| Chapter 1: | Introduction |
|
|
Sanneh gave Ajayi Crowther a place of recognition for his work in interreligious encounters in West Africa. He started by providing a brief chronicle of his religious background, early life, achievements, and later life (1983, 75–76). This was followed by a brief sketch of the four major religious groups among the early settlers in Sierra Leone, and how the Christianity of these settlers interacted with African traditional religiosity. Although the settlers were Christians and were living in Christian communities, they tenaciously held on to their traditional religious customs and practices. Their dual religiosity, of course, provoked interreligious fracas with missionaries and church leaders.
Crowther’s views on non-Christian faith traditions, like those of the missionaries of his time, were uncompromising (Sanneh 1983, 76). Rev. James Johnson and Crowther were involved in several encounters with staunch Traditionalists. Their constant criticism of ATR resulted in confrontations with practitioners who were determined to defend their worldviews. Beyond the interreligious encounters, there are helpful points about the importance and contribution of ATR to the two foreign faiths. ATR, we must note, has penetrated Christianity and Islam and ‘endowed them with a tolerant, absorptive capacity’ (1987).
Sanneh’s eighth chapter contained glimpses of interreligious encounters among Christianity, Islam, and ATR. It supplies basic information first about the encounter of Christianity and Islam. After providing brief histories of the early advents of the two faiths, the reader is introduced to Dr. Edward Blyden, an agent in Sierra Leone, who was a noted sympathiser of Islam, and Bishop Bowen, who was determined to positively use the common ground that existed between Christianity and Islam. Dr. Blyden’s campaign and work for the place of Islam, and a better relationship between Christianity and Islam, earned him widespread respect.
The chapter concluded with Islam and Christianity encountering traditional religions (1983, 227–241). A sharp contrast can be seen between the attitudes of these two outside faiths towards ATR. Islam was far more tolerant to traditional religion than was Christianity.