When Colin Morris stepped off the train in Chingola, Northern Rhodesia in 1956, he fully expected his stay at the Chingola Free Church to be little more than a routine tour of service. Fifteen years later he was not so sure! The period 1956-69 had seen many changes transpire within Morris and in Northern Rhodesia (Zambia). There had been a series of struggles to instigate black majority rule, some of which Morris faced alongside his friend, Kenneth Kaunda, who later became the first President of the Republic of Zambia. / At the beginning of his ministry in Africa, Morris confined himself to the appropriate sermon topics expected of him. He did not anticipate any sudden change in attitude concerning the black/white controversy which had become entrenched into the social and political life of Central and South Africa. But something happened to Morris! The more he avoided preaching about race relations, the more he became convinced that the apartheid system was an untenable Christian position. He was unable to rationalize for himself, or his parishioners, the inconsistency which existed between it and the Gospel of the New Testament. / As he sought to point out this discrepancy, more than half of his church members deserted him, and he was fought at every turn in his struggle to accept black Christians into his church. The struggle led to violence, in which much of his church was destroyed. / By 1960, Morris allied himself with Kenneth Kaunda, who formed and headed the Zambia African National Congress, and the struggle for Rhodesian independence began in earnest. / Morris played a unique role in the black struggle for independence and the creation of the Zambian nation by fighting openly against discriminatory policies. He set in motion a shock-wave which rippled through Northern and Southern Rhodesia, not only from his pulpit, but in his television broadcasts and public addresses. His writings, speeches and actions acted as a catalyst, which helped lay the groundwork for present-day compromises in Southern Rhodesia towards black majority rule. / The special friendship which exists between Morris and Kaunda is one of the most unusual and important relationships between a black leader and a white parson in the last two decades. The books on which they collaborated point the way for the manner and technique by which black men and white men, through compromise and understanding, are able to work out their differences in an atmosphere of mutual respect. / The role of the missionary in contemporary Africa is explored to establish Morris as a new breed of missionary, and to examine critically the role and future of missionaries in the modern world. / In 1969, Morris chose to return to England where he accepted the Superintendency of Wesley's Chapel, the mother church of Methodism. He now directs the Methodist Missionary Society in London. / Colin Morris spent fifteen turbulent years involved with the people and leaders of Zambia, and this dissertation discovers and reveals the nature of his uniqueness as a white man peculiarly involved in the birth of a black nation. / Chapter I relates general background information concerning Zambia and its history. Chapter II focuses on the personal experiences of Morris in Zambia, while Chapter III recounts and reviews his relationship with Kenneth Kaunda. Chapter IV analyses and evaluates Morris' books. The Conclusion substantiates the assertion that Morris is a modern missionary. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-07, Section: A, page: 3147. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74210 |
| Contributors | LAIRD, DORIS MARLEY., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 675 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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