Written by: gfesadmin on March 14, 2013

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Human relationships and their interaction form the core of the African culture. Some were organized around kingdoms while others were organized around consensus by council of elders or a combination of the two. The family still was the basic unit of the society. The family included not just the immediate family but the extended family and the ancestors. To date, these contours can be seen especially during times of great transitions in life i.e. at birth, naming, initiation into adulthood, eldership (inaugurations) and death. The western culture and Christianity has not affected deep seated beliefs and people tend to go back to the beliefs that that uphold.

Hunter outlines the cultural components of the western culture, particularly that of the American people. the church has been influenced by the dominant culture on society, though the indicates that in some instances the church has influenced the society through the activities of prominent church leaders and the movements they led. As I read his essay on rethinking power, I reflected on the realities of Kenya especially in the last few weeks when the country held its elections. One of the contestants of the senatorial seat was the immediate former Bishop of the conservative Pentecostal church where I serve as a pastor. He got about 10,000 votes out of the possible 1.7 million votes in Nairobi. He was accused of using hooligans and un-Christian ways to try and get votes during the campaign season. Many Christian leaders tried their hand in politics because as Hunter says, “The most obvious expressions of power are behavioral in nature and we see this through action in the spheres of economics and politics.”(178). These leaders believe that they can change society outside of the church and in the political arena. Many are successful in leading their churches and seeing growth in number and so the believe that their influence can be translated in the political arena. As I read Hunter observe three things about power, I began to understand the human inherent need to acquire power especially political power.

I applied Hunter’s reflection on the matter of faith and power in order to “rediscover a better relationship to power and the powers” (184). First he states that it is important, “to disentangle the life and identity of the church from the life and identity of American society (184). Concerning the Kenyan society, unfortunately the majority of the members of a society are first pledge allegiance to their tribal identity then maybe to Christ. The second task which was very liberating for me to ponder is “for the church and for Christian believers to decouple the “public” from the “political.” Politics is always a crude simplification of public life and the common good is always more than its political expression” (185). These two issues need to be thought through by Christian leaders.

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