Anglican Archbishop of West Africa Reports Modest Church Growth, Rapid Expansion of Islam
Episcopal News Service. March 14, 1990 [90062]
Margaret Larom, Information Officer for World Missions
Islam is gaining power and control in Liberian society and government, said the Most Rev. George D. Browne, archbishop of West Africa and bishop of Liberia. "If we don't work hard now, my grandchildren will be living in a Muslim state."
Archbishop Browne was joined by Dr. Melvin Mason, president of Cuttington College, and other Liberians in a wide-ranging discussion with Episcopal Church Center staff in New York on February 28.
The archbishop and Mason reminded the group that in 1972 the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) meeting in Morocco declared that "in the 19th century Europeans and Americans had exploited Africans and imposed their religion on them; now that God has blessed the Muslims with oil dollars, the best stewardship is to undo what the Europeans did."
Archbishop Browne noted that throughout West Africa any village that has 20 or 30 Muslims may get support from Saudi Arabia, and that after every 10 miles, one may see signs promoting Islam and a mosque, constructed by the Kuwaiti government. In the government of Liberia, most under-secretaries and several cabinet ministers are Muslim. The head of government radio is Muslim, and the Epilogue at the close of the day is now entitled, "Islam and You," replacing a daily Christian program. Pages of the Koran are being sold as talismans in the marketplace.
Mason noted that Muslims now outnumber Christians by 5 percentage points in the Liberian population and that four new mosques are being built in the capitol of Monrovia alone. "They [Muslims] are making a lot of inroads. This unfortunately is happening at a time when the West is withdrawing, and expressing more interest in its own domestic affairs."
Archbishop Browne warned, "We need to learn from their theology and strategy. Muslims talk about brotherhood, and stick by each other! To be Christian, we say you must turn 180 degrees, but Muslims say 30 degrees is enough...."
But Archbishop Browne quoted some other facts and figures that were highly encouraging about the growth of the church in Liberia.
Christianity was introduced to the region in 1821, a lay missionary founded the Liberian Episcopal Church in 1836, and the Missionary Diocese of Liberia was created in 1851. The first Liberian was ordained in 1864, but not until 1970 was a native Liberian made bishop of the diocese. That bishop, George Browne, was the ninety-ninth Liberian to be priested (in 1962); in the 28 years that have passed since then, the clergy total has passed 150.
Since Browne became bishop in 1970, membership in the church has grown from 10,000 to 30,000; congregations from 66 to nearly 160. This has happened despite a reduction in support from the Episcopal Church (down two-thirds, because of the diocese's move to autonomy, and later incorporation into the Province of West Africa).
Two things account for the growth, according to Archbishop Browne: first, the diocese's history of strong emphasis on lay leadership and missionary work; second, the decision in the 1970s to redirect energy and funds from education to evangelism -- from church-run schools to manpower training. In 1970, he said, three-quarters of the diocesan budget was devoted to education (the other strong ministry was in social services); where there were 45 schools, there are now 28. "Education is the responsibility of the government, but evangelism is not the responsibility of the government, so we had to change our emphasis," he said.
However, Cuttington College remains a keystone of the Diocese. The only liberal arts college south of the Sahara that is not government-controlled, it has a teaching faculty of 80, offering 120 courses. The current enrollment of 850 could be significantly expanded, according to Mason, who noted that the school is overcrowded and has four applicants for every spot.
Founded in 1889, Cuttington is viewed as a place for quality, disciplined education. No less than 45 percent of the civil servants in Liberia are Cuttington graduates, Mason noted, making them critically important when measured against the growing Muslim influence in the government.
Archbishop Browne made oblique references to areas of friction between the Church (not only the Anglican denomination) and the state. "Anybody who thinks constructively and not the way of the government may be styled a radical or even an enemy of the state," he said.
Regarding current troubles in Liberia, the archbishop noted that because most newspapers are controlled by the government, "We get more news from Voice of America and the BBC" than from local media. He confirmed a UN commission's report about refugees in the Ivory Coast and Guinea (as well as much displacement within the country), and indicated the churches are reluctant to participate in a government-created agency for dispersement of aid.
"We know people are hiding in the bush, because the towns are empty. Relief is sent in army trucks, but the people don't dare come out when they see the army!" He urged sending help through the Liberian Council of Churches, "certainly not through the government."
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