Sexual Sins and The African Mentality About Them!

Africa: Sexual Sins and African Mentality

I felt sick when I heard the accusations of sexual immorality against an African pastor. Church leaders told the pastor to take his annual leave. A month later, the pastor returned to his ministry and things went on as if nothing had happened.

Another pastor fell into immorality. Everyone in the community knew except us missionaries. It went on for a number of years until another problem brought the allegations out in the open. A good African friend, an elder in the church, told me the accusations of sexual immorality were not the main issue that prompted discipline of this pastor. I stood stunned. Did the church feel immorality was not a sin ? Why had it not been dealt with earlier?

A young pastor fell into the sin of immorality. The church put the pastor on compulsory leave for a few months and recommended he get married. After his marriage he re- turned to the ministry.

……………………"Twenty years as a missionary has revealed that my view of sin is often at odds with the view of my African brothers and sisters. On the one hand, missionaries are often appalled by the seemingly casual view that Africans maintain towards the sin of immorality, labeled as a serious offense by missionaries and clearly condemned in the Bible. On the other hand, African believers are often con- founded by the seemingly unnecessary concern that missionaries express towards immorality, labeled as human behavior in their culture. But while missionaries condemn immorality they seem to view anger as an acceptable attitude even though anger and rage are clearly condemned in the Bible.

"Americans rate sins starting with murder, sexual sins, stealing, lying, and end up with the minor sins of anger, jealousy, and covetousness. African Christians would also start with murder, closely followed by anger, jealousy and covetousness-and then end with minor sins such as stealing (they'd call it borrowing), lying (saving face), and sexual sins (which they see as normal human activity). To an African anything that breaks a relationship is a serious sin. Americans are more concerned with breaking the rules"

(By Aaron Dean Clashing Cultural Views EMQ January 2002)

(Dr. Jon Arensen, professor of anthropology at Houghton College,)