- Title: God Is Black
- Date: 7th June 2004
- Summary: The Church of England is facing its greatest challenge since it split from Rome nearly five centuries ago. While the traditional English churches crumble and their congregations die away a new evangelical Christian force is rising in Britain and Africa. Theologian Dr Robert Beckford meets the two sides in the battle for the hearts and minds of the Anglican church and travels to Africa to experience this version of Christianity. While most Church of England congregations consist of a handful of pensioners, new breeds of evangelicals are thriving in Britain, exemplified by the hugely successful Alpha course and the conservative group, Reform - and they now have a powerful ally - African Christianity. The general flavour of African Christianity is Evangelical. In Nigeria the Anglican Church has over 18 million followers, with 30 million more in other Christian congregations in the country - more than the C of E can muster in the whole of Europe and North America combined. These versions of Christianity are alien to those used to the liberal form of UK Anglicanism. They preach a conservative, even fundamentalist, reading of the Bible - anti-abortion and believing that people should be 'cured' of their homosexuality. Some forms of African Christianity in Nigeria take the Bible literally, including belief in miracles such as healings and exorcisms often involving the alleged healing of people with HIV/Aids and cancer. However the most widespread and controversial feature of Christianity in Nigeria is prosperity teachings. Prosperity churches believe that personal holiness or piety will lead to financial blessings from God. Worshippers are encouraged to give generously in order to receive generously. This teaching has now travelled to Britain, brought here partly as a result of African missionaries in Britain. In Britain, African missionaries have been saving souls and building congregations for at least a decade, and some of these congregations are now among the fastest-growing and largest churches in Britain. With African missionaries now targeting the Church of England new alliances are being built among evangelicals keen to see their form of the gospel dominant. With the balance of power shifting, these new Anglican powers are questioning the rule of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
- Description:Black academic Robert Beckford goes on a journey into the heart of Anglican Africa,and back to Britain. He asks the question,does the rise in militant African black churches mean the end of liberal white Anglican rule?
- Broadcaster:Channel 4
- Collection: Channel 4
- Genre:Documentary and Factual
- Producer:Diverse Ltd.
- Programme Episode:Episode 1
- Transmission Date:07/06/2004
- Rights:Worldwide
- Decade: 2000s