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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 February 2009
Edward Schillebeeckx in The Understanding of Faith (1974, 154) defined or described theology as ‘the critical self-consciousness of Christian praxis in the world and the church’. Others may prefer another definition, but it can be agreed that Christian theology is not revelation and it is not church doctrine; both of these while inevitably formulated within time yet lay claim to, and acquire, a certain degree of timelessness which is neither possible nor desirable for ‘theology’. Theology rather requires a continuous contemporaneity. It is a ‘critical self consciousness’ — an extended intelligent response of men of faith both to the word of God and to their own world. At times it may appear to concentrate more upon that word, as found in the Scriptures, while interpreting and applying it aptly and acutely in the light of contemporary culture; at other times theology will appear to concentrate more upon the contemporary world, or upon some part of it decisively significant for this theologian or the group of christians of which he or she forms part, interpreting it and judging it in the light of scripture. Behind appearances theology, to be true to itself, has always to do both.
page 360 note 1 See Hastings, Adrian, A History of African Christianity 1950–1975 (Cambridge, 1979).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
page 361 note 2 A primary source of contemporary African theology is, of course, the journals. See in particular the Bulletin de Théologie Africaine (B.P. 823 Kinshasa XI Zaire); the Révue Africainede Théologie (also Kinshasa), AFER (P.O. Box 908 Eldoret, Kenya); The African Theological Journal (Makumira, Tanzania); The Journal of Theology for Southern Africa (Dept. of Religious Studies, University of Cape Town) and Missionalia (31 Fourteenth Street, Menlo Park, 0081 Pretoria). For a general analysis of the question of African theology by African theologians reference may be made to two studies by Nyamiti, Charles, African Theology, Its nature, problems and methods (1971)Google Scholar and The Scope of African Theology (1973), both published by Gaba Pastoral Institute, Eldoret, Kenya; to the more recent work of Pobee, John, Toward an African Theology, Abingdon, Nashville (1979)Google Scholar; To Sempore, O.P. Sidbe, ‘Conditions of theological service in Africa: preliminary reflexions’, Christianity in Independent Africa, ed. Fasholé-Luke, E. and others, (Rex Collings, 1978), pp. 516–530Google Scholar; Fasholé-Luke, E., ‘The Quest for an African Christian Theology’, The Ecumenical Review, (1975), pp. 259–269Google Scholar. See also Shorter, Aylward, African Christian Theology (Geoffrey Chapman, 1975).Google Scholar
page 366 note 3 See, for instance, Dickson, Kwesi and Ellingworth, Paul (ed.), Biblical Revelation and African Beliefs (1969)Google Scholar; Mbiti, John, New Testament Eschalology in an African Background (OUP, 1971)Google Scholar; Sawyerr, Harry, Creative Evangelism (Lutterworth, 1968)Google Scholar; Idowu, B., Towards an Indigenous Church (OUP, 1965)Google Scholar; Glasswell, Mark and Fasholé-Luke, Edward (ed.), New Testament Christianity for Africa and for the World. Essays in Honour of Harry Sawyerr (SPCK, 1974).Google Scholar
page 366 note 4 One may think of Idowu, BolajiOlódùmaré, God in Yoruba belief (Longmans, 1962)Google Scholar; Mbiti, John, African Religions and Philosophy (Heinemann, 1969)Google Scholar; Mbiti, J., Concepts of God in Africa (SPCK, 1970)Google Scholar; Awolalu, J. Omosade, Yoruba Beliefs and Sacrificial Rites (Longman, 1979)Google Scholar; Metuah, Emefie Ikenga, God and Man in African Religion (Geoffrey Chapman, 1981).Google Scholar
page 366 note 5 See Sctiloane's, GabrielThe Image of God among the Satha-Tswana (Balkema, 1976)Google Scholar, or Kibicho, Samuel, ‘The Continuity of the African Conception of God into and through Christianity: a Kikuyu case study’. Christianity in Independent Africa, (ed. Fasholé-Luke, E. and others, ) (1978), pp. 370–388.Google Scholar
page 367 note 6 Kato, Byang H., Theological Pitfalls in Africa (Kisumu, Kenya, 1975).Google Scholar
page 367 note 7 Setiloane, Gabriel, ‘How the traditional world-view persists in the Christianity of the Sotho-Tswana’, Christianity in Independent Africa (ed. Fasholé-Luke, E. and others, ), pp. 402–412.Google Scholar
page 367 note 8 For Black Theology in North America see Cone, James, A Black Theology of Liberation (Lippincott, Philadelphia, 1970)Google Scholar; Wilmore, Geyraud S. and Cone, James H. (ed.), Black Theology, a documentary history 1966–1979 (Orbis, 1979)Google Scholar — a very useful collection; also Bruce, Calvin E. and Jones, William R., Black Theology II (Associated University Press, 1978).Google Scholar
page 367 note 9 Moore, Basil (ed.), Black Theology. The South African Voice (C. Hurst, 1973)Google Scholar; Bosch, David ‘Currents and cross currents in South African black theology’, Journal of Religion in Africa, vol. 6 No. 1 (1974), pp. 1–22CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Relevant Theology for Africa, Report on a consultation at Mapumulo, Natal (September, 1972); Boesak, Allan, Farewell to Innocence (Orbis, 1977)Google Scholar (published in Britain as Black Theology, Black Power, Mowbray 1978). Reference may be made to many articles in the Journal of Theology for Southern Africa (Cape Town) and Missionalia, particularly the three 1981 issues of Missionalia and also to an unpublished Cambridge M.Phil, thesis: Kretzschmar, Louise, Black Theology in South Africa 1971–1980 (1982).Google Scholar
page 368 note 10 Mbiti, John ‘An African views American Black Theology’, Wilmore, and Cone, (ed.), Black Theology, a documentary history 1966–1979, pp. 477–482.Google Scholar
page 368 note 11 Banana, C. S., The Gospel according to the Ghetto (Mambo Press, Zimbabwe, 1980)Google Scholar; The Theology of Promise (College Press, Zimbabwe, 1982)Google Scholar; see also Mageza, Laurenti ‘Towards a theology of liberation for Tanzania’, Christianity in Independent Africa (ed. Fasholé-Luke, E.), pp. 3–15Google Scholar; Hastings, A. ‘Christianity and Revolution’, African Affairs (July, 1975), pp. 347–361Google Scholar; Pobee's, J. chapter on ‘The Ethics of Power’ in Toward an African Theology, pp. 141–156.Google Scholar
page 369 note 12 Tutu, Desmond ‘Whither African Theology’, pp. 364–369 of Christianity in Independent Africa (ed. Fasholé-Luke, E.)Google Scholar; ‘Black Theology/African Theology Soul mates or Antagonists?’ Wilmore, and Cone, (ed.), Black Theology, a documentary history 1966–1979, pp. 483–491.Google Scholar
page 369 note 13 Much of the work of Harry Sawyerr and Gabriel Setiloane really falls into this category; See also Personalité africaine at Catholicisme (Paris, 1963)Google Scholar; Kibira, Josiah, Church Clan and the World (Gleerup, 1974)Google Scholar; Ndiokwere, Nathaniel, Prophecy and Revolution (SPCK, 1981)Google Scholar; Diakanua Ndofunsu, ‘The role of prayer in the Kimbanguist Church’, and Abega, P., ‘Liturgical Adaptation’ both in Christianity in Independent Africa (ed. Fasholé-Luke, E.), pp. 577–596Google Scholar and 597–605; the series of articles in Concilium (June, 1977), entitled ‘Les Eglises d'Afrique, Quel avenir?’ and very much else.
page 370 note 14 Torres, S. and Fabella, V. (ed.), The Emergent Gospel, Papers from the Ecumenical Conference of Third World Theologians, Dar-es-Salaam (August, 1976; Orbis, 1977)Google Scholar; Appiah-Kubi, K. and Torres, S. (ed.), African Theology en Route, Papers from the Pan- African Conference of Third World Theologians (Accra, December, 1977; Orbis 1979).Google Scholar
page 371 note 15 Pobee, John ‘The cry of the Centurion — a cry of defeat’, The Trial of Jesus, Cambridge studies in honour of C. F. D. Moule, (ed. Bammel, Ernst) (SCM, 1970), pp. 91–102.Google Scholar
page 373 note 16 Dickson, Kwesi ‘Theologia Africans’ in New Testament Christianity for Africa and for the World (ed. Glasswell, M. and Fasholé-Luke, E., 1974), p. 203.Google Scholar
