The Christian Encounter with Afro-Messianic Movements: The Possessio-Syncretism Axis illustrated from South Africa

Abstract

The task of this chapter is to give the third of the three regional illustrations of the possessio-syncretism axis, the missiological implications of which have been pinpointed so ably by the introductory chapter of Dr. Tippett. My illustration is taken from South Africa. Against this background the two key terms give a very peculiar ring. It is difficult to speak of "possessio" in South Africa and not to think of the historic intrusion of the white man which led to the fact that 85% of the land became his possession. And it is equally difficult to speak of syncretism in South Africa without thinking at once of the 3000 new religious movements, often called "African Independent Churches," of which so many render a perfect illustration of a complete blending of Christian concepts with the basic tenets of African Traditional Religion.