The Understanding of God in African theology

369 Pages·2013·11.39 MB·English

The Understanding of God in African theology:
Contributions of John Samuel Mbiti
and Mercy Amba Oduyoye

YONG SEUNG HAN

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for
the degree of

PHILOSOPHIAE DOCTOR

In the Faculty of Theology
Department of Science of Religion and Missiology
University of Pretoria

Promoter: Dr. Jaco Beyers

April 2013

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DECLARATION

I declare that the thesis, which I hereby submit for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor at the
University of Pretoria, is my own work and has not previously been submitted by me for a degree at
this or any other tertiary institution.

Signature:
Date:

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The waswahili of Tanzania say ‘haraka haraka haina baraka,’ which literally means ‘hurry hurry
has no blessing.’ This proverb is often accompanied by the ‘pole pole ndio mwendo,’ which means
‘slow slow is the way to go.’ These proverbs really comforted me when I was disappointed and got
irritated while writing my thesis which did not go well and was too slow in progress.
As of today, I cannot help but confess that, even though my work was so pole pole, God’s baraka
has always been great in all ways.

First of all, I am most grateful to God for His boundless love and grace upon my life, and for
enabling me to begin and complete this study. Without His constant guidance, I would not have been
able to finish this thesis. God has been the provider and sustainer of my entire life.

That the pole pole was God’s baraka to me is true. However, I suppose that my writing thesis pole
pole might not have been baraka to my wife, because I had to spend a lot of time conversing with
books rather than with her. I want to acknowledge the support and understanding of my lovely wife
and best friend, Sook Kyung Park Han. While I was struggling with my research, she encouraged me

with prayer which did not allow me to give way to despair and discouragement.

I would like to thank my daughter, Melanie Hyo In, for her prayer, which, I believe, has helped
sustain me this whole time.

I would like to express my gratitude to my promoter, Dr. Jaco Beyers, who devoted many hours of
his valuable time for sharing his enthusiasm for African theology, providing evaluations of my study
with valuable criticism and encouragement.

I also want to thanks to my external examiners, Prof. Martha Frederiks (Utrecht University, the
Netherlands), Prof. Johan Strijdom (University of South Africa, South Africa), and Prof. S.T Kgatla
(University of Pretoria, South Africa), who provided detailed evaluations of my thesis with valuable
criticism and commemts.

I am thankful to Rev. Dr. Nam Yong Sung, senior pastor of Sam Kwang Presbyterian Church in
Seoul, Korea, for allowing me to do this study during my sabbatical year and also in the mission field.
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In particular, there are many church members who have continuously supported and prayed for my
family and ministry. I remain grateful to all of them for their company and warmth.

I remember with gratitude my father-in-law and mother-in-law for their closeness and prayers.
Their support has been more valuable than they perhaps realize themselves.

During my time of study in Pretoria, there are many people who deserve my heartfelt thanks.
I would like to thank Prof. Francois S. Malan and Mrs. Ruth Wollenkroft for their effort in
correcting and polishing my English writing and in making my thesis readable.
I cannot forget the kindness and hospitality shown to me by Rev. Dr. Kyung Hwan Oh and Mrs.
Dr. Hee Kyung Yoon Oh. When my wife and I visited Pretoria, they invited us and served a nice dish,
including Braai. I offer my deep appreciation to their warm hospitality.

I also want to recognize the encouragement and support of my fellow missionaries of Korea
Church Mission in Tanzania as well as the students of Calvin Theological College, Dar es Salaam,
Tanzania, where I have taught for fifteen years. They have been both a challenge and an inspiration
to me.

Finally, once again I praise and honor our Lord Jesus Christ, who has graciously called us to

participate in His mission.

Bwana Yesu asifiwe!
May the Lord Jesus be exalted!

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ABSTRACT

This study investigates how Mbiti and Oduyoye articulate their understanding of God in
connection with the African traditional religio-cultural heritage to make the concept of God to
become relevant to African Christians and to help African Christians feel at home in the Christian
faith.

Chapter 1 briefly describes the background of the study, the problem statement, the purpose of
the study, the research hypothesis, methodology, delimitation, and structure of the study.

Chapter 2 provides a historical sketch of origins and development of African theology and
diverse types of African theology. This chapter maintains that African theology emerged not only as a
theological reaction to the dominant Western interpretation of the gospel in Africa, but also as a
theological attempt to secure the African cultural identity by reaffirming the African past.

Chapter 3 describes the basic beliefs in African traditional religions, several African ethnic
groups’ concepts of God, and the African theologians’ Christianization of the African God by

employing Christian theological terms. This chapter concludes that it is not possible to presume a

homogenous or one unified concept of God in Africa. One and the same God whom all Africans have
worshipped is not real.

In chapter 4, Mbiti’s understanding of God is scrutinized in relation to his methodology, the
African concept of time, his understanding of revelation and of salvation.
Mbiti has maintained African monotheism and ATR(s) as a praeparatio evangelica and has
arrived at his conclusion that the God revealed in the Bible is the same as the God worshipped in
ATR(s). This chapter criticizes Mbiti’s way of Christian theological interpretation of anthropological
data of the African concepts of God.

Chapter 5 presents Oduyoye’s understanding of God, her methodology, the status of African
women in ATR(s) and the African church, her appreciation of salvation, of the Bible, and of the locus
of experience.
In Oduyoye’s theology, women’s experience becomes a crucial factor for doing theology, and
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salvation is understood as liberation from all oppressive conditions. Her understanding of God is
closely connected with the theme of liberation.

Chapter 6 examines the similarities and differences between the two theologians’ understanding
of God, critically compares their way of understanding the interplay of the gospel and African culture,
and categorizes the two theologians’ ways with their models of contextualization: Mbiti’s gospel-
culture oriented model of contextualization and Oduyoye’s gospel-liberation oriented model of
contextualization.
By a comparative-dialogical study of the two theologians’ models of contextualization, this
chapter attempts to make a dialogue possible between the two, and suggests the interculturation
model of contextualization in which each theology keeps its own theological characteristic and has
an open mind to learn from the other through mutual understanding.
It aims to overcome the absolutism of contextualization, syncretism, cultural relativism, and
provincialism, to keep a balance between locality and catholicity, and to affirm cultural identity and
Christian identity.
On the basis of the interculturation model of contextualization, this chapter proposes some criteria
for African Evangelical theology in order to do a biblically faithful and practically relevant theology
in Africa. This study also suggests some guidelines to articulate the understanding of God so that it

has theological relevance and legitimacy to African Christians as well as to Christians worldwide.

Chapter 7, as the final chapter, gives a general summary and concluding suggestions for further
research related to the subject of African theology.

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OPSOMMING

Hierdie studie ondersoek hoe Mbiti en Oduyoye hulle opvattings oor God beskryf vanuit Afrika
se tradisionele godsdienstig-kulturele erfenis, om sodoende die begrip van God relevant te maak vir
Afrika Christene en om Afrika Christene tuis te laat voel in die Christelike geloof.

Hoofstuk 1 beskryf kortliks die agtergrond van die studie, stel die probleem, die doel van die
studie, die navorsing se hipotese, metodologie, afbakening, en die struktuur van die studie.

Hoofstuk 2 skets die oorsprong en ontwikkeling van Afrika teologie en verskillende tipes Afrika
teologië. In die hoofstuk word beweer dat Afrika teologie nie slegs as ‘n teologiese reaksie op die
oorheersende Westerse interpretasie van die evangelie in Afrika ontwikkel het nie, maar ook as ‘n
teologiese poging om Afrika se kulturele identiteit te verseker deur die Afrika verlede te herbevestig.

Hoofstuk 3 beskryf grondliggende gelowe in die Afrika godsdienste, verskeie Afrika etniese
groepe se opvatting oor God, en Afrika teoloë se verchristeliking van Afrika se godsbegrip met
Christelike teologiese terme. In die hoofstuk word tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat dit nie moontlik

is om ‘n homogene of een verenigde begrip van God in Afrika te veronderstel nie. Dat alle Afrikane

een en dieselfde God aanbid het is nie realisties nie.

In hoofstuk 4 word Mbiti se godsbegrip noukeurig ondersoek in verhouding tot sy metodologie,
die Afrika begrip van tyd, sy begrip van openbaring en van verlossing.
Mbiti het beweer dat Afrika monoteïsme en Afrika Tradisionele Godsdiens(te) ‘n praeparatio
evangelica is, en dat die God wat in die Bybel geopenbaar word dieselfde God is wat in die Afrika
Tradisionele Godsdienste aanbid is. In die hoofstuk word Mbiti se Christelik-teologiese vertolking
van antropologiese data oor Afrika se godsbegrippe gekritiseer.

Hoofstuk 5 bespreek Oduyoye se godsbegrip en metodologie, die status van die Afrika vrou in
die Afrika Tradisionele Godsdienste en in die Afrika kerke, haar beskouing van verlossing, die Bybel
en lokus van ervaring.
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In Odyoye se teologie word die vrou se belewenis ‘n beslissende faktor om teologie te bedryf, en
verlossing word verstaan as verlossing uit alle onderdrukkende omstandighede. Haar godsbegrip is
nou verbind aan die tema van bevryding.

Hoofstuk 6 ondersoek die ooreenkomste en verskille tussen die twee teoloë se godsbegrippe,
vergelyk die wyses waarop hulle die wisselwerking tussen die evangelie en die Afrika kulture
verstaan, en onderskei tussen die twee teoloë se behandeling van hulle voorbeelde van
kontekstualisering: Mbiti se evangelies-kultureel georienteerde model van kontekstualisering, en
Oduyoye se evangelies-bevrydings georienteerde model van kontekstualisering.
Met behulp van ‘n vergelykende-dialogiese studie van die twee teoloë se modelle van
kontekstualisering word in hierdie hoofstuk gepoog om ‘n dialoog tussen die twee moontlik te maak,
en word die interkulturerings model van kontekstualisering voorgestel, waarin elke teologie sy eie
teologiese karaktertrek behou, met ‘n oop gemoed om van die ander te leer deur onderlinge begrip.
So word gepoog om die absolutisme van kontekstualisering, sinkretisme, kulturele relatiwisme en
provinsialisme te oorkom, om balans te behou tussen plaaslikgebonde en algemeenheid, en om
kulturele identiteit en Christeliek identiteit te bekragtig.
Op grond van die interkulturerings model van kontekstualisering word in hierdie hoofstuk enkele
maatstawwe vir ‘n Afrika Evangeliese teologie voorgestel om ‘n teologie in Afrika te bedryf wat

Bybels getrou en praktiese relevant is. Hierdie studie stel ook sekere riglyne voor om die godsbegrip

duidelik uit te druk om teologies relevant en legitiem te wees vir Afrika Christene en Christene
wêreldwyd.

Hoofstuk 7, die finale hoofstuk, bied ‘n algemene opsomming aan en slot opmerkings vir verdere
navorsing wat verwant is aan dieselfde onderwerp, naamlik Afrika teologie.

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KEY TERMS

African Evangelical theology
African Inculturation theology
African monotheism
African nationalism
African theology
African Traditional Religions
African Women’s theology
Christian identity
Contextualization
Interculturation
Mbiti
Oduyoye
Praeparatio evangelica
The African Concepts of God
The understanding of God

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ABBREVIATIONS

AACC: All African Conference for Churches
AEA: Association of Evangelicals in Africa
AEAM: Association of Evangelicals of Africa and Madagascar
AG: Ad gentes
AICs: African Independent Churches
AIM: African Inland Mission
AIT: African Inculturation theology
ATR(s): African Traditional Religions
AWT: African Women’s theology
EAAT: Ecumenical Association of African Theologians
EATWOT: Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians
EN: Evangelii Nuntiandi
GS: Gaudium et spes
ICT: Institute of Contextual Theology
LG: Lumen gentium

NA: Nostra aetate

SECAM: Symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar
The Circle: The Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians

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