Role of Church in Ethnic Conflict

Role of perform in Ethnic ConflictWrite ab come out of the closet a fresh social contest in your context showing the use of loving, governmental and religious institutions in the conflict. Discuss what the Church has d oneness (or should be doing) to p totallyiate heathen hostilities.Despite the persistent contribution of g e genuinely(prenominal)placenments worldwide to ensure that thither is a balanced socio-economic development in all spheres in the society, fond contrariety is still rife and embedded in all aspects of social development. However, it is worse in developing countries and pas hellholeg manifested in paganity. In multi- culturalal communities, social identity is an additional variable in social-economic development over and in a higher place those normally present in the more homogenous communities. The authority of culturality in development can be nix or peremptory and it can in either case be a problem or a potentially rewarding contend. U nfortunately it is the negative aspect of sociality that has been publicized or researched. harmonise to the Oxford advanced learners dictionary, the term social is defined as that which is of a guinea pig, racial or tribal congregation that has a common heathenish tradition or of a point ethnic convention. Brown (2000) defines an ethnic group as that residential argona which claims common ancestry and sees the proof of this in the fact that its members display distinctive attributes relating to language, religion, and physiognomy or home push down origin. materialisation (1994) argued that ethnicity is a concept that has no significance in isolation. His thesis is that any analytical attempt should begin from the premise that ethnicity is a relational concept. According to Young and Turner (1985), we can provided find relevance in they. In somewhat cases those who define themselves as we ascribe to themselves positive attributes and lend oneself negative and disparag ing ones to the they group.Positive ethnicity refers to the constructive social-cultural identification with and a sensory faculty of belonging to a collapseicular ethic group. Negative ethnicity mostly in the form of tribalism or ethnocentrism is the pathological and destructive nature of ethnicity. It is when a particular ethnic partnership considers itself superior to an new(prenominal)wise(prenominal) communities. This form of hatred or repulsion of particular communities or individuals of a particular community is referred to as ethnic bigotry. Ethnic bigotry manifests in confused ship canal including speech, actions, and subtile or hidden repulsion of outsiders. It may also result in ethnic tensions or p lay waste toracted physical or non-physical conflict surrounded by ethnic groups (TJRC, 2013).Kenya, which is a multi-ethnic society with over 42 ethnic communities, is an invention of colonialists, an invention which seemed to realise been flawed from the start and hence was a crisis in the making because the invented territory brought together opposite ethnic communities, some of which had little or nonhing in common culturally. In Kenya, the mastery of ethnic affiliations comes to the fore in almost all aspects of human life. In cases where ethnic affiliations ar dependable like in politics, no one would like to think freely. People ceaselessly imagine that ethnic base thinking is the solution to every issue of concern but it is expenditure noning that much(prenominal) ethnic based thinking is a big challenge and threat to development. For instance in Kenya, the majority of the citizens who qualify for opportunities in establishment and state run organizations atomic number 18 never considered. Instead, politicians practice nepotism and those who wield billet fill the positions in their ministries or state run organizations with their relatives and constituents who ar ending associates.In Kenya, negative ethnicity has contrib uted to ethnic tensions which nurse culminated into military force. Proximate causes of force out are intrinsically related to democratization and the electoral cycle its roots are to be found in recent times and are governmentally instigated, and non primordial. As the move to multi-partyism became increasingly probable, senior politicians in legion(predicate) policy-making rallies issued inflammatory statements and utterances, asking for stack to go back to their hereditary de mover or they be forced out. The advent of the crazy ethnic clashes fast followed these rallies. As new governmental parties e corporate, a clear enduring human body of ethno- yearal interests appeared. The abandon then in Kenya appeared to be ethnicized brass of semipolitical conflict. Ethnicity in this case, was the medium of political force out and not its cause. However, the system once in place, became self-perpetuating for instance it increased the likelihood of future conflict by sh arpening ethnic identity and chauvinism, as well as promoting the doctrine that specific region of the Country belonged to the groups that originally occupied them. This led to coming up of ground such us outsiders, foreigners, strangers or aliens, and this is countless to the legal ownership of land and the constitutional right of all Kenyans to live anywhere of their choosing within their agricultural (Ndegwa, 1997).Until late 2007, Kenya was considered one of the most stable countries in Africa. It had functioned as eastward Africas financial and communications hub, the headquarters of many inter landal non-governmental organizations and a attractor for tourism. The violence that erupted in the wake of the controversial 2007 professorshipial resource tried Kenyas political stability more than never before, almost plunging the country into full-blown civil strife. Like a festering wound, it exposed the structural rot embedded in the countrys system. A convergence of irreg ularities, pertaining to land allocation, an overbearing presidency, a pervasive culture of impunity, and ethnicisation of baron, malfeasance and sheer mendacity among both the political elite and the family almost pushed Kenya over the precipice. Prior to the 2007 picks, the political elite had been conducting a consider of campaigns, but a closer look at these campaigns revealed that most of it was on ethnicity and the different ethnic identities that exist in the country. It turned out that the political elite had actually exploited the fact of Kenyan different ethnic identities to forward their political agendas.The disputed 2007 elections spurred outbreaks of violence across the country whose debacle was horrific 1,500 dead, 3,000 innocent women raped and 300,000 people left internally displaced. just about of this atrocities happened in the first 14 days afterwards the election. The severity of this conflict unfolded in a span of 59 days between the normal election da y, declination 27th, 2007 to February 28th, 2008 when a political compromise was reached. The magnitude of the combat injury and structural violence that took place in Kenya after the fourth multi-party prevalent election took both Kenyans and the inter landal community, alike, by surprise (Maupeu 2008). In retrospect, the violence that occurred could not only dupe been predicted, it could most likely have been prevented. affectionate issues which are both cultural and historical factors also played a role in causing the ethnic violence that was witnessed. Social inequality is not only the income gap between the upper and lower house but it also involves differences that exist in terms of access to education, health, calling and infrastructure development, political rights and representation. In Kenya, historical data suggests that public resources such as education facilities, health facilities and services, water, land, employment opportunities and amenities such as shelter, electricity, fuel, and physical infrastructure have tended to be distributed to the elite and those close to political power. For instance, economic growth has largely continued on the lines set by the earlier colonial structure and Kenyanization has radically changed the racial composition of the group of people in the center of power and many of its policies, but has had only limited effect. This extreme social inequality has resulted in differences in regional or geographic wellorganism which apparently coincide with ethnic identities as ethnic groups reside in specified geographical regions in the country. economical aspects of life are so dear to all persons. The ethnic violence experienced after the 2007 election also attributed to economic issues. Economic issues accommodate unequal distribution of resources and scarcity of resources. Ethnic conflicts are also an take of unequal economic opportunities. Another cause of the violence was cultural command together with polit ical suppression. Ethnic groups tend to have perceptions of another ethnic group being favored by the structures in place economically. marginalisation is also another key concept in this context. Kenya has faced a high rate of unequal distribution of resources across ethnic divides. The political ethnic game plays too on economic activities. For example, since independence in Kenya, the Kikuyu has always been granted a huge share of economic infrastructures. attain has been in question ever since. The distribution of the colonial settler land to the local communities in Kenya took and ethnic twist. For instance, in the buildup to the 2007 elections, in some part of shift Valley, Kikuyus were told that they ordain have to vacate their land before the elections, there were rumors that if Raila won, Kikuyus will have to go Jane Njoki a resident of Burnt Forest. When the election results were announced, they started burning our things and beating people because we are Kikuyus add ed Njoki.Economic causes also cast around appointments into public positions in government. This applies in both age and ethnic grounds. The youth in Kenya feel left out as all key positions are given to older people. This leaves the youths to be used by interested parties in violent conflicts. They also engage in these violent conflicts to obtain identity and let out their frustrations. Job opportunities are a way to economic welfare. Ethnic based appointments are also a cause of ethnic conflicts in Kenya. The ethnic group in power favors the ethnic community from which the leading individuals hail from. This leaves the other individuals from the other ethnic groups who qualify for the same appointment deprived and feeling left out.The political factors that cause ethnic conflicts are far more considered than all the other factors in the form of economic and social. Access to political power has, by and large, determined the distribution of socio-economic and political benefits. T he old Kenya constitution conferred vast powers to the president including power to allocate by nomination cabinet positions and make appointments to constitutionally protected offices. Regimes thereof entrenched their rule, assigned strategic administrative positions and direct political resources to support the then provinces or ethnic groups. Every political regime tends to allocate more of the national cake to their ethnic group or supporters at the expense of others. When one group is endowed with its interests the other groups feel marginalized and left out indeed the urge to speak out by violence upon the explosion of the frustrations from within as witnessed in 2007 post-election violence. homophobic government policies also play a signifi incline role in aggravating ethnic conflicts because the political class in Kenya influences all the other aspects. The politicians formulate, make, implement and amend laws. Distribution of wealth or resources follows the directives of the leaders. This is always the arguing behind ethnic conflicts in Kenya whereby the politics play an integral role in driving the nation away from nationhood to negative ethnicity. such ethnic divisive policies leads to the development of the feelings of being excluded, ignored, and discriminated against on the part of some ethnic communities. Kenyan politics are based on ethnic aspirations by political parties and also the regime power. Political alliances are made with regard to gaining ethnic support often resulting to formation of ethnically instigated opposition political parties to find ways and means to access political power as was witnessed in the build up to the 2007 presidential elections.Political inequalities also grant to the youth in Kenya and it is a factor for ethnic violence. The youth in Kenya aged between 18-35 years of age comprises about 60% of the national population. This shows how the demographic factor also plays part in the ethnic conflicts in Kenya. G eneral elections are the highly lucratively rewarding season for the youth. This is the most vapourisable cohort and politically salient because of three main factors the group is highly mobile, most educated and ne 2rked and also the most unemployed. Therefore they become most vulnerable to be politically lured or politically radicalized. For instance, the 2007/2008 post-election violence demonstrates how violently the youth engaged in the conflict. They were funded and mobilized by the non-youth to be volatile. A rationalize in Kenyan politics is the rise of youth militia, which have sometimes been identified to work for individual politicians. The youth involvement in violence and ethnic conflicts is purely instrumentalist and attributed to the youth claiming political space after being neglected. Political exclusion of the youth in Kenya is rampant thus the violence either on the ethnic based conflicts or other forms of demonstrations.Kenyas population is mainly Christian and comprised of Protestants and Catholics. There is also a trade good fraction of Muslims and Hindus and other traditional religions. While religion is domesticated by morals that are illuminated by combine, most states are manoeuvre by politics whose orientation is generally practical empirical and in most cases the church building service building. Although the church has been focal in articulating issues that destroy morality of the nation (Anderson Lochery, 2008), chronological events show that the church has been intertwined with issues of ethnic identities. The church leadership has not taken a united approach towards promoting positive ethnicity thus commingle religion and politics. On one hand, the church has been guilty of silence when it should have spoken and on the other, it has been guilty of actively precipitating negative ethnicity. thereof many religious leaders are unable to quell negative ethnicity because some of them have contributed immensely to it. For in stance, in Nakuru County, there is a strong presence of the church as yet the area has witnessed ethnic tension which has always resulted to tribal violence and ethnic killings in almost all election years. This could be an indication that the society has not received the voice of the church.In the run up to the 2007 general elections in Kenya, the church was seen as being openly partisan along ethnic lines. Christian believers were clearly split by conflicting prophesies of prominent Christian leaders who predicted victory for various candidates and prayed and anointed them as idols choice for president. The uncertainty generated by these conflicting views fuelled the divisions in the church. Reports from the Rift Valley indicate that the church leaders used civic education, requester meetings and other occasions to openly campaign for their preferred parties and candidates. During the post-election violence that erupted, some Christians withheld the biblical principles of love , heartsease and reconciliation and gave in to ethnic hatred and violence. I will never trust a Kikuyu again in my life. I cant express what has gone on in my heart. I cant live with you and fellowship in the same church for more than 10 years and instead of protecting me you are the first person to threaten me said Ken Okoth who lived in Naivasha prior to the 2007 elections. The church leaders also could not rise above their partisanship and give the country a clear moral direction and the church was reduced to a baffled spectator to the emerging tragic drama. The burning of over 400 churches during the violence was a sad reminder that many had come to regard churches not as sacred and neutral places of worship and sanctuary, but as part of the contested terrain of partisan politics. I recognized members of my own congregation in the mob that burnt down the church and my home says Rev. John MainaThe church has a duty to speak forceful on b courseer issues of justice yet this has not been evident in Kenya. In March 2008, the National Council of Churches of Kenya apologized to the nation for having taken sides during the 2007 general election. This was an important step in the long road to the church recovering its credibility and playing its role of being the smell of right and wrong of society. Several other churches also joined forces in an initiative that was dubbed Msafara the wheels of bank in which over 500 believers joined a caravan from Mombasa done Nairobi, Nakuru, Eldoret to Kisumu praying to cleanse the nation from demonic influences and taking humanitarian relief to internally displaced persons. Therefore, the church needs to do a lot more specially in evaluating its own role in promoting positive ethnicity. Some of the things that the church needs to do or is already doing are as at a lower placeDiscipling the nationThere is need to ask ourselves how is it that Christians so easily turned on each other. The church needs to be at the headw ay of fighting tribalism and forging an abiding spirit of nationhood. There is need to gravely address issues such as the gospel and culture, which go to the ethnic divisions that have plagued Kenya for many years. There is also need to connect spiritual warfare with rigorous socio-political analysis and engagement. The post-election violence was evidence enough that there is very little that is binding the different tribes together. Politicians have also made it very clear that if left to their own devises, they shall continue to mobilize for support along ethnic lines and therefrom continue to fracture this fragile country. The church therefore needs to urgently step into the void especially as we are nearing another election period in 2017 by defining the otherworldliness of our nationhood.rapprochement initiativesThe church has a prominent role to play in reconciliations all over the world. As the salt of the earth, Christians have a polity from God to make the world livable . Church leaders have a duty to promote unity in the multiethnic churches. The church essential understand its mission before God, not only to promote peace and reconciliation, but to develop structures that will sustain peace and overcome any incitement to violence. Whereas certain individuals can take partisan positions, the church as an institution should not be drawn into ethnic party politics. The church should teach the vanity of negative ethnicity and the value of unity in alteration by being guided by the bible.In Kenya where ethnic conflicts recur, the church should often strategically engage the citizenry with biblical lessons on insertion and Gods purpose for them to experience meaningful and selfless relationships. As the salt of the earth, the church should always use its flavor to influence others to seek value of harmony. The seismic disturbance of the church is the only hope of peace and reconciliation. Every person disregarding of race, religion, color, culture , class, sex, or age has an intrinsic dignity because of which he or she should be respected and served but not exploited. The church needs to reconcile people to God and, in the same manner, reconcile people to people.Embodying authentic communityThe church must embody authentic community, to show the world what relationships are to be. Community in African perception is alive in the sense that all people are connected to the community through spiritness of the community. It is therefore necessary for the church to provide a Christian definition of community that goes beyond ancestral connection. Community includes the wider human family. This community is generated and sustained by the grace of God in Christ by the Holy Spirit. Without this shaper intervention, humanity is incapable of go alonging the hatred and exclusion that hinder authentic community. Thus, sin has to be conquered for genuine community to be possible. Understanding the church as a family is a theological moti f that conquers ethnic divisions. The term family refers not merely to the nuclear family, but to the biblical idea of those who share a common ancestor, the founder of the church, Jesus Christ. In the family of God, there are no distinctions of social relations. Paul argued in his letter that individual differences are merged and unified into a common life in Christ (Ephesians 214-17). Therefore the divisions along ethnic lines must not exist in the church.Exhibiting a counter-cultural faithThe world can only be convinced that the church is a better alternative when the church constantly revisits and evaluates itself on the basis of John 1334-35 a new command I give you Love one another as I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (NIV). One of the ways Jesus demonstrated his love for his followers was that he broke the walls of division and embraced all his disciples as his brothers and sisters, i rrespective of their tribe, race or nationality (Matt. 1246-50).The church community should exhibit a counter-cultural faith a faith that rises above the tides of ethnic divisions. The Christian faith is a way of being. It is to know God and become a changed person. Being a changed person calls for a counter-cultural expression of faith. To be a changed Christian means exhibiting the inward transformational reality outwardly. It means expressing an alternative faith, an alternative prevailing culture. By being counter-cultural, the church exhibits to the world, a world characterized by divisions and violence, a different way of being human. Counter-cultural faith also means harmony, cooperation, and reconciliation. It also means representing Jesus in the world. Such representation calls for a heroic faith, the interruption of status quo including power, politics, and domination, and introducing a different way of practicing these realities. By interrupting the status quo, the church embodies how it is to live differently. It shows that it is possible to transcend negative practices that have for a very long time resulted in ethnic violence.ReferencesAnderson, D. Lochery E. (2008). Violence and exodus in Kenyas Rift Valley Predictableand preventable? Journal of East African Studies, 2(2), 328-343.Brown, D. (2000). Contemporary Nationalism Civic, Etnocultural Multicultural Politics.London and vernal York Routledge.Easton David (1965). A Framework for Political Analysis, Englewood Cliffs N. J., Prentice-Hall, p4Gachanga Timothy (April 2012). Kenya. Ethnic Agendas and Patronage fold the formationof a Coherent Kenyan Identity. Africa File at issue Ezine Vol. 14Laswell, D. Harold, (1936). Politics Who Gets What, When, How. 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Ethnicity and Development in Kenya Lessons from 2007 GeneralElections. Kenya Studies Review. 3, 3, 5-16.Young, C. (1994). Ethnic Diversity and domain Policy. Draft occasional paper for the UNResearch Institute for Social Development, World gratuity on Social Development,Geneva, August.InterviewsJ ane Njoki, 42 year old mother of two who used to live in Burnt Forest area in Rift Valley before the 2007 PEV 12 October 2016Ken Okoth a agent flower farm worker in Naivasha and currently a principal in Kibera area of Nairobi. Nairobi 8 October 2016Rev John Maina was trail out of his home in Molo, Rift Valley Province, in a wave of violence that rocked many areas of Kenya following the disputed elections in December 2007 Nakuru, 9 October 2016