognizes the paradox of humanity: humans are capable of doing tremendous good and equally capable of doing tremendous evil.

Part 1

UNMAKING THE TRUTH

It has been said that humans are political animals. But we have uncritically accepted the axiom without realizing its far-reaching implication. If we had, we would have long discovered that the human species is the socially insecure and politically jealous and aggressive animal on planet earth. The human story of hostility needs to be exposed and be documented. Part 1 sets out to do exactly that. It focuses on the exposition of the ingrained roots of human hostility with the hope that that will help the human race to recognize its place in the present state of social and moral evil.

Chapter 1

Whose View of Human Hostility Matters?

This book provides an elaboration of Christian commitment to Jesus Christ and its implications for the broken and decaying world in which Christians live alongside other faiths. As Paul K. Jewett explained, Christian theology is a believing thought which “reflects commitment to Christ as well as reflection upon the implications of that commitment” to other faiths in the human race.1 With the crises of world faiths—religious communities deeply engage in sociopolitical, socioeconomic and violent clashes on our global world—Christians across the globe need to think carefully, deeply and theologically about just ways of countering violent aggression. Our world is infested with “ideologically-fueled violence.”2 However, we are not only dealing with ideology but also with competing cultural myths and theological perspectives that have traditionally governed the lives of their adherents for centuries. Yet we do not stop to ask, for example, what does God think about terrorism in the world? He obviously grieves over sin and terrorism.

The author of this book has realized that no one person can think for all us. We must each contribute our own quarter to the big picture of what it means to live as people of diverse faith in this only habitable planet, earth. I am glad that the burden of solving the world’s problem of revolutionary terror is the collective responsibility of all Nigerians (Muslims, Christians and Traditionalists). So I see myself dancing in the company of others who have gone before me or are currently here now or will be in the future.

I am aware that at the turn of the new Millennium, many scholarly works have been published on the subject of religious violence and the factors that encourage it. Charles Kimball, writing after September 11, believes that the primary reason for religion becoming an instrument of evil is because its adherents believe in absolute truth. He writes, “Religious ideologies and commitments are indisputably central factors in the escalation of violence and evil around the world.”3 He further notes how the holy books are a major source of the problem: “The Qur’an and the Hadith materials make clear that Muslims can and sometimes should take up arms in defense of Islam.”4 Consequently, Kimball concludes, “Grave dangers facing the world community demand focused, intentional, and persistent “striving” together for peace and justice.”5

There is some truth in Kimball’s argument. But I am less satisfied with his conclusion. If the person believes in absolute truth and I do not believe that, how then can I dialogue with such a person? Kimball argues that the solution to absolute truth is to persuade us, people of faith, to reject the idea of absolute truth. But that is impossible, at least in Africa. I dare say that the premise for his argument is faulty. In Africa, both Islam and Christianity hold sway. The adherents of both religions hold tenaciously to the doctrine of absolute truth. Therefore if one begins by denying the existence of absolute truth one loses the credentials for further discussion because no one will pay any attention to what one has to offer. As such, my approach is to help Christians and Muslims as well as traditionalists reflect deeply on their theological stance and how their shared values and understanding can help them recreate a peaceful and a just environment for moral, economic and political aspirations to thrive to the service of human transformation and flourishing.

Harvey Sindima, in his work, Religious and Political Ethics in Africa, demonstrates a fine grasp of the embedded factors which encourage religious crises in Africa. He explores the internal and external rivalries which exist between Christianity and Islam in Africa. Both religions have become indigenous to Africa since their early days. He argues that the two religions have different political and religious orientations. On the one hand, Western Christianity, which was introduced to African by Western missionaries, preaches the doctrine of the separation of religion and public life. On the contrary, Islam, like the African indigenous religions, believes that there is no separation of mosque and state. As such, “Islam is a political, economic, and religious force in Africa.” He draws his readers’ attention to the significant present of Islam on the African continent.6 Nigeria is among the African countries which have a fair share of Muslim populations. Yet, unlike other African countries such as Northern Sudan, Senegal and Libya, Nigeria cannot be regarded as a Muslim state in Africa. Instead, Nigeria should be considered as a multireligious country with a secular constitution that serves as a bridge between Muslims, African Traditional Religionists and Christianity.7

This fact shows the enormous factors militating against the desire for peace and justice in Africa. Both Christianity and Islam are fundamentally missionary faiths. They view each other as rivals, foes, instead of friends, partners. The way each of the groups sees the other gives room for mistrust, hatred and destruction. Sindima identifies a number of factors which prevent mutual coexistence between the followers of these religions. He states that they have had difficulty relating with each other: Historically, Christians and Muslims have considered each other infidels to be conquered and controlled.8

I would argue that this demonstrates the embarrassing reality of our fallen and broken world. Religion as faith in a transcendent Being does not automatically made us immune to “self-interest and the will to power.” Humans seem to be under the grip of competition, rivalry, and the use of violent language toward fellow humans and God. That is why serious stereotyping is the order of the day amongst the two missionary religions in Africa. To compound issues, Nigerian Muslims like their counterparts across the Muslim world hate Western capitalism and materialism. And since Christianity in Africa was brought by Western missionaries from capitalist countries Muslims tend to associate Nigerian Christians with materialism.9

Suffice it to say that a lot of assumptions and misconceptions about each other characterize the relationships of the different faiths in Nigeria. One of these assumptions is the comparison of Nigerian Christians with the West and its so-called liberal culture, amoral culture. To some extent, Sindima’s assertion above provides a key understanding of the major challenge that Nigerian Christians must face: Proving beyond reasonable doubts that Nigerian Christians are not amoral. There is a sense in which Nigerian Muslims are deeply concerned about righteousness and justice in society because they want stability and security. In that case, Nigerian Christians need to convince their Muslim neighbors that they also want morality and social justice because that is what the Bible and Christian ethics teaches. Genuine Christians are not amoral. Therefore, Nigerian Christians need to take heed to Peter’s admonition: “Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Pet 2:11–12). In as much as I agree with Sindima, I will argue that Christians have always been persecuted because of the fact that they are seen to represent a worldview that is negative toward society in general. The early church was persecuted for the same reason in the Roman Empire.

Sindima has helped us to understand that Islam was rooted in Africa prior to the coming of Christianity and colonialism. He points out that Jihad [Islamic holy war] has been a major source of Islam’s growth in Africa, particularly in Ni...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Part One: Unmaking the Truth
• Part Two: Unmasking Falsehood
• Part Three: Unmasking the Mission of the Church
• Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Sunday Bobai Agang’s Bio