ARE WE THIS IGNORANT?
Of all the forty nine Sunday Missives published so far, we have to revisit this one for last Sunday. We shared about the emerging cultural groupings that have led to grey areas between Christian believers and the various cultural adherents.
The feedback was immense. I didn’t know i was touching on such a raw and emotive nerve. The bulk of the feedback was to commend the boldness with which the facts were articulated.
But the flak was more forceful and vehement, even personal to a great measure.
A hilarious one (it was clearly not meant to be so, am sure) compared me to former President Kibaki. I felt honoured for a while, until i read the subsequent bit: he talked to himself in public speeches thinking he’s making sense while no one understood his gibberish! Ouch!
Anyhow, i want to focus on the flak, and make a few pointers to clarity.
Fundamentally and factually, i never disdained culture and tradition. Indeed, i mentioned in the article that culture and tradition has their place even in Christian worship. The teachings, ethics and mores of our culture are priceless, and can’t be replaced even by the Bible teachings; the Bible can only complement our rich educative and properly moralizing culture.
What must be called out, i reiterate, is the circumlocution of cultural practices to satisfy selfish and misleading agendas, especially self seeking political and personal ones. Just like religion. The message of Christ is beautiful and life giving, but some have concocted it, preaching fear of God for self aggrandisement and capital gains. Every Christian in, and of, truth and spirit must resist such orientations boldly and unequivocally.
I once asked a member of the ‘Kiama kia ma’ (council of truth) what they do about the widows and widowers amongst us, the orphans, economic empowerment of our restless youth and socio-economic growth of our people. He reiterated that he has no business discussing such with a ‘muthuri kihii’ (a boy-man). The arrogance! Of course, he had no answer to such simple, common sense logic.
Another retreated to the completely nonsensical tirade of anti-traditionalists who do not understand the need to have one of our own in power or at the national cake dividing negotiating table. When i told him that Kenyans have no problem with each other, and that our differences have never been ethnic but socio-economic, he resulted to insulting ‘those other tribes against our President’.
How can a Christian be thinking like this?
When we interact at places of worship, work, marriages, dating, with medics who attend to us, schools for our children, restaurants where you go for meals, PSVs which you use for transport, cashiers at supermarkets, stall owners where you buy your stuff, garages where you seek the best service for your cars, online cab services where you seek private transport, etc, do you think of the tribe, culture or the religion of the service provider?
I remember a Somali cab driver i once met in Melbourne, Australia, sending me with gifts to his kin in Eastleigh, Kenya, where he grew up after escaping from the war torn Mogadishu in 1992. He was over the moon when i told him i was from Kenya!
So how does this culture and tradition divide us, especially when we proclaim The Faith in God, that higher being that requires us to love Him and neighbour as the only way to the salvation He promises us?
How does being a member of these so called councils of truth, councils of men and councils of whatever divide us if our true conviction is to seek the best for humanity as Christ sought? What is the point of disconnect?
Tujiangalie
Let’s look into ourselves. Instead of criticizing the messenger, let’s look at the message.
What is best for us as families, societies and communities? Do the cultural/traditional initiatives add value to our lives as the same families, societies and communities? Are they of any conventional value or do they serve selfish sectarian interests?
Just like the Church. Is it attending to the beautiful message of Christ of Love for God and Love for Neighbour?
We can’t mix the two (Christian discipleship and selfish traditional/cultural practices); there is no middle ground in that. You and i have to be one or the other, not a bit of either. That’s hypocricy!
Have an absolute Sunday, and a great week ahead.
By George Kimando (Feedback to gkimando@gmail.com)
