The Role Of Christianity In The Poisonwood Bible

The Europeans’ desire to expand and gain control over other land and groups of people was often a controversial matter. The missionaries went to these places to establish ascendancy; they shared their religion in order to try and sway the people into changing their beliefs. By doing so the original culture of the indigenous people, particularly in the Congo, was profoundly challenged. These missionaries showed no regard for any sense of individuality, powering through on their journey for absolute command; however, some Congolese were successful in exposing the truth behind the members of the church traveling on these missions. In the novel The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, Nathaniel Price is one of these European missionaries who

Christianity was predominantly in Europe and that is where the churches were built and flourished, “Christianity was established in Africa well before it reached Europe. Although Christianity was first confined to the early churches in Egypt and Ethiopia, historians record that it was the Portuguese who converted the Kongo people in the area around the mouth of the Congo River, for soon after the colonizers came the missionaries” (Heale, 82). Therefor the missionaries like Nathaniel Price were aiming to keep the history of this religion in the Congo alive and not just to simply vacate their newfounded beliefs and customs. The local traditions were also a part of christianity in Africa, “However, African Christianity ultimately developed its own special character in which local traditions played a role. This religion has had a profound effect on the social and political development of modern Africa. Today, membership in Christian churches is growing faster in Africa than anywhere else in the world” (Haley). Perhaps Nathaniel was simply trying to achieve this ideal community with a diverse culture and religion, yet it was not successful by any

For example, “ The missionaries established schools and hospitals and began preaching the gospel of Christianity” (Lugira 18). The missionaries were essential in creating breakthroughs, “Local acceptance of early missionaries in the eastern Cape hinged more upon their technological ability to introduce furrow irrigation into an otherwise drought - stricken land than upon their Christian teachings (Williams 1959)”(“European”). Price’s loyal and devoted daughter speaks well on her father's behalf, “Not everyone can see it, but my father’s heart is as large as his hands. And his wisdom is great. He was never one of those backwoods ministers who urged the taking up of copperhead snakes, baby-flining, or the shrieking of nonsense syllables. My father believes in enlightenment. As a boy he taught himself to read parts of the Bible in Hebrew, and before we came to Africa he made us all sit down and study French, for the furtherance of our mission” (Kingsolver 42). Perhaps Nathaniel Price is not as despotic as once thought, and cares about teaching the gospel to people around the