A Foray into (Study of?) Christian African Political Theology

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article is a theoretical exploration of the concept of African Political Theology (APT). Consequently, part of what I do in this article is to illuminate the particular ways in which APT negotiates the tension between the secular political theology received from the western traditions and the materialist political spirituality that animates much of the African religio-political context. Specifically, I argue that APT decenters the state in African politics and, in its stead, re-centers the everyday particularity of African historical reality with specific reference to justice. To that end, I posit that African Political Theology positions itself as a specific notion of African histories and religions rather than simply an extension or expansion of the western notion of Political Theology.