Holy Spirit (English)

The historic background beliefs and culture of Africa is that of the spirit world, magic and occultism; belief in the spirits of plants, animals, trees and nature itself, belief in ghosts, spirits and the power of the witch doctor. Within the ancient cultures of the Nubia, Buganda, Bunyoro, the Swahili coast, Zulu, Almoravid, Almohad, and the Bantu this can be traced back for millennia; cultures that existed hundreds of years before this area even became known as Tanzania. These beliefs are deeply imbedded into African culture even in the 21st Century, and despite turning from these things at baptism into Christianity it is hard to dispel them completely. Often it is found that individuals attempt to continue with these traditional ideas side by side with their beliefs in the Bible despite the total and complete incompatibility. Consequently, as I have travelled around Tanzania over the past 25 years as a missionary, one of the most common questions that have been posed to me is 'what is the Holy Spirit?' More often than not I have retorted with a quick answer. I have used a broad brush, so as to answer the question quickly due to time constraints brought upon me by circumstances. Unsurprisingly upon my return to an area I find a reversion to the ancient belief systems. This small book is an attempt to correct the misunderstanding that may be held by the reader upon this so often misunderstood topic, and it attempts to provide a fuller answer to rectify the quick answers that have previously been given by missionaries. This is a comprehensive 'must read' for all faith based organizations and workers that attempt to preach the Christian gospel message contained in the Bible. Whether lay preachers, or full time missionaries. We examine the context into which Christianity is being delivered, penetrate into the historical background of Africa, appreciate with respect religious and global developments and the motives of individuals to convert from the religions of antiquity. Consider the following statement 'this man is full of spirit'. Do I mean, the man has spirit gifts, the man is happy, the man is full of zeal, the man is enlightened, the man is controlled by a spirit, the man is energetic, or the man is drunk? Without the context we will never know. Language is a strange thing at times, and translation makes it much worse. We have counted at least 25 different meanings of the word spirit, as it is used within the Bible. In this short book we look at all.