African Christian Theology and Christology: A Study of the Contributions of Kwame Bediako, John S. Mbiti, Justin Ukpong and Charles Nyamiti
Edward Agboada 
Issue: Vol.4 No.3 March 2023 Article 11 pp.312-323
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20234311 | Published online 17th March, 2023
© 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
The article discusses the scholarship of Kwame Bediako, John Mbiti, Justin Ukpong and Charles Nyamiti to decipher their contributed to the development of a framework for theology, Christology and biblical scholarship in Africa and the development of the African context as an alternative to theology, Christology and biblical scholarship in Africa and beyond. The article used a combination of methods for data collection, interpretation and analysis. This included (a) the biographical with emphasis on intellectual scholarship. This enabled the researcher to assess the intellectual works of selected scholars. (b) there was also content analysis of primary and secondary sources across literature and scholars to evaluate the extent of the impact of the writings of the selected scholars. These works were evaluated in context with both contemporary and modern scholarship. The objective was to decipher how their scholarship has advanced the African context for Christian theology, christology and biblical hermeneutics in Africa. The study discovered that since the rise in the need to identify and make an African contribution to the continuous nomenclatures of Christian theology, christology and biblical hermeneutics that recognize the African experience as a critical necessity in the search for a more wholistic and comprehensive theoretical framework for theology, christology and biblical hermeneutics, these scholars made such a huge contribution not on methodology alone but also on conceptualisation. They contributed to a very large extent to the recovery of African dignity, and the establishment of a philosophy, theology, christology and that was authentically African, credible and viable for any academic scholarship. They were also able to explain how the African context contributes to existing scholarship on nomenclatures of normative Christian theology, Christology and biblical hermeneutics in Africa.
Keywords: Christianity, Theology, Christology, Traditions and Culture
Aycock, Jennifer L., “Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Journal of World Christianity (2019): 124-125.
Bediako, Kwame. “Africa and Christianity on the threshold of the third millennium: the religious dimension.” African Affairs 99, no. 395 (2000): 303-323.
_____. “The doctrine of Christ and the significance of vernacular terminology.” International Bulletin of Missionary Research 22, no. 3 (1998): 110-112.
_____. “The Roots of African Theology.” International Bulletin of Missionary Research 13, no. 2 (1989): 58-65.
_____. Christianity in Africa: The renewal of a non-Western religion. Edinburgh University Press, (1997).
_____. Jesus and the gospel in Africa: History and experience. New York: Orbis Books, (2004).
_____. Jesus in Africa: The Christian gospel in African history and experience. OCMS, (2000).
_____. Theology and identity: The impact of culture upon Christian thought in the second century and in modern Africa. OCMS, (1992).
Beidelman, O. Thomas., Review on “African religions and philosophy” by Mbiti. Journal of the International African Institute 46(4): (1976) 413-414.
Bonk. J. Jonathan. “The Dictionary of African Christian Biography: A Proposal for Revising Ecclesiastical Maps.” Missiology 27, no. 1 (1999): 71-83.
Chapman, Geoffrey. African Christianity: “An Essay in Interpretation.” London and Dublin (1976).
Clarke, B. Peter. New Religions in Global Perspective: Religious Change in the Modern World. Routledge, (2004).
Doumbia, Adama and Naomi Doumbia. The way of the elders: West African spirituality & tradition.Woodbury, Minnesota: Llewellyn Worldwide, (2004).
Durkheim, Emile. “The elementary forms of religious life.” In Social Theory Re-Wired, (London Routledge, 2016), 52-67.
Gifford, Paul. “Trajectories in African Christianity.” International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church 8, no. 4 (2008): 275-289.
Gray, Richard. “Christianity and religious change in Africa.” African Affairs 77, no. 306 (1978): 89-100;
Komolafe, Sunday Babajide. “The changing face of Christianity: Revisiting African creativity.” Missiology 32, no. 2 (2004): 217-238.
Magesa, Laurenti. African religion: The moral traditions of abundant life. New York: Orbis Books, (2014).
_____.What is not sacred? African spirituality. Yonker USA: Acton publishers, (2014).
Marx, Karl. Critique of Hegel’s’ Philosophy of right’. Cambridge University Press, 1970.
Mbiti, S. John. “Introduction to African religion”. Waveland Press, (2015)
_____. “Concepts of god in Africa.” (1970).
_____. “The biblical basis for present trends in African theology.” International Bulletin of Mission Research 4, no. 3 (1980): 119-124.
_____. “The encounter of Christian faith and African religion.” Christian Century 97, no. 27 (1980): 817-820.
_____. African religions & philosophy. Heinemann, (1990).
_____. The prayers of African religion. SPCK, (1975).
Nieder-Heitmann, Jan Hendrik. “An analysis and evaluation of John S. Mbiti’s theological evaluation of African traditional religions.” PhD diss., Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University, (1981).
Nyamiti, Charles. “Christ as our ancestor: Christology from an African perspective.” Mambo occasional papers/Missio-pastoral series 11 (1984).
Olupona, K. Jacob, “African spirituality: Forms, meanings, and expressions.” New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company (2000).
Omenyo, N. Cephas “Agenda for a discussion of African initiatives in Christianity: The West African/Ghanaian case.” Missiology 39, no. 3 (2011): 373-389.
Opoku, K, Asare. “African traditional religion: An enduring heritage.” Religious plurality in Africa (1993): 67-82.
Pobee S., John. “Skenosis: Christian faith in an African context”. No. 23. Gweru: Mambo Press, (1992).
Ray, C. Benjamin. Recent studies of African religions. History of Religions 12(1) (1972). 75-89.
Shaw, R. Daniel. “Traditional” African religions. In: U. King (ed.), Turning points in Religious Studies: Essays in honour of Geoffrey Parrinder Edinburgh: T & T Clark, (1990). 181-191.
Sundermeier, Theo. “Was ist Religion? Religionswissenschaft im theologischen Kontext; ein Studien-buch Gütersloh: Kaiser, Gütersloher Verl.” (1999).
Tillich, Paul and James Luther Adams. What is religion? Vol. 10. New York: Harper & Row, (1969).
Tutu, Desmond. “Whither African Theology? Christianity in Independent Africa, red.” E. Fasholé-Luke [i in.], London (1978): 366;
Ukpong, S. Justin. “Developments in Biblical Interpretation in Africa. Historical and Hermeneutical Directions.” In The Bible in Africa, pp. 11-28. Brill, (2000).
_____. “Inculturation hermeneutics: An African approach to biblical interpretation.” The Bible in a world context: An experiment in contextual hermeneutics (2002): 17-32.
_____. “Models and methods of biblical interpretation in Africa.” Neue Zeitschrift für Missionswissenschaft 55, no. 4 (1999): 279-295.
_____. “Rereading the Bible with African eyes: Inculturation and hermeneutics.” Journal of Theology for Southern Africa 91 (1995): 3-3.
____. “Rereading the Bible with African eyes: Inculturation and hermeneutics.” Journal of Theology for Southern Africa 91 (1995): 3-3.
Westerlund, David. “The Study of African Religions in Retrospect: From “Westernization” to “Africanization”?.” in J.K. Olupona & S.S. Nyang (eds.), Religious plurality in Africa: Essays in honour of John S. Mbiti, n.p., Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin, New York (1993).
Rev. Edward Agboada is an Ordained Minister of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana. Until recently he was a Senior Lecturer at the Ramseyer Training Centre, (Abetifi) where he taught courses in World Religions, Islamic Studies, Christian-Muslim relations, interfaith dialogue, Cross-Cultural Missions, New Religious Movements, Homiletic (Practice of Preaching), and studies in African Traditional Religions.
Agboada E. “African Christian Theology and Christology: A Study of the Contributions of Kwame Bediako, John S. Mbiti, Justin Ukpong and Charles Nyamiti,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 4, no.3 (2023): 312-323. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20234311
© 2023 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Publishers. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
