John Kpikpi is a leader at the City of God Church in Accra, Ghana and oversees the Newfrontiers family of churches in six West African nations. In his book, God’s New Tribe, he says that Christians, who are God’s people, make up a new tribe and that our first loyalty should be to Jesus and God’s New Tribe. In a chapter on God’s New Tribe and Marriage, he writes, “My purpose is to make an urgent plea for all of us who have escaped from our old tribes and become part of God’s new tribe to see the futility and danger inherent in the old tribes’ way of ‘doing marriage.’ Let us remember that we, the new tribe of God, have, by God’s grace, been redeemed from the ‘empty way of life’ handed down to us from our forefathers (1 Peter 1:18).”
Then he has this to say about getting married: “A friend of mine commented that he had to marry his wife three times before she became his wife! This was a reference to the series of ceremonies many people in Africa pass through in the journey towards getting married. Two people who wish to marry are required to: fulfil the requirements of the old tribe (by performing the customary rites, paying a dowry etc); fulfil state requirements (by legally registering their union); and fulfil the requirements of the new tribe (by entering into covenant with each other and having their marriage blessed in the presence of God’s people).
Serious questions begin to arise: At what point along the process can two people consider themselves husband and wife and begin to live together under the same roof? In which order should the various ceremonies be performed? A more revolutionary question is: Should we continue with all these ceremonies or is it time to scrap some of them? For two young people who are both committed to honouring God in their marriage, these are very real issues.
Then he has this to say about getting married: “A friend of mine commented that he had to marry his wife three times before she became his wife! This was a reference to the series of ceremonies many people in Africa pass through in the journey towards getting married. Two people who wish to marry are required to: fulfil the requirements of the old tribe (by performing the customary rites, paying a dowry etc); fulfil state requirements (by legally registering their union); and fulfil the requirements of the new tribe (by entering into covenant with each other and having their marriage blessed in the presence of God’s people).
Serious questions begin to arise: At what point along the process can two people consider themselves husband and wife and begin to live together under the same roof? In which order should the various ceremonies be performed? A more revolutionary question is: Should we continue with all these ceremonies or is it time to scrap some of them? For two young people who are both committed to honouring God in their marriage, these are very real issues.
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