AFRICAN WORLD VIEW VERSUS CHRISTIAN ESCHATOLOGICAL EXPECTATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47604/jpcr.1231Keywords:
African World View, Eschatology, Communio Sanctorum, Communal Meal, HolyAbstract
The research presents views of some prominent African theologians, namely, John Mbiti, Ephraim Mosothoane, Bènèzet Bujo, Aaron Urio, John B. Ambe, and how they relate the eschatological issue to an African world view. The African Theologians convey eschatological reflections, relevant to the African social and religious context. In order to bridge the gap between the traditional and Christian understanding, the theologians have re-defined various terms to give relevant eschatological meanings. The term Communio Sanctorum has been re-defined from the former meaning as "holy baptized members", to mean a community including both baptized and unbaptized members. They have given grounds for this inclusiveness on Christ's descent into Hell, which enabled dialogue with the unbaptized. Moreover, these African theologians redefined the term "holy", which was understood by the missionary Church as "perfect person", and gave a new meaning for it, underlining that God is the only one who is holy. A person is said to be holy only as a forgiven sinner. Given that all are sinners, these theologians propose Holy Communion, which marks communal practice and gives eschatological hope, should be regarded as a uniting practice and not one dividing between sinners and holy members. The theologians also propose that the Church should adapt the African practice of communal meals. These meals have a social function. They unite all members of the community and also have an eschatological function of giving hope of prosperity. This adaptation could help the Church to take the opportunity to enrich the Holy Communion and strengthen eschatological anticipation among its members.
Downloads
References
Abraham, K.C., Globalization: A Gospel and Culture Perspective, in: International Review of Mission Vol.LXXXV, January-October 1996, pp.85-92.
Allchin, A.M., Community of Saints, in: Lossky, Nicholas, Josè, Pobee, John, Stransky, Tom, Geofrey, Wainwright, Pauline (eds.), Dictionary of Ecumenical Movement (WCC), WCC Publications, Geneva 1991, p.209.
Alviar, Josè J., Anthropological Foundation of African Christology, in: African Christian Studies Vol.13 No.1 March 1997, pp.19-27
Ambe, John B., Meaningful Celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation in Africa, Eldoret 1992.
Anderson, N., Christianity and World Religions. The Challenge of Pluralism, London, 1986.
Assmann, Jan und Sundermeier, Theo (eds.), Schuld, Gewissen und Person, Gütersloh 1997.
Barclay, William, At the Last Trumpet: Jesus Christ and the End of Time, Louisville 1998.
Battle, Michael, Reconciliation. The Ubuntu Theology of Desmond Tutu, Ohio 1997.
Baumann, Zygmunt, Culture as Praxis, London 1999.
Beyerhaus, Peter, Der Name Gottes in der afrikanischen Sprachen und das Problem der missionarischen Übersetzung, in: Stietencron, Heinrich von (ed.), Der Name Gottes, Düsseldorf 1975, pp.191-208.
Boos, Eric, Evangelization through Dialogue and Inculturation, in: African Ecclesial Review (AFER) Vol.40, No.2 April 1998, pp.66-84.
Brown, Michael H., After Life: What it is like in Heaven, Hell and Pugatory, Milford 1997.
Bujo, Benezet, African Theology in Its Social Context, Maryknoll 1992.
Cope, T.H., Conversion, in: Njinya-Mujinya, Leuben (ed.), The African Mind. A Journal of Religion and Philosophy in Africa, Vol.1, No.1 1989, pp.191-198.
Cummings, Owen F., Coming to Christ: A Study in Christian Eschatology, Lanham - New York - Oxford 1998.
Daneel, L. Marthinus, Shona Independent Churches and Ancestor Worship, in: Barrett, David B. (ed.), African initiatives in Religion. Studies from Eastern and Central Africa, Nairobi 1971, pp.160-170.
Deusdedit, Nkurunziza, R.K., Bantu Philosophy of life in the light of the Christian Message. A basis for an African Vitalistic Theology, Frankfurt 1989.
Eister, Alan W., Religion as a Subject for Social scientific Enquiry, in: Barrett, David (ed.), African Initiatives in Religion. Studies from Eastern and Central Africa, Nairobi 1971, pp.xii-xviii.
Eitner, M., Berliner Mission im Nyassalande in Deutsch-Ostafrika, Berlin 1897.
Ela, Jean-Marc, African Cry, Maryknoll 1986.
----, My Faith as an African, Maryknoll 1988.
----, Patterns in Comparative Religion, New York 1958.
Fiedler, Klaus, Christentum und afrikanische Kultur. Konservative deutsche Missionare in Tanzania 1900-1940, Bonn 1993.
Gittins, Anthony J., Conversion, in: Müller, Karl, Sundermeier, Theo, Bevans, B. Stephen, Bliese, H. Richard (eds.), Dictionary of Mission, Ohio 1998, pp.87-89.
Hillmann, Eugene, Polygamy Reconsidered. African plural Marriage and the Christian Churches, Maryknoll 1975.
Igwegbe, Okwudili O. Isidore, Sacramental Theological Thinking in the African Symbolic Universe, Frankfurt am Main 1995.
Ilomo, Falres, Christianity: A Secondary Religious Experience among people of Livingstone Mountains, Vuga Press, 2011.
Ikenga-Metuh, Emefie, Comparative Studies of African Traditional Religions, Enugu 1999.
Kagwa, D., A Christian Interpretation of the Customs of the Baganda relating to Death and Inheritance, in: Njinya- Mujinya, Leuben (ed), The African Mind. A Journal of Religion and Philosophy in Africa, Vol. I, No. 1, 1989, pp.108-135.
Kaiser John Parratt, Theologiegeschichte der Dritten Welt Afrika, München 1991.
Kenneth, Cracknell, Towards a New Relationship: Christians and People of other faith, London 1986.
Kohl, Karl-Heinz, Ethnologie- die Wissenschaft vom Kulturell Fremden. Eine Einführung, München 1993.
Koizumi, Mari, Meaning of Conversion: Cosmology, Politics and Moral Discourse among the Kinga of South Western Tanzania (a Dissertation in Yale University) November 1995.
Kraft, Charles H., Christianity in Culture: A study in Dynamic Biblical Theologizing in Cross-Cultural Perspective, Maryknoll 1979.
Mbiti, John S., Concepts of God in Africa, London 1970.
Moltmann, Jürgen, The Coming of God. Christian Eschatology, Minneapolis 1996.
Mosothoane, Ephraim K, Communio Sanctorum in Afrika, in: Sundermeier, Theo (ed.), Zwischen Kultur und Politik, Hamburg 1978, pp. 73-74.
Okot p'Bitek, African Religion in Western Scholarship, East African Literature Bureau: Kampala - Nairobi - Dar es Salaam 1970.
Rutebuka, James, Death and the Hereafter in the Kitagwenda Religion, Toro, Uganda, in: Njinya-Mujinya, Leuben (ed.), The African Mind. A Journal of Religion and Philosophy in Africa, Vol.1, No.1 1989, pp.164-190.
Sanneh, Lamin., Translating the Message. The Missionary Impact on Culture, Maryknoll 1989.
Schwarz, Hans, The Search for God, Augsburg 1975.
----, On the Way to the Future. A Christian View of Eschatology in the Light of current Trends in Religion, Philosophy and Science, Augsburg 1979.
Swarat, Uwe, Communio Sanctorum, in: Burkhardt, Helmut, Swarat, Uwe, Brockhaus, R. (eds.), Evangelisches Lexikon für Theologie und Gemeinde, Wuppertal und Zürich 1992, pp.388-389.
Triebel, Johanes Gottesglaube und Heroenkult in Afrika. Untersuchungen zum Lwembe-Kult der Wakinga in Südtanzania, Erlangen 1993.
Urio, Aaron, The Concept of Memory in the Chagga Life Cycle in Relation to
Waldenfels, Hans, Contextual Theology, in: Müller, Karl, Sundermeier, Theo, Bevans, Stephen, Bliese, H. Richard (eds.), Dictionary of Mission, Maryknoll 1998, pp.86-87.
Westerlund, David, African Religion in African Scholarship: A Preliminary Study of the Wilson, Monica, Communal Rituals of the Nyakyusa, Oxford 1959.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Falres Ilomo
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
