Listening to Africa

I'd like to join SmartChristian blog in recommending Keith's post at Under the Acacias on the importance of listening to voices from Africa. And why should we? Let's see what Keith has to say:

1. The church is now vastly non-western. It is African, Asian, and Latin American. These are the places where the church is not only large, but growing and vibrant.

2. Jesus is most often found among the poor and on the margins. If you want to know where Jesus is, and what he is doing today, look in Africa!

Has not God chosen the poor in the eyes of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom? We need to hear what Africa has to say to us about spirituality, faith, and theology. And we need to hear the concerns of our family there, and ask how Christ, whom we call Lord, would have us respond.

Most of the discussion among Christians on the internet simply reflects the situation in the western world - rich white guys arguing amongst themselves about issues concerning an ever-decreasing section of the church: English Bible translations, American politics, postmodern church, Calvinism and Arminianism....

Not that these things shouldn't be discussed, of course. But the issues that concern the vast majority of the world's population, the vast majority of Christians in the world, and the vast majority of the materially and spiritually needy in the world, barely raise a ripple. Poverty, hunger, suffering, and injustice raised their heads recently, only because they give us a chance to talk about rock bands and espouse our own views. Then we returned to more urgent things.

I'm convinced we do need to listen, and let's start by reading Keith's post.