A nigerian pastor came over to my house and shared some mad wisdom to me. I want to highlight something that he shared with me that really convicted me.
He said something along the lines of:
American pastors do not go to Africa to preach. That is because the African church doesn’t need/want American/Western spirituality. We have great and amazing pastors here in Africa. Our pastors have seen the sick healed, the blind see, the dead raised (literally), and you want to come here and tell me about theology which is mostly theoretical? The people of Africa are not interested in a Jesus who just talks but cannot change.
The spirit in which he was saying was not offensive, but very challenging. I believe that intellectualism and academia has its place in the Church because good theology leads to good practice (at least you’d hope). But when intellectualism/knowledge/teaching has become the primary vehicle for spirituality in the church, the church becomes powerless.
Paul said it best when he said that, “The kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power.” When he says power, he really means power. Paul has seen the power of God performing great miracles and transforming many lives. In other words, the proof is in the pudding, not in a well-written, best-selling book. And sadly, the American church is far from understanding the difference.
