Biblio Format	Annotation
Abe, G. O. "Theological Concepts of Jewish and African Names of God." Asia Journal of Theology 4:2 (1990): 424-429.	Names are significant in both African and Hebrew contexts. This paper looks at names of God in Hebrew and various African contexts and compares them.
Abe, Gabriel Oyedele. "The Influence of Nigerian Music and Dance on Christianity." Asia Journal of Theology 5:2 (1991): 296-310.	Music and dance are prominent and indispensable among the arts in Nigerian culture. This article examines the influence of Christianity on music and dance with respect to Christian beliefs and practices as demonstrated in the act of worship. Starts with OT, then ancient near east, then NT, then early missionary work in Nigeria, and finally contemporary setting.
Abijole, Bayo. "St. Paul's Concept of Principalities and Powers in African Context." Africa Theological Journal 17:2 (1988): 118-29.	Concept of world powers very much part of Paul's thinking and theology; this is explored and the relevance to the contemporary African context is discussed.
Aboagye-Mensah, Robert K. "Mission and Democracy in Africa: The Problem of Ethnocentrism." International Bulletin of Missionary Research 17:3 (July 1993): 130-33.	Africa faces several massive obstacles as it embarks on its democratic experiment. One such problem--and the focus of this article--is ethnocentrism. My thesis is that the African church in its missionary witness has some positive contributions to make in addressing the problem of ethnocentrism. First, I define what I mean by the term "ethnocentrism." Second, I show briefly that the single-party system has failed to address the problem of ethnocentrism in Africa. Third, I point out some of the contributions that the African church has made in dealing with the issue of ethnocentrism, and what further contributions it can make in the democratization of the continent. My conclusion is that a faithful missionary witness of the church will have massive impact on the success of democracy in Africa.
Abogunrin, S. O. "The Total Adequacy of Christ in the African Context." Ogbomoso Journal of Theology 1 (January 1986): 9-16.	The church in Africa today is concerned about indigenization and contextualization It needs to be equally concerned about the dangerous heresies of syncretism, of the direct and indirect denial of the uniqueness, power and adequacy of Christ, and of the denial of the completeness of our salvation in him and through him. The question of the uniqueness and total adequacy of Jesus Christ is given emphasis in every New Testament book. For reasons of space and relevance, however, we shall limit this discussion to two passages in Colossians (1:13-23; 2:8-3:5). The aim of this article is to examine the Colossian heresy and see how it relates to Christianity in Africa, with particular reference to the uniqueness of Christ, his conquest of principalities and powers and the fulness of the salvation provided for man once and for all by God through Christ's atoning death and resurrection.
Ackermann, Denise. "Engaging Freedom: A Contextual Feminist Theology of Praxis." Journal of Theology for Southern Africa 94 (March 1996): 32-49.	My purpose in this paper is to explore the contribution of a feminist theology of praxis in which the notion of 'liberating praxis' is a central concern to the present South African context. The actual histories of living women and other marginalized and oppressed people struggling against race, gender and class oppressions are an important source for my reflections.
Ackermann, Denise. "Faith and Feminism: Women Doing Theology." In Doing Theology in Context: South African Perspectives, ed. John W. de Gruchy and Charles Villa-Vicencio, 197-211. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1994.	Years ago, as part of the collect in a eucharistic service, I was asked to pray that I might grow to my full manhood'. This simple request jarred me into a new consciousness. What was happening?. The prayers were led by male priests; God was addressed almost exclusively as 'Father'; in the hymns we sang lustily about 'sons' or 'men' of God; and the sermon was preached by a man who relied for his interpretation of Scripture on men's experience of the world around us. There have been changes. However, nearly two thousand years of a male dominated church, backed by theology that is derived from male scholarship and experience, cannot be dealt with simply by ordaining women or a commitment to inclusive language, important as such steps may be. Profound changes are required. Feminist theology is one of the vehicles through which women express a critique of existing theology and religious practices, and contribute creatively towards the unfinished dimension of theology.
Ada, Mary Juliana and Isichei, Elizabeth. "Perceptions of God in the Churches in Obudu." Journal of Religion in Africa 7:3 (1975): 165-73.	One of the most interesting and least studied dimensions of Christianity in contemporary Africa concerns the way in which the churches are actually perceived at the grassroots level, in the villages. How are the various denominations seen, by those within, and without? How do traditionalists see the Christian presence, and define their own role in relationship to, it? The essay which follows seeks to shed some light on these questions, in a case study drawn from Obudu, one of the most remote areas in Nigeria. It is not presented as "typical"--though some of the responses may well be. Each such study must exist, as it were, in inverted commas. One must begin by delineating at least fragments of the context--in this case, the Obudu cultural inheritance, and the particular forms of mission activity which impinged on it.
Adeyemo, Tokunboh. "African Contribution to Christendom." Scriptura 39(1991): 89-93.	There is a myth out there that asserts that since the church in Africa is financially poor, there isn't anything it can offer to the rest of the church worldwide. This is untrue. I shall delineate some of the African religious wealth the church in Africa can contribute to Christendom. In this article Christianity in Africa is deemed to be making six contributions to world Christianity. Although the church in Africa is poor, it has much to offer by way of its holistic world view, people-centredness, community orientation, expressive worship, adaptability in mission, and the will to cooperate. The latter is seen particularly in the flourishing of the ecumenical association of evangelicals in Africa,
Adeyemo, Tokunboh. "An African Leader Looks at the Churches' Crises." Evangelical Missions Quarterly 14:3 (July 1978): 151-60.	In his article, the new head of the Association of Evangelicals of Africa and Madagascar describes both external and internal crises facing the churches of Africa. He examines various current ideas from many sources, especially ''New African Theology. " At the same time, he outlines reasons for being hopeful about the future of evangelicals.
Adeyemo, Tokunboh. "Contemporary Issues in Africa and The Future of Evangelicals." Evangelical Review of Theology 2:1 (April 1978): 2-14.	The search for identity sets the tone for a proper understanding of contemporary events in Africa; this article examines four major expressions of this crisis and then discusses issues related to the future of evangelicalism.
Adeyemo, Tokunboh. "Ideas of Salvation." Africa Journal of Evangelical Theology 16:1 (1997): 67-75.	Outlines various approaches to salvation found in world religions, including ATRs and the Christian faith.
Adeyemo, Tokunboh. "Search for Theological Expression for the Church in Africa." Perception 13 (July 1978): 1-4.	Speaking generally, the church usually undergoes five cycles of growth in theological formulation: 1) The evangelistic or kerygmatic stage wherein after the Word has been proclaimed and conversions made, the first fruits are gathered in for worship and constituted as cultic community. 2) Next, these converts are taken through the various catechetical schools for teaching and indoctrination. 3) As the teaching is done, efforts are made to put the literature in local languages (i.e., paraphrase). Commonly, this takes poetic form to aid memorization and dissemination. 4) With growth comes myriads of problems both from within and without. At this stage, apologists arise to write a defense of the faith and steadily contend it. 5) The final stage deals with putting together the beliefs and teaching of the church in systematic form. This credo stage may take various patterns including dogmatic theology, systematic theology, historical theology, etc. Sometimes theology is born out of confrontation, consultation and resolution. Looking at the churches in Africa, we find ourselves still struggling to stand at the third base (i.e., the poetic stage), and simultaneously stretching to reach both the fourth and the fifth base.
Adeyemo, Tokunboh. "The African Church and Selfhood." Evangelical Review of Theology 5:2 (October 1981): 212-223.	From Acts 15, should the Gentiles be circumcised in order to become Christians? or should the Jews be Hellenized so as to be Christians? This is the question that churchmen in Africa are asking today. Before we can worship Jesus Christ the Lord, do we have to be European Christians? Does God understand our Yoruba or Swahili language if we address Him in that language? These are some of the questions that selfhood raises and that are addressed in this article. Sections include the crisis of selfhood, the language of selfhood, the dynamics of selfhood, the expressions of selfhood, the implications of selfhood, and the values of selfhood.
Adeyemo, Tokunboh. "Towards an Evangelical African Theology," Evangelical Review of Theology 7:1 (April 1983): 147-54.	In this essay our attention is focused not so much on the questions of, how, where, what and who should do theology for the Church in Africa as on the discipline itself. Because of this, we have given more space to part two of the paper than to its first part. Nevertheless part one is necessary since it serves as compass in the task before us.
Adiku, E. T. "Settling Disputes Among the Ewe." Missiology 1:2 (April 1973): 67-70.	Descriptions of emic approaches among the Ewe to settling disputes with reflections on application for the Christian worker.
Adogbo, Michael P. "A Comparative Analysis of Prophecy in Biblical and African Traditions." Journal of Theology for Southern Africa 88 (September 1994): 15-20.	There is a general impression, especially among the Jewish translators and ardent adherents of Christianity, that Israelite prophecy was something special and unique and, therefore, it cannot be compared with other forms of revelation as manifested in other religions. The primary objective of this paper is to examine the phenomenon of prophecy in the Bible and to show that the motives stood in some kind of relation to the greater human culture, especially the African traditions.
Adutchum, Ofusu A. "The Church and the Issue of Polygamy." Africa Theological Journal 22:1 (1993): 21-33.	Examination of polygamy in African, biblical, and contemporary church settings. Monogamy set out as Christian ideal, but we should not cease from welcoming the polygamist into the church.
Agthe, Johanna. "Religion in Contemporary East African Art." Journal of Religion in Africa 24:4 (1994): 375-88.	This article describes three aspects of religious art in East Africa: firstly it examines the artists' personal attitude to and motivation by the Christian religion; secondly, it looks at Christian and Bible subjects in their paintings; and lastly it considers traditional religion and the newer independent churches as motifs.
Akinade, Akintunde E. "New Religious Movements in Contemporary Nigeria: Aladura Churches as a Case Study." Asia Journal of Theology 10:2 (1996): 316-332.	Case study of Aladura as a NeRM through five questions: 1) What are the reasons for the emergence of these churches? 2) What are their strengths and weaknesses? 3) What challenges do they offer to orthodox or mission churches? 4) What future is there for these churches? 5) What relationships--theological and ecumenical--are likely to emerge between them and older churches?
Akinade, Akintunde E. "'Who Do You Say that I Am?' An Assessment of Some Christological Constructs in Africa." Asia Journal of Theology 9:1 (1995): 181-200.	Christological reflection with what Jesus can do and what Jesus is doing within the African context, built on the presupposition of the necessity of examining both liberative and oppressive dimensions of Nigeria's Christian past.
Aklé, Yvette. "The Religious Role of Women." In Popular Religion, Liberation and Contextual Theology: Papers from a Congress (January 3-7, 1990, Nijmegen, the Netherlands) Dedicated to Arnulf Camps OFM, ed. Jacques Van Nieuwenhove and Berma Klein Goldewijk, 61-69. Kampen, Netherlands: J. H. Kok, 1991.	In Africa, as elsewhere, the malaise remains. A great many consultations and seminars have studied the question of the role of women within society. Women themselves have struggled to redefine their social and religious roles. Yet they have still not managed to find their place in secular life and in the sacred domain. Thus we must once again analyze the roles which the woman plays--and which she is called to play--in African societies. If we are to grasp the nature of relationships in the African context we must first of all study the religious traditions. How, indeed, can we redefine the role of women unless we analyze the myths and the rites, the practices of witchcraft and magic, the composition of the whole range of gods, cults of possession, etc.? The question, which we touch on here is too vast to be dealt with in all its complexity. Nevertheless, we should like to offer some guidelines for analysis and reflection. Before examining the religious role of African women, we must review the situation.
Amoah, Elizabeth and Oduyoye, Mercy Amba. "The Christ for African Women." In With Passion and Compassion: Third World Women Doing Theology: Reflections from the Women's Commission of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians, ed. Virginia Fabella and Mercy Amba Oduyoye, 35-46. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1988.	"Christology" is a familiar word among Christian theologians and one that is quite able to stand by itself and be explicated as a theological issue and concept. The curiosity that arises-if any-will be in relation to the word "women" and the conjunction "and." The import of the conjunction is to my mind that of a question, which could be stated in various ways: What have women to do with the concept of Christology? What do women say about Christology? Is there such a thing as a women's Christology? Do the traditional statements of Christology take into account women's experience of life? What we shall do here is to share some thoughts on the Christ from the perspective of African women. To do this, however, it is undoubtedly of use and interest to begin with what African men say about Christ, since they have dominated the field of written theology. This will necessitate taking a look at scriptures and church history, alongside African Christianity and traditional religions, before coming to what the women of Africa wish to say about Christ.
Anderson, Allan. "African Pentecostalism and the Ancestor Cult: Confrontation or Compromise?" Missionalia 21:1 (April 1993): 26-39.	A subject that has intrigued scholars of African churches, at least since SundkIer's pioneering work in the 1940s, has been the relationship between Christian and African traditional beliefs. The ancestor cult, occupying such a pivotal place in this discussion, is a belief which has met with widely differing Christian responses. This article analyses responses to the ancestor cult in "African Pentecostal churches," partly because they form one of the most significant movements in African Christianity, and partly because their encounter with the African religious thought world has penetrated that world more effectively than has any Western theologising. Much of the information presented in this paper was gathered during field research in Soshanguve, Pretoria between 1990 and 1992. The research consisted of a preliminary quantitative survey conducted between October 1990 and April 1991 in which 1638 families were interviewed.
Anderson, Allan. "Pentecostal Pneumatology and African Power Concepts: Continuity or Change?" Missionalia 19:1 (April 1990): 65-74.	Posits that a teaching and practice concerning the Holy Spirit found in Africa that is both biblical and contextualized in African life spawns a dynamic Christianity that goes a long way towards meeting Africa's needs in this realm.
Anderson, Allan. "The Hermeneutical Processes of Pentecostal-Type African Initiated Churches in South Africa." Missionalia 24:2 (August 1996): 171-85.	Very little has been written on the subject of hermeneutics and African initiated churches (AICs). Not being a specialist in biblical studies, I do not presume to offer more than a cursory treatment of this subject, arising from reflection on research conducted in Soshanguve, in northern Gauteng between 1991 and 19952. Insights and remarks referred to in this paper were made by AIC church members during numerous interviews conducted'.
Anderson, Joy. "Behold the Ox of God?" Evangelical Missions Quarterly 34:3 (July 1998): 316-20.	Example of a redemptive analogies God uses to draw people to himself from the Dinka of Sudan (includes creation story, personality ox, God's sovereignty, bride wealth, bull of peace and blood wealth).
Anonymous. "Observations along the Road of Muslim Evangelism." Africa Journal of Evangelical Theology 15:1 (1996): 70-81.	Textbook learning of evangelism is inadequate. There is nothing like experience to teach one how to witness effectively. This is especially true of Muslim evangelism. The anonymous author of this article has spent nine years in East Africa, much of that time devoted to personal evangelism of Muslims. He has engaged in "friendship evangelism," making friends of Muslims and through that friendship seeking opportunities to evangelize. Out of this intensive and personal experience this anonymous author offers practical suggestions for sharing one's faith with Muslims and leading them to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Apeh, John E. "Doing Indigenous Theology: A Philosophical and Theological Basis." Asia Journal of Theology 8:1 (1994): 54-71.	Explores the reality of foreign (missionary) domination in theological categories and the quest for Africanization of theology. Uses the Igala as a case study to determine the methodology for understanding culture and the philosophical system which undergirds the world view of people and the basis for beliefs and assumptions and hot theological themes/subjects are then identified and arranged.
Apeh, John E. "Socio-Anthropological Implications in Cross-Cultural Church Planting." Asia Journal of Theology 11:2 (1997): 282-292.	Explores the implications of social structure for church planting. Posits that social structure 1) is exemplified in the NT pattern of the church; 2) is inherent in the church planting process; and 3) is foundational to contextualization of the message and the messenger.
Appiah-Kubi, Kofi. "Indigenous African Christian Churches: Signs of Authenticity." Bulletin of African Theology 1:2 (July-Dec. 1979): 241-249.	Reasons for the emergence of the AICs, characteristics, reasons for their attraction and the indigenization of worship in them.
Babalola, E. O. "The Impact of African Traditional Religion and Culture upon the Aladura Churches." Asia Journal of Theology 6:1 (1992): 130-140.	Explores the 'alarming' rate at which the Aladura churches are growing, especially their modus operandi in light of traditional culture. Argues for the contextualization of Christianity through the Aladura churches.
Baker, Ken. "Power Encounter and Church Planting." Evangelical Missions Quarterly 26:3 (July 1990): 306-12.	Why did my evangelical environment treat the demonic as unimportant, or as something limited to "pagan lands"? Because of the way we perceive and understand reality, which is Western and scientific. Our problem is perception and world view. The way Westerners in general perceive reality is the way most Christians do. That's why we have failed to grasp the significance of spiritual warfare.
Balia, Daryl M. "Ethiopianism in South Africa: Roots of Black Theology." Missionalia 25:4 (December 1997): 585-97.	The Ethiopian secessionist movements of the 19th century were the forerunners of the Black Theology movement of the late 1960s in South Africa. Nehemiah Tile was a key figure in this regard, since his Amatile movement was the first of many to secede from mission-founded churches. Ethiopianism, based on the slogan 'Africa for the Africans', gained ground in the late 19th century, as Mangena Mokone and James Dwane also joined. These 'first fruits' of Black Theology should be distinguished from progressive elites like Tiyo Soga and P. J. Mzimba, who were ambivalent regarding the struggle for black emancipation.
Balisky, Lila W. "Theology in Song: Ethiopia's Tesfaye Gabbiso." Missiology 25:4 (October 1997): 447-56.	Thousands of indigenous songs have emanated from a deep wellspring of spirituality within Ethiopia during the past 30 to 40 years. Theological and church educators should be encouraged to acknowledge and examine this body of oral theology as being very significant in effectively communicating to the hearts and minds of the broad Christian public. This article examines the songs of one prominent Ethiopian soloist, Tesfaye Gabbiso, and encourages further inquiry into and appreciation for the songs of the people and the power of song in Christian formation, especially in a society with a predominantly oral orientation to life.
Bares, Alison, ed. All Africa Lutheran Consultation on Christian Theology and Strategy for Mission, ed. Alison Bares, Geneva: Lutheran World Federation Department of Church Cooperation, 1980.
Bate, Stuart C. "Method in Contextual Theology." Missionalia 26:2 (August 1998): 150-85.	Method in Theology and Missiology continues to be problematic. This article provides a contribution to the ongoing debate. The focus of this method is in praxis: Mission is understood here as the ongoing praxis of the church. Missiological method should be a reflection on praxis which provides direction for praxis. The author argues that three steps in method need to be addressed. Firstly that the starting point for reflection is always human experience; experiences of the Christian community. Secondly it Is argued that coming to understand human experience is a process of mediation: a hermeneutic. This mediation must be in terms of the wisdom of the human community whatever that may be, Such mediation is always cultural. In a Western culture the human sciences provide keys for such mediation. Mediation should always be multidisciplinary in order to come to the greatest possible understanding of the experience and to avoid overly ideological interpretation. It is only at this point that we can begin the third stop which Is theological judgment. Such judgment must always be in terms of dearly explicated criteria if it Is not to run the risk of also being too ideological. The article provides an example of the use of this methodology coming from the author's previous research.
Bate, Stuart. "Inculturation: The Local Church Emerges." Missionalia 22:2 (August 1994): 93-117.	Inculturation has become, in a very short time, one of the central issues of the church in Africa. This article provides a survey of the understanding of the term in recent missiological literature and an ecclesiology to serve the concept of inculturation, which is to be understood as the emergence of a local church within a specific context. Concludes: The process of inculturation touches deeply on the issue of the church's mission within a particular context. This mission expresses itself in terms of a diversity of ministries which emerge in response to mediated needs existing in the lives of people within the context. The inculturation model for ministry attempts to ground these ministries within an adequate theology which can aid in the process of discernment, which necessarily must go on as the local church attempts to emerge within a context to fulfill the missionary mandate which has been passed on to it.
Battlle, Roasrio and Batlle, Agustin "An African Case Study." In Theology by the People: Reflections on Doing Theology in Community, ed. Samuel Amirtham and John S. Pobee, 84-90. Geneva: World Council of Churches, 1986.	Describes the Organization of African Initiated Churches (OAIC) Theological Education by Extension (TEE) program as a means of enabling a people theology to develop. The OAIC/TEE program gives an opportunity to all: young people, women who have always been marginalized, and men who are not leaders, lay preachers and pastors, bishops, etc. From the bottom to the top everyone may have the training opportunities to study the Bible. This is a corporate enterprise which involves all the people of God and not just a few that represent the group. This corporate learning enterprise is also in accordance with African tradition that puts emphasis on corporate life. This theological community is also the one that decides on the theologial priorities which need to be studied (or discussed).
Bayinsana, Eugene. "Christ as Reconciler in Pauline Theology and in Contemporary Rwanda." Africa Journal of Evangelical Theology 15:1 (1996): 19-28.	Bayinsana discusses one of the most tragic examples of broken relationships in Africa, the genocide of hundreds of thousands of Christians in Rwanda by other Christians. He examines the biblical teaching of reconciliation and offers practical suggestions for the tragic case of Rwanda which have many applications for all societies which experience broken relationships due to racism, tribalism and injustice.
Bediako, Kwame. "Biblical Christologies in the Context of African Traditional Religions." In Sharing Jesus in the Two Thirds World: Evangelical Christologies from the Contexts of Poverty, Powerlessness, and Religious Pluralism, ed. Vinay Samuel and Chris Sugden, 81-122. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984.	A survey of the issues raised for Christian mission and dialogue with African traditional religions, for developing our understanding and presentation of Jesus, especially examining the understanding of Jesus in relation to the Ancestors and the African concept of Kingship. The writer appeals for a fresh approach to proclaiming Christ amidst African religions, since previous proclamation suffered from disregard of African religion and an inadequate apprehension of the Good News by the missionaries.
Bediako, Kwame. "How is Jesus Christ Lord? Aspects of an Evangelical Christian Apologetics in the Context of African Religious Pluralism." Exchange 25:1 (January 1996): 27-42.	Explores the evangelicals as they sojourn with the serious grappling with ATRs.
Bediako, Kwame. "Jesus in African Culture: A Ghanaian Perspective." In Emerging Voices in Global Christian Theology, ed. William A. Dyrness, 93-121. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994.	Bediako's article takes its starting point from the theological meaning of his Akan cultural practices. In the light of this setting he turns his attention to the theological tradition of Christianity, especially the meaning of Christ's incarnation. He begins with an innocuous question: What does it mean to call Jesus the universal savior? But then he goes on to put an important twist on this confession: what now does it mean to call this universal savior, the savior of the African world? The question becomes more pressing in the light of the fact that the teaching of this Jesus in Africa has all too often not touched the African reality. These considerations bring us near the heart of the problem that he maintains confronts us now: how to understand Christ authentically in the African world.
Bediako, Kwame. "Jesus in African Culture." Evangelical Review of Theology 17:1 (January 1993): 54-64.	The author, a Ghanian of the Akan clan, struggles with his identity as an African and as a Christian and how he relates the gospel to the traditional beliefs and values of his people. He explores two areas: Jesus 'our Savior' who reigns over the spiritual realm and secondly, the relation of Jesus Christ to God (Onyame), creator and sustainer of the universe and to the ancestors. He argues that the rapid spread of Christianity among societies with primal religious systems occurs because Africans find in Jesus Christ the reality and spiritual experience that meets the needs and fears of their traditional religious beliefs and practices. He is careful to show that the gospel judges those elements of primal faith that are contrary to biblical revelation, replaces others and points to the 'new story' of the incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He shows the importance of the Epistle to the Hebrews as a bridge to the knowledge of salvation in Christ.
Bediako, Kwame. "The Doctrine of Christ and the Significance of Vernacular Terminology." International Bulletin of Missionary Research 22:3 (July 1998): 110-11.	Anyone familiar with the writings of contemporary African theologians will be aware of the preference for referring to Jesus Christ in terms derived from African tradition, terms such as Ancestor, Healer, Chief, and Master of Initiation. In response, some theologians (mainly non-Africans) have expressed concern about this prevalence of "African" images that appear to relegate to the background biblical terms for Christ. It has even been suggested, following surveys done at the grass roots, that African Christians in fact prefer biblical titles for Jesus, such as "Savior" and "Messiah" to those derived from African tradition. The question may therefore be asked whether there is a contradiction here, or whether other factors need to be considered in order to arrive at a more accurate understanding of the dynamics of the perception of Jesus Christ in the African context.
Bediako, Kwame. "The Roots of African Theology." International Bulletin of Missionary Research 13:2 (April 1989): 58-65.	When seventy years after the Edinburgh Conference the expression "Christian Africa" becomes current in a major publication of a leading African theologian (see John Mbiti, 1986), it may be worthwhile to investigate whether it is the view at Edinburgh, Westermann's judgment, or Cragg's intuition that has prevailed. What, insofar as it can be discerned, underlies the African apprehension of Christianity at the specific level of religious experience? What are the theological roots of Christianity in Africa as a historical reality in African life, as African Christians themselves, and particularly African theological writers, perceive them?
Bediako, Kwame. "The Significance of Modern African Christianity--A Manifesto." Studies in World Christianity 1:1 (1995): 51-67.	A 5-thesis manifesto proposing the way to move forward in studying Christianity in the African context.
Benson, Stanley. "The Conquering Sacrament: Baptism and Demon Possession Among the Maasai of Tanzania." Africa Theological Journal 9:2 (July 1980): 52-61.	The author enters this discussion with apprehension as he claims no expertise in diagnosis or understanding this phenomenon of demon possession. His knowledge and observations have come in the normal pastoral ministry with these people. Therefore, this paper will be merely a description of what has happened; methods and observations that have been used in the spiritual help and cure of possessed people; and the personal changes theologically and psychologically that the author himself feels has taken place in his thinking and feeling in confrontation with this phenomenon.
Berends, Willem. "African Traditional Healing Practices and the Christian Community." Missiology 21:3 (July 1993): 275-88.	The article draws attention to the continuing popularity of African traditional healing practices, and asks whether African churches and modern medical programs can continue simply to denounce or to ignore such practices The need for a further appraisal becomes apparent when it is shown that the purposes of these healing practices fulfill certain functions not met by modem medicine. When a comparison shows that the healing practices recorded in the Old and New Testaments often have more in common with African traditional practices than with modern medicine, the question whether the African Christian community should reevaluate the traditional healing practices becomes unavoidable.
Berinyuu, Abraham A. "A Transcultural Approach to Pastoral Care of the Sick in Ghana." Africa Theological Journal 16:1 (1987): 53-67.	Description of the model of pastoral care presently practiced by Ghanian Christians and consideration as to by a too-quick referral to a medical doctor may be abdicating their role in the healing process.
Bews, Mike. "The Concept of the 'High God' in Traditional Igbo Religion." International Journal of Frontier Missions 2:4 (October 1985): 315-321.	How applicable is the Old Testament to reaching particular unreached people groups? In this article, Mike Bews demonstrates--through an analysis of the Igbo understanding of Chukwu, the "High God"--that not only has God prepared the way for the presentation of the gospel in the Igbo culture, but also that the key to such a presentation may come through use of the Old Testament.
Beyerhaus, Peter. "The Christian Encounter with Afro-Asiatic Movements." In Christopaganism or Indigenous Christianity?, ed. Tetsunao Yamamori and Charles Russell Taber, 77-96. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1975.	This reflection determines the procedure of this chapter. In the first part I want to describe the phenomenon of the Afro-messianic movements in the categories of anthropology and comparative religion. In the second part I want to identify the syncretistic forces working in these movements from the missiological point of view. In the third part I want to indicate how an improved missionary communication could counteract syncretism by taking in possession the legitimate questions in it, and thus pave the way for a truly indigenous Christian church in South Africa.
Birkett, Margaret. "The Inculturation of the Gospel Message from the Context of African Women Theologians." Feminist Theology 5 (1994): 92-105.	In this paper I attempt a review of inculturation from the perspective of African women theologians. In doing this I first look at the theological context from which these women come to the question of inculturation. They have emerged from a group of 'Third World' theologians and are a sign of what can happen when the people from the Third World unite in order to empower one another. The second part of this paper looks briefly at the content of the African women's view of the inculturation of the Christian message. It is not possible here to deal with the whole of their theology, I therefore confine my examination to a study of their Christology: how does the African woman view the person of Christ? African women are an important resource in the process of inculturation as they bring with them their own cultures from the perspective of educated women. This involves them in a critical approach which includes an evaluation of their culture and challenges Christians everywhere to take. the women's view seriously in order to 'bring about a new creation'. In the third part of the paper I examine more closely the sources of the theology expressed by African women theologians as 'third-way theology' in order to understand their methodology. I shall compare their method(s) with the hermeneutical cycle described by C. Rene Padilla,' and Schreiter's Contextual Model.' In my conclusions I evaluate the contribution of these women within my own context as a European woman ministering with Nigerian women.
Bosch, David J. "God in Africa: Implications for the Kerygma." Missionalia 1:1 (April 1973): 3-20.	This paper is prompted by the conviction that in the past far too genuinely little theological reflection has been devoted to the implications of the traditional African concepts of God for the proclamation of the Christian Gospel. Many similarities were often pointed out and many analogies constructed, but this was usually done on a rather superficial level, without going into the existentials underlying the traditional African and Scriptural concepts respectively. A serious reexamination of our message from this angle is an urgent priority, but in order to be able to do this, we need a thorough theological and socio-cultural evaluation of the traditional African concepts of God--something which has so far largely been lacking. We shall now attempt to understand at least something of this traditional attitude, looking at it not so much from an ethnological as from a theological angle. Some possible implications for our Christian kerygma will be hazarded in the concluding part of this paper.
Bosch, David J. "Missionary Theology in Africa." Indian Missiological Review 6:2 (April 1984): 105-139.	Surveys written theology (essentially what Bosch refers to as missionary theology) south of the Sahara by Africans as seen in published monographs.
Boshoff, Carel. "Christ in Black Theology." Missionalia 9:3 (November 1981): 107-25.	To concentrate on the Christology of Black Theology we need a clear vision of the situation in which Black Theology functions, the character of theology from a Black Theological viewpoint and finally the position of Christ in that structure. At the end we should make an effort to identify the hermeneutics of Black Theology and evaluate it in the light of Scripture.
Bowen, Earle and Dorothy. "Contextualizing Teaching Methods in Africa." Evangelical Missions Quarterly 25:3 (July 1989): 270-75.	Advocates contextualizing not only the curriculum but also the teaching methods in African contexts in terms of Witkin's field-dependence and field-independence, giving multiple suggestions for approaching field-dependent students (which their research indicates is more typical for Africans).
Bowers, Paul. "Evangelical Theology in Africa: Byang Kato's Legacy." Evangelical Review of Theology 5:1 (April 1981): 35-39.	Review and apologetic for Byang Kato's book Theological Pitfalls in Africa, and concludes: Pitfalls represents a new direction in the theological debate, and, whatever the flaws, stands as a pioneering attempt in a critically necessary task for all true African Christian thinking. Pitfalls remains Kato's spirited challenge to African Christianity to move from theological complacency to theological responsibility and alertness, in the quest for a Christianity that is "truly African and truly biblical".
Brandel-Syrier, Mia. "The Role of Women in African Independent Churches." Missionalia 12:1 (April 1984): 13-18.	Women are a major force in African Independent Churches, as well as in the African parts of the older or "mission" churches. They have expressed their wishes and imprinted their own point of view almost from the earliest days. They have done so in mainly two roles: as founders and healers/prophetesses in the smaller independent churches, and as members of the special women's organizations which every African church has.
Brown, Don. "The African Funeral Ceremony: Stumbling Block or Redemptive Analogy?" International Journal of Frontier Missions 2:3 (July 1985): 255-266.	The author observes that African rites of passage, and a common funeral ceremony in particular, are characterized by the three prominent stages of separation, transition, and incorporation. Recognizing that these same stages are to be found in the biblical portrayal of spiritual regeneration, he suggests that missionaries highlight the similarity and point to the funeral ceremony, or kilio, as a "redemptive analogy."
Bryant, Robert H. "Towards a Contextualist Theology in Southern Africa." Journal of Theology for Southern Africa 11 (June 1975): 11-19.	In what follows I shall be presenting a brief and somewhat tentative indication of how one would attempt to formulate or, better, to do Christian theology contextually within Southern Africa today. Black theologies represent one important effort to interpret the Bible and the Christian message contextually in Southern Africa. Will theologies of this type succeed better than some of the theologies formulated by whites in Southern Africa and elsewhere in resolving the dilemma of being able to communicate the "good news" about the one God revealed in Jesus Christ in terms concretely related to the pains and joys of the groups they feel called to serve, while at the same time not permitting their words to become twisted to become propaganda unable to see beyond the interests of those groups? It is too early to know the answer.
Burleson, Blake Wiley. "John Mbiti's Theology as a Reflection of the Archaic Notion of Corporate Personality." Africa Theological Journal 21:2 (1992): 164-87.	Explores Mbiti's criticism of the individualism missionaries exported to Africa and the implications of a corporate approach to ethics, ecclesiology, Christology, and eschatology.
Burlington, Gary. "Topography of a Zambian Storyland." International Journal of Frontier Missions 15:2 (April-June 1998): 75-81.	Looking for cultural support patterns in the indigenous stories can help bolster the impartation of the Gospel in ways which aid believers in their own "Journey " toward becoming better equipped disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Buti, Sam. "Black Theology--What Is It? In Facing the New Challenges: The Message of PACLA, December 9-19, 1976, Nairobi, ed. Michael Cassidy and Luc Verlinden, 227-31. Kisumu, Kenya: Evangel Publishing House, 1978.	Black theology, by offering a new way of theologizing, desires to be helpful in discovering the truths about Black and White people, about their past and present, and about God's will for them in their commonwealth. Black theology sincerely believes that it is possible to recapture what was sacred in the African community long before white men came--its solidarity, respect for life, humanity and community. It must be possible not only to recapture it, but to enhance it and bring it to full fruition in contemporary genuine community. Life beyond much struggle and despair, beyond reconciliation will not come without some conflict. it will come through faith and courage. For Blacks this is the courage to be Black. Yet this need not be another worldly dream. It is as real as Africa itself. One is only human because of others. With others, for others, is Black theology. It is authentic. It is worthwhile. It is in the more profound sense of the word, Gospel truth.
Butler, Carolyn. "Applying God's Grace to an Animistic Society." Evangelical Missions Quarterly 29:4 (October 1993): 382-89.	These gleanings on the challenges of sharing the message of grace in an animistic culture are simply discernments from my readings and observations mostly resultant from my own sense of failure and frustration. But more recently. thankfully, have come insights into how to combat the forces of evil actively at work in this culture. Such personal findings must be viewed in a specific setting, discerned within a definite culture. This information is set against a background of the Bantu culture of Zaire, against the backdrop of the ministry of African Christian Mission (ACM).
Chikane, Frank. "Doing Theology in a Situation of Conflict." In Resistance and Hope: South African Essays in Honour of Beyers Naude, ed. Charles Villa-Vicencio and John W. De Gruchy, 98-102. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985.	About three years ago the Institute for Contextual Theology (ICT) brought together concerned and committed Christians from different parts of southern Africa to grapple with the question of 'doing theology' in our situation of conflict in South Africa. This programme resulted in small group discussions, workshops, seminars, conferences, short-term research programs and involvement in particular social and political struggles. Several questions have arisen from this exercise. What is the difference between 'doing' theology and 'learning' or 'studying' theology? What is the theological position of the church in relation to this conflict? This essay focuses on the theological methodology that has emerged. An attempt is made to identify a contrast between the traditional method of theology and a newly emerging methodology.
Chikane, Frank. "The Incarnation in the Life of the People of South Africa." Journal of Theology for Southern Africa 51 (June 1985): 37-50.	In trying to develop a better understanding of the meaning and implications of the incarnation in the life of the people in southern Africa we are going to first review critically the prevailing Christological models from which we can extract the various conceptions or misconceptions about this Logos that became flesh. We shall include here the models advanced by African Theology, theology of the African Indigenous Churches and the Black Theology of Liberation. The second part of this paper, which will naturally be the most difficult, will engage in a struggle for a reconstruction of this concept of incarnation and the development of a new understanding of it. Our goal is to come up with a "new incarnation" which will then produce in us a new life which we shall "live in the flesh by faith in the son of God". (Gal. 2:20)
Chinchen, Delbert. "The Patron-Client System: A Model of Indigenous Leadership." Evangelical Missions Quarterly 31:4 (October 1995): 446-451.	Can missionaries, in effect, fulfill the role of the patron on a patron-client system? They can, if they understand the patron-client system found In most non-Western societies. This indigenous style of discipling is practiced naturally by many national Christian leaders.
Chinchen, Delbert. "Valentine's Day Comes to Africa." Evangelical Missions Quarterly 34:2 (April 1998): 198-204.	Discusses clashes between modern and traditional ways of life in Africa using the way Valentine's Day in Nairobi as a starting point. The moral fabric of traditional societies in Africa is in danger of being torn apart by the sheer force of invading values; this article examines the reactions and effects together with the ways Africans are adjusting to these changes and the role of the church in the midst of the dust storm.
Christensen, Thomas G. "Suggestions from an African View of the World." Dialog 30:4 (Fall 1991): 284-89.	Presentation of Gbaya (Cameroon and Central African Republic) world view and proposal that it offers a way back to biblical symbols for American Christians.
Cochrane, James R. "Christ and Culture: Now and Then." Journal of Theology for Southern Africa 71 (June 1990): 3-17.	Whichever way one describes the matter, the conflict of interpretations of the fact of the Christian Church drives us to take seriously the question of Christ and culture, as much as it does to ask the reasons for the conflict in South Africa, and the potential for any way forward. The rest of this essay will attempt just this task, utilizing themes introduced by H. Richard Niebuhr in his classic work which gives the title to this paper. He will function as our dialogue partner of the past, the one who will remind us of the need to debate not just with contemporaries but with all who have tried in their own times and places to give testimony to the "dangerous memory" of Jesus Christ. Alongside and through him I shall introduce our contemporary debate.
Cochrane, James R.; Henderson, Ian W.; and West, Gerald O. Bibliography in Contextual Theology in Africa. Pietermaritzburg, South Africa: Cluster Publications, 1993.
Cochrane, James R. "Resistance, Reconstruction and Theology: Truth and Method in Question and Under Fire." In The Relevance of Theology for the 1990s, ed. J. Mouton and Bernard C. Lategan, 59-82. Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council, 1994.	Cochrane investigates the way in which the question of the adequacy of theological truth claims arises in the contemporary South African milieu, where political struggles and the demands of reconstruction bring to the fore many counterclaims to truth. Some criticism of Christian truth claims in this context and a generalized conflict of interpretations lead to raising fundamental methodological questions for theology. In this respect, the main body of this paper addresses the problematic division between the fields of hermeneutics (with its tendency to depend, upon idealist philosophies and language as the location or, reality) and practical, action (with the concept of praxis functioning to determine many claims. for truth). The dualism, often expressed by these two approaches remains central to much methodological debate. A concept of "linguisticality" helps bridge the divide.
Cole, Victor. "How Can We Africanize our Faith: Another Look at the Contextualization of Theology." East Africa Journal of Evangelical Theology 3:2 (1984): 3-20.	Though the term 'contextualization' has been around for over a decade, no clear consensus has emerged as to the meaning, the bases and the process involved in contextualization. This articles offers a perspective to the ongoing discussion. It also surveys the development of local theologies from around the world. Critical differences are noted in four areas: the view of theology, the data base for theologizing, the authority base in theologizing, and the hermeneutical principles employed.
Collins, Travis M. "Understanding Worship from a Missiological Perspective." Ogbomoso Journal of Theology 6 (December 1991): 32-39.	The most meaningful and life-changing worship is characterized by indigeneity. Indigenous worship takes place when the Christian community worships according to "form of thought and modes of action natural and familiar in its own environment." The phenomenal growth of African Independent Churches often is attributed to their self-expressive, or indigenous, liturgy. Kofi Appiah-Kubi submitted that these churches, as opposed to "Euro-American missionary churches," seek in their liturgy to provide "forms of worship that satisfy both spiritually and emotionally and to enable Christianity to cover every area of human life and fulfill all human needs." Space limitations will not allow a thorough defense of the concept of indigeneity. However, moving from the presupposition that indigenous worship is theologically, biblically, and pragmatically sound, this article will be an attempt to provide guidelines for all those who wish to encourage the emergence of indigenous worship.
Daidanso, ma Djongwe. "An African Critique of African Theology," Evangelical Review of Theology 7:1 (April 1983): 63-72.	Explores African theology, introducing the background and sources and three main tendencies: 1) ethnotheologians who consider ATRs as valid as Christianity; 2) syncretistic theologians who are torn between the politico-socio-religious analysis and the quest for African identity and 3) evangelical theologians who work in context of an infallible Word of God and appropriately critical attitudes towards their context. Concludes with critical remarks in four categories: 1) terminology and definitions; 2) the foundation; 3) the contents; and 4) areas of application.
Daneel, M. L. "African Christian Theology and the Challenge of Earthkeeping." In The Relevance of Theology for the 1990s, ed. J. Mouton and Bernard C. Lategan, 435-76. Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council, 1994.	Daneel examines the religiously based ecological conservationist activities of the AZSM (Association of Zimbabwean spirit mediums)--a traditionalist organization consisting mainly of spirit mediums, chiefs and ex-combatants, currently operating in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe. In this movement the inspiration derived from the ancestral world and traditional high-god cult during the liberation war (chimurenga) is extended into the field of ecology, manifesting in the successful mobilization of rural communities in tree-planting campaigns. AZSM activities undoubtedly pose a challenge to Christian churches in Africa. A description is given of new patterns of dialogue between African traditionalists and Christians emerging in the context of tree-planting ceremonies. An attempt is also made to trace the challenge of earthkeeping to an African Christian theology in terms of ecologically contextualized sacraments (which include the ritual reinterpretation of conversion and sin), a new approach to the inspiration of ancestors in church life, and an ecological interpretation of the triune God.
Daneel, Marthinus L. "African Independent Church Pneumatology and the Salvation of All Creation." Theologia Evangelica 25:1 (1992): 35-55.	Attempts to show that the richness of the Spirit's involvement in these AICs was never obscured by prophetic preoccupation with historically and contextually determined issues as a given period in history. Prophetic involvement in the political liberation struggle and the concomitant image of the Holy Spirit as liberator of the oppressed, for instance, quenched neither the missionary spirit and zeal for individual conversions, nor the propagation of eternal salvation in the present yet still coming Kingdom of God.
Daneel, Marthinus L. "Black "Messianism": Corruption or Contextualisation." Theologia Evangelica 17:1 (1984): 40-77.	This paper underscores the importance of a theological assessment of African Independent Churches. It portrays the negative judgment of some missiologists of the so-called messianic movements. On the basis of a western categorical approach, the churches of Shembe, Lekhanyane, and Kimbangu were incorrectly seen as non-Christian or post-Christian. In a discussion of the Christology, pneumatology, and eschatology of these movements, the inherent theological weaknesses are pointed out. It is contended, however, on the basis of empirical facts relating to the Shona Independent Churches in Zimbabwe, that the so-called black "messiah" figures are concerned with a legitimate contextualization of the Christian message related to their own cultural and religious background. In essence they represent defective but genuine Christian churches with a presupposed Christology, a prominent pneumatology, and a realized-futuristic eschatology. Two important matters emerge quite clearly: the essential role of empirical research in theology and the imperative need for ecumenical cooperation between the historic and independent churches, owing to the positive judgment of the Christian nature of the latter.
Daneel, Marthinus L. "The Christian Gospel and the Ancestor Cult." Missionalia 1:2 (August 1973): 46-72.	All too often the Christian practice has been to judge the ancestor cult as heathenish idolatry without considering' the psycho-social factors which are at work in this belief. In so doing, we did not do justice to the elenctic approach to the traditional African. There is, therefore, every inducement to take the empirical survival of the ancestor cult and its nature and influence in the lives of African Christians seriously and to determine its scope before a responsible theological approach can be made to the existing problems, In this paper we shall first consider the traditional ancestor cult and rites, in an attempt to show the actual and still surviving ramifications of them. Then the various methods of approach to the ancestor cult of the Protestant, Roman Catholic and Independent Churches will be discussed before concluding with a few theological remarks. It should be noted here that this is not intended to be a study of theological sources nor of the African in general. This is a study in depth of the Shona of Zimbabwe.
Daneel, Marthinus L. "The Encounter between Christianity and Traditional Culture: Accommodation or Transformation?" Theologia Evangelica 22:3 (1989): 36-51.	The main focus of this paper is on the influence of four theological traditions (Catholic, Reformed, African theologians, and AICs) on emerging concepts of God in African Christianity. An attempt is made to assess the extent to which these traditions contribute towards an understanding and experience of God within the orbit of daily living.
Daneel, Marthinus L. "Towards a Theologia Africana? The Contribution of Independent Churches to African Theology." Missionalia 12:2 (August 1984): 64-89.	It would be impossible to qualify in full the nature of the positive contribution of the Independent Churches to universal theology in the course of a single conference paper. The focal point of this paper is to highlight their significance for a theologia africana in terms of their approach to the African traditional world view and religion. For in their own way they are evolving a relevant theology of religions, not in written form but preached out and enacted in symbolic ritual. Their religious life in itself represents a rudimentary and unsophisticated, yet in many respects original and genuine process of contextualisation. They create the kind of context in which dialogue and confrontation between the Christian message and traditional religion takes place consistently. I shall first of all attempt to qualify the process of dialogue and then reflect on a few of the implications for a contextualised concept of God and particularly for a relevant Christology, which, after all, represents the heartbeat of all Christian theology.
Dapila, Fabian N. "The Importance of the Dagaaba Ancestors and Their Role in the Process of Inculturation." Mission 3 (1996): 91-122.	Examines Dagaaba of west Africa social structure (especially ancestors) and the sacred dimensions of social activities in light of the social structure, then explores Catholic teachings on death and the saints, and finally develops an approach to integrate the two.
de Carvalho, Emilio J. M. "What Do the Africans Say That Jesus Christ Is?" Africa Theological Journal 10:2 (1981): 17-25.	The great variety of African, expressions of Christian faith allows us to answer this question dogmatically. The experience of the Africans that "offered their hands, i.e., themselves, to Christianity" by means of the missionaries, varies from people to people. But there is a common basis. It is from this encounter between the African religion and Christianity and also vice versa, that "an African experience" of the Jesus Christ of the Bible came about. There arose what James H. Cone calls "a different African option," an, indigenous theological thought, an answer of the black African People to the revelation, of God in Jesus Christ. The Word became flesh also in the African situation and dwelled among us!
de Carvalho, Emilio J. M. "Who is Jesus Christ for Africa Today?" Africa Theological Journal 10:1 (1981): 27-36.	This paper is just a small essay; an effort to gather some of the experiences around this Jesus, who is at the same time God's revelation of the African religion and Christianity. It is an attempt to draw an outline of the complex and many-sided African testimony of this Jesus Christ taught by the Church, and to appreciate the consequences of this "encounter of Africa with God in Jesus Christ."
de Gruchy , John W. and Villa-Vicencio, Charles, eds. Doing Theology in Context: South African Perspectives. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1994.
De Gruchy, John W. "Confessing Theology." In Doing Theology in Context: South African Perspectives, ed. John W. de Gruchy and Charles Villa-Vicencio, 162-72. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1994.	Confessing theology is concerned with the faith and obedience which he behind the historic creeds and confessions, and which are expressed in particular situations. Of course, we are not suggesting that doing Confessing theology is the same as engaging in the act of confessing Jesus as Lord, for like all theology, Confessing theology is a second-stage operation, a reflection on the witness of the church, in this instance on confessing Jesus as Lord within particular contexts. At the same time Confessing theology also prepares the way for the church to confess its faith in new situations, both by reminding it of its obligation to do so and by helping it to understand what such a confession may mean within new historical moments. Confessing theology today recognizes the legitimacy of a plurality of theological approaches, and of the need to be in critical correlation with them. It also recognizes the dangers of rhetoric against heresy. At the same time, Confessing theology insists that there are parameters and boundaries to what Christians believe and confess, and that time and again it is necessary to recognize the arrival of a status confessionis or kairos and therefore of heresy. Hence Confessing theology continues to insist that it is always necessary that the church stand for the truth of the gospel in a way which is dear and uncompromising, and that at some moments this requires a recognition of heresy and a corresponding confession of Jesus as Lord.
De Gruchy, John W. "South African Theology Comes of Age." Religious Studies Review 17 (1991): 217-223.	A seminary professor in the United States is reported to have told one of our American graduate students at the University of Cape Town that he should study with us because South Africa has become one of the significant places to do theology today. The comment reflects a remarkable change of perspective from not so long ago when it was assumed, not least by South Africans, that the place to study theology was Europe or North America. Without minimizing the importance of the many institutions of theological reflection in South Africa, the developments in them and the role which a variety of administrators and teachers have played in them, it nevertheless remains true that South African theology has reached maturity largely because of the context within which it is being done, because of the contribution which at least some theology has made to the struggle against apartheid, and because the insight, experience, and challenge that all of this generates is of wider ecumenical and academic significance.
de Gruchy, John W. "The Nature, Necessity and Task of Theology." In Doing Theology in Context: South African Perspectives, ed. John W. de Gruchy and Charles Villa-Vicencio, 2-14. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1994.	An integral part of 'doing theology' is examining the way in which Christian thought and action have developed and been expressed by others both in our own time and throughout Christian history. But studying theology has significance only in so far as it enables us to do theology today with better insight and greater faithfulness to the gospel. Hence the use of the word 'praxis" in the title of this series to emphasize the connection between theological reflection and Christian witness or mission in the world. Christian theology, as we know it today, has developed over the centuries into an academic discipline alongside many others. In stressing the need to 'do theology in context' we are not saying that theology is not such a discipline; we are trying rather to show how such a discipline as theology relates to Christian praxis. In order to do this, let us take a few steps back and briefly consider how Christian theology has developed into the scientific discipline it has become.
De Gruchy, John W. "Theologies in Conflict: The South African Debate." In Resistance and Hope: South African Essays in Honour of Beyers Naude, ed. Charles Villa-Vicencio and John W. De Gruchy, 85-97. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985.	It is only now at the end of the colonial period, under the impact of the dynamics of a changing social, political and ecclesiastical environment, that we have begun to perceive how much of our theology is wedded to particular interests that are contrary to the gospel. While European theology might accuse African theology of syncretism, or black theology of ideological captivity, much European theology is guilty of both. If the present theological conflict has done nothing else it has forced upon us the need to face these issues and the need to question the usefulness and validity of imported, undigested and regurgitated theologies, and to work more consciously towards a genuine contextual theology for South Africa. In such an endeavor the theological heritage of Europe, liberated from a colonial mentality, racism, and its captivity to a secularized Western world view, and the theological heritage of Africa will no longer simply confront each other, but interact in the service of the gospel of the reign of God in Jesus Christ, in our context.
de Gruchy, Steve. "Doing Theology in the Kalahari." Journal of Theology for Southern Africa 99 (November 1997): 58-62.	How do we do theology in rural Africa? Further reflection and contact with others suggest that the question touches on the relationship between academic theology and theological educators on the one hand, and the people of God in Africa on the other. It has to do with forging an identity that is both Christian in terms of its dialogue with the Scriptures and tradition, and African in terms of its method and content. Whilst a final answer is perhaps still far off, in the process of working and sharing with people in various courses at the Kalahari Desert School of Theology a number of key elements to the answer have become clear. These themes provide something of a direction towards that answer, and include the areas of 1) focus on the laity; 2) empowering local leaders; 3) appropriate use of the Bible; 4) keeping theology contextual, 5) giving knowledge to enable empowerment, and 6) the liturgical context of theological development and expression.
Deist, Ferdinand E. "'Contextualisation' as Nomadic Existence." Scriptura S9 (1991): 47-66.	Botha (1991) refers to various approaches to 'contextualisation', some of which proceed from the assumption that Scripture should interpret present situations, while others insist on letting present situations interpret Scripture. In what follows I shall discuss a South African example of each of these approaches (Potgieter 1989 and Mosala 1989) to show that, since both approaches may for good reasons be viewed as either 'contextual' or 'non-contextual' our (intuitive) definition of 'contextuality' appears to be at the least ambiguous. Discussing the problematic nature of these two approaches I intend to show that (a) a contingent socio-political framework provides too narrow a basis for a truly contextual theology, (b) not every theology that is relevant for a particular contingent situation is necessarily contextual, (c) not every social theory that can explain a situation is suitable for constructing a truly contextual theology for that situation, and to suggest an approach that could assist us in speaking less vaguely about 'contextual theology'.
Deng, Francis M. "Dinka Response to Christianity: The Pursuit of Well-Being in a Developing Society." In Vernacular Christianity: Essays in the Social Anthropology of Religion Presented to Godfrey Lienhardt, ed. Wendy James and Douglas Hamilton Johnson, 146-56. New York: Lilian Barber Press, 1988.	Among the Dinka, as with many other African peoples, the reception of the Christian message of salvation has been ambivalent. As Godfrey Lienhardt has persuasively argued in his article 'The Dinka and Catholicism', Dinka reaction to the Christian mission was a complex process in which parallels, contrasts, acceptance and rejection were all intertwined. In this essay I will focus on Dinka ideas of well-being as they have operated in both traditional and Christian religious life. I will aim to demonstrate how Dinka values and cultural patterns interplayed with Christian principles in a process which, though frequently mutually supportive and reinforcing, was also fraught with cross-cultural misunderstandings, tensions and conflicts. Drawing mainly on songs, we will see how Christian education has positively transformed traditional notions and at the same time subtly undermined Dinka confidence in their ability to achieve the well-being they seek.
Dickson, Kwesi A. and Kalilombe, P. A. (Moderators) "Development of African Theologies." Mission Studies 2:1 (1985): 93-96.	A diversity of approaches to and opportunities for African theologies was highlighted in this workshop discussion. The wide-ranging exploration addressed such questions as: What is theology? What does it mean to "do theology" in Africa? What is the theologian's starting point'.) What is the situation to be addressed? What trends have emerged as African theologians have addressed situations in Africa? What is the relation between academic and popular ways of talking about God? What is the role of the Bible in the theological task? Accepted definitions of theology emphasized three components: an experience of encounter with God in. Jesus Christ; reflection on this experience in terms of the human situation; and expression of that reflection in the people's language, this conceived broadly to include mother tongue, patterns of preaching, art, music, dance and other expressions. It was pointed out that when theology becomes explicit, that is simply the articulation of the experiences and perceptions of God already implicit in the Christian praxis of the People of God and, more generally, the human family.
Dickson, Kwesi A. (Moderator) "Development of African Theologies." Mission Studies 1:2 (1984): 53-61.	Notes on discussion from a workshop on the development of African theologies. The need to make the Christian faith more relevant, given the inadequacies of indigenization as popularly conceived, gave rise to much discussion which yielded the expression African Theology. The term African Theology has been the center of some controversy, especially as it has been seen by some to represent simply an attempt to disguise African religion, labeling it as Christianity. The expression is indeed likely to be misunderstood if it is not properly explicated, for quite legitimately, it could be used to describe the articulation of African traditional religious thought. However, as it is used by those who question the relevance of Christian life and thought as propagated by emissaries from the West, it is meant to represent a radical rethinking of faith in Christ, having in mind the African's religio-cultural, socioeconomic and political circumstances. Indeed, with the formation of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians in Tanzania in 1976, the thinking of African theologians was situated within what may be loosely described as Liberation Theology.
Dierks, Friedrich. "Communication and World-View." Missionalia 11:2 (August 1983): 43-56.	My aim is to show what influence world view has on communication. When I speak of communication, I refer specifically to missionary communication of the Christian message, which frequently is cross-cultural. This means that two different cultures, their systems and thought-forms are involved, and the Christian message is entangled in the complicated relationship between culture and religion and its many features and aspects. In this paper we cannot deal with the complicated issue of the relation between Christianity and culture in general. We shall, however, approach the problem from the limited perspective of the communication of the Christian message. I shall argue that with regard to Christian communication we should make a distinction between the formal component of human culture which we call "world view" and the material components of human culture of which religion is the most important and prominent one.
Douglas, Stephanie R. "Bringing Order to Chaos: The Role of Typologies in the Study of African Christian Movements." Mission 5 (1998): 257-73.	This study has shown that a good typology will yield many fruitful areas of study. Ogbu Kalu chose a clear and limited set of variables for his typology which reveal his stance regarding African historiography and the assessment of church movements (Kalu, The Embattled Gods, London: Minaj Publishers, 1996). By studying the variables of his typology, we discovered that for Kalu, ACM research must begin by addressing the problem of church. A comparison of types, a computational analysis and the application of findings from other research to Kalu's typology point us to other promising areas of research. At the same time, we saw that typologies answer a limited set of questions according to the variables chosen. For example, Turner's typology helps students understand the historical and sociological origins of AICs, whereas Kalu's typology raises theological issues concerning ACMs. Finally, I hope this paper has convinced at least some skeptics that typologies are indeed immensely useful things.
Dovlo, Elom. "The Church in Africa and Religious Pluralism: The Challenge of New Religious Movements and Charismatic Churches." Exchange 27:1 (1998): 52-69.	Explores the challenges new religious movements (from ATRs, Islam, and AICs) pose to the contemporary African church and how the "mainline" church needs to respond to the challenges.
Draper, J. A. "‘For the Kingdom Is Inside of You and it Is Outside of You": Contextual Exegesis in South Africa [Lk 13:6-9]." In Text and Interpretation, ed. P. H. Hartin and J. H. Petzer, 235-257. 1991	In attempting to formulate a contextual hermeneutic for South Africa, I accept the reading of the Bible by ordinary people as the presupposition and goal of the whole enterprise (Mesters 1983:125-130; cf. Schottroff & Steggemann 1986:vi; Boff 1987:150). I have attempted to avoid an entirely subjective reading of the text, although the crucial question of `truth' may remain elusive or even insoluble. I concur with Ricoeur in his determination to `resist the temptation to separate truth, characteristic of understanding, from the method put into operation by disciplines which have sprung from exegesis' (Ricoeur 1981:19; cf. Bauckham 1989:16-17) 9 This paper is an attempt to respond methodologically to the challenge of the Kairos Document in the production of a contextual exegesis that can empower an appropriation of meaning from the New Testament text by those engaged in the struggle for democracy in South Africa today.
Droogers, Andre. "The Africanization of Christianity, An Anthropologist's View." Missiology 5:4 (October 1977): 443-56.	Our sincerest efforts to facilitate Africanization may prove counter-productive. Both Western missiologists or African churchmen are vulnerable to generalized or idealized views of African culture; and these trends may be accentuated either by guilt feelings or cultural chauvinism, leading us to seek solutions in broad theoretical categories rather than in the specific diversity of the real Africa. Droogers believes that a better application of his discipline can help avoid the resultant risk of "artificial Africanization." He urges us to discern realistically, and view more optimistically, the degree of spontaneous folk-level Africanization that has already taken place despite the Western outer-garments that most African churches wear.
Duquoc, Christian; Samanes, Casiano Floristán; and Gardiner, James Aitken, eds. Christian Identity, Edinburgh: T. &T. Clark, 1988.
Dwane, Sigqibo. "Christology in the Third World." Journal of Theology for Southern Africa 21 (December 1977): 3-12.	In the West, theology has to cope with a situation in which, for very many people, life has gone out of every thing said or done in the name of transcendent reality. The task of theology in that situation is to help people to recover the sense of purpose and mystery in the universe. By contrast, theology in the Third World is seeking to make Christianity come home to a religious situation which is throbbing with vitality, and is awaiting the real Christ as its hope of fulfillment. So people in the developing world also have to attend to the humanity of Jesus, who has become a vital concern to them as the demand becomes pressing to meet him face to face, and not via the perspective of an alien culture and alien thought patterns. This article explores the issues involved in fleshing out this need.
Dwane, Sigqibo. "In Search of an African Contribution to a Contemporary Confession of Christian Faith." Journal of Theology for Southern Africa 38 (March 1982): 19-25.	Concludes: I would plead for two things. The first is that any definition or expression of the faith should not so stress the discontinuity between Christianity and culture, or more specifically, primal religion, as to suggest that what God does in creation is radically different from what he does in the unique historical dispensation in the Judaeo-Christian revelation. Secondly, I want to plead that the recognition of the legitimacy of different theological slants arising out of the awareness that there are different perceptions of the one divine reality, and different experiences of his grace, be extended to the developing of theology in non-Western idiom. I want to plead that this should be seen not as a regrettable phenomenon to be tolerated for the sake of peace, but as the inevitable and desirable manifestation of the blossoming of the Christian faith in Africa.
Dzobo, Noah K. "African Ancestor Cult: a Theological Appraisal." Reformed World 38:6 (1985): 333-340.	The African devotion to his ancestors has been taken as the singular characteristic of African religions awareness. This devotion and its object, however, have been misinterpreted and misrepresented both by many foreign and African students of the indigenous African culture. The main purpose of this paper is to present a careful analysis and exposition of this very important African cultural material and to examine it for any theological and philosophical significance which it may have for the development of the Christian faith on the African continent.
Edet, Rosemary and Ekeya, Bette. "Church Women of Africa: A Theological Community." In With Passion and Compassion: Third World Women Doing Theology: Reflections from the Women's Commission of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians, ed. Virginia Fabella and Mercy Amba Oduyoye, 3-13. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1988.	The situation of women and the nature of Christianity in Africa are both shaped by the histories and cultures that are molding contemporary Africa. Our contribution is primarily a descriptive one, sharing the context in which women try to live theologically in Africa. We begin with an overview of Africa's realities as shared by Rosemary Nthamburi of Kenya and Lloyda Fanusie of Sierra Leone, and from our own studies, then we consider women's lives in Africa, with an emphasis on how the changing culture affects and is affected by women. Lastly, we place women in the context of the church and reflect on the shape and content of African women's contributions to Christian theology in Africa.
Edet, Rosemary N. "Christianity and African Women's Rituals." In The Will to Arise: Women, Tradition, and the Church in Africa, ed. Mercy Amba Oduyoye and Musimbi R. A. Kanyoro, 25-39. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1992.	Edet, a Nigerian, focuses on childbirth and the myths, beliefs, and practices associated with it. She develops the theme that although children are loved and celebrated, both sexuality and birthing are viewed negatively within cultural beliefs. She makes a strong link between sexuality and violence, and illustrates it with examples from African oral literature, myths, and rituals.
Edet, Rosemary. "New Roles, New Challenges for African Women." In Third World Women Doing Theology: Papers from the Intercontinental Women's Conference, Oaxtepec, Mexico, December 1-6, 1986. ed. Virginia Fabella and Dolorita Martinez, 109-113. Port Harcourt, Nigeria: Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians, 1987.	1. We propose that EATWOT members get involved in the various church women's organizations in their respective areas as catalysts of self-awareness. They can organize seminars on topics pertinent to women. 2. Each national EATWOT Committee should enlist other women as a support group to the committee. Through this group EATWOT aims will reach the media for public consumption. 3. More women should be encouraged to study theology as well as to prepare for ordained ministry in the liberal churches. In the conservative ones, the congregation should be educated and deconditioned in an effort to liberate the ordained ministry for both sexes in God's service. For church women today, there are new roles and new challenges. The vitality of these roles points to underlying dynamics made up of several theological factors. Today, as in the past, a number of these factors figure in the understanding of the role of women in the Church. These factors relate to a theological understanding of the church, of ministry and of the Christian tradition.
Eitel, Keith E. "Contextualization: Contrasting African Voices." Criswell Theological Review 2 (1988): 323-334.	The innovative focus of Christian theology is shifting to the developing countries of the world. Regions where western missionaries have labored for centuries are now producing theologians who are critiquing the past and forging the future form of the Church around the world. Admittedly, cross-cultural application of the gospel message has been problematic at times. Many well-meaning, but culturally insensitive, missionaries have made the mistake of transplanting an ethnocentric form of Christianity. Contextualization of Christian theology attempts to solve the resulting dilemma. It is both the most necessary and the most dangerous task facing theologians from the developing world. Contextualization is necessary for Christianity to be relevant to Africa, for example, and to lessen the foreignness associated with the church. It, is dangerous because the end product can easily be neither Christian nor African if the method used to contextualize increases the likelihood of syncretism. A context dominant methodology, as opposed to a scripture dominant one, enhances the potential for distorting, biblical truth. This article illustrates these two contextualization methods by evaluating the contrasting thought of two African theologians, John S. Mbiti and Byang H. Kato. The materials for analysis are Mbiti's theological constructs for African theology and Kato's critique of those constructs.
Eitel, Keith E. "The Transcultural Gospel--Crossing Cultural Barriers." Evangelical Missions Quarterly 23:2 (April 1987): 130-37.	The purpose of this article is to suggest (1) a biblical approach to contextualization; (2) a working model for developing a personal, biblical ethic; and (3) a format for using the model in an African setting.
Ejizu, Chris I. "African Christian Widows: An Agonistic Definition." Asia Journal of Theology 3:1 (1989): 174-183.