The dissemination of christianity in Nyeri district (1903-1963)with special recerence to the works of african teachers and evangelists

Abstract

This is a historical study of the Africans' initiative in the foundatIon and the diffusion of christianity in Nyeri District in the period between 1903 and 1963. During the period, christianity was disseminated through the system of churches and schools; for this reason, the evangelists, or the teachers of christian religion have been used as a sample to investigate and assess the part played by the Africans in this process of the dissemination of christianity. The work is composed of ten chapters, including the introduction and the conclusion, and is divided into two parts. The first part, chapters 2-4 traces the evangelists' response to christianit; it examines, at depth, the motivation or the 'why' of their conversion and the eagerness with which they helped in the christianization of the district. Note is taken on the presence, at the countryside, of mission-stations as centres of christianity and western civilization and the impact of this on the evangelists is discussed. It will be been that the main motive behind the evangelists' eagerness to christianization was the sharing, with the fellow Africans, the amenities of western civilization such as ability to read and write; better clothes and homes ; and better employment. The second part traces five activities done by the African christians to the christianization of the district, and tends to assess the contribution of the evangelists in these activities. The analysis of the first four activities, namely evangelization, teaching of christian education, self-support and church leadership extend only to late 1940s; the fifth activity, that of contribution during the Mau Mau liberation movements extends from 1952 to 1960. The effort or struggle with which these activities were accomplished is portrayed and examined closely. It will be seen that the evangelists bore the main burden in the establishment and spread of the christianity in te district.