FASES DE LA INVESTIGACIÓNY RECOGIDA DE DATOS

One of the shaping narratives of this research was the cultural Christianity of the Americo-Liberians. Cultures have both a context and a belief system. The systems interact in a way that either strengthens or weakens one or the other. In Liberia, the religious belief system of the Americo-Liberians was weakened by cultural influences. Within the Americo-Liberian community, there were many godly leaders, but many others who opined a religion of convenience and culture. Power, wealth, and influence corrupted the church.

To state that the cultural Christianity of the Americo-Liberians was the greatest barrier to the evangelization of the Mano and Gio would probably be inaccurate, however, cultural Christianity was a significant detriment. The leaders of the Americo-Liberian churches did not maintain a missionary focus. In the early years, there were calls to evangelism, but those voices did not hold sway and eventually, the churches became an internal expression of culture. This was reflected in the priorities, presentation, and styles of participation within the Americo-Liberian

180

community and the churches. Many of the rally time practices, recognition of the prominent, and the influential events of the church spoke to a cultural entity rather than a mission-engaging focus. Politics were often on display at the church. Seldom were missionary activities and inter-ethnic unity on display at the church.

6.4.1 Correlation to the Bassa

In the early years of the Republic, the good news crossed the cultural chasm to several ethnic groups. The Bassa, in close geographical proximity, heard and received the good news. The influence of cultural Christianity impacted the transmission and practice of the Gospel. This sentiment was echoed by Gbengan (June 2011) when he stated: “The Bassa will profess Christ and engage in societal participation at the same time.” Over the years, there has been receptivity to the good news of salvation among the Bassa, but that reception has not demonstrated itself as a significant strength in missionary activity to reach others for Christ. This could be attributed to the presence of cultural Christianity and a weakened form of the authority of the church. One of the mini-theories associated with this research was that the greater the influence of the Americo-Liberians on a particular indigenous group of people, the weaker the impact of the Christian embrace was in terms of perceived spiritual transformation.

The barrier of cultural religion involved many facets of interaction. The underlying tenet of the unspoken barrier was that one had to cross into the culture of the Americo-Liberians to be truly considered Christian. To become Christian, one had to conform to a certain way of life that involved being able to speak English, dressing in a Western manner, and generally fitting in to the guidelines of what would have been considered civilized. This is one of the reasons why this research chose to measure extent by the presence of the church in the villages and the utilization of the heart language rather than just a numerical identification of conversion.

Sirleaf (2009) wrote of this tension in regards to her own life. She invested two chapters describing education, marriage, and going to live in a Western setting as

181

becoming a part of the establishment. This process was integrated within her Presbyterian roots and Christian faith. Life and the worldview of the Americo-Liberian were seen from the perspective of the African beliefs and practices over and against Judeo-Christian values of the forefathers who established the Republic.

Helena Cooper¹¹⁶ (2008), author of House at Sugar Beach also described this cultural divide of those who came to stay in their home and her way of life. In the forward of the book, there was a description of Cooper’s early life:

Helena grew up at Sugar Beach, a twenty-two room mansion by the sea.

Her childhood was filled with servants, flashy cars, a villa in Spain, and a farmhouse up-country. When Helena was eight, the Coopers took in a foster child – a common custom among the Liberian elite, Eunice a Bassa girl suddenly became known as Mrs. Cooper’s daughter. For years, the Cooper’s daughters, Helene, Marlene, and Eunice blissfully enjoyed the trappings of wealth and advantage. After a brutal coup in 1980, Helena, Marlene, and their mother fled Sugar Beach and Liberia, for America.

They left Eunice behind.

Cooper painstakingly defined that divide that occasionally experienced a crossing over, but observed that even within a household was present. There was a world for Helena and a world for Eunice. Cooper’s book grappled with and sought to find healing for that separation in a poignant way. That cultural existence for Americo-Liberians included participation or membership at a Church. For the Coopers, it was a Methodist church, not just any church, but the First United Methodist Church on Ashmun Street founded in 1822 (2008:236). Cooper’s mother was portrayed as a woman of strength and faith. The presence of cultural Christianity does not diminish the validity of a person’s authentic faith, but it does impact roles, expectations, and contextualization. The struggle to find peace was not only the struggle of the example of how this researcher had friendships with those in the Americo-Liberian community while also living and being invested in the Mano and Gio context in Nimba. There was always an internal tension within the life of this researcher, because the dichotomy was real and evident.

182

There were many examples that could be given to demonstrate this barrier. Churches were established in the heart of the hinterlands that spoke English and catered to the Americo – Liberian community. There was an unspoken understanding that when you attended an establishment church, you participated in a particular manner. The incorporation of indigenous churches into the Convention did not mean shared practices, but conforming to the worship structure of the establishment church. For a Liberian reading this research, the unspoken values were as clear as the unspoken practices of segregation between whites and blacks in other nations. The barrier of cultural Christianity was real and existed throughout the country. The depth of the barrier shaped worldview. How the Mano and Gio viewed the Americo-Liberian affected their worldview and in part, led to a country in crisis with the coup and a civil war. How the Americo-Liberian viewed the Mano and Gio, affected their ability to become one in the service and unity of Christ.