Rwanda bishop confronts Islam in Tanzania

Bishop Alexis Bilindabagabo heads international interdenominational church planting initiative

The spread of Islam in Africa, like the spread of communism in Europe after World War II, threatens to enslave the entire continent. Over 50 per cent of the inhabitants of Africa are Muslim and Islamic leaders have a stated goal of making it the first “Islamic continent.” East Africa, which includes the poverty-stricken nations of Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and the Eastern Congo, has become a particular target for Islamic takeover.

In Tanzania, more than 30 per cent of the population is Muslim and churches in that country are, according to its own leaders, weak, fractured, and worldly. During the Global Anglican Future Conference in 2009, Bishop Alexis Bilindabagabo of the Gahini Diocese of the Anglican Church of Rwanda was asked by two Tanznanian church leaders to help combat the Muslim takeover. After prayerfully considering their request, the bishop invited them to attend the annual East Africa Revival Convention in Gahini. From that gathering was launched a new missionary initiative, the East Africa Revival Network. Eighteen lay evangelists were initially commissioned and sent to Tanzania. Since that time, the effort has expanded into an interdenominational and international movement, confronting the challenge of Islam with a renewed emphasis on evangelism and church planting.

Dr. David Cashin, Director of Intercultural and Muslim Studies at the Seminary and School of Missions at Columbia International University in Columbia, South Carolina, is an advisor to the Network. He and Bishop Bilindabagabo developed a close friendship during the bishop’s two year stint at the school from 2008-2009. Keep reading