IGWEBUIKE: African Journal of Arts and Humanities

St Paul's Missionary Enterprise in Ephesus (Acts 19:23-41), in which a riot erupted against Paul and his companions owing to the effects of his successful mission on the culture and traditions of the Ephesians, is juxtaposed with the cultural tension that preceded and followed the advent of missionaries in Ozubulu. There is an upsurge of paganism, idolatry, and its attendant criminality in the hinterland, Ozubulu inclusive, because the Igbo person who received the Gospel did so while keeping intact his or her deities and forms of worship. Receiving the gospel with one hand, they kept their gods with the other. This study argues that Christianity is facing a serious threat of erosion in this regard. The researcher assembles materials through primary and secondary sources, as well as the area culture approach, applying textual criticism alongside the Historical Critical Method (HCM) of Exegesis, seeking to fathom, as nearly as possible, the original text even through conjecture. Reviewing the available literature, one observes a conspicuous missing link that presents a challenge. Christianity is declining while traditional worship, with its attendant abuses, gains ground as never before witnessed in the history of evangelisation in Ozubulu. All the problems and their solutions converge on the vanguard of the gospel, the minister's methodology, life, and conviction, as well as his or her inability to meet the immediate needs and expectations of the people. The minister must re-access his or her mission principles and methods, and must also examine his or her life to match that of Christ the Master, as evidenced in St Paul. Though traditional religion and its adherents are on the increase, there is a concurrent and speedy erosion of Igbo traditional values. The research opens room for further investigation, constituting a serious challenge not only to the church but also to African Traditional Religion.

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