Afrika Looking At Jesus

"Jesus and the Gospel in Africa collects writings by Kwame Bediako and is the best source for his insights into the Christ of present-day African history and the Jesus of African faith. Bediako shows how intimately bound together are such elements as the message of Jesus and the struggle to give birth to African democracy." --Book Jacket.

Fachbuch aus dem Jahr 2012 im Fachbereich Theologie - Sonstiges, , Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: Since the 1960s African theology has been a locus of debate on the relevance of the Christian God in African societies. Pioneer African theologians felt the need to protest against what was considered as the disregard or even denial of African religions cultures by Western missionaries. They called for a theology that would take seriously African religious values. The Christological inquiry, that is, the question about how to present Christ meaningfully to Africans has dominated this debate for more than 30 years. This enquiry is based on the assumption that missionary Christianity did not bring God to Africa, rather it brought Christ. Hence presenting Christ through African symbols will help Africans to become Christians without losing their identity. However, there seem to be a shift in the recent times. Young African theologians see the need to move away from a cultural nostalgic anti-missionary theology to a free expression of the Christian faith in such a way that it responds to the Africans‘ present search for meaning as well as the necessary healthy tension between the Gospel and Cultures. This theology is more critical and kerygmatic. While prlonging the intuition of pioneer African theologians, it seeks to offer broader scriptural and dogmatic bases to faith interpretation in Africa. The book, Jesus in Post-Missionary Africa-Questions and Issues in African Contextual Christology, proposed here by the Claretian theologian, Nicholas Mbogu takes its place in this refreshing shift of emphasis. The author states clearly that our proclamation of God in Africa will be seriously deficient without an adequate Christology. The book is presented in ten chapters. Chapters 1-3 present the origin and development of theology in Africa. It is shown clearly that since the seminal gestures of Black priests who wrote the famous book, Des pretres noirs s’interrogant, 1956, asking whether and how catholicity can integrate the Negritude, African theology has affirmed and consolidated itself as a contextual theology that is mindful of orthodoxy. With dexterity, the author shows the interpretation of theology and historical events, as well as historical science and literature. Political and economic developments, especially the searach for independence and distorted systems of post-colonial government also affected theology in Africa. [...]

"This insightful and informative work explores the Africanization of Catholic worship in Congo (Zaire) and its implications for the world Church. In his Foreword, noted liturgist David Power says that Celebrating Jesus Christ in Africa is important not only for "informing readers about churches of Africa, but in offering wisdom to other churches facing questions about possible developments in their own liturgies."" "Kabasele Lumbala asks challenging questions regarding the issues of rites and inculturation: Which society, culture, and theology are hormative in deciding the shape of liturgy? He shows how African Christians are forging a synthesis between the Christian mystery, the Roman form of celebration and their own culture. Celebrating Jesus Christ in Africa is must reading for missioners, liturgists, theologians and all those concerned with the expression of culture in the rituals of the church."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

"Who do you say that I am" (Mark 8:29) is the question of Christology. By asking this question, Jesus invites his followers to interpret him from within their own contexts-history, experience, and social location. Therefore, all responses to Jesus's invitation are contextual. But for too long, many theologians particularly in the West have continued to see Christology as a universal endeavor that is devoid of any contextual influences. This understanding of Christology undermines Jesus's expectations from us to imagine and appropriate him from within our own contexts. In Re-imagining African Christologies, Victor I. Ezigbo presents a constructive exposition of the unique ways that many African theologians and lay Christians from various church denominations have interpreted and appropriated Jesus Christ in their own contexts. He also articulates the constructive contributions that these African Christologies can make to the development of Christological discourse in non-African Christian communities.