African Initiated (Independent) Churches
AIC, sometimes called African Instituted Churches or African Independent Churches, is a designation of African Christianity established by Africans separate from Western mission agencies.
Description
AICs, appearing in the early 20th century,Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag The movement stems from indigenous African culture; as the World Council of Churches describes AIC:
Western missionaries were largely negative about African culture and Africans were alienated from the gospel dressed up in European garb. To that extent, the AICs represent an indigenizing movement in Christianity. They in effect protest the verbal and cerebral mode which puts Western Christianity beyond the reach of people’s comprehension and experience. Instead, the AICs offer a celebrative religion, making considerable use of symbols, music and dance. Thus they represent cultural renaissance in reaction to the cultural imperialism of the mission work of the historic churches.[1]
The AIC movement is radically biblicist, and carries the Western individualist attitude toward biblical interpretation, often localizing interpretation to fit cultural practices.[2]
AICs are rapidly growing, and represent at least 83 million African Christians by some estimates.[3]
