Christian Theology and African Traditions

Christian Theology and African Traditions PDF Author: Matthew Michael
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1621896439
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 267

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Book Description
Christian theology is increasingly recognized to be now a non-western enterprise since the high concentrations of Christians in the world are no longer found in the Western societies. Christian Theology and African Traditions takes seriously this present recognition of the southward movement of Christianity from the western world to a non-western setting. It seeks to reposition Christian theology and faith to engage the African traditions in classical category of theology proper, bibliology, anthropology, Christology, pneumatology, soteriology, ecclesiology, and eschatology and provides unique insights and problems that these classical and systematic categories poses to African Christianity. Similarly, it provides theological blueprint for non-Africans who are interested in knowing the nature and shape of the Christian theology in non-western settings. Consequently, Christian Theology and African Traditions goes beyond the mere criticism of Western misrepresentation of African traditions to seeing how the Christian theology in its systematic character engages the African traditions. With this methodological template, the work describes in the space of twelve chapters the different classical teachings of the Christian faith on God, scriptures, spirits and demons, the nature of the human person, the persons of Christ, salvation, the Holy Spirit, the church, and the future life in dialogue with some specific traditions of the African people.

Christian Theology and African Traditions

Christian Theology and African Traditions PDF Author: Matthew Michael
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1621896439
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 267

Get Book Here

Book Description
Christian theology is increasingly recognized to be now a non-western enterprise since the high concentrations of Christians in the world are no longer found in the Western societies. Christian Theology and African Traditions takes seriously this present recognition of the southward movement of Christianity from the western world to a non-western setting. It seeks to reposition Christian theology and faith to engage the African traditions in classical category of theology proper, bibliology, anthropology, Christology, pneumatology, soteriology, ecclesiology, and eschatology and provides unique insights and problems that these classical and systematic categories poses to African Christianity. Similarly, it provides theological blueprint for non-Africans who are interested in knowing the nature and shape of the Christian theology in non-western settings. Consequently, Christian Theology and African Traditions goes beyond the mere criticism of Western misrepresentation of African traditions to seeing how the Christian theology in its systematic character engages the African traditions. With this methodological template, the work describes in the space of twelve chapters the different classical teachings of the Christian faith on God, scriptures, spirits and demons, the nature of the human person, the persons of Christ, salvation, the Holy Spirit, the church, and the future life in dialogue with some specific traditions of the African people.

Bible and Theology in African Christianity

Bible and Theology in African Christianity PDF Author: John S. Mbiti
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 290

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Book Description
In this book, the well-known Kenyan theologian, John Mbiti, takes the reader on a pilgrimage of the mind and spirit as he examines the phenomenon of Christianity in Africa. This is a fascinating form of the Christian faith, combining certain characteristics of apostolic Christianity with the realities of African life in the present. It is fresh and fragile, dynamic, and domineering. It echoes the experiences of the early church while at the same time responding forcefully to the situation of today. The author explains how this form of Christianity while leaning heavily on the religious culture and background of the African peoples, seeks and finds its legitimation in the bible. He illustrates that it is both deeply African and committedly ecumenical and universal. A 16-page section of the photographs vividly underlines the theme.

Elements of African Traditional Religion

Elements of African Traditional Religion PDF Author: Elia Shabani Mligo
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1625640706
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 133

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Book Description
African Traditional religion (ATR) is one of the world religions with a great people and a great past. It is embraced by Africans within and outside the continent despite the various ethnic religious practices and beliefs. This book highlights and discusses the common elements which introduce African Traditional Religion as one unified religion and not a collection of religions. The major focus of the book is discussing the need for studying ATR in twenty-first-century Africa whereby globalization and multi-culture are prominent phenomena. Why should we study the religion of the African natives in this age? In response to this question, the book argues that since ATR is part of the African people's culture, there is a need to understand this cultural background in order to contextualize Christian theology. Using some illustrations from Nyumbanitu worship shrine located at Njombe in Tanzania, the book purports that there is a need to understand African people's worldview, their understanding of God, their religious values, symbols and rituals in order to enhance meaningful dialogue between Christianity and African people's current worldview. In this case, the book is important for students of comparative religion in universities and colleges who strive to understand the various religions and their practices.

African Traditional Religion Encounters Christianity

African Traditional Religion Encounters Christianity PDF Author: John Chitakure
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1532618549
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 239

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Book Description
Right from the beginning of humankind, God has never deprived a people of his grace and revelation. In fact, God uses people’s environment and culture to communicate his will. There is no single religion that can claim to have the exclusive possession of God’s revelation, for God is too immense to be confined within one faith. Hence, it was erroneous, blasphemous, and misleading for some of the early Christian missionaries to Africa to claim that they had brought God to Africa, a mentality that implied the non-existence of God in Africa before their arrival. Of course, God was already in Africa, but the missionaries either failed to discern his presence or just disregarded the traces of his existence. This book explores the religious beliefs, practices, and values of the indigenous people of Africa at the time of the early missionaries’ arrival, with particular reference to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. It also evaluates the extent of the missionarie’s successes and challenges in converting Africans to Christianity. It finally surveys how African Christians have remained attached to the indigenous religious beliefs that used to provide answers to their existential questions.

How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind

How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind PDF Author: Thomas C. Oden
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830837051
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 205

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Book Description
Thomas C. Oden surveys the decisive role of African Christians and theologians in shaping the doctrines and practices of the church of the first five centuries, and makes an impassioned plea for the rediscovery of that heritage. Christians throughout the world will benefit from this reclaiming of an important heritage.

The Holy Spirit and Salvation in African Christian Theology

The Holy Spirit and Salvation in African Christian Theology PDF Author: David Tonghou Ngong
Publisher: Peter Lang
ISBN: 9781433109416
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 196

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Book Description
Revision of author's thesis (Ph. D.)--Baylor University, 2007 under title: The material in salvific discourse: a study of two Christian perspectives.

African Traditional Religion in Biblical Perspective

African Traditional Religion in Biblical Perspective PDF Author: Richard J. Gehman
Publisher: East African Publishers
ISBN: 9789966253545
Category : Africa, Sub-Saharan
Languages : en
Pages : 444

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Book Description


Theology and Identity

Theology and Identity PDF Author: Kwame Bediako
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1610974409
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 527

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Book Description
Kwame Bediako examines the question of Christian identity in the context of the Greco-Roman culture of the early Roman Empire. He then addresses the modern African predicament of quests for identity and integration. Theology and Identity was one of the finalists for the 1992 HarperCollins Religious Book Award.

African Christian Theology

African Christian Theology PDF Author: Samuel Waje Kunhiyop
Publisher: Langham Publishing
ISBN: 1783686944
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
God is eternal, but the questions we ask about him are always rooted in our own culture. Thus our understanding of theology is also rooted in our culture. Dr Samuel Kunhiyop is deeply aware of this, and so has produced African Christian Theology as a companion book to his African Christian Ethics. In this book, Dr Kunhiyop addresses many of the same issues mentioned in Western systematic theologies, but also addresses issues that are not mentioned in those books, including the spirit world, ancestors, and the power of blessings and curses. This book thus constitutes an excellent introduction to systematic theology in relation to the traditional African world view and to the Bible.

Kwame Bediako

Kwame Bediako PDF Author: Tim Hartman
Publisher: Langham Global Library
ISBN: 1839734892
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 217

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Book Description
Kwame Bediako was one of the great African theologians of his generation. Challenging the assumption that Christianity is a Western religion, he presented a non-Western foundation for theological reflection, expanded the Christian theological imagination, and offered a path forward for post-Christendom theologies. Kwame Bediako: African Theology for a World Christianity is the first full-length introduction to Bediako’s theology. It engages Bediako’s central concerns with identity – specifically what it means to be African and Christian in the aftermath of the failures of colonialism – the relationship of theology and culture, and the need of indigenous expressions of Christian faith for the health of theological reflection worldwide. Challenging stereotypical perceptions of African Christianity and pressing readers to interrogate their own theological convictions in light of cultural and societal presuppositions, this book examines the gift of Bediako’s work not just for Africa but for the world.