Christian Daily International has spoken with Pastor Master Matra Hope, General Secretary of the African Evangelical Association (AEA) at the AEA Plaza in Nairobi, Kenya, for a conversation about the contemporary challenges faced by African evangelicals, and the interview followed his keynote speech at the annual consultation of the Religious Liberty Partnership in Nairobi from April 7-10.
Matlhaope has issued an urgent call to the African Church to rethink its theology and redefine its mission to tackle the continent’s complex issues, from poverty and extremism to poor governance and underinvestment of young people. He argued that Africa’s problems are often exacerbated by weak states, poor leadership and the lack of overall involvement of the church with society.
“Africa is a continent with so many challenges,” he said. “Poverty, hunger, civil war, terrorism, from extremists to persecution. These are the realities of Africa. A weak country creates moments of opportunity for extremists to flourish.”
He argued that the church often deals with symptoms rather than causes, including bad governance or failure to followers of disciples.
“In the north of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), government infrastructure basically collapsed due to anxiety. That weakness created opportunities for extremists to utilize and kill Christians.”
Theological blind spots and economic liberation
However, Mattelharp also targeted his historical emphasis on the physical sacrificing his spirit as an unbalanced approach to African theology, particularly among Pentecostals.
“In some places where we are the majority, we are still facing economic and legal persecution,” he said. “People of other religions come in and take over economic space and retain national authority. The church becomes victims. They are the majority, but they told themselves that socioeconomic and political space is no go zone.”
He argued that this separation stems from a flawed theological dualism.
“Our God is the God of Genesis 1, the man who created the heavens and the earth, both spiritual and physical,” he said. “He didn’t create them and donate them to Satan or anyone else. We should be the same custodians.”
He called for a “redo” of theology. It equips Christians to be custodians of all aspects of creation. It is economic, social, environmental and political.
The Prophetic Role of the Church in Governance
Mattelharp also criticized the church for ignoring political injustice and nepotism, particularly when leaders appoint their tribes to positions of power.
“The church chooses to look at this and look away. What is the outcome? “When they see poor governance persisting, the church needs to oppose it. That’s the prophetic role of the church.”
He warned that current disciple models are inadequate and often focus on giving birth to church leaders rather than balanced citizens.
“We don’t raise an overall Christian in their well-being to influence every aspect of life. In Africa, where the majority of Christians are, we still see corruption and moral disruption.”
Theory of the explosive end
He argued that the church’s departure is also linked to flawed eschatology.
“We believe Jesus will be coming soon, and that’s why it has made us less planning for today,” Mattelharp said. “But Jesus may come tomorrow, next year, or 100 years from now. Meanwhile, we need to plan what we eat today, tomorrow, next week.”
Without planning and investment, Christians would remain economically vulnerable, he warned. He cited an example from his country’s Botswana. There, groups requiring halal accreditation monopolized the poultry sector, putting Christian producers at a disadvantage.
“We need to sit down and ask: Where are our kids going to school?” he said. “There are no Christian schools where there are many Christians. They are forced to take their children to Muslim schools.”
Violence, radicalization, church silence
Mattelharp also shared a disastrous story from areas affected by the terrorist attacks. This includes an account of Mozambique, where extremists beheaded men, torn apart children, and fed their mothers the bodies.
“I asked the audience: is this human?” he recalled. “What leads a person to that level of inhumanity?”
He said it was caused by several radicals, due to years of dissatisfaction that the church ignored.
“In some cases, it’s the lack of an active role in the church. Communities see resources being taken away to develop others. Over time, they create rebellions that can be informed by ideology and religion.”
He believes that such tragedy can be prevented if the Church acts propheticly.
A call to reconstruct theology
He said the future path will be to reconstruct theology and emphasize the full scope of the gospel: spiritual and physical.
“The church should reform its theology in general,” he said. “Africa is suffering from poverty. There are so many orphans. It’s an opportunity for the church to show the Bible God, the father of the father.”
Matlhaope emphasized the need to distinguish between peacebuilding and peacebuilding. The former demands active involvement to prevent conflict before it begins, he said.
“Peacemaking is putting out the fires. Peacebuilding is building bridges,” he said. “We must call out something that can cause conflict and mitigate it.”
Invest in African youth or put time bombs at risk
He also warned against the assumption that Africa’s youthful population will automatically be converted into demographic dividends.
“You can’t call a young population a dividend without investment,” he said. “If not, it’s a time bomb.”
Africa is also one of the poorest continents, so many unemployed people become easy targets for terrorist recruiters.
“Youth without incomes are easily recruited by any dollar,” he warned.
He has urged the world’s churches and the international community to invest in Africa now.
“If you’re not investing in Africa now, you’re not investing in your children or grandchildren,” he said. “Africans will be the workforce of tomorrow. Right now, we have Christian youths who come to Europe and America with the Bible rather than AK-47.”
In conclusion, Mattelharp called the present moment a “decisive opportunity” for both Africa and Christianity in the world.
“This is the time to act,” he said. “The church is already here. What’s missing is the way we do theology.”
