From the Collections: A 1904 letter from Nigeria

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Christian Science found its first adherents in North America, following Mary Baker Eddy’s discovery in 1866. Subsequently the religion gained a foothold in Europe and many other places around the world. While we usually associate the time of its introduction in West Africa with the mid-twentieth century, a letter in our collection points to a much earlier contact.

In 1903 Mojola Agbebi (1860–1917) traveled to the United States from his native Nigeria. A Baptist minister and evangelist, Agbebi “was an apostle of ecumenism and an ambassador for Africa at large.” According to Boston University School of Theology’s History of Missiology website, he “played a prominent role in the March 1888 establishment of the Native Baptist Church in Lagos, the first indigenous church in West Africa.” He was an exemplary preacher and pastor, initiating evangelistic work in Yorubaland and in the Niger Delta.¹ 

On March 3, 1904, Agbebi wrote to Eddy from Yonkers, New York: 

Dear Madame:

A friend of mine has informed me of your book, Science and Health and I write this to ask you kindly to supply me with a copy.

I am a native of West Africa and a Missionary and Educator among my people. I have come to this country by invitation to attend a Missionary convention and will soon return to my work and home and shall be thankful if I could carry with me a copy of your book.

I remain

Yours sincerely

Mojola Agbebi

264 Nepperham Avenue

Handwritten across the top of the letter is the notation “Sent SH [Science and Health] Mar 12/04 R”² 

This typescript letter is preserved in the Library’s Mary Baker Eddy Collection. While we have no record of further correspondence between Agbebi and Eddy, this request for Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures hints at his desire for unity among Christian churches. It also indicates the expanding interest in Christian Science far beyond its New England beginnings.

For more discussion related this topic, listen to our Seekers and Scholars podcast episode “Christian Science meets African women theologians.”

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