June 2006

What makes the radio-ministry of Reformed Faith and Life which you are supporting by your prayers and contributions, so important to keep supporting? After all, many ministers, pastors and missionaries busy themselves, especially on the African soil.   Actually, Christianity spreads so rapidly in Africa that one reckons that no less than three hundred Christian communities emerge weekly on that continent.  However, someone has ironically noted that Christianity in Africa is like a river 10 miles wide, but only 10 inches deep...  The growing number of e-mails which I receive from my correspondents shows that church leaders or self-appointed pastors can be at times just as misleading or oppressive as pagan priests or witch doctors.  I recently received  an e-mail from Benin (West Africa) illustrating the point.  My correspondent was eager to receive an answer about the meaning of the dreams that we have while sleeping.  Must we attach any godly significance to them?  Are they to lead our actions, do they carry any spiritual meaning?  After answering him the best I could, according to a Reformed worldview, I got a reply from him pointing towards the actual problem: the pastors of the Christian community he belongs to, are forcing its members to reveal the nature of their dreams, even of those one least wants to talk about, and feels ashamed of.  Anything sounding indecent to them (and they insist to find out in every detail) is a pretext to put the members under church discipline and have them make a public confession of sin!  The ministry of Reformed Faith and Life, not only through the radio but also through e-mail correspondence, endeavours to correct such alienating views and practices by offering answers from Scripture confessed as Canon, that is, Scripture with its authority and in its unity and totality.

Another challenge for Reformed Faith and Life in Africa, is to maintain the channels of communication open with all the radio-stations receiving our audio-material.  Political and military circumstances are so volatile that a long established collaboration can be abruptly ended after a station has been destroyed or taken over by some other military group. In this regard I am thankful that the staff as well as the equipment of Radio 91 in N’Djamena (capital of French speaking Chad) were spared during a recent aborted coup directed from the neighbouring Sudan: while the attack was conducted, the staff was airing their prayers to our Heavenly Father, who mercifully kept them safe.

Maintaining and spreading Reformed standards is an urgent task not only abroad, on the mission field, but also at home, where other kinds of syncretisms are threatening the very existence of the Church: this time with the spirit of the so-called “Enlightenment” of the Western thought, which has pervaded through much theological training.  I am regularly invited to lead church services in various Reformed congregations, having at the same time the opportunity to present the work of Reformed Faith and Life: preaching the Word of salvation through Christ means bringing the same message abroad and at home.  Undermining its foundations at home would simply mean destroying the foundation of the mission entrusted by the Living Lord to his Church.  May all the supporting churches of Reformed Faith and Life so cherish the Gospel that they will never become lukewarm when it comes to proclaiming it to the world!

In Christ’s service

Rev. Eric Kayayan