| dc.description.abstract | The study assesses the establishment and the impact of Friends Church among the Tiriki of
Western Kenya. The roles played by the Friends Church in development the Tiriki people’s
economic condition, standard of living, modernizing them and the local people uptake of
Christian teachings were key objectives of the research. Using a combination of interview, focus
group discussion and questionnaire technique, the study covered the activities of the Friends
church among the Tiriki by investigating the experiences of missionaries in Tiriki and what
informed the reaction of the Tiriki towards the Christian missionaries. The study also sought to
detail the impact of Christianity on the Tiriki. From its findings, this study achieved its objective
by identifying and discussing the factors that led to the establishment of Friends church among
the Tiriki, it assessed the impact of Christian Missionaries on the Tiriki and discussed the Tiriki
socio-religious cultural aspect in view of inculturation of the Christian message.
To achieve the above stated objectives the study utilized the modernization theory. It answered
the questions such as was Christianity an agent of modernization? Were the Tiriki people ready
to be modernized? The study is the first empirical investigation in Tiriki that focuses on the
relevance of Christian missions on members’ standard of living in rural communities and
villages in remote Africa. The study shed light on how rural communities function, how their
relationships with Christian missionaries developed, how the missionaries promoted modernity.
It has also provided more evidence on the importance of land ownership, and how this is affected
when land is alienated. It has also provided insights into the development of rural businesses,
how Christianity became an agent of change in many rural areas. The study breaks new ground
in analyzing Tiriki relationship with the Friends Missionaries at Kaimosi. This helps to
appropriately identify the roles of Africans in rural evangelism. However, participation in
Christianity does not lead to African wholesome profitability. It has also provided more evidence
on the importance of modernity, land ownership, and how this is enhanced when rural
communities have access to education. It has also provided insights into the development of rural areas. In this way, the study makes a significant contribution to our understanding of rural communities in developing Christianity. The study contributes to knowledge in
specific areas as discussed above. | en_US |
