A Study of the Burial and Funerary Rites of the Maaŋge Family Villages Among the Ndop People of Cameroon: Implications for Church Growth

Abstract

This thesis underscores the uncertainty and confusion that exist among church members, the clergy, and the Maaŋge people regarding the cultural practices of burial and funerary rites of the Maaŋge people. This uncertainty is the result of different teachings taught by different pastors of the same denomination within five denominations on the subject namely, the Baptist, Full Gospel, Apostolic, Presbyterian, and the Roman Catholic church. The aim of this study is, accordingly, to examine the burial and funerary rites of the Maaŋge people through the lens of Scripture, and to establish what cultural bridges exist that can be used to reach the people with the gospel of Christ. This has been performed in the hope that the cultural practices can be integrated into the teaching ministry of the church, with the view that the church will become stronger, contextually relevant, growing in number and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. To achieve that goal, the study uses a modified version of the Browning model of practical theology which is a blend of hermeneutical and empirical methods for doing theological research. The study led to the conclusion that he cultural practices of the Maaŋge people cannot be accepted in their entirety. However, they are not a demonic edifice to be destroyed before the gospel can be accepted by the people. Instead, some of the practices are cultural bridges that can be utilised to make the gospel appealing and relevant to the people. In the final analysis, using cultural practice as a bridge to reach people with the gospel does not necessarily mean that one is accepting everything that the people are doing. It only means that one must find common ground from which to proceed with the ministering of the gospel of Christ.