Relationship: The Luo in relation to the study of Calvin

On beginning this chapter of the study, it is necessary to affirm that there indeed exists a relationship between the beliefs of the Luo and that of John Calvin. The kind of relationship that exists has already been demonstrated in Chapter two, which demonstrated that the relationship exists in the sense that Calvin’s influence, particularly with regard to his teachings on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, is seen to have found their way into the Christian beliefs and practices of the Luo. Such influence has in turn had an impact on the Christian faith and beliefs of the Luo. This is in spite of the fact that Calvin lived in a different historical context from that of the present Luos in Kenya. Moreover, the cultural background which informs the views of the Luo also differs radically from the one that gave rise to Calvin’s.

Firstly, then, the context of the Luo is far removed historically and culturally from when Calvin lived and taught about the Christian faith and doctrines. While the Luo are actively engaged in the practice of the Christian faith in the twenty-first century, John Calvin lived and

made his contribution to the development of the Christian doctrines of the Protestant Church in the sixteenth century. The time gap between the period in which Calvin lived and that in which the Luo live is nearly five centuries, so the Luo of this present generation are far removed from the time of Calvin’s contributions. He is long since dead. His image or the person of John Calvin himself is not known by the people; yet his influence has found its way into the Christian beliefs and practices of the people.

Secondly, the cultural background in which the Luo understand the Spirit is totally different from Calvin’s. While the Luo are typically African and at the same time practicing their Christian faith with a background deeply rooted in their ethnic traditional cultural values and practices and with such values and practices influencing the manner in which they have responded to the Christian faith, John Calvin was influenced by his western origin, having been born in France and spending most of his lifetime in Geneva, Switzerland. Calvin’s views, unlike those of the Luo, were largely influenced by the western cultural values of the regions where he made a contribution to the development of the doctrines of the Protestant Christian Church.

Furthermore, the Luo people from the Luo cultural background simply embraced the Christian faith as passed on to them by the A.I.M. missionaries. The people were not literally engaged in any controversial debates that led to their acceptance of the Christian faith. They simply accepted it and sought to live according to its demands. This was unlike Calvin, whose views developed from a contentious background. Calvin came from a Roman Catholic background and most of his views were developed in reaction to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. As a result, his teachings were generally considered by the Church as heretical.

A good number of the present Luo of the Africa Inland Church know about John Calvin. They do so through the reading and studying of his works, as well as other literature based on his writings. While some Luos have come to know of him through their own efforts in study, others have heard of him during formal preaching and teaching in Church services, or informally through interaction with people who have knowledge of him.

A good number of Calvin’s works are published in English and are available in Kenya. As already alluded to in our study of chapter two (see 2.3.3), the English language is understood by all educated Kenyans as English is the official language used in Kenya and the medium of

instruction in all Kenya’s national schools, colleges and universities. Therefore, all educated Kenyans understand the language very well and a number of Luos have come to know about Calvin because of this knowedge. The Luos who are not educated have access to Calvin through those who are educated.

In addition, the Luo also come to know about John Calvin through the Bible and theological institutions affiliated with the Africa Inland Church. As already mentioned elsewhere in this study, there are about twenty-one such institutions in the country. It is in such institutions that the Ministers (Pastors) who serve with the Africa Inland Church are trained. All such institutions are largely founded on biblical teaching influenced by Calvin’s theological positions. Those who train in such institutions graduate with at least some knowledge of John Calvin and his theological teachings. Upon completing the training, such ministers share what they know of John Calvin with the people to whom they minister, either through formal preaching and teaching or through informal interaction. Many Luo who know about John Calvin get to know about him through the ministry of such Ministers. It is again mostly through the ministry of such Ministers that the knowledge of the historical background of the Church is accessed by the Luo.

There is however a section of the Luo of the Africa Inland Church of Kenya who do not know that they share in the legacy of John Calvin. This is largely due to the fact that the influence of John Calvin found its way into the Christian practices of the people in a quiet and unexpected manner so that those who have not accessed this knowledge through the means mentioned above would not know of him. As the Africa Inland Mission personnel advanced the gospel to the Luo people of Kenya, they passed on their Christian beliefs to the people, influencing the people with beliefs whose nature and characteristics can be traced back to the legacy of John Calvin. A detailed discussion of how the legacy of John Calvin found its way into the Christian beliefs of the Luo people has already been presented in Chapter two. The Luo who have knowledge of the historical background of the Church also access this knowledge through the ministry of such Ministers. Though a large number of Luos do not know that they form part of the legacy of Calvin, the people indeed form part of such a legacy through the teachings of the Africa Inland Church of Kenya. This being so, how do the Luo understand the concepts of the “Holy Spirit” and “sanctification” on which the study of Calvin is largely based?