DR. CHARLES OSARUNWENSE

The first attempt at the establishment of Christianity in Nigeria can be traced back to the fifteenth century, when the Portuguese priest from the diocese of Lisbon were sent by the king of Portugal along with Portuguese traders to evangelize the Benin kingdom. The period was seen as the age of exploration.1 However, this was a failure largely due to their method of evangelization. The second attempt covers the years 1788-1900 and was linked with the movement for the abolition of slave trade and European desire to trade with the African interior. During the last quarter of the eighteenth century, a new enlightenment swept through Europe and this enlightenment originated with Christian and humanitarian groups as well as American and French revolutions. They insisted on the “Rights of man” everywhere. This gave new life to the church of the day which resulted in the formation of missionary societies that founded the Christian missionary society (CMS) in 1799.3