Sons of Tiv : A Study of the rise of the Church among the Tiv of Central Nigeria
Date
1969
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House Company,
Abstract
Touchstones; The wider context; The sons Of Tiv; Communicating The gospel, 1911-1961; The transformation of Tiv society; The problematics of partnership; Contours of the future.
Description
This volume is an investigation into the problematics of Church growth and Mission purpose in a West African society. Africa today is undergoing “rapid social change,” and this change permeates the Church as well. Coup and counter-coup rip through the continent, tribal animosities arise in societies which have suddenly become self-conscious, age-old standards of conduct fall, and a moral vacuum ensues. On one side of the Church stands the hoary monolith of ancient culture, resistant to all change, and on the other side, the Western Mission, charged with its fascination for progress in the categories which are its heritage. Between these the Church now presents her unique witness to the coming of the kingdom of God in Africa. This study focuses in particular upon the Tiv tribe of central Nigeria, a tribe comprising more than one million people, situated in the savannahs, parklands, and “bush” of the Middle Belt of Nigeria. In many ways the tribe serves as a microcosm of Africa south of the Sahara, epitomizing the influences that uproot a venerable way of life as well as the forces which impel the Church into the era ahead.