Introduction

The theme of the Fifth Triennial Conference of the Colleges and Universities of the Anglican Communion, ‘Learning Through Each Other’s Living’, is rooted in the theology of ‘sharing’ in the context of God’s people created in His image and co-habiting the earth. The contrary posture is living as if all others are outside the orbit of one’s cherished values and perception of the ontological web of social fabric inevitable for the achievement of the summon bonum.

The factor of ‘learning’ in the theme connotes listening to others, being willing to accept new ideas, being disposed to change in the light of the antecedents of history and their impacts on mankind. Thus, ‘learning through each other’s living’ is a constructive way of assessing our strengths and weaknesses in the light of our peculiar circumstances and the experiences of others.

This paper focuses on Christian discipleship in the context of the emerging culture that places wealth on the apex of social values and also engenders socialization nexus that orients society towards striving for chosen goals ‘by all means.’ Although our discussion will reflect a broad spectrum of the concept and essence of discipleship, we shall focus more on the Nigerian experience. In that context, we shall explore the role and context of Anglican Chaplaincies in universities in Nigeria.

In the spirit of the theme of this conference, this paper intends to provoke our thoughts towards a continuous responsive assessment of our understanding and trend of Christian discipleship in the midst of the changes and chances of the global system. In that consideration, Paulo Suess (2004:1) notes that ‘in this historic moment, when human community is increasingly forced to live under the anarchic conditions of globalization, all of our peoples struggle with great problems such as economic stagnation, mass unemployment, and impoverishment of families, criminality, drugs and violence.’

In responding to such problems, some people raise questions as to why, for example, countries with a larger percentage of Christian population are suffocating in bribery and corruption, economic exploitation and stagnation, misadministration and violence of all sorts. The real situation rather underscores that we need to reassess our perception of Christian discipleship and the process and context of nurturing disciples. Dietrich Bonhoeffer (2000:30) poignantly asserts that ‘it is no use taking refuge in abstract discussion, or trying to make excuses, so let us get back to the Scriptures, to the world and call of Jesus Christ himself.’ Maurice Sinclair (1998:19), therefore, cautions that ‘at a stage in history when clarity of perception and breadth of vision are most urgently needed, any narrowing of sympathies, distortion of values, and surrender to vested interest needs to be most vigorously resisted.’

Christian Discipleship
It would seem that millions of people who profess to be Christians do not imply by that profession any commitment to being Christ’s disciples. Whenever this is the case, it means that the premise for professing faith in Jesus Christ is erroneous.

The narration of Christ’s response to the group that sought for him after the miraculous feeding of the five thousand in John 6 illustrates that point. On seeing Jesus, they enthusiastically said to him: ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ (Jn 6.25). Jesus Christ revealingly responded:

Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. (Jn 6.26).

The universal church is not in want of people who profess faith in Jesus Christ. The problem is their conception of that faith. Similarly, the world is not in want of literature on Christianity. Nevertheless, Alister McGrath (1990:109) rightly remarks that ‘an intellectual grasp of what Christianity is all about fails to do justice to its depth and vitality; it is only by allowing the gospel to capture both heart and mind that its fullness can be appreciated.’

Christian discipleship underscores commitment and dynamism in the profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Thus, Mariano Di Gangi (2005:11) asserts that ‘to call Christ "Lord" is to make a profession of faith in Him. The confession of His lordship is an expression of allegiance to His crown and kingdom.’

In its general application, a disciple is ‘a follower or pupil of a great master’ (Armentrout and Slocun (eds), 2000:147). They further elaborate that ‘a disciple is a learner who follows a movement or teacher and helps to spread the master’s teaching.’

Since the days of Christ’s earthly ministry, discipleship in the Christian context refers to the followers of Jesus Christ. They follow him because they have, out of conviction, accepted him as their Lord and Saviour. If profession of the faith in Jesus Christ is not engendered by conviction in his Lordship, the person cannot be his disciple. This is the case in contexts wherein a large number of people identify themselves with churches but without bearing fruit for him.

It was the manifestation of discipleship that prompted the great event in Antioch as recorded in Acts 11.26: … in Antioch the disciples were for the first time called Christians.’ As disciples, the Lord of the Church charges them to continue the mission of making disciple of others:

In the light of Christ’s charge in Matt 28. 19-20, Mariano Di Gangi (2005:1) aptly notes that ‘the discipling process, whether at home or abroad, involves "baptizing" and "teaching." With regard to baptism, the Anglican Church in its catechism teaches that its inward and spiritual grace includes ‘a death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness.’ At baptism, after proclaiming the baptism of a candidate in the name of the Trinity, the priest goes on with signing a Cross on the forehead of the candidate, saying:

By becoming a member of the body of Christ at baptism, every baptized person is expected to grow and bear fruit in the faith. Dietrich Bonhoeffer (2000:79), therefore, asserts that ‘the call of Christ, his baptism, sets the Christian in the middle of the daily arena against sin and the devil.’

No doubt, discipleship demands unswerving loyalty to Jesus Christ. The standard set by Jesus underlines the fact that the cost of discipleship is high. In Lk 14. 26, Jesus states: ‘if any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.’ He further states: ‘whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple’ (Lk 14.27).

Lk 14.26 is one of the Bible texts that have often been misinterpreted. Mariano Di Gangi (2005:12) poignantly cautions that ‘taken out of context, this text could become a pretext for the justification of inhuman conduct to others in the fellowship of the family.’ He re-echoes the view that, ‘Scripture should be compared with Scripture, under the guiding hand of the Spirit whose mission it is to make biblical revelation plain.’ It is obvious, for example, that God’s charge in the ten commandments as recorded in Exodus 20:12: ‘Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the LORD your God gives you,’ has not been vacated by God. The emphasis being made by Jesus Christ in Lk 14.27 is that discipleship demands unswerving commitment and loyalty to him.

Accepting to be Christ’s disciple also implies accepting to partake in his sufferings and victory over the vicissitudes of life. Thus, Paulo Suess (2004:4) rightly opines that ‘mission follows the suffering servant of God into the most remote areas of the world’. It is not a half-hearted venture. It cannot also be engaged in without a firm resolution on loyalty. Jesus cautions in Lk 9.62 that, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’

Therein lies the challenge of discipleship. Ayo Famonure (1989:91) remarks that, ‘why there are few disciples in our days is that many people are not ready to pay the price’. He reiterates that ‘the true test of discipleship is that it costs us something. It is not free. It is not easy’. It implies being in mission under the guidance of the Lord in whatever circumstance. No wonder, therefore, Dietrich Bonhoeffer (2000:31) aptly states that ‘when the Bible speaks of following Jesus, it is proclaiming a discipleship which will liberate mankind from all man-made dogmas, from every burden and oppression, from every anxiety and torture which afflicts the conscience’.

The Context of Discipleship
The world is the context of discipleship. The charge of Jesus Christ is, ‘make disciples of all nations.’ It is, however, a stark reality that peculiarities and, sometimes sharp differences exist between nations. This fact makes it imperative that discipleship would be better studied in national context. A meaningful comparism at the global level could then follow.

Although Africa is ascribed with sustained growth in Christianity, I am not sure that impression really implies growth in discipleship in the biblical sense. This observation is made on the premise that if the number of people who profess to be Christians in Africa are truly Christ’s disciples, Africa would have transcended its present state of continuous development of underdevelopment and abysmal violation of the sanctity of human life in various ramifications.

In other words, if the population of those who profess to be Christians in Africa is considered a factor for its transformation or otherwise, Africa should have taken a leading position in the hierarchy of developed countries. A publication of percentage distribution of religions in Africa in Editions du Jaagua (cited in The Africa Report, May 2005:82) states that the population of Christians in the continent is 300 million. Although the information does not give us the age distribution of the Christian population, the percentage of the population that could engage in evangelistic outreach in addition to being active in the various sectors of society cannot be less than a third of the estimated population.

The reality in Africa is that although the frontiers of Christian population are expanding, commitment to the faith falls bellow expectation. This tends to suggest why many countries with an overwhelming Christian population are not structured and/or governed in a way that underscores Christian values.

The world appears trapped by an intricate web of capitalist and secularist ideologies. It is, therefore, experiencing a capitalist-secularist conditioning that nurtures a culture that has made man a slave to his own insatiable goals and modus operandi.

Samuel Kobia (in Karamaga, A (ed), 2004:75) aptly states that ‘in modern capitalist economy, to be is to have money and to become is to consume’. This is true of countries like Nigeria where the goal to be wealthy tends to overwhelm other social goals.

The restrictions the Christian faith instills in the faithful cannot be integrated into the values of an ideology that places money at the apex of its goals, without regard to the integrity of human beings. Thus, Samuel Kobia (in Karamaga, (ed), 2004:69) posits that ‘we are faced today more than ever before with a crisis in human relations that is predicated on what I would describe as the melancholy of modernity.’ He further states that ‘the era of postmodernism has produced very advanced technologies and objects of wonder unknown in any period in history, but ironically has created conditions of estrangement that frustrate the human capacity to relate and value one another as human beings.’

The ascription of a higher value to material wealth than the human person is in conflict with the Christian faith. Secularity, therefore, provides a frame of mind that gives the individual the impression that religion is rather an obstacle to his personal pursuits and preferred conduct in public and private life. In that light, Paul Spickard and Kevin Gagg (1994:343) assert that ‘a very general definition of secularity might be ‘the non-necessity of God.’ They remarked that:

Philosophers like Ludwig Feuerbach (1804-1872), Friedrich Nietzsche (1884-1900) who were driven by the spirit of secularism tried to erase belief in God from human life. Spickard and Gagg (1994:346), for example, cite Nietzsche who ‘proclaimed that God is dead, and humans must take the place of God by becoming ‘supermen’ or masters of their own fate.’ This view has made much impact on the perception of society by orthodox secularists.

It is, therefore, not surprising that the tenets and visions of the Christian faith very deeply proclaimed and appreciated during Christian worship and meetings are estranged from many people who profess the faith shortly after such gatherings. In that context, moving from a high spirited worship in which one reaffirms his or her determination to live as a good disciple of Jesus Christ to negating the faith in society draws attention to the parable of the sower (Mtt 13. 1-17, Mk 4.1-25, Lk 8.4-15). We may note, for example, Mtt 13.7: ‘Other seeds fell upon thorns and the thorns grew up and chocked them.’

The thorns that challenge and, sometimes, subdue people’s resolve to be good disciples of Jesus Christ exist in all societies, in all ages, and in various forms. They manifest in the context of the prevailing economic condition in a society, the orientations of the existing religious groups, the character of the governing class, the role of state power in society, the character of the civil society as it concerns law and order, etc.

A society that marginalizes a larger percentage of its population through systematic impoverishment and structural intimidation deprives them the opportunity of self actualization and participation in policy making and governance. Furthermore, if social mobility is fraught with encumbrances that respond easily and quickly to vices such as bribery and corruption, ethno-religious chauvinism, etc in the interest of those who apply them as mechanism for achieving their goals, other people who reject those vices on the basis of their religious concern may become so frustrated by their marginalization and deprivation that they may be tempted to give in to the defeatist maxim: ‘if you cannot beat them, join them.’ This is the case in many polities. In that context, there is hardly any difference in the character of those Christians who have been choked by the thorns around them and that of those they are expected to evangelize.

The overall picture of the emerging character of the developing societies in the context of globalization underscores hard times for people who are committed to Christian discipleship. The situation irritates and provokes them to actions that would in turn project them as anti-government and the prevailing social order.

The global economic structure gives us an example of structural thorns that challenge and, if not successfully resisted, submerges committed disciples of Jesus Christ in the wave of the prevailing social order that is not tolerant that is not perceived as a challenge to the whims and caprices of the key actors in society. Musimbi Kanyoro

(2005:1), for example, notes that:

The main reason for committing more resources to defense would appear obvious. Having evolved a culture in which social parasitism prevails, the privileged class that rely on the exploitation of others to achieve their selfish socio-economic and political goals are aware that the wrath of the people they are incurring is a time bomb that could explode any time. They, therefore, resort to surrounding themselves with arms in the hope that those who would want to attack them would either be frightened out of taking that course of action, or defeated in the event of a battle. Sometimes they use structural violence to instill fear in their potential rivals or agitators.

That situation over a period institutionalizes structural violence and the militarization of the civil society. Access to instruments of violence and possession of the skill, network, and will to apply them towards the achievement of defined goals are, therefore, some of the major factors of power, notwithstanding provisions in constitutions that are against illicit possession of arms and setting up of a private army. As the cases of Rwanda, Sudan and Nigeria, for example, illustrate, the leaders of the various militias that emerge in such a situation sometimes define the terms for conflict resolution irrespective of the fact that they operate in violation of the laws of their respective countries. The experience in the countries cited earlier shows that even when a government uses the military machinery at its disposal to restrict the area of operation of such formations, their modus operandi is adopted by new groups with similar objectives in other parts of the country, thereby worsening the existing state of insecurity.

Its impacts on the society at large include breakdown of law and order and criminalization of government and the civil society. This reality is not immediately known to most of the people. Notwithstanding the fact that they are disgusted with the dehumanizing state of affairs, they may not have a proper grasp of its depth, ramifications and implications. It demands a critical mind to capture the intricacies of the sustained criminalization of the civil society in many developing countries and their implications in the socialization of the young ones, including students in tertiary institutions.

Another dimension to the problem is that some social problems such as ethnic conflict, discrimination, idol worship, which the church is expected to resolve or eliminate have eaten deep into the fabric of the various church denominations. In that regard, some Christians discriminate against others, relying on some stereotypes that lack biblical support.

On the other hand, many people who profess the faith still repose a deep rooted trust in their communal shrines. That is a negation of Christian discipleship.

The fact that the context of discipleship is fraught with challenges of all sorts in all societies, some of which have occasioned the death of some devout Christians, gives more insight into why Jesus Christ told the seventy disciples he sent on mission, ‘…behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves’ (Lk 10.3).

The University Context and Discipleship
Our focus on the role of Anglican chaplaincies in Nigerian universities in nurturing Christian disciples was informed by the fact that religion plays inestimable role in forming people’s weltanschauung and, therefore, in orienting them towards value and action preferences among the competing values and actions in society.

There is need to ensure that university education is geared towards producing people who are worthy in learning and character to serve God and humanity fruitfully. The lofty goals of universities underline the high expectation society has of university education. With regard to Nigeria, the National Policy on Education (1981) provides that higher education should aim at:

a) The acquisition, development and inculcation of the proper value orientation for the survival of the individual and society;

b) The development of the intellectual capacities of individuals to understand and appreciate their environments;

c) The acquisition of both physical and intellectual skills which will enable individuals to develop into useful members of the community;

d) The acquisition of an objective view of the local and external environment.

Considering the fact that thousands of graduates are produced in Nigerian universities every year, one would want to know why the impacts of the aims of university education in Nigeria as stated above have not been meaningfully and sustainable felt in the country since her independence in October 1960. At the moment, Nigeria has twenty four federal universities, twenty one state universities, and nine private universities. More applications for private universities are being processed by the government of Nigeria.

One of the problems of Nigerian universities is that the social pathologies of the wider society engender some forms of paralysis in the university system. Thus, all the socio-economic and political problems associated with Nigeria rear their heads in various ways in Nigerian universities. This implies that if university students are properly equipped to deal with the problems in the course of their studies, they would be better equipped to lead the society to greater heights in the interest of the people. In some of the universities, the chaplaincies are interdenominational, formally involving Anglicans, Presbyterians and Methodists, while in some others, we have Anglican chaplaincies, but open to Christians of other denominations. Their primary motive is to make disciples of people who by their level of education are expected to occupy leadership positions in the various sectors of society.

The children’s ministry in the Niger Diocese of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has the maxim: ‘Catch them young for Christ.’ If that maxim is realized at the pre-university level, the maxim for chaplaincies at the tertiary institutions would be: ‘Equip them for Christ,’ for, as has been noted earlier, after their university education, they are expected to utilize their learning in serving society. In that consideration, Patrick Coldstream (in Bjarnason and Coldstream(ed) 2003:4) states:

Considering the fact that university students are primarily in their institutions for education in their chosen fields of study, the structure of the Chaplaincy services are constructively done in ways that would not adversely affect students academic career.

A Chaplaincy is expected to provide the religious components of the upbringing of university students. They are enabled to participate in the liturgical and sacramental life of the church. In strictly church owned universities or university colleges, such as St Paul’s University College, and Ajayi Crowther University, the worship life of the church is built into the institutions’ daily programme of events. In government sponsored institutions, for example, Chaplaincy fixtures outside Sundays are done with the university programme in view.

Retreats and seminars extend the frontiers of church teachings and religious life, thereby enabling the students to imbibe Christian values and to be challenged to render services to the society at large creatively and sacrificially. Wilbert Bühlmann (1982:42) rightly notes that ‘what had first priority in Jesus’ mind was the radical cure of evil-not just a change of government, but the conversion of human beings.’ He asserts that ‘without this, you could change all the scenery you wished and it would still be of no help.’

The impact of university chaplaincies became more pronounced in Nigeria as university communities gradually found themselves engulfed in the battle against secret cults in tertiary institutions. They are known to operate more often in secret and to be often deadly in their attack against any person or persons they pronounce to be at war with them.

Cultism has remained one of the hydra-headed challenges confronting university chaplaincies in Nigeria. As a result of the secret nature of their initiation rites, cultists hardly acknowledge their membership, thereby making their identification and counseling difficult.

University chaplaincies are also established to guide students in the learning of the scriptures. This is particularly challenging in non-church institutions where obstinate individuals who are hardly amenable to teaching, hide under the cover of religious freedom to set up fellowship groups. Their zeal to teach what they are not equipped to teach goad them into scripture twisting, aptly described by Lawrence Pile (2005:5) as ‘hermeneutical anarchy.’ This refers to the practice of ‘reading, interpreting, and applying Scripture as if there were no rules that need to be followed in doing so.’ Pile notes that ‘the result is often total confusion and chaos as verses and passages are artificially cobbled together to force the Bible to say something it doesn’t.’ The confusion emanating from that practice accentuates the problems that challenge true Christian discipleship. The situation is worsened by the fact that people who are looked upon to be reasonably educated are involved. It is difficult for those who look up to them as models to appreciate that they are wallowing in ignorance and confusion.

Through dialogue and teaching, some of the students who have lost the Christian bearing defined by biblical truth are enabled to retrace their steps and to live as true disciples of Jesus Christ, without in any way compromising their academic programme. Andrew Wai Man Ng (2004-2005:82) rightly argues that ‘if God puts two worlds together, namely the world of Christian tradition and the world of academic pursuit, the chaplain shall not tear it asunder. S/he is the interface between the two realities.’ In trying to protect and enhance the two interests, the chaplain endeavours to ensure that at graduation, the students that passed through his Chaplaincy are truly found worthy in learning and in steadfastness as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

Enabling students in tertiary institutions to be fruitful in discipleship is a task every church worthy of its calling cannot afford to abdicate. The best education in specialized fields of learning alone cannot guarantee a prosperous future. Christian discipleship enables graduates of higher institutions to realize that there are things they must sacrifice and values they must conform to if they would bear fruit worthy of their calling and learning. Thus, Peter Hammond (2005:3) opines that ‘the foundation for a truly free and prosperous nation can only be laid in characters, minds and lives changed by the grace of God.’

The utter barbarism that characterized the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, the various ramifications of ethno-religious ‘cleansing’ in Nigeria, the on-going Darfur massacre, are some of the pieces of evidence of man’s inhumanity to man wherever godlessness is enthroned. The report by Antoine Ratayisire (1998:117) on one of the genocide scenes in Rwanda presents a case of people’s effrontery to God. The report reads:

The disturbing pang of that report would be seriously felt if we recall that Rwanda benefited from the East African revival of the 1930s and 1940s and an overwhelming majority of the country profess to be Christians, largely Roman Catholics.

We need men and women with sound learning and thorough nurturing in discipleship to fight the battle for the transformation of all sectors of society for the good of all, Christians and non-Christians alike. Paulo Suess (2004:2), therefore, asserts that ‘the basic intention of the Gospel is missionary, and this is because of the poor, the homeless, the migrants, the outcast.’ He further states that ‘the spirit of the Lord and the wisdom of the spirit rest on all those who know they have been sent to announce the Gospel to the poor, liberation to the prisoners as the year of the mercy of the Lord (cf Lk 4.18f)’.

A university Chaplaincy does not graduate people on discipleship. The process of growth in the faith and service is a life-long phenomenon. Dietrich Bonhoeffer rightly cautions that ‘the path of discipleship is narrow, and it is fatally easy to miss one’s way and stray from the path, even after years of discipleship.’ This statement is often attested to in the course of Chaplaincy services in Nigerian universities.