Question:

 I’m from Cameroon, Africa. I mention this because having been to Africa and in Cameroon in particular you may have noticed that many African families still worship ancestors. The reason for this is that The Bible was one of the powerful tools European Countries used to Conquer Africa.  SO my question is: HOW CAN YOU HELP A PERSON WHO REJECTS CHRISTIANITY BECAUSE IT IS THE RELIGION OF THE COLONIZER/ THOSE WHO KILLED OUR FOREFATHERS…? How can I let them know that truly the Bible is the Word of the True God.?

Answer:

I am a white, male, westerner, so am probably not the best person to help you with this question.  Let me take a shot at it, nevertheless.
First of all, I would acknowledge to such people that Christianity was brought to Western Africa by European colonizers.  These colonizers had mixed motives, if not outright evil motives in many cases.  The principle motive was greed, although there also were sincere Christian believers who followed the colonizers and, sometimes, were used by the colonizers for political ends. This is true and ought to be acknowledged.  You should agree with your friend that these injustices are real and are a legitimate reason to question Christianity. Do not be defensive about this.
Second, those who came and conquered, and especially those who enslaved the local people were definitely NOT obeying Jesus or following his examples.  These me were hypocrites, who do not deserve to have the name Christian. Even the animist ancestor worshipper in Africa knows enough about Jesus to know that he would never have supported the behavior of the colonizers.
Third, although it is true that much evil has been done by those who (falsely) call themselves Christians, and although much of that was hypocritically done in the name of Jesus, the fact is that Jesus was the greatest person who ever lived.  His life speaks for itself.  He was the greatest man of wisdom, peace, power and love who ever lived.  Ask your friend to at least consider reading the New Testament or learning about Jesus.  It is not your logical or emotional arguments, proving Christianity or disproving the legitimacy of native religions that will win them over.  It is the person and ministry of Jesus Christ.  So, if there is any possible way, get them to read about Jesus, for example, by reading the Book of John.
Fourth, if you were a white person (you are not, but I am), you could apologize to your African friend for the evil done by your ancestors.  I never say that it is not my fault because this happened 200 years ago.  That is a bad strategy.  White Europeans and Americans need to humble themselves, and to apologize for these actions, even if it is their forebears who did the evil deeds, because Americans and Europeans, even today, are reaping the fruit of the evil done to Africans two and three hundred years ago.
John Oakes

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