Abstract:
Christianity remains sandwiched between the western Christianity with stronghold conviction on their theological and liturgical background drawing from anthropological, theological, and Missiological perspectives. African Theologians and researchers affirm that African Christian worship need to blend child birth and naming rituals. The general objective evaluated the implications of Maragoli birth and naming rituals on Christian worship in the Baptist Church in Vihiga County, Kenya. The specific objectives examined Maragoli birth rituals and their implications on Christian Worship in the Baptist Church, investigated Maragoli naming rituals and their implications on worship and established the level of inculturation of Maragoli birth and naming rituals on Christian worship in the Baptist church in Vihiga County, Kenya. The study employed a descriptive design with both quantitative and qualitative techniques of data analysis. Random sampling procedure was employed to sample 183 Lay Christians while purposive sampling sampled 221 respondents comprising 16 Pastors and 22 Church Leaders. The study was informed a conceptual framework guided by animism and sociological theories of religion. Data collection instruments comprised Likert scale questionnaire and interview schedules. Quantitative data from Likert scale questionnaire was coded and analysed by SPSS package into descriptive statistics presented in frequency tables, pie charts and bar graphs while qualitative data was thematically coded, analysed and incorporated in the report. The findings on implication of birth rituals on Christian worship revealed there was blending of Maragoli birth rituals related to pregnancy, purification, seclusion, cutting of umbilical cord and burial of the placenta. Findings on naming show children were given both ancestral and saints names followed with traditional and church celebrations that involved feastings from slaughtered animal presided by community elders at home and Pastor in the church. On the level of inculturation the findings significantly show level of acceptance of cultural practices with Christian worship particularly on purification and seclusion of the mother and new-born. The study recommended for adoption of a proactive theological approach evaluating useful Maragoli birth rituals for contextualization or blending into the Baptist church theology. The study will help the Baptist Church leadership and other churches learn to adjust their theological education on doctrines and liturgies for contextualization and inculturation of birth and naming rituals into Christian worship. The study concluded that Christians in churches should embrace Maragoli values in birth and naming rituals to enrich worship in the Baptist Church. The study tried to fill the gap on implication of birth and naming rituals in the Baptist Church and other congregations in general.
