CHRISTIANITY, CHRISTIANIZE SOMALIS..is it possible..???

[RendezVous]

CHRISTIANITY AND SOMALIS...They have now decided to make us go 1000 years steps back..

 

A recent survey was done by some fellow who claim they are "Somali Christians" in collaboration with some Christian missionaries in areas inhabited by Somalis especially Djibouti, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania.They has this to say:

 

1. Our Efforts at Christian mission have met with little success.

 

2. The Somali are a very proud group and associate Christianity with people whom they regard as inferior.

 

There are only a few hundred Somali Christians worldwide(Say less than 200 persons in a population of say 10Million).Many of them under christian and jewish donors and stay far from somali countries.

 

3. Somali Christians are despised.

 

Much contact work has been done by Christians working in medical, aid and literacy ministries in refugee camps in various parts of Somalia, Djibouti and Kenya, where some Somalis have been interested and responsive.(This is more so in relation to poverty and goodies given for conversion to christianity)

 

4.The gospel is most clear to them when it is presented in Biblical poetic stories. The entire Bible is available in standard Somali. Somali literacy is about 45%. Radio broadcasts and taped Christian messages are more successful, attested by mail responses to the broadcasts. Somali-language Bible correspondence courses have had some modest success in various parts although efforts are demoralizing.

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SOMALI PROFILE QUESTIONNAIRE ON CHRISTIANITY

 

1. HAVE THEY HEARD THE GOSPEL?

 

Ratio of pastors/evangelists to population:

 

0 pastor/evangelist for every ??? persons total pastor/evangelists -

0 Ratio of missionaries to population:

1 missionary for every 25,000 persons total missionaries -

 

ASK THEM WHO JESUS CHRIST IS TO THEM:

 

0.5% Believe Jesus is the Son of God and name themselves Christian.

0.01% Believe he is the Son of God and see him as their savior

99.49% Believe Jesus is a prophet, teacher, a good man, but not God's Son

0 % Believe in local, traditional religion rather than in Jesus 0% Have not heard who Jesus really is

 

2. HAVE THEY RESPONDED TO THE GOSPEL?

Christian witness to the Somali is very difficult and response to the Gospel has been very limited. The number of Somali Christians in total are very few (Less than 200-300 maximum in a population of around 10 million).

 

3. DO THEY HAVE A CHURCH?

 

While there are some Old churches in Somalia and Djibouti, there is no a proper church in somali inhabited areas of Kenya.

 

Ratio of churches to population:

 

There is just one fellowship in Kenya, but not an institutional church.. There are Somali expatriate churches in Canada, the UK. Total number of communities (cities, towns, villages): Unknown

 

4. THEY HAVE THE BIBLE TRANSLATED INTO THEIR MOTHER TONGUE?

 

The Somali New Testament was first printed in 1968 and more than 40,000 copies have been printed, but only about 3,000 distributed throughout the Horn of Africa. Most are still in storage. That is the intensity, a period of 40years in missionary activities.

 

The entire Somali Bible was printed, about 2,000 copies in 1979, and 4200 copies in 1992. Genesis, Exodus, Isaiah, Psalms, Proverbs, Luke, John and Acts are also produced individually. SIM now handles orders for a Somali-language Bible correspondence course printed by the Eastern Mennonite Mission.

 

Portable Recording Ministries provides the New Testament, Genesis and Exodus on audio cassette. The Jesus film is available and Language Recordings has produced a cassette and poster series.

 

5. ANY HINDRANCES TO USE OF THE SCRIPTURE?

 

Literacy Rate:

 

?% Ministry(preaching) to the devout Muslim Somalis of Somalia, Kenya and Djibouti is a very difficult task. Any attempt at open Christian witness is either ignored or met with violence, thus forcing Christian ministries among the Somali to concentrate on service as a means of building good will so that Christian dialogue may take place.

 

Murder, Banditry and insecurity were the major hindrances before and now in many areas of Somalis.Now many somalis are educated and see it as backwardness.Most Somali raised and educated in Kenya now read and write english and swahili without instructions. However, In somalia and refugees or residents who lived in Somalia often not literate in English.

 

6. WHAT OTHER FORMS OF GOSPEL PRESENTATIONS ARE AVAILABLE

 

Recordings: Yes

 

Literature: Yes

 

Audio-Visual: Yes Radio Yes

 

Films/Video: Yes (Jesus Film)

 

7. ARE THEY RECEPTIVE TO CHANGE AND CHRISTIANITY?

 

The Somali are very restrictively Muslim. They are very proud and self-sufficient people and somewhat warlike. Christianity is strongly opposed by Muslim leaders.

 

8. IS OUTSIDE (CROSS-CULTURAL) ASSISTANCE REQUIRED FROM MISSIONARIES?

 

Yes, anyone working or living among the Somalis should be well versed in Islam and be sensitive to their Muslim culture and religion. A recent problem was experienced by US marines in Kenya when they attempted to provide free health activity.The elders were not informed and so instructed their people that US was providing free health and AIDS.

 

 

CONCLUSION:

 

Acceptance of christianity by the Somalis will be difficult to earn.Many christian missionaries can't even comprehend The Somali language which is indispensable to effective work.