## SECTION A: CONTEMPORARY ETHICAL ISSUES
**Answer one (1) question from this section**
1. Discuss the Christian view in support for gender equality.
2. Examine the effects of HIV/AIDS on the society.
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## SECTION B: HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN SIERRA LEONE AND NIGERIA
**Answer three (3) questions from this section**
3. Examine the gains made by Christian Missions in Gold Coast (Ghana).
4. Describe the objectives of 1841 Niger Expedition.
5. Explain how education had helped to advance Christianity in Nigeria.
6. Examine the challenges Christian Missions faced in Northern Nigeria.
7. Discuss the Background and contributions of Garrick Sokari Braide, in Niger Delta.
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Full Answers
# SECTION A: CONTEMPORARY ETHICAL ISSUES
## Question 1: Christian View in Support of Gender Equality
Christianity, properly understood, provides a strong theological and biblical foundation for gender equality. While certain traditions have historically limited women's roles, the overall thrust of Christian teaching affirms the equal dignity, worth, and spiritual standing of men and women.
**i. Creation in God's Image**
Genesis 1:27 declares that "God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." Both male and female equally bear the image of God — the *imago Dei* — which is the ultimate foundation of human dignity and worth. Neither sex is more fully human or more fully created in God's image than the other.
**ii. Equal Spiritual Standing in Christ**
Galatians 3:28 is perhaps the clearest New Testament statement of Christian equality: "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Paul declares that in the community of Christ, the social hierarchies and distinctions that divide humanity are overcome. Men and women stand equally before God as recipients of grace and heirs of salvation.
**iii. Jesus' Treatment of Women**
Jesus consistently treated women with a dignity and respect that was radical in His cultural context. He taught women directly — something Jewish rabbis rarely did. He appeared first to women after His resurrection and commissioned Mary Magdalene as the first witness and announcer of the resurrection. He defended women against unjust treatment, as in the case of the woman caught in adultery (John 8) and His affirmation of Mary's right to sit at His feet and learn (Luke 10:42).
**iv. Women in Ministry in the Early Church**
The New Testament records numerous women who played significant roles in the early church. Phoebe was a deacon (Romans 16:1); Priscilla was a teacher who instructed Apollos (Acts 18:26); Junia was described as outstanding among the apostles (Romans 16:7); the four daughters of Philip were prophets (Acts 21:9). This evidence supports the view that women exercised genuine ministerial leadership in the earliest Christian communities.
**v. The Prophethood of Women**
Joel 2:28-29, quoted by Peter at Pentecost, prophesied that both sons and daughters would prophesy, and that God would pour out His Spirit on both male and female servants. The fulfillment of this prophecy in the New Testament church demonstrates that the Holy Spirit gifts and calls women for public ministry and proclamation.
**vi. Christian Support for Women's Rights Historically**
Historically, Christian missionaries and reformers played significant roles in advocating for the rights of women — opposing practices such as female infanticide, sati (widow burning in India), and female genital mutilation in Africa. Mission schools educated girls at a time when their education was widely neglected, recognizing women's equal capacity for learning and development.
**vii. The Principle of Mutual Submission**
Ephesians 5:21 calls all Christians to "submit to one another out of reverence for Christ" — a principle of mutual, reciprocal submission that qualifies and contextualizes the subsequent instructions about marriage. Christian marriage, properly understood, is a partnership of mutual respect and service rather than a hierarchy of dominance and submission.
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## Question 2: Effects of HIV/AIDS on Society
HIV/AIDS has had devastating and wide-ranging effects on individuals, families, communities, and nations since its emergence in the late twentieth century.
**i. Loss of Human Life**
HIV/AIDS has claimed tens of millions of lives globally, making it one of the deadliest pandemics in human history. Sub-Saharan Africa has been disproportionately affected, with entire generations lost to the disease. The death of productive adults — in the prime of their working, parenting, and contributing years — has had catastrophic consequences for communities and nations.
**ii. Destruction of Family Units**
HIV/AIDS has destroyed countless families — killing parents and leaving millions of orphaned children. These AIDS orphans often face poverty, malnutrition, lack of education, psychological trauma, and vulnerability to exploitation. Grandparents who should be enjoying old age are instead raising grandchildren, often in conditions of extreme poverty.
**iii. Economic Impact**
HIV/AIDS devastates economies by killing productive workers, farmers, teachers, healthcare workers, and professionals. It reduces workforce productivity, increases healthcare costs, reduces savings and investment, and strains national budgets. Communities and nations lose enormous human capital — the accumulated skills, knowledge, and experience of those who die.
**iv. Strain on Healthcare Systems**
HIV/AIDS patients require complex, long-term medical care. In countries with high infection rates — particularly in Africa — HIV/AIDS has overwhelmed healthcare systems, consuming resources, hospital beds, and medical personnel that would otherwise serve the broader population. Healthcare workers themselves face significant occupational exposure risks.
**v. Social Stigma and Discrimination**
People living with HIV/AIDS frequently face severe social stigma, discrimination, and rejection — from families, communities, employers, and even healthcare providers. This stigma drives the disease underground, discourages testing and treatment, and causes immense psychological suffering to those affected.
**vi. Psychological and Emotional Effects**
Both those living with HIV/AIDS and their families experience profound psychological suffering — fear, grief, depression, anxiety, shame, and social isolation. The psychological burden of the disease is enormous, affecting mental health and quality of life far beyond the physical symptoms.
**vii. Educational Disruption**
When parents die of AIDS, children are often pulled out of school to work, care for sick relatives, or simply because school fees can no longer be paid. The educational disruption caused by HIV/AIDS perpetuates cycles of poverty and underdevelopment across generations.
**viii. Moral and Religious Challenges**
HIV/AIDS has forced churches and religious communities to grapple with difficult moral questions about sexuality, judgment, compassion, and care. The Christian response has ranged from condemnation and rejection to compassionate care and advocacy — and the church's handling of HIV/AIDS has profoundly affected both its credibility and its social witness.
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# SECTION B: HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN SIERRA LEONE AND NIGERIA
## Question 3: Gains Made by Christian Missions in Gold Coast (Ghana)
Christian missionary activity in the Gold Coast (present-day Ghana) from the nineteenth century onward produced significant and lasting gains across multiple dimensions of Ghanaian society.
**i. Establishment of Western Education**
The Basel Mission, Wesleyan Methodist Mission, and Bremen Mission established schools throughout the Gold Coast, bringing literacy and Western education to the population. These institutions educated the first generation of Ghanaian professionals, intellectuals, and political leaders. Mission schools created the educated elite that would eventually lead Ghana to independence.
**ii. Translation of the Bible and Literacy**
Missionaries made enormous contributions to Ghanaian linguistics by learning local languages, developing written scripts, and translating the Bible into Twi, Ga, Ewe, and other Ghanaian languages. This linguistic work was foundational to both Christian mission and the development of Ghanaian literature and literacy.
**iii. Medical Services**
Missionary organizations established hospitals, clinics, and medical training institutions throughout the Gold Coast. These healthcare facilities served populations with little or no access to modern medicine, reducing mortality from tropical diseases and improving public health. Many of these mission hospitals continue to serve Ghanaians today.
**iv. Abolition of Harmful Practices**
Christian missions campaigned actively against practices considered harmful — including human sacrifice, certain initiation rites, the killing of twins, and the mistreatment of widows. Through education, persuasion, and the creation of alternative communities, missionaries contributed to the gradual abandonment of these practices in many areas.
**v. Development of Local Church Leadership**
The missions trained and ordained Ghanaian pastors, evangelists, and church leaders who became the foundation of an indigenous Ghanaian church. Figures like Rev. Carl Christian Reindorf — a Basel Mission-trained Ghanaian pastor and historian — exemplify the caliber of local Christian leadership that missionary education produced.
**vi. Social Welfare and Orphan Care**
Missions established orphanages, homes for the destitute, and social welfare institutions that cared for society's most vulnerable members. This social ministry both demonstrated Christian compassion and created institutions of care that benefited the broader community.
**vii. Agricultural and Vocational Training**
Some missions, particularly the Basel Mission, introduced agricultural improvements and vocational training — teaching better farming techniques, carpentry, printing, and other trades. This practical contribution to economic development complemented the missions' spiritual and educational work.
**viii. Foundation for Independence**
The educated Christian elite produced by mission schools became the intellectual and political leaders of Ghanaian nationalism. Kwame Nkrumah and other independence leaders were products of mission education. Christianity thus indirectly contributed to Ghana's emergence as the first sub-Saharan African nation to achieve independence in 1957.
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## Question 4: Objectives of the 1841 Niger Expedition
The 1841 Niger Expedition was a joint undertaking by the British government and the Church Missionary Society (CMS), inspired largely by the vision and advocacy of Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton and supported by Prince Albert. Three steam-powered vessels — the Albert, the Wilberforce, and the Soudan — sailed up the River Niger with a combined mission that had several interconnected objectives.
**i. Abolition of the Slave Trade**
The primary objective of the Niger Expedition was to strike a decisive blow against the transatlantic slave trade by penetrating into the interior of West Africa and making treaties with local rulers to abolish the trade at its source. The expedition sought to demonstrate that profitable legitimate commerce could replace the slave trade, removing its economic incentive.
**ii. Promotion of Legitimate Commerce**
The expedition aimed to establish legitimate trade relationships between Britain and the interior peoples of West Africa — particularly in agricultural products such as palm oil, cotton, and groundnuts. By making legal trade more profitable than the slave trade, the expedition hoped to create economic incentives for its abandonment.
**iii. Christian Evangelization**
The CMS was a major partner in the expedition, and a central objective was the spread of Christianity into the interior of West Africa. The expedition carried missionaries who hoped to establish mission stations along the Niger that would serve as bases for further evangelization. The conversion of Africa was seen as inseparable from its liberation from slavery.
**iv. Establishment of a Model Farm**
The expedition planned to establish a model farm at the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers — at a location called Lokoja — to demonstrate improved agricultural techniques and encourage the production of cash crops as an alternative to slave trading. This agricultural mission was central to the "Christianity, Commerce, and Civilization" philosophy that animated the expedition.
**v. Treaty-Making with Local Rulers**
The expedition carried commissioners empowered to negotiate and sign treaties with African rulers along the Niger, committing them to abolish the slave trade, cooperate with British anti-slavery efforts, and facilitate Christian missionary work and legitimate commerce.
**vi. Geographical Exploration**
A scientific and geographical objective was also present — the expedition aimed to explore and map the Niger River system, gather knowledge about its peoples, resources, and geography, and identify suitable locations for future trading posts and mission stations.
**vii. Outcome**
The expedition was largely a failure in practical terms. Malaria devastated the European members of the expedition — 48 of 145 Europeans died within two months. The survivors were forced to retreat, and the model farm was abandoned. Despite this failure, the expedition laid the groundwork for later, more successful missionary and commercial penetration of the Niger Delta and interior.
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## Question 5: How Education Helped to Advance Christianity in Nigeria
Education and Christianity advanced together in Nigeria in a deeply symbiotic relationship — each reinforcing and enabling the other in a process that transformed Nigerian society.
**i. Mission Schools as Centers of Evangelization**
From the earliest days of missionary activity in Nigeria, schools were established alongside churches. The mission school was not merely an educational institution but a place of direct Christian instruction and evangelization. Students who learned to read in mission schools read the Bible; students who attended mission schools were exposed to Christian teaching, worship, and community life.
**ii. Literacy Enabling Bible Reading**
Missionaries translated the Bible into Nigerian languages — Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Efik, and others — and mission schools taught literacy in these languages. Once Nigerians could read, they could read the Scriptures for themselves, deepening personal faith and enabling independent Bible study. Literacy was thus a direct instrument of Christian growth.
**iii. Training of Indigenous Christian Leaders**
Mission schools and theological colleges — such as the CMS Training Institution at Abeokuta and later the Trinity College Umuahia — trained Nigerian pastors, evangelists, catechists, and teachers who became the primary agents of Christianity's spread. Nigerians trained in mission institutions evangelized far more effectively among their own people than foreign missionaries could.
**iv. Samuel Ajayi Crowther as a Model**
Samuel Ajayi Crowther — educated at Fourah Bay College in Sierra Leone — became the first African Anglican bishop in 1864. His life demonstrated the transformative power of Christian education and inspired generations of Nigerians to see education and Christian faith as pathways to dignity, leadership, and service. His translation of the Bible into Yoruba was itself a landmark educational and evangelistic achievement.
**v. Social Mobility Through Mission Education**
Mission education offered Nigerians access to new economic and social opportunities — as clerks, teachers, doctors, lawyers, and government officials. This social mobility was associated in many minds with Christianity, making the Christian community attractive to those seeking advancement. Church membership and educational achievement became culturally linked.
**vi. Education of Women and Girls**
Mission schools educated women and girls at a time when their education was generally neglected in Nigerian traditional society. This revolutionary practice transformed women's lives, gave them new roles in church and society, and created a generation of educated Christian women who became teachers, nurses, and community leaders — further advancing Christianity's reach.
**vii. Christian Schools as Community Institutions**
Mission schools became centers of community life — hosting literacy classes, adult education, agricultural training, and healthcare alongside formal schooling. This comprehensive community engagement gave Christianity deep roots in Nigerian society and created constituencies of loyal church members who associated the church with education, progress, and development.
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## Question 6: Challenges Christian Missions Faced in Northern Nigeria
The spread of Christianity in Northern Nigeria was significantly more difficult and slower than in the South, due to a distinctive set of challenges rooted in the region's Islamic heritage, political structure, and social organization.
**i. The Dominance of Islam**
The most fundamental challenge in Northern Nigeria was the deep entrenchment of Islam. The Sokoto Jihad of 1804-1808 under Usman dan Fodio had established a powerful Islamic Caliphate across the North, and Islam was not merely a religion but a total way of life embedded in law, politics, culture, education, and social organization. Converting to Christianity meant not just a change of religion but a break with one's entire social and cultural world.
**ii. Opposition from the Sokoto Caliphate and Emirs**
The Fulani emirs who governed Northern Nigeria under the Sokoto Caliphate were deeply opposed to Christian missionary activity in their domains. They saw Christianity as a threat to Islamic civilization and their own political authority. Many emirs actively prohibited missionary work, expelled missionaries, and discouraged their subjects from any engagement with Christianity.
**iii. Colonial Policy of Non-Interference**
The British colonial administration under Lord Lugard adopted a policy of Indirect Rule in Northern Nigeria that relied heavily on the existing Islamic emirate system for governance. To maintain the cooperation of the emirs, the colonial government agreed not to permit Christian missionary activity in Muslim areas. This policy effectively closed vast areas of the North to direct evangelization.
**iv. The Threat of Social Ostracism**
Any Northern Nigerian Muslim who converted to Christianity faced total social exclusion — rejection by family, community, and the broader Islamic society. The social cost of conversion was enormous, creating a powerful barrier to Christian profession. Converts risked losing their marriage, their livelihood, their inheritance, and their social network.
**v. Islamic Education System**
The North had a well-established system of Quranic education — Islamiyya schools — that gave Muslim children an alternative to mission education. Unlike in the South, where mission schools were often the only available education, Northern Nigerian families had an Islamic educational option that kept their children within the Muslim community.
**vi. Lack of Trained Missionaries**
The CMS and other missionary societies struggled to find missionaries willing and able to work in the North — a region considered more hostile and less responsive than the South. The lack of adequate missionary personnel limited the reach and effectiveness of Christian mission in Northern Nigeria.
**vii. Language and Cultural Barriers**
Northern Nigeria's languages — particularly Hausa — were initially less familiar to missionaries than Yoruba or Igbo in the South. The cultural gap between Western missionaries and the sophisticated Islamic civilization of the North was also significant, making effective communication and contextualization of the Gospel more challenging.
**viii. Limited Access to Education**
Because the colonial government restricted missionary education in Muslim areas, Christianity lost the educational advantage it enjoyed in the South. Without the instrumental incentive of mission education, Christianity had fewer points of contact with the Northern population.
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## Question 7: Background and Contributions of Garrick Sokari Braide in Niger Delta
Garrick Sokari Braide was one of the most remarkable and controversial figures in the history of Nigerian Christianity — a prophet-healer whose ministry in the Niger Delta in the early twentieth century produced a mass Christian revival and laid the groundwork for the African Independent Church movement in Nigeria.
**Background:**
Garrick Sokari Braide was born around 1882 in Obonoma, a small fishing community in the Kalabari area of the Niger Delta in present-day Rivers State. He was of Kalabari (Ijaw) origin and grew up in a community that had had contact with Christian missionaries through the CMS. As a young man, Braide was a relatively ordinary member of the Anglican congregation at Bakana. He received little formal Western education and was not a trained theologian or ordained minister.
Around 1912-1915, Braide began to experience visions and divine encounters that transformed him into a powerful prophetic figure. He developed a reputation as a healer and miracle worker — reports spread rapidly that he could heal the sick, cast out evil spirits, and perform extraordinary signs in the name of Jesus Christ.
**Contributions:**
**i. Mass Evangelism and Revival**
Braide's ministry produced one of the most dramatic Christian revivals in Nigerian history. Thousands of people in the Niger Delta — both Christians and non-Christians — responded to his preaching and healing ministry. Entire communities turned to Christianity, and church attendance throughout the Delta region increased dramatically.
**ii. Destruction of Idols and Traditional Shrines**
A particularly remarkable feature of Braide's ministry was the mass destruction of traditional religious objects, shrines, and fetishes. People who accepted his message voluntarily brought out their idols and destroyed them — a powerful sign of genuine conversion and a dramatic break with traditional religion. This iconoclasm was unprecedented in its scale in Nigerian Christianity.
**iii. Campaign Against Alcohol**
Braide preached vigorously against the consumption of alcohol — particularly the trade gin that British merchants sold throughout the Delta. His campaign was enormously effective, causing a dramatic drop in the consumption and trade of alcohol in areas where his influence was strong. This brought him into conflict with British commercial interests as well as the colonial administration.
**iv. Indigenous African Christianity**
Braide represented a new model of African Christianity — one that was led by Africans, expressed in African idioms, addressed African concerns, and operated independently of missionary control. His ministry demonstrated that Christianity could be authentically African rather than a foreign cultural imposition, laying the foundation for the African Independent Church movement.
**v. Healing Ministry**
Braide's healing ministry was central to his appeal. In communities with limited access to Western medicine, his reported miraculous healings attracted enormous followings and demonstrated the power of Christian faith in terms that were immediately meaningful to African communities.
**vi. Conflict with the Colonial Church and Government**
Braide's independence and growing influence alarmed both the CMS and the British colonial administration. His anti-alcohol campaign threatened British commercial interests, and his mass following represented a potentially destabilizing independent religious authority. He was eventually arrested by the colonial government in 1916 on charges of causing unrest and was imprisoned. He died in 1918, shortly after his release, at approximately 36 years of age.
**vii. Legacy**
Despite his short ministry and early death, Braide's impact was lasting. He inspired the founding of independent African Christian movements in the Delta region, contributed to the broader African Independent Church movement, and demonstrated the possibility of an authentically African expression of Christianity. He is regarded as one of the founding figures of independent Christianity in Nigeria and a forerunner of the Aladura and Pentecostal movements that would later transform Nigerian Christianity.