Looking for Ancient African Religion? Try Christianity.

In a recent article published on Vice, a young lady wrote about her journey from Christianity to an ancient African faith after the passing of her father. The article, which read like a journal entry, recounted how she found solace in the religion of the Yoruba people of West Africa. They were the largest ethnic group trafficked in the Mid-Atlantic Trade, in what we would call Togo, Benin Republic, and Southwestern Nigeria, today. Their religion, which is generally referred to as “Yoruba religion” or “African traditional religion” had more appeal to this young woman because it lifted her out of grief in a way that she felt Christianity could not.

Her piece impaled my soul because, as a pastor in one of America’s notorious inner cities, her experience reminded me of so many of those who I’ve met and engaged with about faith; and, sadly, this trendy turn to African traditional religion is especially prevalent among millennials who have become frustrated with the church’s apparent duplicity in communal engagement.

The shift displays a lack of understanding of Christian theology and history, and more closely mirrors internet propaganda than reliable scholarship. But from my experience, understanding the increasing prevalence of African traditional religions in the mainstream in recent years is a valuable tool to have in our apologetic toolbox. Researching the historical debate among scholars about the continuity between the traditional African faith and Christianity gives pastors and churchgoers helpful ways to respond to this trend.

Adherents of African traditional religion rail that they “want to worship the god(s) of their ancestors,” because they believe Christianity does not appeal to their religious sensibilities, engage their oppressive predicament, or affirm their ethnic culture. In the face of these claims, it is imperative to diversify our apologetic arsenal to provide clarity about why we choose to cling to Christ rather than abandon him. Read More

It is sad to see young African Americans choose enslavement to demons, which is what the Bible tells us "the god(s) of their ancestors" are, over service to the one true God, considering how much their forefathers suffered in slavery on the African continent as well as in what would become the United States. Many of the Africans who were brought as slaves to North America were the victims of the more powerful African tribes who raided their villages, took them captive, and sold them into slavery.

Yet African American millennials are not the only ones turning to pagan gods. In my part of the Southern Bible Belt Wicca has established a foothold. There is at least one coven in the region if not more. Spells and other forms of magic and the associated rites and ceremonies fascinate young people as do the various forms of fortune-telling. The region's contemporary churches with their blanket rejection of the practices of the traditional church are not meeting the very human need to give expression to one's religious devotions through ritual observances and procedures.While some young people may feel no need for any form of religion or spirituality, others hunger for one. If one religious or spiritual tradition does not meet their needs, they will turn to another. This makes them particularly vulnerable.