THE IMPACT OF CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY ENTERPRISE ON RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS IN IGALALAND, KOGI STATE – NIGERIA
Keywords:
christianity, missionary, Igala land and its peopleAbstract
Igala land is an ethnic group in Kogi State, Nigeria where Christian faith has been well established. The various Christian denominations that worked in Igala land of Kogi State, made valuable contributions to the religious institutions in the area despite their neglect of some cultural practices considered not inimical to the Christian gospel. The aim of this work is to uncover valuable contributions of the different Christian bodies that worked in Igala land. The work found out that Igala people before the advent of Christianity, despite their lack of cooperative attitude, were not living in a religious vacuum. The people had organized religious values and systems. Their religious world views like sacrifices and offerings helped in no small way in their understanding and acceptability of Christian beliefs and tenets. The work suggests that since Christianity has influenced the people’s way of life positively and negatively, aspects of the people’s culture not inimical to the Christian gospel, should be incorporated into the Christian religion, as patient and systematic teaching could have probably addressed the spiritual and moral issues involved in Igala traditional practices. Above all, early church leaders should have taken into consideration that every human being has his/her own culture to avoid resistance to the gospel. The approach is historical and descriptive in nature.
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