Exploring the Theology of Selected Hymns: Towards an African Christian Theology of Mission

Isaac Boaheng

doi:10.38159/ejomur.2021211

Abstract

This paper explores the theological message embedded in the hymns: “The incarnate God appeared” and “Come Holy Spirit, come now”. Theological findings from these hymns are used to formulate an African Christian theology of mission based on thematic areas such as the trinitarian dimension of mission, the centrality of the cross in mission, mission as the core mandate of the Church and mission as incarnational agapaō. By this, the paper makes the message of the selected hymns accessible to the global Christian community, promotes the development of hymnody in the African church and at the same time provides a paradigm for Christian mission in the 21st century African society. This is a literature research that uses data from books, theses, journal articles, among others. The findings indicate that hymns constitute a great tool for the missionary enterprise of the church, therefore Christian hymns should be developed and promoted. It is recommended that, for Christian mission in Africa to be meaningful and relevant to Africans, it must endeavor to address the existential issue in African societies. Key Words: Africa, Hymns, Christology, Mission, Pneumatology, Theology

Highlights

The author explores the theological message embedded in two of his own hymns— “The incarnate God appeared” and “Come Holy Spirit, come ”5 —and based on the exposition, formulates a theology of Christian mission for the African church
CONCLUDING IMPLICATIONS This paper has explored the theological message embedded in two selected hymns—“The incarnate God appeared” and “Come Holy Spirit, come ”—and used the theological findings to formulate an African Christian theology of missions based on thematic areas such as the trinitarian dimension of mission, the centrality of the cross in mission, mission as the core mandate of the Church and mission as incarnational agapaō
Hymns can be used to facilitate the propagation of the Christian gospel

Summary

Introduction

The author explores the theological message embedded in two of his own hymns— “The incarnate God appeared” and “Come Holy Spirit, come ”5 —and based on the exposition, formulates a theology of Christian mission for the African church. What the hymnist refers to as the incarnate God is Jesus Christ who added human nature to his divine nature.

Results

Conclusion