The Writings and Legacy of John Peel

Contrary to the assumption that Africans were unthinking groups without the knowledge of metaphysical society and systems, emerging literature on religion has proved that Africa was indeed a house to highly spiritual beings who interpreted the universe based on the peculiarities of their existence and experiences. On many occasions, the introduction of external religions by missionaries or Arabs has been built on a justification that Africans needed to be saved from unknown problems that are occasioned by their lack of understanding of the operations of supernatural powers. Not enough attention is accorded to the works of J. D. Y. Peel, whose efforts have assisted in consolidating the fact that Africans were not people without organic spiritual understanding. From the argument of this scholar, it is established, for instance, that the emergence of Christianity in Africa has influenced the existing African religions, while the African religions also, at the same time, created a new trend for Christianity itself. It is, therefore, understandable as to the simultaneous growth of the two religions when one comes to the continent. But, in reality, Africa has been instrumental to the global outlook of religion, for it has increased the spread of influence of Christianity in Africa by the end of the twentieth century. In this work, we examine what was done to accomplish this feat and eventually understudy the scholar’s position that Christianity, as it is known today, is not an exclusive property of any group and that Africans also hold an important stake in it.