Spiritan Methods of Evangelization In Moshi Diocese-Tanzania Comparatively With Their Counterpart Lutherans
Date
1999-02
Authors
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Publisher
Tangaza University College
Abstract
The Spiritans arrived in Moshi in 1890. They worked in the then Vicariate of
Kilimanjaro, which was later divided into six dioceses namely Dodoma, Mbulu, Tanga,
Moshi, Arusha, and Same. My concern in this paper is about what the Spiritans did in
the present diocese of Moshi, which was erected as a diocese in 1953.
Spiritans as a religious missionary congregation arrived in Zanzibar in 1860s, with
the aim of re-habilitating the freed slaves. When this task was over, they decided to move
into the interior. With a vision to make the kingdom of God present in the situation of the
Chagga people of Moshi, they had to adapt a particular methodology. Therefore, my
concern in this paper is about the methodology the Spiritan Missionaries adopted, and
how effective this methodology was in meeting the intended objective, that is, to bring
the gospel message to the daily life of the Chagga people.
On the other hand, there was the Leipzig Mission Society of the Lutheran Church.
They arrived in Moshi on September 30th 1893. They worked under the then called the
Lutheran Church of East Africa, which later on came to be divided into four dioceses,
namely, Kilimanjaro, Arusha, Meru and Pare. My concern in this paper is what they did
and how they did what they did in the present diocese of Kilimanjaro which covers the
same area as the Catholic diocese of Moshi. This humble beginning was pioneered by
four devoted young men: Paster, Muller, Althaus and Zalunann.
There are some methods which were used by both societies in the process of
evangelization, while others were unique to a particular society. Methods like bush schools, formal education, health services, training of the laity as Catechists or
evangelists, and training of the local clergy were used by both societies. The use of
vernacular and the early attempt at evangelising the cultures, like the approached used by
Bruno Gutmann, were unique to the Leipzig Mission Society.
This paper is divided into four chapters. The first chapter deals with the historical
background of both the Spiritans and the Leipzig Mission Society, with the historical and
religious background of the Chagga people. The second chapter deals with the historical
development of the Christian mission as an attempt in gradual inculturation. In this
chapter, I try to show that the origin of mission is God's love to humanity, hence
mission is Missio Del. This chapter also explores the development of Christian mission
from Jerusalem to the "gentile" world, up to the time of the second Vatican council II. All
this is seen as a gradual attempt at the evangelization of cultures.
The third chapter deals with the Spiritan missionary activities in Moshi, covering the
period from 1890 till early 1960s. It is here that I analyse how the Spiritans employed
different methods in order to contextualize the gospel message in the life of the people.
The fourth chapter is divided into two parts. The first part deals with the
missionary activities of the Leipzig Mission Society. In this part, I do not repeat the same
methods which are common to the two societies, but I focus mainly on the two unique
methods used by Leipzig Society namely, Gutmann's approach and the use of vernacular.
In the second part, I deal with the theological criteria for analysing the effectiveness of the
methods used In the conclusion, I show that in spite of the much success which has been achieved, it
is not a reason to sit back and rejoice, for the future poses a lot of challenges. Hence, it is
the time to reflect on the past; and to see the present with a critical eye as a background to
plan for the future.
Description
Keywords
Spiritan, Evangelization, Mission, Clergy, Lutheran