Day of devastation, day of contentment: The history of the Sudanese church across 2000 years (Faith in Sudan series)

This book is the tenth and final publication in the Faith in Sudan series, and it makes a fitting climax to a series that has already become greatly valued by Sudanese Christians and their friends across the world. Day of Devastation, Day of Contentment offers a comprehensive ecumenical history of the Sudanese church, starting with the faith of the early Nubian Christians and moving through to the current experience of Sudanese Christians in the continuing situation of civil war. The years 1964--72 are highlighted as marking a particularly significant period in the history of both church and state. When foreign missionaries were expelled from Sudan in 1964, many outside observers feared that the expulsion would seriously weaken the Christian community, as the young Sudanese churches were thrown abruptly on their own resources. In the event, Sudanese Christians took up the responsibilities of leadership, the churches grew, and a truly Sudanese church emerged. The continuing political implications of this development, as successive governments in Khartoum try to create a unified national identity through the twin policies of Arabization and Islamization, are brought to our attention.