Africa Study Bible Sampler - Flipbook - Page 119
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Politics and Prayer
After AD 1945
A AD 1945–1974. Resources of
colonial empires are depleted by
World War II and they draw back
from Africa. More than fifty newly
independent nations are created.
This era of decolonization corresponds with an unprecedented
explosion of Christianity
in Africa.
B AD 1957. Kwame Nkrumah leads
the Gold Coast to independence.
The new country is given the name
Ghana. Nkrumah describes himself
as a “nondenominational Christian
and a Marxist socialist.” Some
argue that Nkrumah turned his
back on churches and promoted a
political religion. He also promoted
pan-Africanism.
C AD 1962. Julius Nyerere becomes Tanzania’s first president.
He is a committed Roman Catholic.
Nyerere is influenced by the
Spiritans’ Christian village concept
of Bagamoyo and leads Tanzania
on the path of African socialism.
D AD 1963. The All Africa
Conference of Churches is formed
to bring unity to the diverse and
growing Christian movement in
Africa. The AACC is a member of
the World Council of Churches
Growth of Christianity in Africa ad 1900-2000 (F).
A
B
AD 1960
C
E
AD 1970
D
I
F
J
G
AD 1980
AD 1990
AD 2000
First All Africa Christian Conference in
Kampala, Uganda (D).
H
AD 1950
CONFEREN
ALL AFR CE DES EGLISE
ICA CONFE
S DE
RENCE OF TOUTE L’AFRIQ
UE
CHURCH
ES
at work in Africa today
and represents 130 million African
Christians.
AD 1940
AD 2010
AD 2020
K
E AD 1965. Mobutu Sese Seko
becomes president of CongoLéopoldville, the largest Catholic
country in Africa. Mobutu changed
its name to the Republic of Zaire in
1971 (now the Democratic Republic
of the Congo). His dictatorial rule is
like some other African leaders that
enrich a small elite and often leave
nations impoverished or in civil war.
F AD 1966. The Association
of Evangelicals in Africa and
Madagascar is formed as the
mouthpiece for an estimated
100 million evangelicals in Africa.
Today it is called the Association
of Evangelicals in Africa.
L
G AD 1974. Haile Selassie, the last
ruler of the Solomonic dynasty in
Ethiopia, is deposed by a communist coup.
M
H AD 1950–present. African
Christianity becomes increasingly Pentecostal. Both older
Pentecostal denominations, such
as the Assemblies of God and the
Apostolic Faith Mission, and more
recent denominations, such as
the Deeper Life Bible Church in
Nigeria, grow significantly.
N