“Babylonish” Captivity of the African Church

Abstract Babylonish captivity of the African church is used in this paper as a metaphorical or symbolic phrase to describe the impact of European colonialism on the African church. African Christianity experienced a great upheaval during the period of colonization following the European partitioning of Africa in 1885. European missionaries often sought to Christianize African populations and used Christianity as a tool for control and cultural assimilation. This paper explores how colonial Christianity brought about religious, cultural, economic and political subjugation dubbed “Babylonish Captivity”; stripping Africans of their autonomy and independence, and forced them to adhere to foreign norms; and how this period of colonization shaped the African church; leading to the deconstruction of missionary paternalism; culminating in the call for a moratorium in 1971; and how this sought to reclaim the African Christian voice as a powerful form of liberation both in the political and religious landscape of the continent.