African Christianity Research Articles

Africa Independent Churches as Amabandla Omoya and Syncretism in South Africa

This article presents a historical contribution of African Independent Churches in South Africa, particularly with references to the Ibandla lamaNazaretha of Isaiah Shembe, Zion Christian Church (ZCC) of Engenas Lekganyane and the St John’s Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) of Christina Nku. There is no doubt that these churches continue to be attractive and relevant to the South African context in the 21st century. They form an integrated part of African Christianity in South Africa. The article investigates ways in which these churches respond to the spiritual and cultural needs of Africans. It is interesting to look at how the Holy Spirit, healing, prayer and prophecy manifest in these churches. The concept of African Spirituality is discussed and contextualised within these churches.

Haunted by Reconciliation?

Abstract Conversations about race in South Africa continue to be shaped by a religious-redemptive narrative of reconciliation that emerged in the democratic transition. However, there is a history of critical Black and liberation theological voices questioning whether the religious/ethical ideal of reconciliation adequately addresses the injustices of systemic racism. These questions gained new resonance in recent years with social movements like #feesmustfall. This article asks whether the seemingly intractable hope that a theological concept of reconciliation will be efficacious in facilitating racial justice is warranted. We begin by reviewing and interrogating how reconciliation is being used in contemporary theological discourses, arguing that given rising discontent, it is striking that reconciliation continues to be a prominent theme and topic within South African Christian theological discourses. We then propose several alternatives that may help address the problem of white racism and benefit from the sustained energy that South African theology has been putting into the language of reconciliation.

Public Theology, the Church and Youth Development in Ghana

The article is an examination of theological insights that Public Theology provides for the development of young people in Ghana. The article argued that the church is strategically positioned to make significant responses to contemporary challenges confronting youth development through its Public Theology. The study affirmed that the churches provide spiritual guidance, Christian education, entrepreneurship programmes, support systems and youth-focused ministries which help the youth to develop a sense of purpose and a strong moral compass such as integrity, compassion and social responsibility. The young people however face the challenge of unemployment, moral decadence, social neglect, relationships and the effects of corruption. The study recommends that through its theological resources, the church must play a vital role in youth development by paying attention to the socialization processes of the youth at home, church and school. Moreover, attention must be paid to mentoring which facilitates the process of discovering the right persons for leadership, entrepreneurship, social transformation and advocacy for young people to be empowered to make significant contributions to church growth and nation building. Keywords: African Christianity, Public Theology, Youth Development

Medical Implications of “Aggressive Prayer”: A Silent Fright among African Christian Patrons in Ghana

The burgeoning trend of “aggressive prayer” in African Christianity has attracted diverse criticism, as to whether or not it is practised responsibly. This work focused on the medical implications of the phenomenon of “aggressive prayer” on African Christian patrons. The study indicates that inasmuch as there could be some health benefits if this phenomenon is considered as a form of aerobics, there is a very high index proclivity of the spread of infectious and respiratory diseases and possible worsening of an already existing disease conditions of patients who participate during “aggressive prayer” sessions.

A Pentecostal theology of radical sharing: Sam‐Ae and ubuntu as critical hermeneutics of engaged love

AbstractThe article argues that although Pentecostal churches in Africa have the potential to challenge and transform the reality of inequalities in Africa, instead, they are reproducing and perpetuating these inequalities by creating an inequality gap among themselves, especially, between the pastors and their fellow congregants. A closer look at some of these churches reveals that some of them are propagating social, political, and economic inequalities demonstrated in the gap that exists between the pastors and their ordinary members. In response, we construct a Pentecostal theology of radical sharing to argue for a balanced distribution of wealth between the rich and the poor to deal with the challenges of inequalities. It demonstrates that indigenous idioms such as sam‐ae (Korea) and ubuntu (Africa) are critical hermeneutics from the margins for interpretative translation/contextualization of the Christian faith into a theology of radical sharing in the fight against inequalities within African Indigenous Pentecostalism.

Church and xenophobia: The tension between nationhood and God’s mission in South Africa

The perennial scourge of xenophobic violence in South Africa raises some questions about the nation’s hospitality to immigrants. Unexpectedly, Christians are also torn between loyalty to the prevailing anti-immigrant sentiments and the obligation to be hospitable to foreigners. This article, therefore, seeks to explore this tension, and the objective is achieved by surveying pertinent literature.Having traced the history of xenophobic violence from the dawn of South Africa’s independence in 1994 to the present day, the article discusses the involvement of Christians in xenophobic violence, which can be viewed as a paradox. Thus, the article thoroughly reflects on God’s mission to foreigners and how the Church, a God-ordained community, fulfils that mission, which began in the Old Testament, when God anointed Israel as the vehicle of redemption for the world. Unfortunately, Israel failed to accomplish the mission, which was ultimately fulfilled by Jesus Christ, who ordained the Church as the new covenant community that would fulfil the aforesaid mission. This study reveals that all people, including foreign nationals, bear the image of God, who indiscriminately loves and cares for all of them. God’s legislation in Israel’s history and the New Testament Church attest to that. The article concludes by exposing the tension experienced by South African Christians, as well as proposing a thrust for Christians to participate in God’s mission by practising sacrificial love and hospitality to foreigners.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This is an interdisciplinary article that looks at theological and sociological issues of co-existence.

Ecclesia reformata semper reformanda: W.A. (Wim) Dreyer and the reformation of the Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa

Prof. W.A. Dreyer played an important role in the continuous reformation of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika (NHKA). This contribution to his Festschrift is not about him. He would not want that. It is about the church and how his understanding of reformed ecclesiology became the basis on which the transformation from ‘Volkskerk’ to missional church took place. According to himself, that was his calling and his life’s work. The importance of his contribution cannot be understood without the historical background in which it played out. Neither is it possible to envisage what really happened without acknowledging the theologians who played an important part in his life. This article therefore starts with a short overview of the history of the NHKA. It then proceeds with an overview of how important theologians in the NHKA influenced his ecclesiology. It concludes with three specific contributions that Prof. W.A. Dreyer made which makes him a key role player which led the NHKA on the way of Ecclesia reformata semper reformanda.Contribution: Prof. W.A. Dreyer became an important church leader in the Netherdutch Reformed Church. His leadership resulted in important changes in the church and especially in the ecclesiology of the church. This article, which is part of his Festschrift, gives an overview of his theological contribution through the lens of semper reformanda. By doing so, it indicates how important is the role of church leaders. All the research is based on his scholarly work.

Observing systemic conflict: The emotional affect on pastors in the Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa

Observing systemic conflict: The emotional affect on pastors in the Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa

Theological Understanding of Conversion from Luke 13:7-14 and Acts 2:14-38 and its Missiological Imperatives for African Christian Missions

The thrust of this paper is a theological understanding of conversion which comes from text-driven biblical preaching and its missiological imperative for Christian missions in Africa. The study adopted a descriptive approach to discuss conversion as it relates to missions from Lukan perspective in two passages; Luke 13:7-14 and Acts 2:14-38 noting that conversion and fulfillment of the Great Commission is central and critical to these texts. Inferences drawn from brief expositions of the two texts revealed that conversion is the need of everyone and authentic proclamation of the Gospel is important for true conversion to take place. It is also inferred that true conversion coming from repentance and having faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour should reflect in a new way of life or transformation evident in simplicity and care for others. The study submitted that it is imperative for contemporary church in Africa to understand conversion as necessary to rid the nations of different menace including corruption, ungodly leadership and poverty. It is also imperative for the church in Africa to proclaim the gospel capable of resulting into conversion and transformation by engaging in expository text-driven biblical preaching, lifestyle evangelism, and demonstrating the power of God through signs and wonders. The delivery of the word of God must be accompanied with effective exposition of the biblical text through preaching to stir the heart of the hearer to true conversion.

The Influence of African Tradtional Spirituality on Christian Practices in Africa

Human beings are religious by nature. In the discussion on African traditional spirituality, it provides the proofs on how Africans were and are notoriously religious even before the advent of Christianity. This article provides an overview of the influence of African traditional spirituality on Christian Practices in Africa. It is noted in this article that African traditional spirituality is a diverse and complex set of beliefs and practices that reflect the cultural and spiritual beliefs of the people of Africa. It encompasses a wide range of practices, including ancestor veneration, divination, healing practices, music and dance, and community building. Christianity was introduced to Africa in the 1st century AD, but it was not until the arrival of European colonizers in the 16th century that Christianity began to spread more widely throughout Africa. Today, Christianity is one of the most widespread religions in Africa, with over 541 million adherents on the continent. Christianity in Africa is diverse and complex, encompassing a range of denominations, including Catholicism, Protestantism, and various indigenous African churches. This article explores the ways in which African spirituality has influenced Christianity in Africa, and how this has shaped the religious and cultural landscape of the continent.

Public Theology and Leadership Rudiments in African Christianity: The Expectations and Deficiencies in Ghana

Public Theology and Leadership Rudiments in African Christianity: The Expectations and Deficiencies in Ghana

Public Theology, Media and National Orientation in Ghana

This article examined the interface between the church and media and how the interface contributes to the effort toward national orientation with insights from Public Theology in Ghana. Using the qualitative methodology in its information-gathering approach, the study observed that the church and media remain key social institutions that have an influence on the shaping of public opinion, public behaviour and social responsibilities. The church for instance promotes national orientation through the teaching of moral and ethical values of the Ghanaian society that are consistent with the Bible. The church teaches its members to be honest, hardworking and to contribute to the development of their communities. These values are aligned with Ghana’s national values, which aim to promote social cohesion, nation-building and national development. The church promotes the virtues of honesty, integrity, hard work and respect for authority, which are essential for the development of a responsible and productive citizenry. The study concluded that Public Theology must provide insights for the church and media in Ghana as they seek to use their influence to make significant contributions to national orientation. It further recommends that theological insights such as social watchdogs, social reformers, social referees and hope-givers must be harnessed by the church and media for national orientation. Keywords: African Christianity, Public Theology, National Orientation, Ghanaian Media

Uncovering Covert Syncretic Holy Water among ANPCs in South Africa

In most societies where Christianity is dominant, it has manifested itself in different ways, reflecting its admixture with indigenous religious practices, an admixture commonly seen in most African contexts. This is evidenced by overt syncretic practices and rarely covert syncretic practices that conceal the blending of beliefs, including belief in the mystical powers of water. In part, this explains why African Christian believers, particularly African Pentecostal believers in most African countries, often uncritically believe claims about holy water. To that end, this article examines the literature to uncover the existence of covert syncretic holy water in African Neo-Pentecostal Churches (ANPC), particularly in South Africa, where ANPC pastors make arbitrary claims about the power of holy water. Contrary to the apparent syncretism, claims about holy water as witnessed among ANPCs in South Africa, covertly combine elements of two belief systems (ancient African traditions and contemporary African Christianity), resulting in covert syncretic holy water. As little or no literature understands the covert syncretic holy water, the work of this paper warrants future research to further examine the covert syncretic holy water, particularly in relation to ANPC holy water claims.

Causes of incestuous rape in Zimbabwe

This article unveils the causes of incestuous rape in the Epworth community of Zimbabwe. It was premised on a feminist theoretical framework which was applied in light of the perspectives of African Christians, Shona indigenous religious people, and Shona culture. The research hopes to serve as a resource for victims of incestuous rape, scholars, religious leaders, community leaders, the government, those who sympathetically seek to support incestuous rape victims, and those who seek to become a voice of the voiceless to treat incestuous rape as a serious problem that needs serious attention. It addresses three major objectives: (1) to unveil how Epworth residents construe incestuous rape; (2) to expose the prevalence of incestuous rape cases in Epworth; and (3) to highlight the factors which lead to the occurrences of incestuous rape cases in Epworth. The study has established that the causes of incestuous rape in Epworth may vary, but most notably, are ascribed to some cultural and religious beliefs, practices, and perspectives.

Contesting the Shifting Center of World Christianity to Africa: Methodological Reconsiderations

Abstract This essay contests the regnant narratives that the center of gravity of Christianity is shifting to Africa. First, it is not always clear what theorists mean as to what constitutes the centering of Christianity and what ‘shifting centers’ mean beyond the claims of the demographic, social and cultural history of Christian expansion. Furthermore, the field of world Christianity and the methods for studying it continue to evolve, pointing more to a divergence than a convergence in both method and subject matter. Through critical study of old and emerging methodologies, the essay proposes that the claims about world Christianity and its variants and features in Africa must be rethought in ways that give value to the actual faith and context of Africans. The essay proposes four possible approaches for developing an account of Christianity in Africa and the world, focusing on theological, missional, and biblical prescriptive perspectives, that complement the predominant descriptive, sociological, and historical accounts of Christian expansion in Africa in current scholarship.

Religious Hybridity: Opportunities and Challenges for African Christian Theology

Abstract Religious hybridity points to the religiosity of individuals who are anchored in one religious system while involved at various levels through affiliation, participation, belonging, or allegiance to other religious traditions. If religious hybridity presents some Christological challenges for African theology, it also brings some opportunities since the persistence of religious hybridity reflects particular aspects of Christian teachings or practices which need further reflections and/or actions. Some areas of the Christian teaching or rituals do not seem to provide sufficient or satisfactory answers to some African Christians who therefore feel the need to retain elements of their traditional religions. African Christian theology is compelled to respond to those unmet needs which are mainly the demands for a genuine inculturation of transitional rites, a more holistic approach to healing, and a proactive engagement with the social reality. The palaver model can be a useful tool to approach those issues.

African Christian migrants in Morocco: a growing group challenging the state’s presumption of cultural diversity

African Christian migrants in Morocco: a growing group challenging the state’s presumption of cultural diversity

Ancestor Christology:

Abstract
 Attempts at developing a Christology from a uniquely African perspective could be considered as one of the contextual expressions of Christian theological enterprise. Of course, it is clear that within the context of world Christianity, every theology is contextual. This article, which critically explores the Christological ideas of one of the foremost African theologians, Bénézet Bujo, locates the many reflections about Christ within the African context. The article consistently argues for the necessity of African Christology and for a deepened understanding of Bujo’s argument in making the person of Christ intelligible within Africa by deploying the traditional African category of ancestorship in this regard. Ancestorship as a Christological paradigm remains contentious as it raises a lot of questions as to its appropriateness in the understanding of Christ for African Christians. Yet, the assessment of the paradigm must go beyond seeking a logical interpretation that ties it to the predominant Christological formulations of the West to seek the meaning of revelation within the African worldview. This article, therefore, appraises the insights of Bujo and highlights the deficiencies of his arguments, while calling for more attention to its ethical and catechetical import.

African Religio-Cultural Heritage of ‘Charms and Amulets’

Abstract This article investigates the increase in the usage of ‘symbolic ritual wrist bands’ as symbols of power, protection, and healing in neo-Pentecostals seen as resonating with the religio-cultural practice of ritual bands in African primal religions. The study demonstrates that such practices indirectly satisfy the deep yearning of traditional communities who maintain a strong feeling of the versatility of symbolic ritual bands. The fact that most Africans remain deeply ingrained in their religio-cultural environment where it is believed that ritual bands attended to their spiritual and physical needs, the usage of symbolic wrist bands in most neo-Pentecostal churches is seen as bridging the gap created by missionary Christianity. This study employs the missio-cultural theory to explore the extent to which neo-Pentecostals are reconceptualising the idea of ritual wrist bands in the practice of African Christianity. It concludes that the neo-Pentecostal proliferation of wrist bands is relevant in the spiritual, psychological, social, cultural and theological missionising effort in Africa.

The Accra Confession and Public Theology in African Christianity: The Ghanaian Experience

The study examined the Accra Confession as a Public Theology document and how it provides theological resources for Christian responses to contemporary social challenges in Ghana. The faith document that was developed in Ghana invites the church to participate in Christian public witness. It affirmed the importance of the gospel in addressing contemporary social and economic challenges and recognizes the need for the church to maintain a prophetic voice in the face of oppression, exploitation and exclusion. The article argued that the Public Theology document provides the necessary resources that are needed for the public witness of the church in Ghana after its almost two decades in existence and therefore any form of disconnection and silence need to be identified and addressed. Ghana is currently confronted with developmental challenges like poverty, hunger and unemployment. The faith document contains the necessary theological perspectives that the church needs in the effort to pursue social change. It’s awakening and continuous conversation in the church definitely will contribute to the Christian public witness in Ghana. The study recommended that churches must integrate the theological insights in the Accra Confession into their churches’ structures and Christian education programmes. It further recommended awakening and continuous conversation of the Accra Confession in congregations. Using the qualitative research method, the author examined available materials on the Reformed church and theology to throw more highlights on the issue. Attention was further given to reports from the WARC gathering at Accra in 2004 in which the author was a participant. Keywords: Accra Confession, Public Theology, African Christianity, Christian Public Witness.