The Gospel and Tradition: The Royal Narrative

By NENE SAKITE

This book is deeply rooted in the African cultural realism in which the concept of Mawu or God existed before the arrival of the missionaries from Europe. Krobo culture has always accepted and expressed the presence of the Supreme Creator in all (without exception) aspects of social, occupational, emotional engagements of life. Throughout the book, there are illustrations depicting the essence of God in Krobo traditional religion before the arrival of Christian missionaries from Europe. The only new concept my ancestors acquired from the missionaries was the story of the life and teaching of Christ and the doctrine as the Savior and Mawu (second person in the Trinity) at the same time. Krobo culture eloquently and sincerely found expression in names like Mawulede (God’s wish); Mawulepee (God did it); Mawu le ha nor (it is God who provides); and in sentences expressing hope, as in Mawu nge (God lives), Mawumaalewor (God would care for us), and others all of which existed before the story of the cross.

The book is the manifestation of what is happening today with the gospel and tradition on the continent with the self-acclaimed preachers of the gospel and how they have misrepresented the whole doctrine of Christianity to acquire wealth rather than preaching salvation to the people of Africa. These “preachers” I refer to as false prophets and mostly blasphemers who have taken undue advantage of the ignorance of the people of Africa wisely because religion is part and parcel of life in the African society.

This book goes at length to delineate Christian influence on the cultural values in Africa using the Krobo experience and to display cultural traits and interaction with the missionaries. It will also go into Christian tradition and the African tradition, which apparently would lead us into the training of the clergy and show why Christianity is being represented deceptively by “false prophets” in Africa and sometimes at the expense of our tradition.

There will be a discussion on Krobo culture and the gospel as well as cultural norms that affect Christians the most. A full discussion depicts the world of blasphemy which preachers and people call it Christianity but which I term “victims of Christianity.”

It is very important to admire our traditional saints and show the similarities with the religious saints. And who are the traditional saints anyhow?

In the end, I conclude with a discussion on poverty, spelling out the tradition that must be reformed to diminish poverty which is portrayed in the book as the enemy of culture and development.

This book is relevant for contemporary religious and cultural appreciation, what it is to be Christian and African no less than the proper training of the clergy that befits the African society before they are “shipped” to Africa or any other developing country with different cultural orientation for adaptation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098021344

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The Gospel and Tradition

The Royal Narrative

NENE SAKITE II

Copyright © 2020 by Nene Sakite II

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

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Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

To my Traditional Saints for their wisdom and foresightedness in granting the missionaries the right of way into Kroboland.

and

MY PARENTS,

who instilled in us the values of the gospel and tradition. I could not have wished for better parents or role-models.

Preface

The subject matter for this book has haunted me for long enough but that the urge to produce it has kept alive and not snuffed off like a candle flame before the wind is the reason it will come out. First of all, I want to indicate that before my installation as the Konor of Manya Krobo, Ghana, I had been shaped by two worlds. I was brought up in an African royal family in an environment of Christian values, under conservative Presbyterian principles converted from a traditional framework of an African society, with customary laws and customs throughout my formative years.

I celebrated my twenty-fourth birthday in a completely foreign environment, the United States of America, where I attended college and had the opportunity to work as a professional and gained experience in an advanced society. I would confess that, back home, to my surprise, I have found that there is so much that must be learnt all over again. A whole lot had changed and I had to learn fast to avoid potential embarrassment, referring to culture in the broad sense: religion, education, culture, politics, attitudes, expectations, and so on.

In the United States of America, for the most part, my alma mater, Clark University, had drummed down the heads of her students the must to Challenge Convention…Change our World. If I must change my world then we need to look at the players critically and understand and appreciate some of the fundamental ambiguities in our faith and tradition.

But let me ask an important question: Are the Gospel and African tradition diametrically opposed?

Change is an inevitable path to development. In nature, change is an order; the winds and waves are constantly moving. Time is in motion, and human life will continue to be influenced by change. But what is the change we should desire? Is it that every African should become a John or a Peter? If Nana Kloweki institutes a means of preserving virginity until puberty rites in Kroboland, that is pagan. But if Dr. Aggrey is quoted as saying, If one woman is brought up well, a whole community emerges as good, this is civilized. In order to be a Christian, does a Krobo have to become a Jew? If the African pours down palm wine at a funeral he is the incarnation of the devil, but if twenty brands of liquor are being advertised on national television stations, that is perfectly faultless.

The vast majority of Africans are proud to assess themselves as Christians. And, indeed, Africans are very good churchgoers, but what goes on in some churches and when church is all over is completely a different story altogether. Seventy percent (70%) of TV daily programs portray church services with congregations conjuring the fire of the Holy Spirit and preachers completing every sentence in the name of Jesus. What bothers me is that day in and day out our media is reporting on horrifying practices of leaders of these churches while civil servants and politicians are no exception. And I would challenge anybody to dare a census of religious affiliation through the prisons. The question then is where are the Christian values being preached and to whom? And are the numerous prophets and bishops and pastors preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Religion is not the preserve of Europeans, and Africa should not be viewed as if it was the den of the devil—Lucifer. Africans survive on religion. It is a way of life; but we also have a tradition that must be presented and accepted. When we are able to notice what God has for his people—all of his people—not just one race or group of people, and we can tamper the Gospel with acceptable traditional godly norms, working together to advance society more positively, Africa will be acceptable to God.

I intend to urge research scholars and seminary schools across the globe to accept Africans in faith and tradition and avoid the false prophets who in our generation are trading with the Gospel and turning Africa into a second fiddle Europe.

The gospel of Christ upholds love, change of heart, and service to neighbor and God. The emphasis is not to make the African a European; by insisting on the abolition of African cultures, any more than the Jews could insist on circumcision in order to become a follower of Christ. In Krobo areas today Klama should be rejected by the Christian, the Christian churches have convinced the convert to regard our indigenous dances as pagan. The Krobo now think gbekor, oglojo and others should have no place in Yo se do fiemi. Brass band is Christian; gbekor is pagan or unchristian. The question is whether everything African should be condemned. It happened in the nineteenth century in the time of the missionaries and the colonial government, and we still experience traces of it today. We can be Christian and remain African, and for that matter, Krobo.

This book is therefore written for the consumption of the general public wherever they may be, it is also highly recommended for seminaries and divinity schools all over the world for the training of all the clergy and other preachers of the gospel, most importantly lecturers of African Christianity and tradition, as well as courses in philosophy and religion at the universities and colleges. The materials discussed here in the book are vital and real. This has been the African royal narrative; this is how I see it.

Acknowledgements

A book of this type would not have been feasible without the insight and inspiration, constant support of people who also care so much about the subject, traditionalist and true Christians.

My first appreciation goes to my wife Lois J. Nyako for her encouragement and support, because she has been so patient on actually seeing and reading the final publication however, the Lord knows best, she went to the Lord before final publication was completed.

My Lindquist, Ocheami Boatey took time out to read the entire manuscript and personally made some valuable suggestions on our cultural practices in relationship to the gospel. To him I say, Ocheami ‘motsumi kaa’ or thanks so much.

I also would like to express my appreciation to my Publication Specialist, Shalanda for her constant reminders checking up on me with email on the status of my edit reviews.

My sincere gratitude also goes to Pastor Kerker of Kpong for periodically spending time with me engaged in pertinent discussions about the word of God and its relevance to society today especially the African culture. I should express my gratitude to my research assistant, Gustave Adjasi-Kodjo for his relentless effort in putting together valuable information on some of the missionaries.

The title of the book, The Gospel and Tradition, was borrowed from a play about my forebears in December 2016 in Odumase by the School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana. To them I feel obliged.

For what it may worth, I would like to state that I am alone responsible for the ideas and concepts in this book.

Nene Sakite II

Konor Wem

Odumase-Krobo

Chapter 1

Church and State

Introduction

I am pretty much aware that in some parts of the world, especially in the United States of America, there is separation between church and state and there are some significant historical underlining reasons for that. Alternatively, in other parts of the world the church has influence, plays a prominent role; it stands out more in their societies. A distinctive example, in Italy especially and other parts of the world, the Roman Catholic tradition prevails prominently, with the world headquarters in the Vatican and the Pope as the Supreme Leader and referred to as the Holy Father. Similarly, in England, the king or queen, the head of state, is the head of the church of England also known as the Anglican church in some parts of the world, or Episcopal church in America. In developing societies though the arrival of the missionaries from Europe in the late 1700s and early 1800s had made viable inroads in our communities with the intention of introducing the new faith, Christianity, to the African people, a Christlike mission. I have reserved some space to address the early years in the next chapter; however, it is equally important to evaluate over two hundred years of coexistence and the impact of the Christian faith on our culture today so as to make some sense out of what it is to be a Christian and remain African, the Gospel and Tradition, and its relevance toward development. Who are the players now? What is their message to the people now that the missionaries are no more? What is happening to the African society at large, its transformation and identity as Africans, one of Mawu’s (God’s) chosen people?

To draw on Rev. Opuni-Frimpong’s concern asking the question, how does the African become a Christian and still remain African? Our celebrated former Prime Minister of Ghana, Dr. K.A. Busia, who was in 1955 the District Commissioner of Manya Krobo, my home state, asked an imperative question that has not been answered fully yet by scholars or preachers of the gospel or even traditionalists. He lamented, Can the African be Christian only by giving up his culture, or is there a way by which Christianity can ennoble it?

Misrepresentation of the Gospel by Self-Acclaimed Prophets

I look back today and could see so many false prophets in our society reminiscent of African medicine men, frantically trying to confuse the young, the old, the vulnerable, and even the intelligentsia, politicians, civil servants, and others, to think they, the self-acclaimed prophets and sometimes some of the preachers of the gospel (clergy), have most direct relationship with God and that through them miracles would happen. They would promise the people, mostly the vulnerable and ignorant, and even some influential/powerful politicians (presidents, Members of Parliament, cabinet ministers) fall for their messages without regard to their place in society as leaders who people look up to. The false prophets and some preachers go out of their way to condemn our traditions outright whereas the alternatives they offer are gone out into the world. Saint John’s warning puts it best in 1 John 4:1 (NIV): Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

This is the advice we heard from St. John in the Bible, which is so true of today. The seriousness of my concern is so eminent that I sometimes wonder whether some of them entered the priesthood as a calling or a front to serve the almighty cedi, naira, or the dollar. How intensively have they studied the gospel? The Apostle Paul in his letter to the churches in Galatia made it apparent to all churches, including the churches of today and tomorrow, and puts it this way:

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned. (Gal. 1:6–8, NIV)

The motivation of most of these false prophets is money and deceit, and there are so many around today who prey on the ignorance of people, and people are forever trusting and listening to them. They are selling anointing oil to their followers and with some of them you will have to pay money to have a one-on-one audience with them. It is frightening and they must be watched closely and be regulated by the State. Currently in Africa people are rushing into the priesthood ceremoniously and there are no stringent regulations to drive the thugs among them away to prevent them from taking advantage of the ignorant.

Day of Thanksgiving, a Tradition

In our effort to continue with tradition that my forefathers instituted over the years to make the Gospel and tradition work together in the neighborhood of brotherhood, to benefit all of God’s children, I have thus designated the last Sunday of October, just after our annual Ngmayem festival for thanksgiving to God. On that day, all churches in Manya Krobo are supposed to bring their congregations to the community park where we all come together as a people to have an interdenominational thanksgiving church service, to praise and thank God for all his blessings throughout the year. A day of thanksgiving. It is obligatory for all churches in Manya Krobo to participate in this thanksgiving effort. Most of the seasoned churches honor this one-day demand from the people. It is our tradition. Ironically almost all the smaller individualized churches choose to stay out and further do their best to impede our efforts purposely for the fact that they do not want to miss one Sunday in the year, to collect offerings, to the Traditional Council. Which incidentally, all funds raised during the thanksgiving service go into my Education Endowment Fund to assist deserving bright and penurious students. A day for thanksgiving is a tradition in most civilized societies; the United States of America has a day of thanksgiving too, which is celebrated with fanfare and family reunion.

The moment you throw away your customs and traditions you lose your identity. What makes you a Krobo, an Asante, a Ga, a Dangoban, or an American anyway? As the Father of Krobo Nation and the steward of our customs and traditions, I have observed in my travels among other things, around the world, and have concluded that the advancement of man and society at any point in time is dependent on the adherence of the Gospel and tradition of the people. This would help the people make good choices especially about the election of their leaders who are filled with the manifestation of commitment to the people and the realization that trust, faith, and hard work can make things happen. This has been a fundamental tradition in most societies, including Africa until quite recently. If you can offer your talent, time, and money for the advancement of your community and country then it is life worth living. The entire setbacks we have experienced so far in Africa over the years are only temporary. With trust, faith, and adherence to our traditions we can advance with a few good, passionate, dedicated leaders whom I will refer to as patriots; unfortunately some of them are not leaders but thieves.

In Africa, people seem confused about it all due to the mixed messages we see and hear on the radio and national TV every day by all the false prophets on almost all the channels. The proliferation of all these churches is disturbing. In my backyard alone we have almost close to one hundred different churches. There are a couple of small churches at least on every street or lane/walkway who are supposed to spread the word, and this is scary. Is this due to poverty or a means to get a daily bread or to get rich quick at the expense of innocent people?

What exactly is the command of the Almighty God to us for our own advancement and development? If the Almighty God created every society with riches, silver and gold, why do we have so much poverty around us which has emerged into cynicism?

In Africa, there are more mineral resources than any other continent on earth, which means that we are blessed with riches but there is no evidence of it when one meets the people. Is this the consequence of colonial domination, result of lack of leadership or mere laziness? I need to know. In August 22, 2012, I was invited by the head of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, the Moderator Right Rev. Professor Emmanuel Martey, to deliver a speech at the annual General Assembly, a conference of the clergy, and I chose the subject, The Relationship between Church and State. The address as shown below is the framework work of this book.

Address by Nene Sakite II, Klo Matse and Konor of Manya Krobo, to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana on Wednesday August 22, 2012, Abetifi, Ghana.

The Rt. Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Martey, Moderator of the General Assembly

Presbytery Chairmen

District Pastors

Ministers of the Faith

Distinguish Invited Guests

My Brethren, Ladies and Gentlemen

I greet you in the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit that direct the periodical meetings of the General Assembly. It is with a big measure of humility that I have accepted the invitation to address this August General Assembly, but again I feel a little nervous how to handle the topic, but I am fine now on exactly what I want to tell you. This morning I would like to talk to you about The Role of Church and State in Evangelization. Again initially I was nervous because I had neither the inner ear of John the Evangelist nor his vision beyond the clouds for things revealed to be told to men. But, like unto Jeremiah, I thought God said to me: To whomever I shall send you, you shall go. Whatever I command you, you shall say… I am with you.

So I have come, and may the Almighty God be with me, put me behind the cross, whiles the voice of his servant come out.

Ladies and Gentlemen, for days without end, I felt pretty dizzy about almost every word of the topic: role—church—state—evangelization.

And on another plain, I thought again about the word state and wondered through whose eyes I should see it, the layman’s or the churchman’s. And then whose ministry is evangelization.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Mark this well: When men and women of this world want to champion a course, they who think alike group themselves and call themselves various names, namely, association, society, congress, assembly, army, congregation, and the like. All these serve a temporary purpose and like the seasons of the year, pass away. They are all imperfect. There are only two that I will call perfect and they are the Church and the State. Perfect because they are not subordinate to any organization. The church is spiritual while the state is mundane (or if you like temporal). The one founded from a divine source and the other organized by men for men. The one following the same faith in one founder whom you will call the corner stone of God’s house, and the other a codified embodiment that defines its lawful existence. Note that each of the two operates under what you may call a charter. The charter of the church is the Ten Commandments. It also is contained in Matthew 28:19–20: Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit… It is for this purpose that he founded an institution by which men will be taught the message of salvation. In Matthew 16:18. Not merely did he found the church but indeed he left the task of bringing all peoples to full union in him and with him. In effect he commissioned his disciples to go and teach all nations and baptize them in that union. What is the lesson? All that Christ himself represented: peace, love, sanctity, respect, continence, service, unity, education, leadership, conversion to the communion with Christ. The charter of the state is the constitution of the land.

In the church, note three organs: sacred scripture, the priestly hierarchy, and the laity. In the state, note the constitution, the judiciary, executive branch, and the legislature or the citizens. My brothers and sisters in Christ, these bodies therefore are parallel and only if men will live as requested of them by the tenets of their society, oh the world will be such a perfect place also, where joy, bliss, happiness, and peace will exist for all such as the rain falls on all without discrimination.

But in church as in the state God wants happiness for man that he created after his image. There is depravity in church. Yes or no? There is corruption in the state. Yes or no? So whose fault is it if that there is no peace on earth?

Evangelization—let us note that the early writers were of (a) those who lived in close contact with Christ, whom he chose and worked with and so who had firsthand knowledge of all that happened, and (b) those who had been told about him.

Therefore evangelization should be by properly trained leaders who behave like eyewitnesses (the apostolate) and the rest who received the message, believed, and were brought in union by the medium of baptism. Propagation of faith in Christ and the hope in unseen but divine revelation, and the practice of charity are the duty of the evangelist. If we come to understand what paradise represents then the evangelizer’s labor is to portray men inheriting the loss of paradise in our first parents (Adam and Eve) and then regaining paradise in the Divine Savior.

This duty is to proclaim the gospel everywhere in the world in order to bring all people to share in Christ’s saving and repair of the damage in Eden so the world might be brought back in relationship with the Almighty God. Please note the emphasis on all people. It means that by grace no one will be left behind the gate of heaven. My brothers and sisters in Christ, if God’s judgments were pronounced tomorrow and if Peter should reject a couple of people and lock the gate, would the people of God rejoice to see a host of the others tumbling into hell? Would their work as evangelists have been considered completed? Would the men in clerical gown applaud themselves alone? And if they had their way, would they take part in stoning the sinner behind the gate? I do not know. Maybe you do.

Method of the Evangelist

In the Old Testament days God spoke to men through his prophets who also warned men of the consequences of their behaviors. In other words, God opened heaven to those who had eyes to see. It was left to the hearer to choose which direction to go, which throughout the ages was variously represented: the broad way and narrow gate; separation of the goats from the sheep; heavenly glory and burning hell fire, etc. Man was left to use his free will to choose. Unfortunately, men’s hearts did not have equal texture and fertility. Some good news fell on fertile soil while some seeds fell among thorns and on rocky areas. This became the woe of the evangelist or preacher. On some men’s hearts are written only evil and crime. What appeals to them are armed robbery, rape, murder, and the like. The preacher in the tradition of pulpit or bell in hand has no powers. He can only look on and despair. That is where the state comes in and the police, and the court, and the prison become operative. So, church and state are supplementary.

I am very much humbled by what I read concerning the wicked, the sinner, the unbeliever, and I accept the teaching that those who do not believe and get baptized will be condemned. Today, brothers and sisters in Christ, who is the sinner and who are the wicked? Let us enter the marketplace, the civil office place of social interaction, the prisons, and the courts and then ask where we can draw the line between believers and sinners? Or better to say Christians and non-Christian the Apostle Paul has said somewhere in Romans that, Appearance does not make a Jew…He is a real Jew who is one inwardly, and true circumcision is of the heart; its source is the spirit and not the letter.

Now, let us consider the word state and ask who do you classify as the state? The sociocultural or traditional class of people? The tradition of all peoples everywhere is to seek a leader. The natural organization of traditional areas is the hierarchy of chiefs. This structure and the church are partners in directing the social, moral, and aesthetic values of life. In Exodus 20:1–17 God delivers the Ten Commandments to his people. This Decalogue without exception, whether written or unwritten, forms the same precepts by which traditional rulers guide their subjects. And all the chapters 21 through 23 of Exodus form a body of laws applying on our people who all believe in the existence of an Almighty God. We insist on these laws from the grass root farming community leaders (Dadematseme) to Asafoatseme, the divisional chief (Wetso Matseme) up to the Konor and all the Traditional Council. So whether from the church or from the state, the Apostle Paul enjoins all to obey lawful authority. And I do not know how elastic the theologians’ definition is of the word evangelization: but if it is applied to turn man’s behavior away from perversity, then we traditional authorities or call it the state equally frown upon and indeed punish for greed, ill will, deceit, theft, cheating, infidelity, the swearing of fetish oaths on neighbors (in Krobo custom it is a taboo) and various forms of wrongdoing while the civil courts handle crimes of various kinds. This is the role of the state, and who can say that manner of directing people is anti-Christian?

But now let us take a warning in the interest of mankind so that we do not come to deserve God’s just anger. Hear me out, hear me out carefully. If women will exchange natural intercourse for unnatural and men give up natural intercourse with women and are burned with