Africa

In what is being seen as a trip to establish a legacy, President Bush is currently visiting Africa. In a presidency marked by the use of hard power, this current effort is an example of soft power. After seven years, Bush can be accused of too little too late, but his reception in Africa, where his popularity is immense, would seem to speak otherwise. Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete had this to say, “I know you will leave office in about 12 months' time. Rest assured that you will be remembered for many generations to come for the good things you have done for Tanzania and the good things you have done for Africa. Your legacy will be that of saving hundreds of thousands of mothers and children's' lives.” These lives have been saved from malaria and HIV/AIDS.

The Bible and Global Trends in Christianity- by Ian Lawton (www.christ-community.net )

Jos is a province in Nigeria. Between 2000 and 2005, 50,000 people were killed or expelled through inter-religious fighting. Conflicts between Christians and Muslims, such as that in Jos, are mirrored across Africa and Asia. It’s a trend that is defining global Christianity, as more American evangelicals find their networks in Africa and Asia. It’s also a trend that reveals the double edged role of the Bible; both as justification for political agenda when read literally, and as a potential agent for global healing when read as life affirming myth.

Consider these emerging trends:
1. In 1900, Africa had 10 million Christians representing 10 percent of the population; by 2000, that was up 360 million, or 46 percent of the population. That is the largest quantitative change that has ever occurred in the history of religion. All denominations have been growing, and Anglicanism in particular. The worldwide Anglican Church is going to be overwhelmingly an African body in the near future.