The Medical Factor in Christian Conversion in Africa: Observations from Southeastern Nigeria

Abstract

This article discusses missionary recruitment strategies from the perspective of missionary medical work in southeastern Nigeria. In other words, it examines missionary use of medical services as the bait to catch converts. Furthermore, the essay discusses the link between disease, missionary medicine, and Christian conversion. Attention is given to the role of culture in the conversion process, as well as to the impact of missionary and colonial medical services on African health care systems. The study is based largely on archival mission sources, including Catholic and Protestant archival materials collected from missionary societies in England, France, Rome, and Nigeria. Finally, it looks at the Catholic and Protestant struggle for dominance via the provision of medical services, and the persistence of traditional African health care systems despite missionary and colonial iconoclastic tendencies.