Bible at heart of change in
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| While many people in Uganda`s cities benefit from a comparatively modern lifestyle, those in the countryside must often perform tasks such as hauling water from a well to meet basic needs. Uganda. Photo: UBS/Larry Jerden (UGA02DJ-161) |
KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda, the beautiful ‘Pearl of Africa’, has suffered much. It emerged bloodied from the maniacal Idi Amin, who killed and tortured to stay in power and wrecked the economy with racist policies that drove out Asian businessmen. Now Uganda, a country of stunning scenery and beautiful people, is suffering a quieter assault – the plague of AIDS.
Evidence of this is seen along the road from the old colonial capital of Entebbe to the modern capital of Kampala. Amid the usual road-side wares of food and household goods, hand-carved coffins are displayed for prospective users.
“Coffins were never made in advance until the onset of AIDS,” commented Ezra Ndagije, Marketing and Program Manager for the Bible Society of Uganda. “In the past, when someone died, the family would have one made.”
Mr Ndagije said the AIDS epidemic is having two profound effects on the church:
Division
“It is robbing the church of some
of its best and brightest lay leadership, and has caused division in
the church,” he explained.
He said that because of how AIDS is spread some Christians felt that
it was God’s judgement on sin and that the church should not help
those who contracted it.
“Later, as AIDS attacked wives, mothers, and children, others began to have more compassion, and realised that the church should minister to the victims,” Mr Ndagije said. “But even when someone got AIDS by going to the hospital, there was the whisper that, ‘Maybe they had done something wrong’. They still saw it as punishment. Now, however, there is less of the judgmental attitude.”
But AIDS is just one symptom of a larger malaise. Crime and corruption are also widespread in what is considered one of the most ‘Christian’ countries in Africa. More than 80 per cent of Ugandans claim to be Christian but some observers say that only about 20 per cent of them are active. There are a number of cults in operation and Islam is also practised – evidenced by the mosques that were built during the reign of Idi Amin.
Skyline
Hindu temples also pierce the Kampala skyline, and one of the wealthiest developers in the country is a Hindu from India. But most Indians and other Asians were driven out by Amin, and only a relatively small number have returned.
In spite of its religious mix, the future development of Uganda – and the solution to its problems – rests squarely on the shoulders of its Christians. The Roman Catholic Church is the largest denomination, with the Anglican Church of Uganda in second place. Of all the churches, the fastest growing are the Pentecostals. The unanswered question is if and how these churches can work together for the good of the country.
Renewal
They can, says the Rev Canon Grace Kaiso, Executive Secretary of the Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC), and he says that the Bible – and the Bible Society – will be at the heart of this renewal. The UJCC was established in 1963, soon after independence, in order for the Christian community to speak with one voice in giving guidance to the newly independent nation. Its members are the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox churches. Mr Kaiso says the UJCC’s message and unity are grounded in God’s Word.
“There are so many issues facing the country, such as poverty, greed and unfair trade, which need to be addressed in a way in which people are valued and differences solved in a peaceful manner,” he says. “By providing Scripture resources, the Bible Society plays a facilitating role in all of this because those values are found in the Bible.
“Change needs to start with individuals, and if people are going to change they will have to start with God’s Word. There’s a great contradiction here. If we are 80 per cent Christian, why do we have so much corruption?”
Mr Kaiso explained that he felt that churches had not taught Christians to act out their faith in their daily lives and that many Christians were not “grounded in the Word of God.”
“Because of that, you have people who are deeply committed to Christ, but who don’t see that they have a social responsibility, not only to their immediate families, but to society. That is where the challenge lies. Unless we can have leaders who can bridge that gap, we will not see true change.”
Work together
Mr Kaiso says that the Bible Society also holds the key to helping the churches work together, and he has started encouraging the Society and the UJCC to work together.
“Working more closely with the Bible Society would help us bring other churches into the UJCC,” said Mr Kaiso. “There is reluctance among the Pentecostal churches to belong to the Council, and the Baptists have not yet joined.”
He added that he hopes that both groups will join the council because Christians should work together. (WR 375/14 - 3.03)