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Abstract
Christian Persecution is a growing phenomenon worldwide and in Nigeria, persecution has had immense impact on the religious, economic and social life of Nigerians especially in the Northern part. The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of persecution of Christians in Northern Nigeria, their responses to persecution, and the effect responses to persecution had on evangelism and discipleship. The researcher also investigated the response of the early church to persecution to provide information that would enable him to make recommendations for a response to persecution that would have a positive impact on evangelism and discipleship. To effectively compare the responses to persecution by Christians in Northern Nigeria and the early church, Glenn Penner’s framework of responses to persecution of Fight, Flight, and Fortitude was used.
Data from field research revealed the types of persecution experienced by Christians in Northern Nigeria which ranged from mild to extreme persecution. Mild forms of persecution included discrimination in places of work, denial of government services, denial of rights, and oppression of ethnic minorities in Northern Nigeria who are mainly Christians. Extreme persecution included mass murder by Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen as well as widespread destruction of church buildings, houses, and businesses.
Data from research found that Christians in Northern Nigeria overwhelmingly agree pacifistic responses had a positive impact on evangelism and discipleship while attacks and vengeance had a negative impact. Negative Christian responses to persecution have brought about enmity, suspicion, and broken relationships to the extent that in some quarters, Christians and Muslims live in separate communities. There is also an emerging discussion among Christians about whether defense is an appropriate response for Christians especially to protect the weak and vulnerable in the context of mass murder or genocide.
The early church’s responses to persecution were also examined to provide an example to Christians in Northern Nigeria and to spot the pitfalls in their responses to persecution that should be avoided. It was discovered in the study that the majority of early Christians were pacifists. There was never a response to fight against the aggressor except in the case of the Catholic-Donatist schism, which was an internal crisis within Christianity. In early Christian experiences, the patient endurance through suffering and even death had a positive impact on evangelism while those who denied the faith had a negative impact on evangelism and discipleship. Self-defense was also evident in the early church through the defense of the faith by apologetics in which apologists presented a case for Christianity.
Based on the study on early Christians and the responses of Christians in Northern Nigeria, this study concludes that, to have positive impact on evangelism and discipleship, and also have improved community relations in Northern Nigeria, pacifism is recommended. Self-defense is still an ongoing conversation among Christians, especially as a Christian duty to protect the weak and vulnerable.
