Christianity neither a creation of Europeans nor a cultural construct

By Wale Adeduro, PhD (waleadeduro7@yahoo.com)

Introduction
The daughter of late Arch Bishop Benson Idahosa, Rantiade Benson Idahosa, in a recent video, publicly claimed she prefers ancestor worship that characterises African Traditional Religion because Christianity is a European concept.

She argued further that Christianity compels Africans to jettison African culture. This has generated a debate notably because her late father was a frontline Christian evangelist abd revivalist in Nigeria.

Her position once again highlights one of the the most persistent misconceptions about Christianity in Africa. There is a recurrent claim that Christianity is a religion invented by Europeans and imposed upon Africans through colonialism. This is far from the truth.

The divinity and universality of Christianity are buttressed by historical facts, biblical evidence and theological foundation respectively.

While European missionaries undoubtedly played a significant role in the later spread of Christianity across many parts of Africa, the historical and biblical evidence demonstrates that Christianity neither originated in Europe nor belongs exclusively to any culture or race.

Christianity began in the Middle East through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Long before many European nations embraced Christianity, the Gospel had already reached Africa and taken root in African communities.

The Christian faith is therefore not a European invention but God’s universal message of salvation for all peoples and nations.

Christianity Originated in the Middle East, Not Europe
The historical Jesus was neither European nor African. He was a Jew born in Bethlehem of Judea and raised in Nazareth in the Middle East.
The Scriptures affirm this historical reality:
“Salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22).
Jesus’ apostles were likewise Jews from the Middle East. The earliest Christian Church was established in Jerusalem before the Gospel spread to other regions of the world.
Before Christianity arrived in Europe, it was already flourishing in the Middle East and North Africa.
The Apostle Paul, commissioned by Christ, carried the Gospel throughout Asia Minor and parts of Europe (Acts 13–28). Christianity therefore did not emerge from Europe; rather, Europe received Christianity from the Middle East.
Christianity Reached Africa Before Much of Europe Became Christian
A crucial fact often overlooked is that Africa was among the earliest recipients of the Gospel. The Ethiopian Eunuch was Africa’s first recorded Christian convert. The earliest biblical account of Christianity reaching Africa is found in Acts 8:26-40. In the midst of a citywide revival, Philip the Evangelist was directed by the Holy Spirit to meet an Ethiopian official described as, “A man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians” (Acts 8:27). After Philip explained Isaiah’s prophecy concerning Christ, the Ethiopian believed and was baptized immediately (Acts 8:35-38).. The convert was a high-ranking government official.
This event is highly significant because it represents the first recorded conversion of an African in the New Testament who returned to Ethiopia carrying the Gospel message. It established a biblical foundation for Christianity in Africa decades before Christianity reached many European territories.
Thus, Africa’s encounter with Christianity did not begin with European missionaries but with the direct missionary activity of the Apostolic Church.
North Africa Was One of the Earliest Centers of Christianity
Long before Christianity became dominant in Europe, North Africa was producing some of the Church’s greatest theologians and scholars.
Important African Christian centers included
Alexandria in Egypt, Carthage in North Africa
Nubia and Ethiopia
African Christian leaders such as Tertullian, Athanasius, Origen, Augustine of Hippo all
helped in shaping Christian doctrine centuries before many European nations became Christian. Indeed, Alexandria became one of the greatest centers of Christian learning in the ancient world.
Europe Received Christianity After Africa and the Middle East
Historical chronology disproves the claim that Europeans created Christianity. The following timeline speaks for itself:
● Jesus died and rose again around AD 30–33.
● Christianity reached Africa through the Ethiopian eunuch shortly thereafter (Acts 8).
● Christian communities flourished in Egypt and North Africa during the first and second centuries.
● The Roman Empire persecuted Christians for nearly three centuries.
● Christianity became legally recognized under Constantine the Great in AD 313.
● Many European tribes remained pagan for centuries afterward.
From the foregoing timeline Europe therefore did not invent Christianity. Rather, Europe was evangelised by Christianity. The Gospel transformed European culture rather than emerging from it.
Christianity Was Designed to Be Universal, Not Tribal
Unlike religions that developed primarily within a particular ethnic or cultural framework, Christianity presents itself as a message intended for all humanity.
Jesus’ final command was, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Aso Peter declared that “God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him” (Acts 10:34-35).
Christianity is therefore trans-cultural by divine design. God entered human history through a particular people called the Jews but His redemptive purpose was always global.
God’s promise to Abraham anticipated this: “In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). The Gospel was never intended to remain confined to one ethnicity, language, or geographical region.
God Does Not Belong to Any Particular Race or Culture
A common objection is that Christianity presents a foreign God to Africans.
Scripture, however, teaches that God transcends all ethnic identities.
“God is Spirit” (John 4:24).
Humanity bears God’s image. “So God created man in his own image” (Genesis 1:27). Notice that the Bible does not teach that God was created in humanity’s image; rather, humanity was created in God’s image.
Consequently, God is not and cannot, be boxed into any race or tribe. He is neither Jew nor Greek, African nor Arab, European or Asian. He is the Creator of all peoples.
The final vision of redemption confirms this truth that, “A great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues” (Revelation 7:9).
No culture owns God. God owns all cultures.
Christianity Honors Cultural Diversity While Transforming Human Sinfulness
Christianity does not require people to become culturally Jewish, European, or Western.
At Pentecost, God did not force everyone to speak one language. It is recorded that, “Every man heard them speak in his own language” (Acts 2:6). The miracle of Pentecost demonstrates that God communicates His truth through the languages and cultures of humanity.. Christianity therefore affirms cultural diversity while challenging sinful practices found within every culture. The Gospel, by God’s truth, evaluates all cultures.
The Biblical Teaching on Ancestors and Mediation
African Traditional Religion often emphasises communication with ancestors through rituals and libations. The Christian faith approaches this issue differently. Scripture teaches that, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). The Bible further states:
“The dead know not any thing” (Ecclesiastes 9:5). Christianity does not reject ancestors out of disrespect. Rather, it teaches that salvation and mediation belong exclusively to Jesus Christ, who conquered death through His resurrection. The Christian objection is therefore theological rather than cultural.
Christianity Is Rooted in Historical Events
Christianity differs from mythological systems because its central claims are grounded in historical events.
The New Testament presents verifiable people, places, rulers, and events. Among the historical evidences are:
A. The Historical Existence of Jesus
Non-Christian historians such as Tacitus in his book titled, the Annals on the Great Fire of Rome, acknowledged that Jesus (Christus) was executed under Pontius Pilate.
B. Early Testimony to the Resurrection
The Apostle Paul records an early Christian creed: “Christ died for our sins… and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Most scholars recognise this tradition as originating within only a few years of Jesus’ crucifixion, indicating that belief in the resurrection was not a later legend.
C. Archaeological Confirmation
Numerous archaeological discoveries have confirmed locations, names, and administrative details mentioned in the New Testament, reinforcing its credibility as a historical document.
While archaeology cannot prove God’s existence, it repeatedly demonstrates that the biblical narratives are rooted in real history.
Christianity Is God’s Universal Mission to Humanity
The Christian message is not that Africans should abandon their identity and become Europeans.
The Gospel calls every people group to submit their lives and cultures to the lordship of Christ.
Whatever reflects God’s righteousness is affirmed. Whatever contradicts God’s revealed will is challenged. This is true of all cultures be it African cultures, European cultures, Asian cultures or Middle Eastern cultures. Christianity critiques every culture because God’s authority stands above every culture. As Jesus declared:
“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). The “sword” represents the dividing line between divine truth and human traditions.

Conclusion
The question is not whether Africans should worship a foreign God. The real question is whether the Creator of all humanity has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ.
Christianity was not created by Europeans. It began in the Middle East, reached Africa in the apostolic era through the Ethiopian eunuch, flourished in North Africa centuries before much of Europe became Christian, and continues to proclaim God’s salvation to all peoples.
The Gospel invites every tribe, language, and nation into one redeemed family through faith in Christ. Therefore, Christianity is not Europe’s religion, Africa’s religion, or Asia’s religion. It is God’s message to the world.

As the Apostle Paul declared: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16).

For the likes of our Sister Ratinade Benson-Idahosa who once believed God through Jesus Christ or who are yet to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour because they equate him to a cultural deity we pray that the light of the gospel of Christ that Saul of Tarsus saw on his way to Damascus will open their eyes by the inexhaustible mercies of God.