Ethiopia Continues to Impose Restrictions on the Church

In October 1984, a curious paradox was about to begin in dust-swept Ethiopia. It was only weeks before the start of one of the greatest outpourings of world Christian concern ever to be lavished on a nation.

But such a possibility was far from the minds of provincial Communist leaders. A month earlier, the nation had celebrated the tenth anniversary of the revolution that brought Ethiopia’s Communist regime to power. With the intent of suppressing all antirevolutionary forces, provincial leaders set out to decimate the evangelical church. In a single week, 700 churches were closed in one province alone.

It was not the first time churches had been closed in Ethiopia. During the last five years, hundreds of Protestant churches in isolated provinces have been closed, and then, often, gradually allowed to reopen.

But October 1984 saw the beginning of more severe restrictions. Paradoxically, it also saw the beginning of the Ethiopian church’s greatest outreach to needy neighbors in drought-stricken regions.

Famine Relief

Both of the country’s largest Protestant denominations operate development agencies through which millions of dollars of famine relief have been channeled during the past year. The one million-member Word of Life church grew out of the ministry of SIM, International, which began working in Ethiopia in 1927. The nearly 700,000-member Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus is the second-largest Protestant denomination. That church traces its roots to Scandanavian Lutheran missions that came to Ethiopia in the mid-1800s.

Along with foreign volunteers, it is members of these denominations and other churches who administer and distribute food and other famine-related aid. Even in areas where church buildings are locked and leaders imprisoned, churches have been active in ministry.

“The efforts of the church in drought-affected areas have been seen as coming in the name of the church and in the name of Christ,” said Daniel Olson, secretary for Africa in the Lutheran Church in America’s Division of World Missions and Ecumenism. “The drought and famine has taken a lot of the energy and effort of the church, but it has not stopped other outreach, such as evangelism. The church has had phenomenal growth in the past, and it continues to grow.”

A Suffering Church

The unfortunate fact is that the church is suffering in many parts of Ethiopia. Although there is no official policy forbidding the practice of religion, local political cadres are allowed to suppress the church as they see fit.

Nearly 1,800 of the Word of Life’s 2,500 churches are closed. At various times during the last few years as many as 20 of the denomination’s leaders have been in prison at the same time. Arrested and held without charge, they have been confined for periods ranging from weeks to years.

Some 500 of the Mekane Yesus’ 2,000 churches have been closed. And during the last several years, hundreds of that church’s leaders and members have been imprisoned. Gudina Tumsa, the denomination’s former general secretary, disappeared in 1979 and is presumed dead. His wife has been in prison in Addis Ababa most of the time since his disappearance.

The Meserete Kristos church—which has been related to American Mennonite churches—has been even harder hit. The denomination’s top leaders have been in prison for years, and none of its congregations are allowed to function openly. Pentecostal churches were banned even before the 1974 revolution. Many of those congregations have disbanded, with members attending churches of other denominations.

Tenuous Freedom

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has enjoyed a tenuous freedom. In 1974, it claimed a membership of 15.6 million—more than half the country’s population. At the time of the revolution, the atheistic government decided to tolerate the Orthodox church. Its influence has been reduced, however. The church lost its extensive land holdings in the land reforms that were instituted following the revolution. In addition, its heirarchy was reduced in size, and its associations for youth, women, and others were banned.

Few Orthodox churches have been closed. However, some observers say Ethiopia’s large Orthodox church and its small Roman Catholic church may soon face some of the same pressures experienced by the Protestant churches. The administration of most Protestant schools, hospitals, and clinics has been taken over by the government. And there is perhaps only one Protestant seminary that remains open.

Most missionaries were forced to leave Ethiopia shortly after the revolution. Today, perhaps 300 Protestant missionaries (not including temporary relief workers) continue to work in the country, primarily in education, relief, and development.

Meanwhile, the churches continue to grow. “It is interesting to note that while the number of missionaries has decreased dramatically since 1977, the number of churches has increased,” said John Cumbers, former East Africa director of SIM, International. He now serves as assistant to SIM’s general director.

“The general principle of Marxist ideology is that if anyone is seen as rebelling against it, they should be put down,” Cumbers said. “The church leaders with whom I have spoken feel that things will get worse before they get better.”

SHARON E. MUMPER

Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here.