Amongst people subdued by Roman authority in North Africa (Aegyptus, Cyrenaica, Africa, Numidia, and Mauritania) Christianity quickly became a religion of protest—it was a reason for them to ignore the requirement to honor the Roman Emperor through sacrificial ceremonies. Meanwhile, sub-Saharan Africa is expected to become the region with the largest number of Christians – by a wide margin. Anglicans, Methodists, and Baptists were active in Sierra Leone and, with Presbyterians, in Nigeria, while Methodists also set up … The first Europeans arrived on the coast of W. Africa at the end of the 15th cent., but for the most part they were involved in the slave trade rather than in evangelization. Quick Reference. There are already more Christians in Africa than any other continent—that’s not going to change soon. This article about Christianity in South Africa today first appeared in the Fall 2016 issue of Providence‘s print edition. Thereafter, Egypt became a hub for African Christianity, though it was intermittently subject to … Subsequently displaced by Islam in the 7th and 8th centuries, the ancient Coptic and Orthodox churches nevertheless remain active in Egypt, Ethiopia, and Eritrea today. Europe is the only region where the absolute number of Christians is expected to decline by 2050. To read the original in a PDF format, click here.To receive whole copies of future issues, subscribe here. In the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 8:26-40), it is documented that a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch, of great authority under Queen Candace of Ethiopia, was converted to the Lord by St. Philip the Apostle and baptized. Christianity spread into North Africa through Egypt. In the 19th cent. Christianity in Africa goes back to the earliest days of the church, when it spread along the Mediterranean and Red Sea coastlands of north and northeast Africa and their hinterlands. Discusses history, theology, and growth. There is a revealing axiom about religious duality in Africa: “Publicly rulers claimed Islam, however, in private feared the fetish” (fetish worship involved attributing supernatural powers … Christianity came first to the continent of Africa in the 1st or early 2nd century AD. An overview of Christianity in Africa from its origins to today. Alexandria had a large Jewish community. Christianity has existed in Africa arguably since a decade after the death of Jesus of Nazareth. It is also believed that the African Jews were converted into Christianity from Judaism and the Jewish revolted around A.D. 115. The introduction of Christianity in Africa experienced the same social phenomenon and challenge. there was sustained missionary activity by Churches of every denomination. Sub-Saharan Africa’s share of the global Christian population is forecast to rise from 24% in 2010 to 38% in 2050. Editor's Note . 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