Interview: “Baptist Men Understood Why Christians Must Get Involved In Politics”

How was it like hosting all of Africa’s Baptist men? 

The Second All Africa Baptist Men’s Fellowship congress was an exciting experience. We thank God for His grace which enabled a lot of things to happen. It was a wonderful fellowship as we had people from all over Africa; and even from the USA. It was such a wonderful experience!

How many people participated, and from how many countries?
We had over 550 participants from 18 countries. The All Africa Baptist Men’s Fellowship is made up of Baptist national associations. For now, we have 70 Baptist associations from 31 African countries with a total Christian population of 20 million. This population makes up the All Africa Baptist Fellowship of which the All Africa Baptist Men’s Fellowship is an auxiliary body.        

It was the second time the congress was holding…
Yes, we had it for the first time in Lagos, Nigeria from October 9-10, 2019. It was attended by 7 countries, with about 250 participants. But this year, the number rose to 18 countries taking part. It was a wonderful experience this year as we studied the theme, “Free Indeed!” from John 8: 31-41.
The theme reassures Christians of their lives and their position of priesthood in Jesus Christ. Christian men should live with the mindset of children of the Most High, bought by the blood of Jesus Christ. They are free from sin, the guilt of sin….. This offers a victorious perspective to enable them move around with the assurance that they are free children of the Most High, loved by their Creator. It was necessary for us to remind ourselves of this. 
It was the first congress the current leadership, which was elected in February 13, 2021 for a five-year term, was organising. The next elections will hold in 2025. The new All Africa Baptist Men’s Fellowship leadership was presented to delegates for the first time. The congress holds every three years. We encourage regional fellowships to hold their congresses in 2023, and in 2025, we hope to organise the third congress in either Zimbabwe or Ghana, depending on which of them will be ready. 

Apart from the theme, what other topics were discussed?
We had two important contemporary topics on Christians and politics - the role of a Christian man in politics. The symposium was wonderful because it saw the participation of exemplary resource people. There was Rev. Prof. Simon Njami Ouandji of the “Union des Eglises Baptistes du Cameroun,” UEBC, a former cabinet minister; Philemon Yang, former Cameroon Prime Minister and member of the Cameroon Baptist Convention; and Mr. Koffi, a Togolese politician. The session was moderated by Hon. Dr. Dawari George, a very active Nigerian politician who intends to run for the governorship election in Rivers State.
The discussions enabled Baptist men to understand why Christians must be directly involved in politics because that is where decisions are taken. And that is where orientation on life in society comes from. Christians rule not for democracy sake, but as God expects them to rule.
The second topic was on domestic violence - the church and God’s plan. The Bible shuns domes...