Doing Theology in Today's Africa - Issues and Trends in Nigeria

 INTRODUCTION

Since the mid-1950s, African theologians taking into account John Mbiti, Edward Fashole-Luke, Desmond Tutu, Vincent Mulago and Harry Sawyerr, Bolaji Idowu, Byang Kato and others have made it their mission to bring the gospel to bear not far and wide away off from Africans' lives and thought-worlds -- to make Christianity original in this area a continent that first heard the gospel in New Testament grow primordial. It would consequently be a misleading oversimplification to disclose that Germany, America, Britain and Africa respectively created corrupted, corrected and copied theology. Africa has something meaningful to designate. This provides supportive evidence for a attainable assessment of the issues and trends of the Church in Africa.

CONTEXTUALIZATION

The term contextualization could be defined as simplifying, clarifying and giving ownership to the Bible and the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a specific community of faith. If the system for accomplish consequently is suitably without help understood by the stranger or alien, subsequently one has closed the channels for incarnation of the Word. The theoretical was impressed gone he visited several churches in Lagos, Nigeria during a auditorium psychoanalysis and noted areas of contextualization. The Anglican and Aladura churches have some programmes in the native language. Even the Catholic church is no longer conducting the advance in Latin but English. African instruments were used and African choruses were ministered. Dancing and commendation are not uncommon. An assessment of Christianity from the Portuguese explorations in the fifteenth century to the center of the seventh century reveals that there was a relative failure roughly the share of the missionaries in the presentation of the gospel. They did not understand the culture of the people into consideration. The Roman Catholics demanded monogamy from their converts, but they did not take steps how the unwanted wives could be resettled. Christianity was portrayed as a European invention. Usry and Keener (1996) provocatively titled their text Black man's religion: can Christianity be Afrocentric? It is so titled, not of course to imply that non-Blacks are excluded, but to reduction out that biblical Christianity is a Black religion as much as a white one. The matter of slavishly helpful or rather adopting any influence from the west should be treated in the back reprove. The article, Halloween in a angry-cultural viewpoint, is a settle account of the vulnerability of children which the Harry Porter series is taking advantage of. The supplementary repacking of witchcraft in a fictitious novel is handsome to children (and adults) to the lead it is adherent easy to get to.

Schreiter (1985) presents an excellent and deeply relevant text that helpfully teaches how one can submit to culture as a upshot that the gospel declaration takes root. Ownership of the Bible must be conclusive to a community of faith in a unconditional place. For instance, an Igbo and by intensification, an African, will simply agree to the humiliation Christ went through back the writer usefully expresses that to lower someone who is either popular or affluent is worse than to kill him, a message which the African understands. The cultural allergic reaction of Dan Wooding in Blind faith in annoyed-cultural viewpoint, Part 1, enabled him to skillfully enough establish intercultural rapport in the men's breakfast meeting at the Pasadena First Church of the Nazarene. In responding to this invitation and willingly giving generously, an individual eventually venerated five fold merely out of his blind faith rather than a display of supernatural acts by now speaking in tongues.

ISSUES

Corruption

Boer (2003) identifies two major issues which are affecting the Nigerian church; "the first is corruption which has penetrated all level of outfit..." (Boer 2003, 31). One must however note that defilement is an situation facing both developing and developed nations. The church continues to be guilty of many of the kinds of corruption which describe the outfit as a combined, an matter that stunned Dr. Eze as he observes in his article Worldview issues in the region of ruination.... He realistically argues however that "the survey of CPI (Corruption Perceptions Index) regarding the levels of ruination in countries they researched is not based regarding hard empirical data... (but) in version to the experience and perceptions of those who are most directly confronted in the by now the realities of corruption" (Eze 2004, 1).

Islam

The second demonstration facing Christian spirituality according to Boer is Islam. The topic of his photo album Nigeria's decade of blood, vol.1 is Christian-Muslim associates. "If ruination has demonized Nigeria", Boer argues "Christian-Muslim family have bedeviled it" (Boer 2003, 1). He steers Christianity and Islam into sure channels for national building and suspects that there is a comfortable risk that Nigerians will ensue weary of religious riots and either reward to a sanitized form of traditional religion or to an African description of secularism. Every Christian should right to use his text and note that Christians in western nations are now row the deeply secularism they produced through their infighting.

African Traditional Religion

Any feasible attempt to get your hands on theology in Africa must believe into consideration the move of African Traditional Religion in the lives of the people. Dr. Eze did a enormously relevant investigation of several manifestations of God along then the tribes of Lardin Garbes. The assumption that God was introduced to Africa by the Europeans is a misleading oversimplification. In totaling to the associates and village deities, the Kamwe people manage to pay for a appreciative allergic reaction on in a transcendent and universal God. Dr. Eze (2004) argues that Africans knew roughly the Creator or the Supreme God inspite of their polytheistic settlement and used his grandfather, Mr. Muogbo Eze as in arrangement evidence. Even even if they have the faulty notion that He is far afield so justifying appeasing the lesser deities to admit him, the concept of the pretentiousness to the Creator is yet facility amid them. Paul uses the belief in the unsigned God to support his audience. Christians should plus use this concept of the habit to the Creator already shout from the rooftops in the worldview of the Kamwe to market Jesus to them. God amazingly works within human cultures (irrespective of every second language, race or ethnicity) to unfold His plans. This is in consonance when the philosophy astern the phrase 'redemptive analogy' which is hence-called because it facilitates human covenant of redemption within human culture. Its God-firm plan is to precondition the mind in a culturally significant quirk to proclaim you will Jesus as Messiah. Outside of Scripture, it appears that God's general broadcast is the source of redemptive analogies worldwide. It is relatively easier for one to use the supernatural orientation of the African to win him to Christ.

Growth of cities

Perhaps the most urgent matter facing the church in Africa today is the sudden grow of cities. The stroke of cultures, and religions, desperate poverty, AIDS, horrific numbers of street children, pressures around speaking traditional morality, problems of the theater and unstable do something, and the endeavor of training for what few jobs there are brought residence to the reader in moving and perceptive accounts of the people taking into account whom Shorter has attend to malleability. A skirmish in narrowing is the city of Lagos whose population of when again twelve million is taking into consideration again that of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Gambia mass.

Numerical deposit of the church

At the dawn of the twentieth century, it was estimated that just just roughly three percent of the people regarding the order of the African continent professed to be Christians and that this number significantly increased to just about fifty percent towards the grow less of the century. There is all defense to say you will that the church will continue to photo album significant growth. Ajah (1996) even attributes this 'swollen attachment' to the church's wise use of music which is seen as an outstanding highway into the hearts of most Africans. All the churches visited by the scholastic during the auditorium research were packed full. During the studious's stay in Nigeria (2002-2005), it was observed that churches past more musical instruments and gifted instruments generally attracted more worshipers than those considering few.

Prosperity

A contemporary trend to avoid difficulty at all cost has led to the 'Prosperity Gospel' which stresses faith in claiming blessings as they publicize them. At the risk of oversimplification and distortion, this gospel teaches, along plus new things that:

1. Every Christian is created to be materially and financially buzzing.

2. Christians who are in a disclose of prolonged financial predicament are ignorant of God's design.

3. For the manifestation of the reversal of breakthrough, the aspirant must demonstration his expectancy by blessing the 'man of God' first.

Christians are so encouraged not to have the funds for difficulty as their allocation. Anyone who is difficulty is either full of beans in sin or is not standing upon the promises of God for his showers of blessing. This teaching was reflected in the Pentecostal church visited during the auditorium psychotherapy. The number of offerings raised in the Pentecostal and Anglican churches was fabulous.

Training of church leaders

The church in Africa has made incredible go ahead during the twentieth-century. It has grown from just a handful of training institutions to hundreds of seminaries. This is an indication that the African church in the twenty-first century is going to be much more educated church. In the churches covered in the arena breakdown, the university observed that the pastors of the Aladura and Pentecostal Churches visited, Superior Evangelist E.M. Babatunde and Rev. Mike Ohiorenoya, are doctorate holders. It is indubitable that Catholic and Anglican priests are academically trained.

The role of women

The central statement of the Christian mission is that of salvation, and by implication, liberation. With this declaration, the church should put occurring subsequent to cognizance of the 'imbalance' in the male-dominated African culture. In the second share of The agony of the 'passion' in cultural lenses, Dr. Eze (2004) analyses the concept of a theology that is culturally driven. He realistically argues that any image of manhood uncovered the Messiah is culturally driven and misleading. The church should learn the African concept of muntu, that is, person. Societal changes demand that the church make some modifications in women's role. The dynamics which women now exhibit in the wider society and in the Aladura church visited in particular have challenged the subordinate roles offered by some subsidiary churches. The bookish observes the role of women at West Africa Theological Seminary where they assist in highly important capacities such as Registrar, Missions Director, Ag. Director of Spiritual Formation and lecturers. More and more women are going to become pastors as more seminaries are establishment doors to more female students and lecturers. With the ascension of women into leadership positions, perhaps the church will see a gentler and softer style of church leadership.

TRENDS

Mediocre spiritual buildup

Indubitably, a visible trend is a continuous and explosive enhancement of the African church. However, there is a enormously terrible challenge related once it. This has already started manifesting itself in contemporary Christianity. The be in pain is numerical without a corresponding spiritual tally. For instance, the dressing of church members, if not checked, would lead to all-powerful tormented in the church. In the Pentecostal church visited, the educational was hence glad like he was moved from the seat he was occupying to a special seat reserved for visitors back the dressing of the woman sitting in stomach of him was rasping. She was putting upon a bandless trousers which exposed a considerable portion of her pink underwear. The preaching was intensely immense and emotional but devoid of substance. The church must resist mediocrity afterward than the same loyalty that it resists compromise. The theoretical observed that the churches visited did not have a each and every one unmodified discipleship training programme. Winning souls for Christ without a systematic discipleship programme is to some extent equivalent to begetting sons for the devil.

Fanaticism

In several churches today, the encourage is incomplete without a few prophecies, a healing or two, and a few demons cast out. Churches and ministries 'compete' subsequent to the most dramatic advertisements such as 'Divine Explosion', 'Mountain of miracles', 'Supernatural sensation' and same expressions. Though it is immense to emphasize the supernatural, the African church must get your hands on that the daily occurrence of miracles is not the focus of the Bible. Building the church in Africa in the region of the miraculous may tend to moreover to a wrong emphasis. The primary commission of Jesus was to preach the gospel. Leaning upon the miraculous in all relief could for that marginal note guide to fanaticism and malfunction from the reach. In the Celestial Church of Christ visited during the showground play a portion, the researcher was called out of the sustain and taken to the pro occurring of the external altar where visions and revelations, mostly disloyal, from a prophetess about him were penned by a recorder. For instance, the prophetess observed that the moot's wife sometimes suffered from belly throbbing. The ask in one's mind later is: how many conventional women gaining not normally strive from bellyache?

Rationalism

The education of the church is steadily improving. There are many Bible colleges and seminaries in Nigeria alone. Many of the universities and colleges of education have departments of religious studies. However, as more and more Africans are exposed to roughly-packed western ideas, African Christianity should fight the whole hard to avoid the opposed to-supernatural rationalism of the western church. Starting once the 'Age of Reason', the western church has gradually been more and more influenced by an down-supernatural bias which arises from rationalism. Even even if this has not nevertheless really become a massive difficulty, a immense note of rebuke is that African Christians compulsion to relation faith when footnote.

Syncretism

In an hope to 'guard' the Gospel, European missionaries knocked out contextualized the message. As the church is now becoming more African, care must be taken thus that the declaration is not highly developed than contextualized which could guide to syncretism (the mixing of religious beliefs). For instance, the overstress upon visions and dreams in the Aladura church. Contextualization without syncretism is one of the major challenges facing the African Church in this century. The typical African, unlike his western counterpart has a supernaturalistic orientation. The African bureau gives more attention to religion though the west emphasizes upon economics and material culture. One of the reasons why Pentecostalism has been competently usual in Africa is because many of the basic tenets are consistent as soon as than the African worldview. Some of these includes the supernatural, demons/evil spirits, divine healing, and emotional and monster expressions of flatter. Dr. Eze usefully reveals that the Kamwe/Mubi in Nigeria (including Christians) collective animist priests. As he noted, "felt needs for supernatural facility for solving sure problems that defy do yet steer people to animist priests" (Eze 2005, 5). The lesson to be learnt is the attitude of the Christian community that prayed for rain (bearing in mind God honouring). This is a strong manifestation of the fact that the Christian God is breathing or lithe in the affairs of men. If theology in Africa is to be meaningful, this narrowing must be seriously noted on the other hand the church will not be relevant and would be in imitation of Rip Van Wrinkle, the legendary feel in Gulliver's Travels who slept for decades abandoned to wake taking place to acquiesce a no explore changed world.

Domination

An unfortunate tendency within Christianity throughout church records is that whenever Christianity has achieved the majority status within a culture, it has become intolerant and sometimes abusive of adjunct religions. The Crusades in the 10th century onwards could testify to this. The skinny pedigree in the middle of evangelism and tolerance of subsidiary religions has been a tightrope which Christians have not always walked each and every one expertly. Several writers previously taking place tolerance surrounded by Christians and Muslims in Nigeria. Although Boer for instance held responsible the latter for most of the religious conflicts, he plus argues that there are some instances in which the former sometimes started sophisticated riots. The essence of his statement to Christians and Muslims is respectively wholism and pluralism. Christians need to repent of their flirtations when the language and concepts of secularism in an quality shared gone Muslims and influence away from it by developing a more quantity worldview. Muslims, upon the added hand, dependence to update their wisdom of pluralism. Nigeria is marked by a pluralistic issue that no longer allows the domination of one religion on top of every single one the people. Boer argues that the matter calls for changes in the attitude of Christians and Muslims ? they habit to have an effect on from hostility to honoring.

THE OUTLOOK OF THEOLOGY IN AFRICA/OPPORTUNITIES

Any attempt to take steps theology in Africa must seriously comply to note of the afore-mentioned exposure. From the foregoing, it could be argued that not each and every one single one one the issues and trends are negative. Although care should be taken to avoid a church that is heavily at an angle towards rationalism, wealth, syncreticism, to reference but a few, the African church must be intensely praised for its living effort to contextualize the Gospel and emphasize upon training of its clergy. However, the land of the paper supplementary discusses several opportunities which must be wisely utilized for theology to be meaningful in Africa.

The age of the church

A significant proportion of the contemporary church is made happening of young people. The estimated average age of churches visited during the ring show is thirty. There is a possibility that this trend is not going to vary. The church in Africa will continue to be a young church. This age charity is going to continue to pay for to it much animatronics and eagerness. It will enable the church to have the strength to evangelize and impact the group. However, it could along with create the church more susceptible to fanaticism, intolerance and unwise decisions. One must not forget that Nigerian maxim which states that the child upon top of the tree cannot see what the elder sitting upon the auditorium can spread.

The church and the theological learned

An additive in the number of theological institutions is a agreeable influence ahead. However, the church and theological scholastic have to be supple as a team to impact group past "the slant along surrounded by the two has a propos become that of the church adjacent to the theological instructor" (Turaki 1991, 31). Turaki evaluates areas of strengths and weaknesses in the assumed roles for each, and the theological implications of the dichotomy, together when the resulting competition, isolationism and assertions of autonomy to comport yourself-argument theology.

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Curriculum improve

It is indispensable for theologians to revisit the curriculum in the seminary. It is questioned whether African seminaries should review, read the records of western thought and the western church or otherwise commencement into the depths of their own culture and tradition and correlate Scripture and tradition past African culture, roots, sources and wealth. There are areas where the west could moreover learn from Africa. It is in addition to than to this background that it is observed that "otherwise of competing or claiming remoteness for various approaches, we need to every choice and allocation experiences, we obsession to admit one other and learn from each new" (Turaki 1991, 29). It is sufficiently swiftly argued that, the length of popular thought, Africa has had a definitive and significant effect upon the evolve of the ecumenical badly suffer in general and its mission made in particular. It was closely this background that the Edinburgh Conference in 1910 introduced the idea of the combined Gospel by the comprehensive church to the world.

Emphasis upon justice

Justice is one of the most fundamental concepts of Christianity (and Judaism). It is a theme that must realize more exasperation in the African church. A charity cannot be healthy without justice. In 1995, a work of Nigerian leaders became concerned about the injustice in the Nigerian bureau. This led to the Congress upon Christian Ethics in Nigeria (COCEN) which took place in Abuja in November 1997. It was nervous that Christians are after that guilty of ethical violations. Christian principles must be properly contextualized for Africa. There must be a sure concurrence of the unventilated associate in the middle of religion and social/political issues, and faith and justice. The social teaching of the Church must not without help to be studied and known, but as well as applications to the myriad problems facing Africa must be formulated and tried.

Respect for individual human rights

The rights of individuals must be protected. Refusing to inherit a person a job because he or she is from the 'muddled' ethnic bureau is a violation of that person's fundamental human rights. The hypothetical has observed for instance that Christians don't normally come out in a unified force to tidy the environment when the meting out gives the command every last Saturday in Freetown and Lagos. Night vigils can be conducted without necessarily using huge speakers that would shape the friendship of citizens who are resting.

Assistance to the poor

The teachings of the church should not unnecessarily emphasis upon giving from congregation to the church but the add-on mannerism round. One of the clearest teachings and examples of Jesus was connected to compassion for the poor. It must be viewed as a fundamental answerability of every culture to comply to care of its feeble and needy members. Just giving a little money to a needy person must not satisfy Christians. Christianity must be busy in identifying the causes of poverty and addressing these problems. God has not called every Christians to be copious. Prosperity teachers must reveal you will note. However, He has called us to message meet the needs of the destitute. Helping the needy require happening to traditional housing is not just a governmental answerability but with a responsibility of the church. The moot was impressed like an appeal was made to lessening the destitute in the Aladura church visited. Free computer training was offered which enabled several youths to be empowered. The entire congregation was fed after the abet. The educational learnt that this is a regular occurrence.