The Traditional African Concept of God and the Christian Concept of God

The Traditional African Concept of God and the Christian Concept of God PDF Author: Peter Chiehiụra Uzor
Publisher: Peter Lang Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Africa
Languages : en
Pages : 628

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Book Description
This book is motivated by the positive view of the non-Christian religions expressed by the Fathers of the Vatican Council II (cf. NA 2a), a revolutionary view considered from the official teaching of the tradition of the Church up till then, and much more in such a central issue as the belief in God. This book aims at initiating a healthy interaction between the Christian understanding of God and the understanding of God in the traditional religion of the Igbo people of West Africa. In approaching this task this special study pursues some major aims. In the first place it engages itself in the clarification of some basic issues: Are the religious experiences which are phenomenologically found in all religions including the Igbo religion only mere human fabrications or do they originate from a revelation of God? Secondly, this publication working with the innovative analysis of the theophoral personal names provides some profound factual information about the concrete contents of the Igbo religion on God. Thirdly, the author tries to find out whether there could be a basic agreement between the understanding of God in Igbo religion and the biblical revelation. In this work the fundamental agreement is found in the conviction that God in traditional Igbo religion, Chukwu and the God of the Bible is the God of life. The purpose of this book therefore, is to bring back the question of God to the centre of existential Christian life: it is to make the theme of God the motivation and criterion for the whole Christian life and spirituality - both individually and communally. The theme of the God of life introduces God into life and connects the problems and questions of men and women of todayto the theme of God.

The Traditional African Concept of God and the Christian Concept of God

The Traditional African Concept of God and the Christian Concept of God PDF Author: Peter Chiehiụra Uzor
Publisher: Peter Lang Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Africa
Languages : en
Pages : 628

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book is motivated by the positive view of the non-Christian religions expressed by the Fathers of the Vatican Council II (cf. NA 2a), a revolutionary view considered from the official teaching of the tradition of the Church up till then, and much more in such a central issue as the belief in God. This book aims at initiating a healthy interaction between the Christian understanding of God and the understanding of God in the traditional religion of the Igbo people of West Africa. In approaching this task this special study pursues some major aims. In the first place it engages itself in the clarification of some basic issues: Are the religious experiences which are phenomenologically found in all religions including the Igbo religion only mere human fabrications or do they originate from a revelation of God? Secondly, this publication working with the innovative analysis of the theophoral personal names provides some profound factual information about the concrete contents of the Igbo religion on God. Thirdly, the author tries to find out whether there could be a basic agreement between the understanding of God in Igbo religion and the biblical revelation. In this work the fundamental agreement is found in the conviction that God in traditional Igbo religion, Chukwu and the God of the Bible is the God of life. The purpose of this book therefore, is to bring back the question of God to the centre of existential Christian life: it is to make the theme of God the motivation and criterion for the whole Christian life and spirituality - both individually and communally. The theme of the God of life introduces God into life and connects the problems and questions of men and women of todayto the theme of God.

Concepts of God in Africa

Concepts of God in Africa PDF Author: John S. Mbiti
Publisher: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 374

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Book Description
"This study of the idea of God in 300 African tribes is the fruit of extensive research by a distinguished African theologian. Professor Mbiti has successfully translated a mass of anthropological information into theological terms (a task for which he is thoroughly equipped) and, in doing it, has combined lucid writing with vivid imagery, to create a book that will be read with enjoyment by many. The author shows that, behind many simple expressions of belief—for example, the Zulu saying of a thunderstorm, "the King is playing"; the Kikuyu praying to their Father to give them goats, sheep, and children; the Bambuti picturing God with a long beard—there often lies a profound faith in God as father and creator, or in God working as spirit. A moving and explicit description of God as a spirit comes from a traditional hymn of the Pygmies. Certain African tribes have inherited myths telling of the Creation and Fall in terms akin to those of the Book of Genesis. Others are familiar with the idea of a God both immanent and transcendent and of worship as an activity filling the whole life. It is one thing to admire the way in which Africans have enriched Christianity with their own cultural and spiritual heritage. It is quite another to be able to explore now, with Dr. Mbiti as guide, the sources of that wealth and to discover, as he has done, how much there is of the universal in each tribal theology."-Publisher.

Phenomenological Approaches to Religion and Spirituality

Phenomenological Approaches to Religion and Spirituality PDF Author: Essien, Essien D.
Publisher: IGI Global
ISBN: 1799845966
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
There is an interesting knowledge trajectory that God remains incomprehensible, not imperceptible. This lends credence to the fact that religious study since the Enlightenment has dedicated itself almost entirely to the problem of reconciling the non-existence of God in the physical world with his necessary existence in the metaphysical world. When seriously examined, it would be discovered that these two aspects are logically contradictory, and this is a problem with no solution. But interpreting God not as a physical being but as a phenomenological thing changes the nature of the problem enough that a solution emerges almost automatically. In this phenomenological model, the crux of the matter is that God does not exist, but God is real. Therefore, it is imperative to return to experience and verifiability, hence, purging it of unexamined and often hidden assumptions. Phenomenological Approaches to Religion and Spirituality brings together the different disciplines and research approaches to provide a comprehensive analysis of the phenomenology of God and spirituality, as well as offering an effective epistemological apparatus capable of dealing with this concept. The book employs multidisciplinary approaches from religious studies, theology, philosophy, anthropology, and other segments to dissect the subject matter for efficient evaluation and all-inclusive findings. While covering various aspects of religion such as the testaments of the Bible, the church, the religious experience, and various aspects of spirituality, this book is intended for theologians, philosophers, religious leaders, policymakers, academicians, researchers, students, public institutions, and agencies with a special interest in religious matters, values, knowledge, and truth.

God in Africa

God in Africa PDF Author: Malcolm J. McVeigh
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
Combines clarity and simplicity of style with intuitive and scholarly depth, bringing the Christian and African concepts of God into focus.

Traditional Concepts of God in Africa

Traditional Concepts of God in Africa PDF Author: S. O. Onyeidu
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Africa
Languages : en
Pages : 54

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Book Description


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


Engaging Religions and Worldviews in Africa

Engaging Religions and Worldviews in Africa PDF Author: Yusufu Turaki
Publisher: Langham Publishing
ISBN: 1783688416
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 547

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Book Description
In a world of increasing globalization, we live amidst a clash of cultures, religions, and worldviews – each battling for the human heart and mind. In this in-depth study, Yusufu Turaki offers a theological framework for engaging this clash of perspectives in Africa, where traditional African religions, colonialism, and exposure to Christianity have each had a lasting impact on contemporary African worldviews. Professor Turaki undertakes a systematic analysis of the nature of African Traditional Religion, its complex history with Christianity, and the need for African Christian theology to address its cultural and historical roots effectively. He provides both a conceptual framework and practical guide for engaging African cultures and religions with compassion, understanding, and a firm foundation rooted in scriptural truth. This book is an excellent resource for students of religion and theology, as well as those interested in Africa’s traditional heritage or drawn to the important work of cross-cultural and inter-religious dialogue.

African Traditional Religion and the Christian Faith

African Traditional Religion and the Christian Faith PDF Author: Cornelius Olowola
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 80

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Book Description
This book provides a new, constructive and critical approach to African traditional religion, from the standpoint of Christian faith.

Christianity and African Gods

Christianity and African Gods PDF Author: Yusufu Turaki
Publisher: Potchefstroomse Universiteit Vir Christelike Hoeer Onderwys
ISBN:
Category : Africa
Languages : en
Pages : 372

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Book Description


The Gods of Africa Or the God of the Bible?: The Snares of African Traditional Religion in Biblical Perspective

The Gods of Africa Or the God of the Bible?: The Snares of African Traditional Religion in Biblical Perspective PDF Author: Leonard Thomas Nyirongo
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN: 9781719879262
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 438

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Book Description
Our problem on the African continent at the moment is the following: Western people in general and Christian missionaries in particular, were mostly uncritical about their own (European) culture and over-critical about African culture. In reaction, African Christians in general and theologians in particular are today, on the one hand, very critical about the Western type of Christianity which has been transplanted to the continent, but, on the other hand, not critical enough about their own African culture and traditional religion. Many African theologians, for instance, claim that before the Gospel came to our continent, Africans already correctly worshiped the true God. They say that the Gospel was not the beginning of the true knowledge of God, but merely a continuation or fulfillment of true faith that already existed in the pre-Christian African's heart. Some even go so far as to suggest that the African's method of approaching God is as valid as the way of salvation through the Gospel. Such ideas are emphatically denied in this book. The whole book is more than an attempt to present African indigenous beliefs in a systematic manner, comparing it with Biblical teaching. It is not only against Western secularism, but also strongly opposed to the very strong syncretistic tendency in African church life and in African theology. It convincingly argues that the idea of adaptation should be replaced by the idea of transformation in the light of God's Word. We cannot have a peaceful accommodation but only a powerful confrontation between traditional African religion and real Biblical Christian faith. This clash of irreconcilable spiritual powers becomes clear on every page - a struggle between life and death, a struggle for control of the hearts and minds of the African people. The writer pleads with his fellow African to make a definite choice (either the Gospel or traditional beliefs) and not to opt for a