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Christianity Today, March, 2008 |

Post-Mayhem Woes

Tribal rivalries — including Christian-on-Christian violence — hamper healing.

Sheryl Henderson Blunt, with reporting by Sue Sprenkle in Nairobi, Kenya | posted 2/01/2008 08:40AM

Victims of Kenya's post-election violence are attempting to return to normal life, but Christian workers say wounds caused by the ongoing turbulence will take a long time to heal. More than 600 people ...

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cw	Posted: February 13, 2008 5:29 AM

My question in listening to reports in the media is 'Where is the church?" If Kenya is supposed to have a significant number of Christians, where are the church leaders condemning the violence, protecting the people and challenging their own ethnicity and others to stop the carnage? The church in the rest of Africa should take note as well. Their silence is deafening. Perhaps if one of the leaders of the massacres was a homosexual they would be able find it possible to raise a voice of rebuke to the nation.

lawi	Posted: February 03, 2008 7:33 AM

The situation in Kenya is for the betterment of the church of Christ, it had been prophesied before in 2005 and last year 2007 by different prophets of God that the Lord was angry with the state of His bride in Kenya To start with the leadership of Churches many churches has come up in Kenya almost every building in town has a church but they have all turned to preach prosperity and forgotten holiness and repentance they have all focused on miracles and forgotten the miracle worker many preachers preach of how you will drive a Mercedes Benz and be reach if you planted a seed in terms of money many have been accused even in countries law court of getting money from poor Kenyans promising that they will pray and the poor will be healed of HIV and be rich everywhere is planting of seeds, many churches have been given names like maximum miracle centers …miracles miracles everywhere , many pastors have gone to an extend of getting powers from witch doctors so as to excite their flocks m

Gary Sweeten

Posted: February 02, 2008 10:26 AM

I was in Kenya just after other riots and killings among Christians and heard the cries that we must do more than just evengelize without deep discipleship. Discipleship is, of course, much more difficult than simply preaching the good news in big groups, but it can be done. When I spoke in the churches there they begged me to tell Americans to send more teachers and make more disciples. Until Christian leaders are trained how to actually coach believers to "Play the game of life" the tribalsim in Africa and hedonism in America will not change. Discipleship doen't even warrant a tab on this and most Evangelical web sites.

Jeruto (my Kalenjin name)

Posted: February 02, 2008 12:47 AM

I am a missionary near Eldoret and I work among the Kalenjin people. This past week, I had to go to town for business. It was a quiet day. Then, the second MP was killed, and chaos broke out. Trying to leave town, my car was surrounded by a mob of hundreds. My Kenyan co-workers were trying to convince the mob that we're "their people," that they shouldn't hurt us. Yet they looted what was strapped onto the roof of the SUV and shattered only 2 (of 10) windows trying to get to the rest of our stuff in the back of the SUV. People were shouting "Burn the car!" but we finally managed to get away! I have never been so scared. I have NO DOUBT that God protected us. How else can people be hitting your car windows with iron pipes and they don't break?? I know the voting was rigged. I wish it hadn't been. But Kenya is facing a crisis of leadership. Neither Odinga nor Kibaki is helping! Please pray that God give grassroots leaders wisdom and favor with their people. Mobs are killing this country!

Anna	Posted: February 02, 2008 12:27 AM

Does anybody know what is going on in Kenya right now since the media has dropped all news on Kenya, Burma and Malaysia. As in Afganistan which now has Shari'a law in their constitution, muslims use this law to control anybody who disagrees with them. In Africa muslims are realizing that Christians are now 46% and want the Christians and other non muslims out and are using their age-old techniques of burning churches, homes, etc. (terrorizing) and managing to blame others for doing these muslim crimes. Did you notice that our media said Christians burned the churches but this is not a favored technique of Christians. Burning Churches with worshipers inside are being done today in muslim countries. Why is there no mention of churches being burned right now in Malaysia (some 700) by muslims in our media. I wonder when the burning gets to our door and shari'a law is in our constitution, if the media will mention it. Amsterdam is very close to shari'a law right now.

Discerning Believer

Posted: February 01, 2008 9:27 PM

It’s disappointing that CT’s report lacks basic important information here. Barack Obama’s cousin, Muslim Raila Odinga of the Luo tribe, signed an agreement with a high-level imam that Odinga will institute Islamic shari’a law if he wins the election. It was Muslim Odinga’s supporters, Luo tribal members, who generated the murderous mob violence and set a church on fire in Eldoret with Christians inside. The agreement for a Muslim government includes outlawing Christian gospel crusades and banning Christian radio broadcasting. It also includes Islamic madrassa teaching at all Kenya’s grade schools. See the Islamic agreement for shari’a at the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya at http://eakenya.org/newsevents/article.htm?id=8 Nearly 4 years ago, Kenya’s Christian ministers discovered the inclusion of shari’a law in Kenya’s draft constitution. Even with Kenya’s problems at high levels, how odd that a 10% Muslim minority claims to have over 50% of the votes in the recent election.

Jonathan

Posted: February 01, 2008 9:27 PM


Remember that Jesus warned us that not all who say, "Lord, Lord," truly know Jesus AS Lord. There are many who claim to be Christians in Kenya, just as there are many in the US and Europe. Not all truly have that relationship they claim to have. There are reports of those who refused to participate in the violence, simply because they were followers of Christ.

Adrienne

Posted: February 01, 2008 9:03 PM

I know someone in Eldoret who has seen several Kalenjin Christians threatened by other Kalenjins for harboring Kikuyu fugitives. (He and his wife were offered protection in one family's home as well, as his wife is Kikuyu.) This, to me, is the Kingdom of God in action: putting one's own life and/or property on the line to protect someone else, not to mention setting aside tribal affiliation to see someone else only as a brother or sister in Christ. Hopefully this example will make an impact on those who see it.

Sophie Firmin

Posted: February 01, 2008 8:04 PM


Can we just make it clear that Christians are people who follow Christ, not those who attend church. Therefore, those people who killed were not Christians but wolves in sheep's clothing. The sooner churches speak up publicly about the wolves among their sheep, the better Jesus Christ's name will be respected by non-believers.

Nike Odunuga, Nigeria

Posted: February 01, 2008 1:58 PM


Christians indeed. People should know that Christ is first and all and it is a shame to Christianity that brethren can kill one another for election's sake.

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