WOF 459: Five Lessons to Learn from the African Church

WOF Show Podcast - Word on Fire

Dr. Matthew Petrusek

Parts of the global Church have a very different kind of challenge on their hands than we do in the West: how to handle explosive growth. In many parts of Africa, the Church is running out of room in their seminaries, convents, and monasteries because of rising vocations, and the laity are collectively practicing their faith in ways that put the Church in the West to shame. In Nigeria, upwards of 94 percent of Catholics go to Mass every week, while the U.S. can’t even reach 30 percent in weekly Mass attendance among Catholics.

What explains this wide discrepancy? What are we in the West getting so wrong about evangelization, and what is the Church in Africa getting so right?

A listener asks how she and her family can practice Sabbath rest.

00:00 | Intro
01:50 | DOWR Chancery dedication
03:00 | The African church as a robust exemplar
05:35 | Does Africa’s numerical strength translate to ecclesial strength?
07:12 | Lesson 1: Primacy of the supernatural
10:56 | Lesson 2: Hold fast to theological orthodoxy
12:08 | How the Church engages cultures
16:13 | Lesson 3: Commitment to evangelize the culture
17:49 | The rhythm between “hunkering down” and “diving in”
19:50 | Lesson 4: Praise in public, criticize in private
23:13 | Lesson 5: Courage in the face of opposition
25:19 | Counter-claims for Africa’s religious success
28:49 | Listener question
31:28 | Join the Word on Fire Institute

Links:

• Stats for Nigerian Church attendance: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253488/where-is-mass-attendance-highest-one-country-is-the-clear-leader
• Stats for American Mass attendance: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/04/12/9-facts-about-us-catholics/
• National Catholic Register article: https://www.ncregister.com/news/same-sex-blessings-and-the-catholic-church-in-africa
• E&C Online article: https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/pope-francis-isnt-actually-visiting-peripheries-hes-leaving-them-behind/
• Crux article: https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2023/01/running-the-numbers-africa-isnt-the-catholic-future-its-the-present
• Vatican News article: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-04/over-50000-christians-killed-in-nigeria-by-islamist-extremists.html
• Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/

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