Dr. Byang Kato; 1936-1975
Ephemera; 1962-1996, n.d.
.4
cubic feet (1 letter document case)
Restrictions: There are no restrictions on the use of this collection.
Brief Description. Photocopies of essays, theses, articles,
tributes, tracts and sermons written by or about Byang Kato, a Nigerian theologian and the first General Secretary of the Association
of Evangelicals in Africa and Madagascar (AEAM).
Full name
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Byang Henri Kato
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Birth
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June 23, 1936, Sabzuara, Kaduna State, Nigeria
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Death
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December 1975,
Mombasa, Kenya in an accidental drowning
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Family
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Parents
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Henri and Zawa Kato, members of the Jaba tribe, practiced tribal religion and Henri was a juju priest
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Marital Status
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Married to Jummai Gundu
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Children
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Deborah,
Jonathan, Paul
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Conversion
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1948 as the
result of Bible teaching in the mission school he attended
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Education
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1957
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Graduated from Igbaja Bible College, Igbaja,
Nigeria
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1966
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Received a
Bachelor of Divinity from London Bible College, England
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1973
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Received a
Masters of Sacred Theology and Doctorate of Theology from Dallas Theological
Seminary, USA
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Career
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1957
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Professor at Kwoi Bible Training School, Kwoi,
Kaduna State, Nigeria
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1966-1967
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Professor at Igbaja Bible College, Igbaja,
Nigeria
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1967
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General
Secretary of the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA)
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1973
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General
Secretary of the Association of Evangelicals of Africa and Madagascar (now
called Association of Evangelicals of Africa)
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[Note: In the Scope & Content section, the notation "folder 2-5" means "Box 2, Folder 5"]
Scope and Content
Series: Paper Records
Arrangement: Alphabetical by
folder title; arranged by Archives staff
Date Range: 1962-1996, n.d.
Volume: .4 cubic feet
Boxes: 1 letter
document case
Geographic
coverage: Chad, Kenya, Nigeria, United States,
Type of
documents: Essays, Theses, Articles, Tributes, Tracts, Sermons
Subjects: African
Theology, Missions in Africa, Black/Liberation Theology, Syncretism and
Christianity, Theological Education in Africa, Ecumenism in Africa, Urbana ‘70,
World Council of Churches, Association of Evangelicals in Africa and Madagascar
(AEAM), Juju religion, African Churches
Notes: This collection
was bequeathed to the Archives by Dr. Christina M. Breman who wrote a dissertation entitled "The Association of Evangelicals in
Africa: Its History, Organization, Members, Projects, External Relations, and
Message" for her doctorate in missiology. This dissertation included a brief biography
of Kato and his theology. Apparently she
made the photocopies during her research. In his short ministry career, Kato wrote just a few articles and his
dissertation, (his master’s thesis on Natural Revelation is included in folder
1-3). He was critical of syncretism
(especially in relation to Black/Liberation theology) which arose in African
theology and called for correction through more theological education in
Africa.
This collection
consists of photocopies of articles, essays, sermons and tracts by Dr. Byang Kato as well as articles, essays and theses written
about or extensively quoting Dr. Kato, many published posthumously. The order and arrangement were determined by
the archivist. Most of the articles come
from publications of missions organizations like SIM
Witness, Dateline Africa, Africa Now, EMIS’ Africa Pulse,
AEAM’s Perception and Evangelical Missions Quarterly. Some materials are in French or Afrikaans (or
Dutch?), very few having an accompanying translation, most are in English.
Exceptional
items:
Folder 1-2 holds
a review and a letter from Paul Bowers, who worked with World Evangelical
Fellowship (WEF) of Kato’s book Theological Pitfalls in Africa, one of
his first publications.
Folder 1-3
contains:
-an
article on the World Council of Churches Assembly which met in Nairobi in 1975. The article was compiled from the beginnings of
a report on the WCC Assembly, which Kato had started to write the morning of
his death.
-a transcript of
a verbal report (on the WCC Assembly) Kato gave at the AIM annual conference in
Kenya shortly before he died.
-a
brief autobiography in Africa Now that is an account of his family life
and involvement in the Juju religion, conversion and his experience in the
church.
-a document from
the International Congress on World Evangelization which met in Lausanne in
1974, “Notes on Group Discussion” which contains recorded notes and discussion
from a paper presented by Dr. Kato called “The Gospel, Cultural
Contextualization, and Religious Syncretism” which is in the same folder.
-a monograph
called “Tips for Guests in Africa” which was meant to orient a non-African
Christian
visitor to Africa and paints a detailed picture of African culture and daily
life in the late 1960s. Some of this
same information can also be found in a photocopied version of Kato’s book African
Cultural Revolution and the Christian Faith.
The tributes in
folder 1-7 portray the views and respect that others held for Kato. Breman’s brief
biography on Kato and his impact on African Evangelicalism is also among the tributes.
The extensive
bibliography (by Dr. Breman) in folder 1-4 would be
helpful to anyone interested in reading Dr. Kato’s written works.
Provenance
The materials in
this collection were given to the Archives of the Billy Graham Center by Dr.
Christina M. Breman in August, 1998.
Accession: 98-64
April 1, 2010
Noel Collins
Pfeifer
BOX LIST |
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Box
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Folder
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Folder Title
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Dates
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1
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1
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Articles about
Kato
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1967-1993, n.d.
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1
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2
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Articles by
Kato
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1962-1989, n.d.
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1
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3
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Articles by
Kato II
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1967-1975, n.d.
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1
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4
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Bibliography
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n.d.
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1
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5
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Thesis by Kato
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1971
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1
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6
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Tracts by Kato
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1974-1981
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1
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7
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Tributes
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1976-1996, n.d.
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