Overview

The rivers Niger and Benue come together at the heart of Nigeria on a map. Besides being a confluence of two great rivers, it also became the location of landmarks in Nigeria's history, notably the amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorates. As it was also a confluence of various cultural clusters, the Niger-Benue confluence communities went through three phases of Western encounters: commercial, missionary, and colonial. These have combined to shape the sociopolitical profile of northern Nigeria in various ways. In particular, it is the cradle of Christianity in northern Nigeria. Yet social historians have often assessed all three foreign influences indiscriminately and overlooked the unique and fundamental impact of the missionary encounter in providing the treasured values that midwifed social stability in such a pluralistic and sometimes volatile environment. This study undertakes a separation of the strands and sheds light on the laudable initiatives and legacies of the missionaries to ensure more clear-minded interpretations.

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9781666706383

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"""With assiduous scholarly research, diligent data analysis, and refreshing critical candor, Emmanuel Egbunu does commendable justice to the lives and work of his predecessors in the service of God's church not only in Northern Nigeria but throughout the country. May God use this testimony to the work of faith and labor of love of the pioneers to equip his church with patience, endurance, and hope in facing the battles of the present and the future."" --Emmanuel Oladipo, Retired Director, Scripture Union International ""In this excellent historical account of the work of CMS in the Lokoja area in Nigeria between 1862 and 1941, Egbunu shows us exactly why African Christians need to write histories of their own communities. He rightly shines the light on parts of the story that could only be best told by Africans, saving them from being forever lost. Through his hard work of research and writing, he models for us the role of ecclesial leaders as both researchers and storytellers. Anyone interested in the history of Christianity in Africa, especially during the colonial era, will find this book helpful. I cannot recommend it highly enough."" --Harvey Kwiyani, Lecturer, Liverpool Hope University ""This captivating study significantly extends our insight into the pioneering role of the Nigerian agents of CMS Anglican Church in the introduction of Christianity and Western education to Northern Nigeria, especially during the heyday of colonialism. Drawing on archival, oral, and secondary sources, Bishop Egbunu analyzes the dynamics of the mission practices and experiences of the indigenous pathfinders of Christianity at the Niger-Benue Confluence and the enduring impact of their exertions."" --Femi Kolapo, Professor of African History, University of Guelph ""The life, ministry, and impact of the legendary Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther will for a long time continue to attract the attention of scholars, ministers, historians, linguists, and all shades of inquiring minds. Crowther remains the role model par excellence for genuine missionaries and nationalists in Africa. . . . Egbunu's use of language in this book is lucid and simple, yet it reflects stylistic erudition and analytical depth. . . . In an age of advanced secular culture, communism, liberal theology, biblical revisionism, church decline, and radical redefinition of evangelism and how to do missions, retelling the life story of Bishop Samuel Crowther is most significant as a tonic to reinvigorate the church's return to Christian orthodoxy and rekindle the fire of missions again, to all nations of the world."" --Dapo F. Asaju, Professor of Theology, Lagos State University"

With assiduous scholarly research, diligent data analysis, and refreshing critical candor, Emmanuel Egbunu does commendable justice to the lives and work of his predecessors in the service of God's church not only in Northern Nigeria but throughout the country. May God use this testimony to the work of faith and labor of love of the pioneers to equip his church with patience, endurance, and hope in facing the battles of the present and the future. --Emmanuel Oladipo, Retired Director, Scripture Union International In this excellent historical account of the work of CMS in the Lokoja area in Nigeria between 1862 and 1941, Egbunu shows us exactly why African Christians need to write histories of their own communities. He rightly shines the light on parts of the story that could only be best told by Africans, saving them from being forever lost. Through his hard work of research and writing, he models for us the role of ecclesial leaders as both researchers and storytellers. Anyone interested in the history of Christianity in Africa, especially during the colonial era, will find this book helpful. I cannot recommend it highly enough. --Harvey Kwiyani, Lecturer, Liverpool Hope University This captivating study significantly extends our insight into the pioneering role of the Nigerian agents of CMS Anglican Church in the introduction of Christianity and Western education to Northern Nigeria, especially during the heyday of colonialism. Drawing on archival, oral, and secondary sources, Bishop Egbunu analyzes the dynamics of the mission practices and experiences of the indigenous pathfinders of Christianity at the Niger-Benue Confluence and the enduring impact of their exertions. --Femi Kolapo, Professor of African History, University of Guelph The life, ministry, and impact of the legendary Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther will for a long time continue to attract the attention of scholars, ministers, historians, linguists, and all shades of inquiring minds. Crowther remains the role model par excellence for genuine missionaries and nationalists in Africa. . . . Egbunu's use of language in this book is lucid and simple, yet it reflects stylistic erudition and analytical depth. . . . In an age of advanced secular culture, communism, liberal theology, biblical revisionism, church decline, and radical redefinition of evangelism and how to do missions, retelling the life story of Bishop Samuel Crowther is most significant as a tonic to reinvigorate the church's return to Christian orthodoxy and rekindle the fire of missions again, to all nations of the world. --Dapo F. Asaju, Professor of Theology, Lagos State University

Author Information

Emmanuel Egbunu is the Anglican bishop of Lokoja, which is the area of focus for this research. He is keenly interested in the history of Christian missions, especially in exploring the issues of contextualization of the Christian faith. He has done a previous study (unpublished) on the history of Calvary Ministries (CAPRO)--an Indigenous initiative in international missions. He has also contributed chapters to books on these areas of interest. He is the author of Birth Pangs, a collection of poems, and Signposts on Heaven's Highway: Spiritual Formation for the Christian Disciple (available on Amazon).

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