AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE BELIEFS OF ANGLICANS IN NAIROBI ABOUT WHERE THE SPIRITS OF THE BELIEVERS GO IMMEDIATELY AFTER DEATH

Abstract

Having listened to many sermons at funerals and conversations with bereaved people, I found out that Anglicans in Nairobi either do not have a doctrinal stand or are never sure of their position about where the Spirit of their dead believers go immediately after death. I went to find out what African Anglicans in Nairobi attending some of the urban Anglican Churches, believe and practices in the matter of where the spirit of the dead believers go immediately after death. This was also done in light of the fact that some people in general and Anglicans in particular have had diverse experiences with post death encounters with the dead either visions, dreams or during funeral arrangements. The research was done in four Anglican Congregations in Nairobi through direct oral interviews of clergy and laity; I also conducted a random survey through questionnaires in these parishes and also for Clergy during a Clergy Chapter. I went further to attend funeral services and visited those who were bereaved and listened to tributes of friends and relatives. I found out that some talked about going to heaven straight while others talked of their loved ones still being around, watching over them, loving them and taking care of those left behind. I also found out that a good number of clergy do not seem to be convinced about where the dead believers go leading to a possible disconnect between the messages preached or teachings provided at funerals. This research led to my conclusion that two things need to be done by the Anglican Church in Kenya which could have a ripple effect across the Anglican Church globally: The Anglican Church needs to come up with a clear and definitive doctrine on where the spirit of the dead go after death and secondly, based on the fact that many Christians have different experiences that help them define and understand their faith better and relate well with their God and their circumstances, the Anglican church should adopt Experience as a Fourth Pillar as basis of her faith. This Fourth Pillar, Experience would help explain the supernatural phenomenon that Christian encounter from the miraculous to the mysterious which are beyond human understanding but are real. This would lead to a Lambeth Quadrilateral and not Trilateral.