Faith in democracy: The elephant in the room (Part 2)

The first part of this article, published in last Tuesday’s Daily Graphic (‘Faith in Democracy: The elephant in the room’), was headed by a quotation from a renowned American evangelist, Rev. Billy Graham: ‘Politics affects community life—our towns, our cities, our states and our country.

Churches filled with Christians have a right to be concerned about where politics takes our nation.’

Rev. Graham visited Ghana in 1960 as part of an 11-nation African tour. He held successful crusades in Accra, where he spoke to large crowds and met with Prime Minister Kwame Nkrumah.

Rev. Graham’s stated aim was to bring hope during a period of national change and independence. His visit was well-received, with thousands attending his meetings, and it served to galvanise local Christian leaders and congregations.

Rev. Graham was a close spiritual confidant and unofficial ‘pastor to presidents’ for every American chief executive from Harry S. Truman to Barack Obama. He offered friendship, prayer, and counsel during both national and personal crises.

A comparable figure in relation to Ghana might be Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams, who, like Rev. Graham, is a close spiritual confidant to successive presidents, starting with President Jerry John Rawlings.

Decline in church influence

America, like Ghana, is a secular democracy, with a clear constitutional division between church and state. Both Rev. Graham and Archbishop Duncan-Williams would agree that religion has a place in politics.

For Rev. Graham, Christians have a right to be concerned about where politics takes our nation’. Archbishop Duncan-Williams advocates a significant and direct role for Christians who should aim for authority in governance to establish ‘God’s kingdom on earth’.

Researching for my forthcoming book, Pentecostalisation, Politics and Development in Ghana, I interviewed many of Ghana’s prominent Christian leaders, from both the traditional mainline and the Pentecostal-Charismatic churches.

There is a consensus among those that I spoke to that Christianity in Ghana is under threat from secularism, particularly due to the perceived erosion of traditional Christian moral and social values by ‘progressive’ Western ideas and the challenges secularism poses to the church’s historical influence in public life.

Specific concerns include LGBTQ+ rights and sex education in schools, with many prominent Christians believing that they serve to undermine what they consider fundamental ‘family values’ and Ghanaian identity.

More generally, secularism is regarded as against traditional Ghanaian markers of identity, which Christian leaders strongly associate with Christianity and social conservatism. 

In addition, there is concern about a perceived decline in church influence.

Some Christian bodies, including the Christian Council of Ghana, believe secularism and the digital revolution pose ‘existential threats’ that erode traditional church influence, especially among urban youth, leading to declining engagement with the church.

Influence of secularism

What can be done to roll back the increasing influence of secularism in Ghana’s public life? Certain influential Christian leaders advocate a fusion of their Christian worldview with the nation’s civic and political life. 

They view the secular nature of the state as a challenge to their goal of shaping public policy and national morality according to Christian principles.

The Church of Pentecost, Ghana’s largest church with four million members, has suggested creating a National Morality and Integrity Council with statutory powers to oversee public and private behaviour, arguing that this is necessary to combat moral decay and corruption, a stance which some critics argue would weaken Ghana’s secular democracy.

According to my conversations with government representatives, the current administration is taking the idea seriously and is seeking to develop the idea further in conversation with the church. 

President John Mahama has shown himself to be open to the concerns of Christian leaders.  He has instituted state-sponsored prayers, including a National Day of Prayer.

The president and the presidency more generally have regular meetings with influential Christian leaders, such as Archbishop Duncan-Williams and Rev. Dr Stephen Wengam. 

The president’s Envoy for Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, regularly visits churches.

Collectively, these efforts underline the current administration’s desire to benefit from Christian leaders’ spiritual authority to bolster the former’s legitimacy and authority and to augment that of traditional – secular – power structures

Way forward

As Ghana enters the 34th year of the Fourth Republic, the country’s position as a constitutionally secular and democratic state with guaranteed religious freedom for all citizens is bolstered by the support, powerful position and moral authority of the church.

Yet, Christian leaders’ concern about the progress of secularism and the church’s role in public life remains a significant and ongoing issue.

However, we feel about a prominent role of the church in Ghana’s three decades plus of democracy, it is useful to bear in mind the words of Rev. Billy Graham quoted above: Politics affects Christians and non-Christians alike, and it is important to be part of the conversation about where politics takes the nation.

The writer is an Emeritus Professor of Politics, London Metropolitan University, UK