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P.C.E.A KIGUMO CHURCH: PIONEERS OF A NEW GENERATION
OF DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST
By
John Karanja Kamau
A Tribute to courageous and devoted work
Of P.C.EA Kigumo Church Christians
Who worked very hard to extend
Kingdom Of God
in their generation
Glory of God
P.C.E.A KIGUMO CHURCH PIONEERS OF A NEW GENERATION OF DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST:
By
John Karanja Kamau
_____________________________
First Reader
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Date
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Second Reader
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Date
Accepted by:
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Director of Advanced Studies
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Date
COPYING AGREEMENT
In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for an advanced degree at Columbia Theological Seminary, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for inspection and circulation in accordance with its regulations governing materials of this type. I further agree that permission for “fair use” copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the Seminary Librarian. It is understood that any copying or publication of this thesis for potential financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission.
John Karanja Kamau
The acknowledgement of the following is gladly registered:
God’s blessings are to you all.
ABSTRACT
MAKING DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST:
EFFECTIVE AND RELEVANT USE OF GIKUYU AGE GROUP
AMONG THE YOUTH IN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF EAST AFRICA
by
John Karanja Kamau
April 2007
94 pages
The Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) is possibly facing one of its worst crises in her 116-year history. The challenge: How does the PCEA remain meaningful, relevant, effective, and fruitful among the young people of the changing generation? If the church is to remain relevant, it needs to be always prepared to carry out research and study and to continually re-evaluate its performance. Research and deep reflection will enable the PCEA to understand contemporary issues facing not only the young people but also humanity in general. The current study aims to look at the age group (riika) principle as used by the Gikuyu people and draw out lessons for making disciples of Jesus Christ, particularly among the young people. The research involves a look at the contribution of various and diverse authors, who have analyzed issues of the Gikuyu culture from various perspectives. The call of Jesus Christ to go and make disciple of all nations is interpreted as including making disciple among the young people, and finding ways of integrating the age group and making disciples of Jesus Christ are explored.
While the riika principle, which used to bind young people together, is not utilized in Christian discipleship, it can be applied to make initial Christian discipleship more relevant, effective, and fruitful among the youth in the PCEA.
The riika principle played a major role in all aspects of the Gikuyu community. In religious, cultural, political, social, economic, and educational issues, the age group had a central role. Nobody among the Gikuyu people was left out of the age group principle and it was as natural as being born.
The age group principle can be used in making disciples of Jesus Christ among the young people, mostly between the age of twelve years and thirty years. The main idea is to provide them with a space where they can belong before they believe. The forum will be a place where the seed – the Word of God – is planted among the young people preferably at a tender, early age. The result will then be left to God. The space will also emphasize tending and nurturing of believers in Jesus Christ. The space will offer a chance for the young people to develop intimacy. It was, however, observed that great care needs to be taken in applying the riika principle, because there are some cultural practices among the Gikuyu which are not compatible with faith in Jesus Christ. In applying the riika principle, no emphasis is put on the physical ritual whatsoever. The key idea is to use the positive lessons of addressing the challenge of the young people at an early age before the world damages their characters and human dignity. The church and all with interest of the young people at heart must always keep abreast with current developments and be prepared always to work out new ways of reaching out to the young people in their generation. The problems facing various generations differ and suitable solutions need to be worked out continually.
Chapter
Goals of the Study
Gikuyu Age Group …………………………………………………… 5
Positive Lessons From Age Group Principle
Culture and Making Disciples ………………………………………… 11
The Case for Christian Discipleship
Messengers with Divine Authority
Definition of Disciple
All Are Important
Discipline
Message: Good News
The Great Commission ………………………………………………… 36
Go
Mission: Messengers of Peace ………………………………………… 46
Eating and Drinking Together: Communion
Healing and Proclamation
Judgment
Conversion Experience ……...………………………………………… 50
Witnessing
Holy Spirit
The Human Desire and Search for Intimacy
Cultivating Intimacy
Christian Nurturing
Follow Up
Growth
Fellowship
Methodology
Joining Church
Significance
Recommendations
Conclusions
APPENDIX
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION[1]
Christendom is in a crisis. Of all crises to hit the church, none is as acute as the dwindling numbers of the youth, begging the question: Does Christ still inspires the youth? . . . According to a September edition of Zenit, a news service from the Vatican, believers in the younger age groups tend to go to church less often, and there is a progressive decline in belief as the age drops, with few churchgoers in the younger age bracket, The survey reported that it is a worldwide phenomenon: fewer and fewer young people feel attracted to the message of Jesus Christ despite its astonishing simplicity-love. Although statistics are hard to come by in Kenya, senior clerics from various churches interviewed agreed that youth numbers are receding in church.[2]
The call and need for making disciples of Jesus Christ in the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) is urgent today, possibly more so than at any other time in its history. Changes in the last few decades have radically transformed the Kenyan community and the church. The current Christian struggle to live the way of Jesus Christ calls us to reevaluate, reflect, reexamine, assess, and study how we are doing our mission in general and Christian discipleship in particular. There is a noted decline in the PCEA church youth relative to Kenyan population growth. Many young people are staying away from church and are joining non-Christian groups. While PCEA is about one hundred and sixteen years old with about four million members, one non-Christian group (Gikuyu group-Mungiiki) formed ten years ago has more than two million Gikuyu youths. Other non-Christians groups draw away many young people from church. Currently there is a complacent attitude in the church. Apparently there exist a feeling among the young adults and the teenagers that Christianity belongs to children and grandparents, which challenge us to devise new ways of reaching them and other non-Christians.
How can Gikuyu age group be used to make Jesus Christ’s disciples more effective and relevant among the youth in the PCEA? There is a natural tendency for people to group according to ages; therefore, a discipleship program can use the age group to promote Christian growth. Young people initiated together formed an age group (riika). It binds people together; hence, discipleship can take advantage of this to draw many to Christ. The Gikuyu people were strongly held together by the age group structures in many aspects of their lives: Consequently, this understanding can help discipleship programs. One of the main calls of Christ in the Great Commission is to go and make disciples of all nations (Mt. 28:16-20, Lk.10). Use of age group can hasten achievement of this goal. The age group is an important aspect of the Gikuyu culture: Therefore, this thesis will attempt to explore how riika principle can inform and contribute to discipleship in order to draw in and maintain youth in the church, thus making the church more vibrant, effective, fruitful, and relevant.
CHAPTER TWO
THE GIKUYU PEOPLE
THE HISTORY OF THE GIKUYU PEOPLE
The God of the Gikuyu people is called Mwene Nyaga (possessor of brightness) or Ngai (God). There are other names used for God, like divider (Mugai). God (Ngai) was the creator, sustainer, and provider. Kenyatta summarizes the Gikuyu conception of God very well: Ngai muumbi wa indo ciothe na muhei kirindi indo ciothe [God the creator of all things and the giver of people everything].[3] God manifested himself at Mt. Kenya, where he normally visited his people. God is powerful, holy, merciful, and is not to be pestered. A number of proverbs among the Gikuyu people have preserved the concept of God. One proverb says, “God is not to be pestered” (Ngai ndagiagiagwo). Another proverb states that God is merciful: Ngai e tha.[4] Sacrifices to him were offered at sacred places. These sacred places had some extraordinary appeal. The special places of worship of God included the large mugumo or mutamayo trees (fig trees), mukuyu, mountains and hills, and rivers. God also manifest himself in various ways. The Gikuyu look upon the sun, the moon, the stars, rain, rainbow, lightening, and thunder as manifestation, of God’s power.[5]
One day God decided to create Gikuyu (husband) and Mumbi (wife). He gave them all the land below the holy mountain Kirinyaga (Mt. Kenya) where Gikuyu and Mumbi believed God lived. Gikuyu and Mumbi lived a long time in the land God gave them. It was a fertile land that did not lack water, fertile ground, forest, food and fruits, cattle and livestock, wildlife and good scenery. The good God creator blessed Gikuyu and Mumbi with nine beautiful daughters: Wambui, Waithera, Wanjiru, Wanjiku,Wangari, Wairimu, Acheera, Wangui, and Mwethaga, also called Warigia.
The daughters were hard working and assisted Gikuyu and Mumbi in their daily work. They also matured and became very beautiful. They maintained high moral standards, and obeyed their parents. They loved one another and assisted and cared for one another.
The story has it that once the good God decided to bless the daughters of Gikuyu and Mumbi as a result of their hard work and high discipline and by virtue of his great mercies. All the virgin daughters of Gikuyu had maintained very high moral standards. God prepared nine young handsome men and one day presented them to the daughters of Gikuyu and Mumbi as precious gifts. The daughters of Gikuyu gladly took the men from God and gave thanks to him for his great kindness.
Gikuyu and Mumbi were very happy and grateful to God who had blessed them so. They organized a large worship and thanksgiving service at their normal shrine of worship. The large mugumo tree in Mukurwe wa Nyagathanga (Muranga) was the central altar where the Gikuyu and Mumbi used to worship.
After the worship and the thanksgiving service, Gikuyu and Mumbi called their daughters and the husbands. They divided and assigned them portions of their land and gave it to them. Gikuyu and Mumbi blessed their children and asked them to give birth and multiply and fill the land God had given them. The daughters of Gikuyu and Mumbi gave heed to their parents and gave birth, increased, and multiplied, moving out to occupy the land given to their parents by God. As the daughters multiplied, descendants were named as clans (muhiriga) bearing their names. For example, descendants of Waithera were called Aithirandu, Wambui were called Ambui, Wanjiku were called Agachiku, Wangari were called Angare, Wanjiru were called Anjiru, Wairimu were called Airimu, Wacheera were called Acheera, Wangui were called Angui, and descendents of Mwethaga were called Ethaga.
When the tribe increased, it was structured into families, houses, and clans. The principle of the riika was also developed as a rite of passage from childhood to adulthood. Both boys and girls were to go through the initiation rite of circumcision at the age of fourteen for boys and twelve for girls. The rite was very important not only as a physical sign of the drastic change from childhood to adulthood but also as a session for training and education for the young people about the way of life of the tribe. When one was initiated, he became a member of the riika.
Gikuyu Age Group (Riika) Principle
Age group or age grade, known as the riika, is among the three most important concepts that unified the traditional Gikuyu society.[6] The other concepts are the kinship system of family group (nyumba or mbari) and the clan (muhiriga), which are beyond the scope of this research. A Gikuyu proverb, which has been passed from generation to generation, strongly emphasizes the importance of the age group: “Family and age group cannot be deserted,” (Nyumba na riika itiumagwo). A particular age group referred to men or women (then boys and girls) who were initiated into adulthood at the same time or period. The age group was given a name mostly taken from a general event or occurrence at the time. The age group formed a strong bond for members, becoming like a second family to them. A special friendship and relationship developed with members becoming like brothers and sisters. Louis Leakey captures this very well when he states, “the concept of age grade is common throughout Bantu cultures. In the basic form, all boys and girls who are circumcised in a given year are given a title or group name, rather like the ‘class of some year’. There is a great deal of solidarity within an age-grade.”[7]
The age group was an important aspect of the Gikuyu culture. The age group structures ensured that the political, economic, social, cultural, religious, mental, educational, military, physical, and ecological aspects worked harmoniously. The Gikuyu community had operated harmoniously for many generations using the age group as one of its core structures. Macpherson argues:
Several centuries of virtually undisturbed occupation of a rich agricultural habitat, a bracing upland climate and the colonizing genius of the Bantu-speaking people had together provided the conditions for developing a strong and closely integrated social structure, an expanding subsistence economy and a very strong held sense of tribal identity and mission. These were maintained at every point by powerful religious sanctions, firmly anthropocentric in character. Such were the main characteristic of the Gikuyu way of life at the turn of this century [1900] when the completion of the Uganda railway broke through its protective ring and exposed it for the first time to a head-on confrontation with the Western world.[8]
The age group put people together for life irrespective of their membership in different clans or families. The position of the elders in the council, for example, was determined by the system of the age group. In reference to the council of elders, Kenyatta states, “when the preliminary ceremony is completed, the candidate and his wife are sworn to keep the secret of the kiama [council of elders], and never to reveal it to anyone who was not ritually initiated into the age grade of the Kiama kia mataathi.[9] Macpherson strongly underlines the bond of age group across clan line when he argues that “a group of families or clan representatives might not approach him [God] except at time of tribal crisis and then only through the appropriate age grade elders.”[10]
The Gikuyu people have evolved a very strong military system based on the age group. Kenyatta states: “the Gikuyu had a very powerful military system, which was organized according to the age group.”[11]
Macpherson, referring to the social organization of the Gikuyu people states: “the tribal identity of the Kikuyu people and their social organization are maintained by two governing principles: first, that of kinship; and second, that of age-grouping.”[12] He further argues:
The kinship relationships described above might seem to promote independent action by clan and family interests, or even competition between them. But in practice, kinship interests were bonded together by another principle which cut across clan and family bonds, that of age grading. Irrespective of clan or family affiliation, all Gikuyu, both male and female, were admitted by circumcision membership of an age grade at some suitable time after reaching adolescence. Each age grade was a name relating to some outstanding event of the time, and membership of each carried with it powerful obligation of brotherhood and sisterhood towards all other members, thus unifying the clans and family groups of that particular age grade throughout the whole tribe. Each age grade had precedence over and exacted loyalty from its juniors and each accorded precedence and loyalty to its seniors, the oldest surviving age grades, acting through councils of elders, being regarded as the repositories of the tribal tradition, and age grading pattern as continuing beyond death among the ancestral spirits.[13]
Macpherson continues to hold that the danger inherent in the system of having tribal authority vested in the age groups of men approaching senility was avoided by a system of “generation grades,” called alternatively Mwangi and Maina. He states that “a generation grade held office for some 30 years, at the end of which it would give up its authority to its successor in a very solemn ceremony called the ‘Itwika’ [breakaway].”[14] Macpherson maintains that, in these ways, the framework was provided for a system of unified, self-renewing government, relatively harmonious and stable, over the whole tribal area.[15]
Jomo Kenyatta states: “the system of age grading unifies and solidifies the whole tribe in all it activities…. In every generation the Gikuyu tribal organization is stablished by the activities of the various age grades, of old and young people who acts harmoniously, in the political, social, religious and economic life of the Gikuyu.”[16]
Francis Kimani Githieya argues:
The association thus formed by a ‘riika’ cut across the ‘mbari’ and clan lines. It put people together for life irrespective of their membership in different clans or families. The times formed also become the basis for informal task in the larger Agikuyu community, such as participating in the local self-help work projects, in dances and in such obligations as the military and judicial systems.[17]
Not only status and gender became crystallized, but relations between age groups were delineated with membership in a particular riika. Irua [circumcision] had an integrative role in enabling a girl to gain access to an age set that had both historical and social significance. Historically, the attachment of a riika name provided a means of keeping tracks of events that occurred concurrently with Irua. Socially, riika meant identification with a “sisterhood” that provided solidarity and mutual aid throughout the life span. Finally, Irua was an enabling process that allowed the mother and the father of the initiate to assume new role status as elders in the community. Formerly, such transition included eligibility for the Kiama (council of elders) as we learn from Wanjiku’s narrative.[18]
Jane Nyambura Njoroge states: “the Scottish missionaries began a campaign against female circumcision among their converts. The campaign was met with great opposition by both Gikuyu men and women as it a attacked a crucial rite of passage for women in the Gikuyu tribe. A woman or man was not considered an adult and mature if she or he had not undergone circumcision.” [19] Leakey notes:
Female circumcision marked the cut-off [point between child and woman], signifying the transition from the state of ignorance, inactivity, impotence, and asexuality into one of activity, knowledge and reproduction . . . a Gikuyu man has been taught from childhood to develop the technique of self-control in the matter. During early childhood parents talk freely to their children explaining all matters connected with sexual taboos. Pre-initiation masturbation is considered “right and proper”; afterwards, it is said to be abandoned and referred to as a babyish habit. Girls are told it is “wrong”. Formalized sex instruction is offered to girls in an initiation ceremony including circumcision.[20]
Decline of the age-set system, schooling, the gweko (fondling) custom, and the delay of integration of sex education have changed recent matters. Today, Ahlberg et al. argue that, circumcision still symbolizes becoming a Gikuyu adult; it is now performed in a clinic and no longer includes the ceremonies and open discourse that formerly conveyed sexual knowledge combined with strict social controls regulating sexual behavior. “The changes have resulted in ‘numerous discrepancies between cognition and practice’: although parents believe sexual intercourse should be restricted to marriage, they employed ‘a prohibitive silence’ that is misinterpreted by youth who have little reliable knowledge about sexual matters.”[21]
Riika principle as can be clearly observed played a central role in all aspects of their lives. It had become so ingrained in the lifestyle of the Gikuyu people, it was almost natural. No one could ever imagine living outside the riika principle at any given time. It is not recorded to have happened. If it happened, one automatically became an outcast of the community and the tribe. The many changes in the Kenyan society have greatly affected the Gikuyu tribal values. The influences of urbanization and development have destroyed the social, cultural and religious structures of the tribe. Strong family values have broken down. These changes have not spared the respectable and highly valued riika principle. The riika was so ingrained that even today after the collapse of the traditional values, a Gikuyu man who is not circumcised and is discovered, will be forcefully initiated even if he is sixty years of age.
Positive Lessons From Age Group Principle
A number of positive values from the age group principle (riika) that can inform Christian discipleship include:
These lessons drawn from the Gikuyu culture and the riika principle in particular can be applied in an attempt to arrest the current lack of focus in life among millions of our young people. Many are living frustrated and meaningless lives and hence the various incidences of senseless suicide, murders, violence, sexual immorality, divorce, family conflicts, and drug abuse.
Culture and Making Disciples
The role of culture in Christianity, in general, and in making disciples of Jesus Christ in particular, needs to be looked into with a fresh approach and with an open mind. Culture, if properly understood and properly applied, can make major and drastic contributions to Christianity and to the work of Jesus Christ.
Darrell Guder rightly states:
Witness to the gospel is to go out into all the world. The Holy Spirit enabled everyone present at Pentecost to hear the good news in his or her own language. The gospel is to be translated into every language and culture on the earth. . . . Within every culture, the people of God are to be gathered as the witness to that culture and as witness to the unifying power of the gospel which supersedes all cultural divisions. . . . Every human culture is thus both honored by the gospel witness as well as challenged by it.[22]
When translating the gospel into every culture, it is important to note that there are many elements of the Gikuyu culture in particular, which are not compatible with the gospel of Christ. Nevertheless, the positive aspects that exist and can benefit the Church of Jesus Christ need to be appreciated and used in promoting the growth and development of the church in all aspects possible. The riika principle is one among others, that can be exploited to the benefit of the PCEA.
In reference to culture and Christian evangelization, Aylward Shorter argues:
When evangelization begins to be placed in the hands of the indigenous Christians themselves, then the process is speeded up, and the whole cultural system should start to be enlivened from within. This is the beginning of inculturation properly so-called, but everything depends on the decision as to which of the imported cultural elements are essential and which are non-essential.[23]
Virtues Shaping Character and a Value System
The riika principle encouraged the youth, both young men and ladies, to cultivate and maintain very high moral and cultural standards. Positive virtues and values were highly applauded, recognized, and appreciated. This was done without any discrimination whatsoever. The saying that, njamba ti ikere (“a warrior is not gauged by his thighs”),[24] underscored the need to appreciate all without discrimination. The riika principle recognized the community value system, which was adhered to by all, both young, and old.
The riika principle highly discouraged arrogance and other negative vices among the youth and community. The young people were exhorted and admonished, Kurua ti kwara itara. [25] (“To be circumcised is not the same as building a platform high over the fireplace” or “Just because you have gone through a ceremony is no reason for you to be arrogant”). It was therefore not easy to come across an arrogant and proud character in the community. His age group would scorn such a one. The riika thus had checks and balances to see that the tribal value system was safe guarded generation after generation.
There is urgent need to develop an acceptable value system that will bind the community together in perfect harmony. The human value system developed needs to be self-propagating and self-perpetuating from generation to generation. The problem currently is that there is no cultural, community, or even family value system that uniformly guides the people. It is everybody for himself and God for us all. This has in turn resulted in the current state of disorder and lack of sense of purpose in life among the young people. The tragedy is that some unscrupulous devious young people have taken advantage of the situation and led many young people astray. The cunning youth are forming gang-like groups (e.g. Taliban, Mungiiki, Jeshi la Mzee, Jeshi la Embakasi,Kamu Jeshi etc.), which are promoting very weird, negative, and retrogressive behaviors and attitudes. The great danger is that once these attitudes are planted in the minds and lives of our young people, it will take very many generations to uproot and undo the harm already done. This is why no effort should be wasted in attempting to capture and guide our youth before they fall into the hands of these dangerous and retrogressive groups.
In this context the issue of using the riika principle in making disciples for Jesus Christ in the Presbyterian Church needs to be addressed.
CHAPTER THREE
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF EAST AFRICA
The History
The Presbyterian Church of East Africa is about 116 years old. The church was started in 1891 as an effort of Scottish Presbyterian missionaries from Scotland and American Baptist missionaries from Connecticut, United States of America (U.S.A)
Rev. R. Macpherson notes:
Two streams of missionary influence converged to produce the Presbyterian Church of East Africa – one Scottish Presbyterian in origin, the other American Baptist. The Presbyterian stream appeared first as a private venture, directed towards Kibwezi.[26]
Missionaries from the Church of Scotland Mission (CSM) after failure to establish a mission in Kibwezi among the Kambas, established their center at Thogoto in Kikuyu. This was among the Gikuyu people of central Kenya. The Scottish missionaries who left London for Kenya on July 6th 1891 included Thomas Watson (Evangelist), John Linton (Carpenter), John Greig (Engineer) and Cornelius Rahman (Storekeeper). According to Rev. R Macpherson:
The team was joined in Mombasa on August 18th by Dr. Stewart and Dr. Robert Unwin Moffat (Grandson of the pioneer missionary of that name) George Wilson, who had accompanied Lugard to Dagoretti the previous year and later been responsible for the evacuation of the fort, was engaged as guide and safari- master. All but Stewart and Greig were under 30, and only Stewart was ordained. The party, with 273 porters, left Mombasa for the Interior on September 19th, with instructions to set up the mission at Dagoretti.[27]
Here it can be noted that in the Gikuyu understanding this team of young people was one age group (riika) of warriors (njamba) or aanake. The ordained Dr. Stewart could have been considered as a mentor (mutiiri) of the group.
The Gospel Missionary Society missionaries (GMS) had settled at Kambui Mission after making failed attempts in other places.[28] Rev. R. Macpherson states:
The Gospel missionary society was a product the Moody and Sankey revival campaigns in the United States (and elsewhere) of the 70’s [1870] and [80’s] of the last century. It was set up for the reclamation of men from the power of evil by faith in Christ, using the techniques of evangelistic preaching and gospel hymn-singing which had been a feature of the Moody and Sankey campaigns. It drew support from a number of Baptist congregations and revivalist groups in the states, situated mostly in the North, and were sponsored and administered by office bearers of the People’s Church of Christ, of New Britain, Connecticut, an independent congregation of some 500 members which followed the practice of adult baptism by immersion. In the early days of its existence, the society made itself responsible for missionary activity in the West Indies, South America (Brazil) and East Africa. The East African enterprise began in 1895 with the arrival in Kenya of a party of missionaries from the States which included Peter Scott, the founder of the Africa Inland mission and the Rev. and Mrs. T. N. Kreiger representing the Gospel Missionary Society.[29]
The other Gospel Missionary Society Christians who played a key role in setting up the Kambui Mission were Rev. W. P. Knapp, his wife Myrtle Ingersoll, and Miss Margaret Wheeler. Between 1902 and 1906, Rev. Charles and Mrs. Attwood joined the Kambui Mission, and in 1905 Attwood opened up a new Station at Ngenda. In 1906, the first converts were baptized. The first converts were Wanyoike Kamawe, Ndaguri Kinuthia and his wife Wanjiku; and Mutuanjeru Muciri and his wife Nyambura. They were baptized by immersion in the River Mukuyu before a large crowd of on-lookers, an event that seems to have made a strong impression on the local community.[30]
In 1943 the Church of Scotland Mission took the name Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA). In 1945, the Church agreed to merge with the Gospel Missionary Society congregations. The First General Assembly of the PCEA was held in 1956.[31] The missionaries had four main objectives. These were religious, educational, medical, and industrial development of the people and country. A casual look at the area in which the missionaries operated still reveals these key marks of their achievement. On the religious front the Presbyterian Church has played a key role in Kenya. When Rev. Dr. John William Arthur succeeded Dr. Henry E. Scott as the head of the Kikuyu mission on Scott’s death in 1911, there were no baptized Christians among the Kikuyu people. When Rev. Dr. Arthur retired in 1937,
The membership of the Christian community in Kikuyu numbered nearly 11,000. The rapid growth in membership necessitated the building of the Church of the Torch, which was completed between 1927 - 1933. The Church of the Torch is still one of the largest and most influential congregations within the Presbyterian Church of East Africa today.[32]
The PCEA today has four million members. A number of other denominations have been established by members either brought up in the church or educated in schools sponsored by the church.
In education, most of the schools established by the missionaries continue to perform very well. The church has also established other educational institutions. Currently, the first Presbyterian University already has students and will be granted a charter soon.
In the medical field, the missionaries established three main mission hospitals – Kikuyu, Tumutumu, and Chogoria. The hospitals are still operational, though they have not registered tremendous growth after so many years. The PCEA has lived up to the desire of the missionaries by establishing medical centers in various parts of the country.
Perhaps the vision of the missionaries that never produced major impact was their desire to achieve industrial development. The church to date has not made any marked achievement in this field.
The greatest challenge, however, remains the issue of dealing with the young generation, who are losing interest in church matters at a very high rate. Coming up with ways and means of remaining relevant and making impact in the contemporary society will continue to be an issue in the church for a long time.
Current State
From scratch, the church has grown and now has forty six presbyteries. The church has about four million members, which is about eleven percent of Kenya’s thirty five million people. The church membership can be considered low, however, compared with the number of young people who have joined other non-Christian organizations. One Gikuyu group of young people (Mungiiki) has more than two million youth. This group was formed barely ten years ago. Comparing the rate of growth of this group to the growth of PCEA, it is evident that there is need for the church to take urgent action.[33]
A prayer offered by Alan Gaunt rightly captures the current Christian need. The prayer states:
As we pray remove the fear that makes us strident and vengeful and take away wooliness of thought that makes us sentimental, give us clear eyes to see the world as it is and ourselves and all men as we are, but give hope to go on believing in the possibility of what you intend all men to be. We pray for those who have had their character destroyed by upbringing and those who have cynically disregarded the guidance of parents and teachers, and taken their own cruel, greedy way. We pray for the children growing up with no sense of beauty, no feeling of what is good or bad, no knowledge of you and no love of Christ.[34]
The church is in a state of chaos. There exists a general lack of direction. A state of confusion is prevalent in the church today. The sweet order that existed is no more. There is no telling the young and the old. All manner of people bearing the great name of Jesus Christ are everywhere. While formerly Christians were feared and revered, now they are found in prisons, bars, prostitution, theft, murder, and corruption. Who sets the standards? Who separates the goats from the sheep? Who separates the goats from the wolves? Who is the role model? In the Christian fraternity there still remain many more questions than answers. When Jesus Christ prayed that, “all may be one,” why is unity on all fronts so elusive? Physically, morally, socially, religiously, culturally, regionally, ecumenically, and even spiritually, everyone seems bent on pursuing personal interests and goals, with no regards for his neighbor’s plight.
Jones correctly states that, “I knew from my earliest memories that the world was winding in a direction away from love and I too was caught in its drag.”[35] Indeed, the world is winding in a direction away from God, away from love, and our young people are caught in its drag. The sad thing is that the Christians whom Jesus Christ called upon to be the light of the world are caught in the same drag and confusion. When division, fighting, schism, splits, and denominationalism abound among those carrying the name of Christ, there is no telling where hope will come from. Derrick Prime states, “Our evangelism will lack staying power and compassion if we look at men and women and do not feel anger at their capacity for self-degradation as they worship at the altars of sex, money, astrology, and the like.”[36] There is urgent need to devise and draw new ways to make disciples of Jesus Christ in a world blinded to the truth, life meaning, and beauty of life. The riika principle has the advantage of addressing the concerns and interest of the youth at a tender age. It will then be able to draw many young people to Jesus Christ and make them his disciples.
CHAPTER FOUR
MAKING DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST
The call of Jesus Christ was direct, simple, and clear. Jesus did not use complicated theological jargon. Jesus simply stated, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:16-20). Though this call of Jesus Christ has been standing for almost 2000 years, the current Christian generation appears to be making very little impact on drawing many nations to Christ. The whole world has gone berserk, and the Christian appeal for sense and calm appears to fall on deaf ears. While the Christians made a mark in the past generations, currently in the spiritual, religious, cultural, moral, ethical, ecological, political, economic, social, and others aspects of human life, Christians have very little or no influence at all. The call of Christ today is as urgent to the Gikuyu Christians in the PCEA, as it is to all Christians in general.
The Christian challenge remains to devise and work out ways to reach out to the nations in a relevant and fruitful way. In this light, the Gikuyu age group principle can be applied to draw many young people to Christ, making them his disciples. In borrowing from the Gikuyu culture, however, it must be stated at the outset that only the positive values can be borrowed. A close look at the culture will reveal a number of traditions, which by any means of imagination, cannot be compatible with the Christian faith, and the teachings of Jesus Christ. The issue of female genital mutilation (F.G.M) is one example among many.
Taking the example of the farmer, mission is the act of the farmer setting out to plant the seeds. Evangelism is the act of sowing the seeds. God gives the growth. Follow-up, training, fellowship and mentoring (mutiiri), which can be referred to as Christian tending or nurturing (Jn 21:15-18), are the act, of tending the plants until they give the fruits. This involves fertilizing and putting manure, cultivating, pruning, spraying, and preparing for harvest.[37] Making disciples of Jesus Christ (discipleship) involves the whole process, mission, evangelism, and follow-up, and mentoring in obedience to Christ command in Mt. 28:16-20.
Here it can be noted that if a farmer is given a virgin forest, the whole process of preparing the ground for planting is never a simple one. The farmer has to cut all the trees, clear all the shrubs, dig up the ground, remove all the stones, and set the ground for planting. This is a very costly exercise, which consumes a lot of time, energy, and resources, and requires great patience.
The statement by Darrell Guder closely reflects the right view in this case: “more commonly, ‘mission’ is understood as the broader concept, defining the mission and calling of the church (in the sense of missio dei), and ‘evangelism’ as the specific task of making known, witnessing to, and inviting response to the gospel .”[38] Christian nurture/ tending will include follow up, training, fellowship, and encouraging growth to maturity. Darrell Guder further states:
David Bosch correctly observes that evangelism is the core, heart, or center of mission; it consists in the proclamation of salvation in Christ to nonbelievers, in announcing forgiveness of sins, in calling people to repentance and faith in Christ, inviting them to become living members of Christ’s earthly community and to begin a life in the power of the Holy Spirit.[39]
Here it can be noted that most new Christians are left at the beginning of “the new life.” Even as they are left in the hand of the Holy Spirit, practical follow- up, guidance, instructions, mentoring and training are required.
The riika principle will help to bring continuity once the new believer gives his /her life to Jesus Christ. Just as the young person was initiated into the particular age group, the new believer will join a discipleship group of eight other believers of his/her age. The new believer will be integrated immediately. The group will be a forum where he/she gains a sense of belonging. He/she will be trained, shown love, and offered fellowship. Further, when properly prepared he/she will be given responsibilities as he/she is able to handle. In a span of time he/she will have become a trainer (mutiiri) of trainers and can comfortably instruct others in the faith. He/she will have become a disciple. Kenda Dean is indeed right when she argues that:
God is the great homesickness that we could never shake off. But young people, like young birds, require wise adults who can show them the way and teach them the practice Jesus uses to draw their passions into his. Without the memories of those who have traveled before them, the migratory route is lost, and young people journey aimlessly, mired in self- fulfilling passions that obscure the steadfastness, ecstasy, and intimacy of God. [40]
The trainer/ mentor (mutiiri), in the riika principle was the one who acted on behalf of the whole tribe, to hold the hand of the innocent youth to guide him/her into the way of the tribe. While the father and mother acted on behalf of God (Ngai), the trainer/mentor acted on behalf of the tribe. He played a very important role in the life of the young person and he also knew as much. If the young person went wayward, the trainer was largely held responsible. It thus followed that the trainer worked to instill the right virtues and beliefs in the young person not only during the initiation period, but also throughout his/her life. The challenge here is to develop committed people in the process of making disciples for Jesus Christ who will see that the young ones are nurtured until they achieve full maturity.
The Case for Christian Discipleship
Analysis of Jesus Christ’s ministry reveals his great emphasis on discipleship training. Darrell Guder states that, “Jesus did not leave written documents or other artifacts to serve as evidence of the truthfulness of his message and claims. Rather, he equipped and sent out witnesses. Their witness to this particular story, translated into their particular stories, is the way the Holy Spirit continues the event character of God’s actions into every generation and age.”[41] In Matthew 16: 13-20, Jesus, having called his disciples and prepared them for the task of discipleship for three years, wanted to know whether his objectives had been met. If the general public had failed to recognize who he was, what of the people in whom he had invested so much of his time and energy? How did they perceive his mission? Fortunately, the disciples had known his special mission, to some extent, as the Christ and the Son of the living God. As Peter proclaimed, Jesus was quick to point out that no human being can gain such understanding and it came by divine revelation.
Jesus further wanted the disciples to understand and believe that, as he prepared them for their future mission of going and making all nations his disciples, no power could overcome them. Jesus said that he would build his church and the powers of death will not defeat it. This was great assurance in that, in spite of all the suffering, the difficulties and challenges that were to face followers of Jesus, victory was ultimately assured.
The discipleship mission ahead of the disciples, as it was to appear in the Great Commission (Mt. 28: 16-20) was not an easy task and required clear understanding of authority. The disciples of Jesus would receive divine authority, “Keys of the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 16:19) This charge that was addressed to Peter would also apply to other disciples and all the others who receive divine revelation (Mt. 18:18ff). Jesus at this point did not want the people to know that he was the Christ –the Messiah. The people’s concept of the Messiah was quite different at the time. They could have hindered Jesus from achieving his mission. Had the people known that Jesus was the Messiah they had been waiting for all along they could have made him king according to their own understanding
Jesus, having established that the disciples knew he was the Christ, wanted them to have the right concept of the Messiah, his mission, their mission, and their call to discipleship. As opposed to the expectation of a royal king, the Messiah was to suffer in Jerusalem and be killed at the hands of the Jewish leaders. Jesus was to be raised from the dead on the third day against the teachings of the Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection. Jesus well understood this as his divine mission and nothing, not even Satan, could deter him from achieving his mission. This is why Jesus rebuked Peter when Peter proposed a different alternative. The disciples, in their call to discipleship, were to maintain the same focus and determination. Christians today in the PCEA need to have the same understanding and sense of mission.
“Get behind me Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men.” (Mt 16:23) Anything that hinders the Christian from achieving his mission and calling must be forsaken and rebuked, just like Jesus rebuked Satan. We must always keep on the side of God.
Though Peter proclaimed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, he failed to understand the true nature of his messiahship as well as the implications for their own mission. The possibility of a suffering Messiah was not clear to Peter. Robert Morgan argues that believers do sometimes criticize their scriptures and do so in the light of their own (provisional) understanding of the Gospel. This means not only in the light of their intellectual and moral experience, but also in the light of their Christologies.[42]
When we remove the distorted understanding of Christ’s mission and ministry, then the Christian is prepared to undertake the important task of Christian discipleship. Effective and relevant discipleship will challenge the Christian to go to Jesus, have a better understanding of who Jesus is, and believe him. This will result in faith that is strengthened in service, and eventually a reward when the Son of Man comes with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then will repay every person for what he has done. The Christian needs to look afresh at how we are making disciples in obedience to Jesus’ command.
The discipleship feature of Jesus’ ministry has been subject to neglect, abuse and confusion. Discipleship is always related to the teaching of the earthly Jesus. The disciples are hearers of that teaching and understand it. This is the presupposition for the definition of discipleship at Matthew 12:50 as doing the will of God.
Disciples are learners, those who learn and apply what Jesus teaches them. The Greek word for disciple is “μαθηтηѕ” which means learner or student. Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free” (Jn. 8: 32).
“It is as pupils of the earthly Jesus that the disciples become transparent and are models of what it means to be a Christian.”[43] In fulfillment of his mission Jesus entrusted his disciples with the challenging task of proclaiming the good news to the whole world. To this end, “Jesus devoted a significant portion of his public ministry to calling and training disciples.”[44]True discipleship needs to understand that Jesus’ invitation to follow him is open to everyone. Jesus does not discriminate against anybody regardless of circumstances. He invites old and young, rich and poor, able and disabled, black and white, Jews and gentiles. All are invited. Any who come to Jesus shall by no means be cast out. Proper understanding of this position will inform all those going out to proclaim the good news. Those going out to make disciples are challenged to invite all to come to Jesus.
The call to follow Jesus is a call to self- denial (Mt. 16:24). The cost of discipleship is not a cheap one. According to Bonhoffer, “CHEAP GRACE is the enemy of our Church. We are fighting today for costly grace.”[45] It is a call to leave all and come and follow Christ.” For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Mt 16:25). As Don Schwager states, “A true disciple gladly gives up all that he has in exchange for unending life of joy and happiness.”[46]
Discipleship begins with an informed and voluntary decision to follow Christ. The disciple must take up his cross daily and follow Jesus (Mt. 16:24). As Jesus carried his cross, his disciples, too, must be prepared to do the same. “Taking up the cross refers to the willingness to endure persecution, rejection, reproach, shame, suffering, and even martyrdom for the sake of Christ. The cross is central to Jesus mission.”[47] Recognizing Jesus as the Messiah was a first good step to understanding Christ’s mission. However, this was not very helpful when the disciples’ concept of Jesus differed so greatly from his own. Jesus’ messiahship meant that he would suffer and die. All those who follow him must count and accept the cost.[48] Following Jesus means to be obedient and being doers of his word. Obedience is the supreme test of faith in God. Jesus is the perfect example of obedience as he lived a life on earth of complete obedience to the Father even to the point of death.[49]
“Jesus Christ told us that we are to make disciples of all nations. This goes beyond evangelism and involves the discipling of young believers into mature soldiers of Christ. This should be the goal of every church and every Christian.”[50]
Discipleship involves being equipped by Jesus to influence others for him. [“I will make you fishers of men” (Mt 4:19)]. “But Ephesians 2: 10 says that each of us has been given a unique role to play. Each of us has been gifted and called to influence others for Jesus in a way that no one else has. No matter how ordinary /goofed-up you are, he assumes responsibility and claims competence to do this. If you continue to be a learner, he will progressively teach you and reveal your role to you.”[51]
“The context of discipleship is community with other disciples. Jesus didn’t call one person, nor did he meet with several individually. He called them into a relationship with each other as well as to himself.”[52] Discipleship involves learning from other Christians how to follow Christ.
“Discipleship involves teaching others Christians how to follow Christ. Discipling others is a stewardship – a responsibility to pass on to others what God has given to us through older Christians – as well as a source of great fulfillment and joy (3 Jn. 1:4).”[53]
Complacent and nominal Christians in the church today have resulted from lack of proper understanding of who Jesus really is. When we truly understand that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” our lives, mission, discipleship and Church will never be the same again. Proper understanding of Christ’s mission will give the Christian the power, impetus, motivation, and drive required for life and ministry. The Christian will join Peter in saying, “depart from me for I am a sinner.”(Lk. 5:8) This will in turn become a call and challenge for higher righteousness and holiness. We will join the doubting Thomas in exclaiming, “My Lord and my God” (Jn. 20:28) and our many doubts and disbelief will dissolve into faith in Jesus and service for him.
The challenge here is to all who would proclaim the word of God and those involved in mission work, evangelism, outreach, and discipleship to be properly prepared and taught to understand Christ’s mode of discipleship and mission. This will include the preachers, elders, deacons, and leaders at all levels, just like Peter was prepared by Jesus to a point of acknowledging and declaring, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Mt. 16:16). Those doing Christian ministry need to come to the same level of faith. Further, the need to go beyond mere confession to understanding the implications of Jesus’ messiahship, mission and calling is of paramount importance. Just like Peter, the Christian will seek to understand and be transformed by Jesus’ resurrection power. The reality of Jesus’ ascension needs to impact greatly on the life of the believer. The Pentecost experience of the outpouring and receiving the Holy Spirit needs to be appropriated daily by believers. In addition, the reality of Jesus now alive and exalted in glory at the right hand of God and the certainty of his coming with great power and glory of the Kingdom of God will result in very hard working Christians making all nations to be Christ’s disciples. This will be done with the understanding that Jesus is surely coming and coming soon in fulfillment to his Word. “For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done” (Mt. 16:27). This amazingly agrees with John’s version of the παρουσια, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense, to repay every one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Rev. 22:12-13).
There is urgent need for greater emphasis on Christian discipleship and practical Christianity in general. There exists a great need for more zeal in doing Christian mission, evangelism, and discipleship. The teaching and importance of Christian discipleship will be complemented by not being only an academic exercise but also a practical exercise. The PCEA will put more emphasis on applying the truths, inspirations, and insights coming from Christian discipleship.
Messengers with Divine Authority
The heralds of the Kingdom of God also come with the authority of the Kingdom. Just like the twelve apostles were given power and authority before commissioning by Jesus, the seventy also carries the same authority. Jesus said, “I send you,” and they go as his representatives. As Tiede notes, “the appearance of the disciples of Jesus is an event of great consequence because they bear the very authority and power of the Lord of heaven and earth, but only for the accomplishment of the good. Judgment on those who reject such an embassy is reserved for God.”[54] Disciples are called upon to pronounce healing, peace, and the Kingdom comes.
Definition of Disciple
In the riika principle, the member did not become a passive participant. He/she was not only required to be active but had to be proactive. He/she actively took part in all the activities of the age group, the family, clan, community, and the larger Gikuyu tribe in general. Darrell Guder states:
To be a disciple is to be part of a new community, a new polity, which is formed on Jesus’ obedience to the cross. The constitutions of this new polity are the Gospels. The Gospels are not just the depiction of a man, but they are manuals for the training necessary to be part of the new community. To be a disciple means to share Christ’s story, to participate in the reality of Christ’s rule.[55]
Great investment and resources had been applied to mould, train and develop the young person. The family, the riika, the community, and the whole tribe had invested in the young person with great hope, large expectations, and great promise. The worst the young person would do, is to just sit there and do nothing. Of necessity, he/she had to use all his/her talents, capacity, gifts, abilities, and skills to make a positive and profound contribution to the people of his/her generation. That was his/her call that was his/her duty; there was no way he/she could escape from this responsibility that God (Ngai) and humanity had so graciously bestowed on him/her.
“Discipleship is always related to the teaching of the earthly Jesus. The disciples are hearers of that teaching and understand it. This is the presupposition for the definition of discipleship at Mt. 12:50 as doing the will of God.”[56] Similarly the new believer needs to be ready after the necessary training to venture out and share the good news of Jesus Christ. Though the method and ways of sharing will not be limited by any means, at no point would the believer imagine that he/she would just be a passive, nominal, complacent member of the age group. The member will be encouraged to use his/her varied gifts in sharing the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ name.
All Are Important
In the riika principle everybody was highly valued. The beautiful and the ugly were all equally considered and appreciated for their varied talents in spite of their striking differences. The Gikuyu proverb has gladly preserved this important truth: Mugikumia thaka ya riika, ririkana njongi ya riika onayo i hinya[57] (“When you praise the beauty of the age group, remember the ugly of the age group (riika) also has great strength”). The members of the discipleship group need to be encouraged to appreciate one another for who they are. It is important to know that God has bestowed on us varied gifts and talents. The various endowments are given to us all for the common good of the Church of Christ and must be seen as such. The quick-to-speak disciples, like Peter and those like Bartholomew for whom nothing is recorded of what they did or said, are all disciples of Jesus Christ. This sense of solidarity, respect, and understanding will greatly enhance the success of any mission undertaken. When any member considers himself/herself better than the others and looks down on them, the group disintegrates and cannot do fruitful mission work.
Discipline
In the riika, the issue of discipline was very crucial. This was more so in reference to sexual matters since young men and young ladies were involved. Traditionally, sexual intercourse before marriage was considered a taboo (thahu). The Gikuyu community however recognized the need for sexual release of pent-up energy and emotions in the young people. Njogu and Mazrui correctly state:
In his works Kenyatta describes non-penetrative sex (nguiko) among the Gikuyu. Nguiko(fondling) followed a well-regulated code of convention. According to Kenyatta (1978:159) the Gikuyu man had been taught to “develop the technique of self control in the matter of sex, which enables him to sleep in the same bed with a girl without necessarily having sexual intercourse.” He would not dare pull out a girl’s garment because it was a taboo (thahu), which could lead to along process of purification and social stigmatization, by the community and his age-mates (riika). In nguiko, the man squeezed his penis between his thighs and fondled the girl until they were both satisfied, without penetrating. The girl was also barred, by custom, to touch the man’s sexual organ with her hands. However: “. . . in the case of a long- standing friendship a girl may allow a boy to put his sexual organ between her thighs and hold it tight in that position without penetrating” (1978, 159). Full penetration, a rare occurrence, never took place between casual lovers because of the consequences stipulated by culture. For instance, a man who attempted to loosen a girl’s garment during nguiko(fondling), would be reported and ostracized by girls and boys alike for bringing shame to the age group.[58]
One of the main challenges of the church is to reclaim and recapture moral order. The church needs to go back to the drawing board and work out how the young people can be assisted to rein in the sexual energy and emotions that are part of growing up. In the past, the church is known to just sit, and come in to condemn the young people when they engage in sexual immorality. In the first place the church never advised the young people how to behave and how to deal with their sexual energy. Further study needs to be carried out sooner than later, to draw ways of how the youth can manage the sexual energies and emotions in a Christian and biblical way. The church needs to not bury her head in the sand like the proverbial ostrich. A number of schools of thought are currently arguing that indeed female circumcision was one of the traditional methods of addressing sexual immorality. How true, ethical, and suitable this was only further study can reveal. One thing, however, that no one can dispute is that the dangers involving sexual immorality are myriad in our generation. From diseases like HIV /AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STDS), to abortions, homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality and incest – all are issues related to sexual immorality, sexual energy, and the commandment, “you shall not commit adultery”( Ex 20:14). The mere fact that the issue is given weight in the perfect Law of God needs to alert us of its great importance. The issues relating to sexual energy were non-issues that the traditional Gikuyu people and other community never had to deal with for many generations. They were unheard of. The traditional society had faced the issues of sexual energy head-on and drawn practical ways of dealing with them for many generations. The earlier the issue is addressed the better. These are issues that must be tackled head-on, for where groups of boys and girls are involved, their great, uncontrollable, overpowering, wayward sexual energies cannot be ignored or assumed. Another school of thought has argued that the period of prayer and fasting at least twice a week in the Jewish society was the way to address this same problem.
The riika methods of controlling sexual energy may not work with the discipleship group, but the lesson can inform the group. The group challenge is to develop intimate relationships without sexual intercourse. When this discipline is developed among the young people, it will be a milestone step for humanity and many generations to come will reap its benefits.
Message: Good News
Becoming a member of a particular age group was as natural as being born to the individual. It was part and parcel of the Gikuyu. It was never heard of, a Gikuyu person with no age group. Similarly being called upon to play any role by the age group or tribe was natural and none could fail to take the challenge. This is the same attitude that the discipleship group needs to instill in the new believer. Sharing ones faith and the good news of Jesus will become a natural and automatic response. Martha Reese states:
If faith and church have changed your life, you’ll want others to understand that there is no sin, no resentment, no bitterness, no wound, no fear, no illness, no loneliness that Christ cannot forgive, dissolve heal, cure, fill. You’ll want everyone to know that the God of infinity is there to lead them by the hand into forever. Nothing is more real than this good news.[59]
The new believer will have developed to a point where instead of fearing to share his/her faith, he/she will experience the joy, the grace, satisfaction, pleasure and fulfillment of witnessing to non-believers and sharing his/her testimony with believers.
The role played by the riika during the planting season is also a good lesson for making disciples of Jesus Christ. During the planting season, no one worked alone. The young people (aanake) would team up together for the task. Since they were the strong-arm of the tribe and community, they would jointly (ngwatio) clear the ground and prepare it for planting. After planting, like in any other community, the work of growth was left to God (Mwene Nyaga-Mugai). The lesson here from the parable of the sower is a good point for young people making disciples for Jesus Christ. The Word of God is seed. The main task and challenge is to plant the seed, the Word of God. This, like the joint venture of the riika, needs to be a combined effort for it to be more fruitful, effective and productive. Once the seed, the Word of God is planted, God and the Holy Spirit will play the part of producing growth and ultimately a harvest will be achieved once the necessary nurture and care is taken. This is why the following saying was very important: Mugikumia thaka ya riika, ririkana njongi, onayo i hinya, (“When you praise the beauty of the age group, remember the ugly of the age group (riika) also has great strength”)[60]. The ugly youth of the riika who was strong became very important when hard work was required, hence the call for his respect.
The Great Commission
In the riika, a young man gradually graduated and become a military man (mwanake). During this stage, it was an automatic commissioning to not only defend the age group, family, clan, and community, but also the whole tribe. The military young men (aanake) were ever prepared to defend the tribe from any external aggression and interference. Thus, for example, if the tribe were attacked, no time would be taken “commissioning” or training the young men of valor. The moment they were initiated into the age group, they naturally graduated to become warriors. In the Christian mission and spiritual warfare, the new believer, on joining the group should develop a proper understanding of commissioning. He will automatically graduate into the state naturally. Darrell Guder rightly argues that,
It has often been noted that the New Testament writings do not explicitly command the Church to do mission – they assume that mission is what these communities were all about. Thus we read the “Great Commission” incorrectly when we interpret it as an imperative intended to ‘launch the church on its missionary labors’ and to ‘provide it with conscious motivation.’ Rather, ‘in the reporting of Jesus’ final words in the Gospels and Acts we should see not a command for the early churches to obey but an affirmation of what they found themselves doing . . . [These texts] validate the experience of being in mission.[61]
This is the attitude that the riika is aimed at reclaiming in the life of the young person. Becoming a member of the age group gave you the mandate to be a defender of the tribe, to be the tribe’s eyes wherever you were. The youth become the tribe ambassador, witness for the tribe and its values.
Darrell Guder further argues:
What is true of the original witnesses, preserved in the canonical record, continues true of witness thereafter from generation to generation. God’s people are called to carry forward this unique witness, to translate it into every new situation of history, so that the Word happened continues to be the Word witnessed, heard, responded to and obeyed. All witness is defined by calling and mission. ‘It is common to all biblical accounts of calling that to be called means being given a task.’ The very existence of the Christian as witness is ‘existence in the execution of this task. . . . The Holy Spirit is God’s initiating action to evoke faith, enable response and empower the mission of the witness . . . To understand witness as pneumatological is to stress its dependence upon God, both as its initiation and its continuation. Witness is an essential form of spirituality; in and through witness to the gospel, the Holy Spirit is experienced as the enabler and encourager.[62]
The age group will have instilled in the young man an ingrained understanding that wherever he is, he is the tribal representative and eye. He never awaits any further instruction from anybody to play this responsibility. In reference to mission Guder states, “This risen Lord now sends his disciples into the world to carry out the missio Dei (Mission of God) that was the purpose and content of his life, death, and resurrection. The mission of the Christian church is defined by the entire event of the life, teaching, proclamation, and passion of Jesus”[63] Guder is right when he further argues that, understanding mission as witness and seeking to be guided by the biblical language of witness, then witness is Theocentric, Christocentric, pneumatological, historical, eschatological, ecclesiological, multicultural and ecumenical.[64]
Go
In normal life, the riika encouraged young people never to go alone for an important mission. Solidarity with others and the tribe was highly encouraged. A Gikuyu proverb captures this very well: “the journey of one person is made due to darkness” (Rugendo rwa mundu umwe ruthiagirwo gutuka)[65]. As we go to make disciples of Jesus Christ, Rick Richardson has rightly observed that, “Although people today know less about Christian faith than they used to, they think they know what it is and have decided they don’t want it.”[66] This understanding will help in the process of making disciples of Jesus Christ and his implication when he stated, “Go your way; behold I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves” (Lk.10:3).
When we turn to the Bible to search for a model of doing mission work, the sending out of the missioners in Luke 10 and Matthew 28:16-20 is a good starting point. An analysis of Jesus Christ’s instructions will help when looking at the challenge of using riika to make disciples among the youth. This analysis covers Luke 10:1-12, which deals with the instructions for the mission as given by Jesus and its implication for making disciples, the Christian mission, and calling before the coming of Jesus Christ.
When working out ways of using riika in making disciple of Jesus Christ, understanding the context of Jesus’ commission is important. This will help establish a mandate, power, and authority, and to maintain focus. In commissioning the seventy to go and preach in “every town and place,” Jesus would appear to be implying that the good news of the Kingdom of God was universal. It was not only meant for the people of Israel (implied by Mt. 10:5-6) to whom the twelve Apostles had earlier on been sent. (Lk.9). Thus, an attempt to integrate the task of making disciples for Jesus with the riika principle of the Gikuyu people can never be considered as borrowing from a foreign religion—A Jewish one. Jesus Christ had a universal mission. Jesus came for all the people everywhere and in every place. Jesus came for all nations and his mission was for all nations.
Further, the author Luke apparently wants the readers to see a connection with Jesus’ “Mission Statement” of Lk 4:16-19.The use of the terms, the Lord, the Lord of the harvest, heals the sick and the Kingdom of God has come near to you, all point to Jesus mission, work and ministry. Luke also wants to highlight the importance of prayer and peace in the Christian life, at least as conveyed by Jesus.
The sending of the seventy followed the commissioning of the twelve disciples and their return in Luke 9. Jesus had also made the strong statement about discipleship saying, “if any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and loses or forfeits himself”(Lk. 9:23-25). In the riika principle, the interests of the tribe were far more valued than personal interests. Initiation into the riika implied that one was giving his/her life to the tribe and its values. During the time of war, for example, no young man could shy or turn away from defending the tribe. The tribe was more important that his individual life.
Later on, Luke notes that the transfiguration happens and the great testimony, “This is my Son, My chosen, listen to him” (Lk 9:35), is heard by Peter, John and James. Jesus also tells of his passion, death and resurrection. As he made the appointment of the seventy, Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.
In Luke 10:1, the Lord (Greek: κψρίοσ), refers to Jesus. The word means one with great power and authority, God or King. Since Jesus was to refer to the Kingdom of God later, the understanding of Lord and King is more probable. In his Gospel, Luke also uses other titles for Jesus. Other titles used include, Son of man, Son of God, Son of David, King, Prophet, Teacher, Servant, Savior, Messiah or Christ. Fuller states that, “the word Christos literally means the ‘anointed one’. This word in turn is a translation of a Hebrew word, Mesiah (Messiah)”[67] Conzelmann argues that the titles which Luke uses most frequently are κυριοѕ and Χρισατοѕ. In Luke the latter preserves or regains to a considerable extent its character as a title[68]
The Gikuyu tribe had no leader or chief. A council of elders (kiama) offered leadership and guidance. They were believed to act on behalf of Ngai- Mwene Nyaga (God). To the riika principle the lordship of Jesus Christ became a revelation of the one who had been represented by the council of elders for all the generations.
The riika instilled in the young person the need for respect of others and the community. Individualistic approach was highly discouraged. The riika taught the young person, Tiga guikara wiki ta murogi. (“Do not stay alone like a witch.”) There was strength in numbers. Combined effort was encouraged. A Gikuyu proverb properly underlined this principle: Kamuingi koyaga ndiri (“An organized small group of people is capable of lifting a heavy mortar.” “When each knows his place, a group can achieve the impossible.”)[69] Kenyatta rightly notes:
Owing to the strength and numbers of the social ties existing between members of the same family, clan and age group, and between different families and clans through which the tribe is unified and solidified as one organic whole, the community can be mobilized very easily for corporate activity. House-building, cultivation, harvesting, digging trap-pits, putting up fences around cultivated fields, and building bridges, are usually done by the group: hence the Gikuyu saying: “Kamuingi koyaga ndiri,” which means collective activities make heavy tasks easier . . . Thus the individual boy or girl soon learns to work with and for other people.[70]
The task of making disciples for Jesus Christ is not a Lone Ranger venture. The community needs to be involved; it is not a task for a chosen few. The reference in Luke 10:1 to “seventy others” would appear to refer back to Luke 9, where Jesus called together the twelve and gave them power and authority over demons and to cure diseases, and sent them out to preach the Kingdom of God, and to heal. The idea of sending people to prepare the way would appear to have been a custom of the people of Israel, or at least of Jesus. John the Baptist had been sent out to prepare the way for the coming Messiah. Further, Jesus sent messengers to Samaria to survey, and never went there when he realized he was not welcomed (Lk 9: 52). Two by two would appear to refer to the Israelite custom of believing the testimony of two or three. (Dt 19:15). Sending the seventy missioners would mean that about thirty-five groups were sent out. Some authorities quote seventy-two missioners and relate the number to the nations of the world as recorded in Genesis 10. According to Tannehill, Moses appointed seventy elders as his helpers in Numbers 11, but as the Spirit rested on them, two others also received the Spirit. He states: “Thus the seventy or seventy-two may be patterned after the Spirit- filled assistants of Moses, or their number may anticipate the world mission.”[71] The instruction to the missioners was to go to every town and place. This would mean that Jesus tried to be very thorough in his mission and work covering every area. Further, the assurance that the missioners were going ahead of Jesus to areas “where he himself was about to come” must have been very comforting and encouraging.
When using the riika principle to make disciples of Jesus Christ, and as Christian mission and evangelism is undertaken, the assurance that we go ahead of the Lord Jesus in our limited ways and then Jesus comes in his way with all power and authority should give us courage and motivation to venture out into the unknown in obedience to his command.
In the riika principle as already stated, communal action was encouraged, particularly when a hard task was involved. In time of wars, planting, and harvesting seasons, people particularly the young were encouraged to work together. Jomo Kenyatta rightly states:
In cultivating the fields men clear the bush and cut big trees, and so also break the virgin soil with digging-sticks or hoes. Women come behind them and prepare the ground for sowing seeds. Planting is shared by both sexes. Men plant bananas, yams, sweet potato vines, sugar canes, tobacco, and also provide poles for propping up bananas and yams. Women plant maize, various kinds of beans, millet and sweet potato vines. Weeding is done collectively.[72]
In making disciples for Jesus Christ collective responsibility is required by all. In Luke 10:2, “The harvest is plentiful.” There are many people waiting to hear the good news but there are few people to proclaim the message. The challenge for the disciples is to pray God to call many more disciples to the harvest. Apparently the Christian mission field is wide and always ripe with harvest. This was the case during the time of Jesus as it is now. This situation can address John’s (Lk. 9: 49-50) and many others concern when they see others not of their team doing the work of God in Jesus’ name. Further, here Jesus highlights the need for more laborers, missioners, disciples and evangelists. “In the Christian service, there is no unemployment. God has work for everyone.”[73]
“Pray” (Lk 10:2). Jesus here underlines the importance of prayer in mission work. He wanted the missioners to follow his example of praying and even fasting, going to a quiet place and seeking the power and will of God. Christian mission must continue to be undertaken in the context of prayers and thanksgiving. Luke underlines the importance of prayer in the life of Jesus. More than any other Gospel writer, Luke shows how important prayer is in the life of Jesus, his disciples and the early church. In doing this, he is teaching his readers how important prayer is for them. This appears to have some weight given that in the succeeding context, Luke 11, Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray the Lord’s Prayer. “The Lord of the harvest” here refers to God the Father who is the owner of the harvest. The Lord here is also God in “The Kingdom of God.” The Kingdom is his as well as the power, authority, and the glory. Prayers must always be made to him to give more laborers for the work.
The age group (riika) prepared the young people for any dangers or warfare. Kenyatta states:
We have seen that the circumcision ceremony was the only qualification which gave a man recognition of manhood and full right of citizenship . . . Before a boy goes through this ceremony he is considered a mere child, and as such has no responsibility in the tribal organization . . . But this liberty ceases immediately he is circumcised, because he is now a full grown and has assumed the title of mundu- murume(a he-man), and as such he must share the responsibility with other he men(arome). As soon as his circumcision wound heals he joins in the national council of junior warriors, njama ya anake a mumo. At this stage his father provides him with the necessary weapons, namely, spear, shield, and sword . . . then the leading warrior shouted a war-cry (rohio), his companions stood up brandishing their spears and lifting their shields upwards; and in a ritual tone they chanted in unison the following warriors’ resolution (mwihitwa wa anake): “brandish our spears, which is the symbols of our courageous and fighting spirit, never to retreat or abandon our hope, or run away from our comrades. If ever we shall make a decision, nothing will change us; and even if the heaven should hold over us a threat to fall and crush us, we shall take our spears and prop it. And if there seem to be unity between the heaven and the earth to destroy us, we shall sink the bottom part of our spear on the earth, preventing them from uniting; thus keeping the two entities, the earth and the sky, though together, apart. Our faith and our decision never changing shall act as balance.[74]
The mission of making disciples for Jesus Christ is not an easy one; it is a spiritual warfare. In Luke10: 3, Jesus indicates that the mission is a very dangerous venture. Just like in his case, where fulfilling his mission from God involved death caused by the “wolves” among which he was sent. In reference to them as “lambs,” Jesus could probably have implied that he was the “Lamb of God” sent among wolves. The missioners also must be prepared to face any danger. Nevertheless, obedience to the call is demanded. “Go your way.” The command to “Go” is very common with Jesus and appears to carry some urgency. The call and mission is immediate and urgent. “I send you.” The fact that the missioners are sent by Jesus must inspire courage and hope .The knowledge that they go out in obedience to the master will help withstand any challenge they may face along the work. It is the Master’s project and program and they should totally depend on God.
The riika principle encouraged the young person always to know that God is able, has power, and is ever merciful. The Gikuyu proverb states that, Ngai ari tha, (“God is merciful.”); (“The grace of God is near enough.”)[75]
A Gikuyu proverb encouraged member of the riika not to do things alone, “the journey of one person is made due to darkness” (Rugendo rwa mundu umwe ruthiagirwo gutuka). In Luke 10:4, the missioners sent out two by two by Jesus were to put emphasis on the proclamation of the good news of the Kingdom of God. The instructions were clear: carry no purse, no bag, and no sandals and salute no one on the way. Only “proclaim the Kingdom of God”. The “salute no one on the way” instruction is not a rude response but an emphasis on the urgency and need to save on time. Time is short to carry out your mission to proclaim the Kingdom. Keener has stated that a Jewish religious service was not interrupted even with greetings.[76] The riika encouraged young people to keep to the tasks assigned to them and not to waste time doing other tasks. Those who did that were “given a nickname, kihongoyo or moburabureki, something like “Nosy parker.”[77]Here the lesson from the riika principle in making disciples for Jesus Christ is that as we go we need one another. It is not a Lone Ranger venture. Appreciate one another and work with one another for greater results. The church needs to make note that the command is to go and make disciples. It is a proactive action. The church takes the initiative and moves out. The disciples were not to wait for the people to come to them. The disciples were to go two by two to every town, village and street and proclaim, heal and make disciples of Jesus Christ.
Mission: Messengers of Peace
The Gikuyu person brought up through the riika principle will have a very clear understanding of the mission of the messengers of peace. In the following prayer, Jomo Kenyatta gives a classic understanding of the Gikuyu view of peace, which is highly valued by all.
Asking for Blessing
2. Praise ye, Ngai (God). Peace be with us.
This prayer is an example of prayers offered up at public assemblies. Note that lines in this prayer numbered 1 denote lines spoken by an elder, while those lines numbered 2 indicate the responses of an assembly. These are phrases which are generally used in all public assemblies in the Gikuyu country.
The implication here is that to send out a Gikuyu person to make a public proclamation of peace is part and parcel of normal ordinary life. That is the way one is brought up-Hearing and learning proclamation of peace to all openly. In Luke 10:5 “peace be to this house,” appears to refer to Jewish greetings of peace. Shalom, shalom. Compare this to Jesus’ greetings after the resurrection Luke 24:36 and the greetings of angel Gabriel (Lk 1:28). According to Barton, this greeting conveyed much more, “For it represented the Messianic peace promised in the Old Testament and stressed the authority based on the power from God that was behind the missionary.”[79] In Luke 10:6, the “son of peace” here would refer to those who were ready to listen and receive the good news of the Kingdom of God. The good news of peace, salvation, healing and blessings. Christians are peace messengers.
Eating and Drinking Together: Communion
The riika was taught that ndugu ni makinyanga na marumanga (“Friendship constitutes visiting and dining together” or “Sharing company and sharing food foster friendship.)”[80] When Jesus Christ instructed his disciple to eat and drink with their host, he recognized the need to accept hospitality in order for the message to make a better impact.
In reference to social issues, Jomo Kenyatta states:
The teaching of social obligations is again emphasized by the classification of age-groups to which we have already referred. . . . The age group (riika) is thus a powerful instrument for securing conformity with tribal usage. The selfish or reckless youth is taught by the opinion of his gang that it does not pay to incur displeasure. He will not be called to eat with others when food is going.[81]
In Luke 10:7-8, the missioners were instructed to accept the hospitality of the house where they were received, eating and drinking what was offered to them. As Jesus said “a laborer deserves his wages.” The instruction not to move from house to house was to ensure the disciples did not loose focus on the mission and calling. The call for focus in mission is important for Christians today. Believers need also to support Christian workers.
Healing and Proclamation
In the riika among the Gikuyu people, God (Ngai) bestowed the people with healers and seers (Mondo- mugo). Their work was to heal, prophesy and proclaim the message from God (Ngai). One of the best known seer/prophet is Mugo or (Muru wa Kibiro). Jomo Kenyatta says, “Once upon a time there lived in the Gikuyuland a great medicine man known as Mugo wa Kibiro, his national duty was to foretell future events and to advise the nation how to prepare for what was in store.”[82] In Luke 10:9, Jesus clearly defines the heart of the mission: “heal the sick and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God has come near to you.” The Christian mission is both service and proclamation. Healing the sick is a clear sign that the Kingdom has come. The conclusion of the blind man healed in John 9:32 would appear to capture this very well: “Never since the world began has it been heard that any one opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man was not from God, he could do nothing.” The kingdom of God (Lk10: 9-10) represents the rule of God. Jesus’ understanding was that of a present, immediate future, and distant future Kingdom. As present, the rule of God had already started with the coming of Christ. As immediate future, Christ was calling upon the people to repent for the Kingdom of God is near. In his understanding of the Kingdom of God as future, Jesus said, “I tell you it shall be more tolerable on that day for Sodom than for that town” (Lk.10: 12). As already noted, in every age group and generation there were healers who had special abilities to heal and proclaim peace. When any were sick or faced calamity, the healer was ever ready to offer his services of healing and proclaiming peace.
Judgment
The reference here to the judgment of Sodom (Gen. 19:24-28) according to Robert Stein was proverbial (Is. 1:9-10) and would be less severe than the judgment that would come upon those cities who reject the missionary preaching of the seventy.[83] Further, Craig Keener states that the biblical prophets and subsequent Jewish traditions set Sodom as the epitome of sinfulness. The particular sin that Jesus mentions here is probably rejection of God’s messengers, though lesser ones than Jesus.[84] A closer look at what happened to unbelieving Sodom makes the prophecy “But by the same word the heavens and the earth that now exist have been stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly men” (2 Pt. 3:7) a very real one. In Luke 10:10-12, Jesus underlines the importance of conveying the Kingdom message whether the missioners and the message were received or not. “The Kingdom of God has come near”(Lk 10;9) was to be stated in both cases in houses, places, and towns. As much as judgment was inevitable to those who reject the message, the key theme of the mission was to proclaim the arrival of the King and the Kingdom. The reign of the King and the Kingdom is a reign of healing to the nations and everlasting peace. Thus in doing Christian discipleship, more emphasis and energy need to be applied to proclaiming the good news, leaving the results and the consequences to God.
Now, the riika so well integrated the young people and the community that the issue of judgment was rarely emphasized. Though the consequences of disobedience of the age group and the tribal rules were clearly taught and communicated, not much time and energy was lost on negative issues. People religiously adhered to the tribal rules and regulations, and cases of waywardness were a rare occurrence. Similarly, emphasis on the mission of making disciples needs to be on peace, healing, and the good news of the Kingdom of God. This mission of the seventy remains the mission of the Christians today and as long as Jesus tarries. As the church awaits the second coming (Parousia) of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords implied by “on that day,” the urgency of the mission remains. The Church is called to go and proclaim the Kingdom of God in houses, towns, streets, and in every place, to all the nations. As Darrell Guder argues, “The gospel of God’s love fulfilled in Christ is now to be made known to everyone. Because of the evangel, the call to evangelize is now heard.”[85] This is an urgent call to Christian mission, evangelism, and discipleship. Understanding the consequences of messenger and message rejection, which is ultimate judgment, only heightens the urgency of the mission. The focus of the task must not be lost: peace, healing and the Kingdom of God come.
Conversion Experience
The great conversion in the riika happened when the young person was initiated from childhood (kihii) into adulthood (mwanake). The process was a drastic one and it was irreversible. It was a once-for-all process. No member of the Gikuyu tribe would by any means escape this conversion process. Jomo Kenyatta says of the process:
When a boy’s ears are pierced he advances from childhood to boyhood, he can now accompany his father to a case as a witness so that he will be able to speak of it after his father’s death. But the biggest and the most drastic step in the latter is circumcision, which admits a boy or girl to the full membership of the community. This used to be done only when a youth could be expected to prove himself as a warrior. The customary age was thus eighteen or twenty. But nowadays a boy goes through this ceremony between twelve and sixteen. Then the youth “comes of age,” he is “born again.” “The difference in standing of the circumcised and the uncircumcised is tremendous.[86]
In the mission of the seventy, those who received the peace messengers with the message of, “peace be to this house,” peace immediately rested upon them. For those who rejected the peace messenger and the peace message the consequences were enormous as Jesus Christ tried to explain. Jesus Christ stated, “He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me” (Lk. 10:16) The difference was tremendous. Accepting the good news was being born again, like Jesus tried to explain to Nicodemus (Jn. 3:7).