Is it the Dark Continent?

Africa was first called The Dark Continent by British missionaries. The term seemed to be a natural fit. The spiritual darkness could be seen in all the forms of their tribal religions. The Sacrificing to idols, pouring out libations to the spirits of ancestors and engaging in pagan rituals not previously seen by the “civilized” Christian community left these travelers with little doubt concerning the spiritual darkness they had encountered.

As we traveled through Nigeria we too experienced the Dark Continent. Not the spiritual darkness experienced by our forefathers, but the blackness of the African night. Electricity is a luxury that may be experienced for a couple of hours on a good day. When the lights go out at night there is a darkness that drapes your body like a cold, damp robe.

It is amazing the impact a small light can have in the darkest night. Each evening a few dozen light bulbs where illuminated over the chapel at Nigerian Christian Bible College. In an area that might seat 2,000 people if you pack them in tightly, we saw nearly 4,000 crammed under the tents and scattered all around the chapel area. While we begin to tire after an hour of worship, these dedicated servants of God would seat all day and all evening listening to the gospel be preached.

I am convinced you will never see a more stark contrast of the light and darkness better than we did during those three nights in Ukpom Abak. While generators provided light to a darkened chapel, the light of the gospel shined more brightly than the sun on the African plains. At the conclusion of services the first evening our hearts were filled with joy as people pushed their way through the crowds just to confess the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. By the end of the third evening over 160 people named the name of Jesus. Together hundreds of our brothers and sisters accompanied them down dangerous roads, through the black African night so they could be baptized for the remission of their sins.

We still refer to Africa as The Dark Continent, but nothing could be further from the truth. For over five decades the churches in Nigeria have grown at an amazing rate, doubling every decade. Today there are over 4,000 churches of Christ meeting in Nigeria and thousands more throughout the continent. The light of the gospel is shining brightly over Africa because of the men and women who support training preachers of the gospel and participate in the fellowship of this great work. We pray you will continue to support bringing the light of Christ to a people eager to escape the darkness.

For more information about the work at African Christian Schools Foundation, see the link on the right side of my page.