Engaging Religions and Worldviews in Africa by Yusufu Turaki

Author:Yusufu Turaki [Turaki, Yusufu]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781783687596
Publisher: Langham Creative Projects
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Part III

Engagement and Interaction between Christianity and the African Traditional Religion and Worldview

20

Introduction

In an attempt to provide a comprehensive understanding of the religious worldview of African Traditional Religion, we sought to understand how the modern African mind has been shaped by African Traditional Religion and its worldview, as well as by Missionary Christianity, colonialism and modernity. We went on to examine each fundamental belief.

We now move on to the third section of this work where we consider how biblical and Christian theology can renew and transform the African mind. Our aim here is to develop a method of interaction and engagement between Christianity and African Traditional Religion. Biblical and Christian theology will be applied to the cardinal beliefs so that traditional religious beliefs and practices will be matched with biblical beliefs and practices and the biblical worldview. Clearly, however, we shall not be able to consider every theological issue which was mentioned in the first part of this book.

How are we to proceed? Any teachings and any presentation of the gospel of Christ to people in traditional Africa must bear in mind the great influence of these religious and social beliefs and practices. Christianity cannot provide less than traditional religion offered to Africa.

I suggest, therefore, that we ask the following questions:

What do traditional Africans feel about particular religious beliefs, for example, the belief in spirit beings (the spiritual phenomenon) or the belief in mystical, mysterious, unseen and hidden powers and forces (power phenomenon)?

What attitudes, behaviours, and practices accompany, support, and reinforce this belief?

What religious and social feelings, attitudes, behaviour, understandings are affected when such a fundamental belief encounters Christianity, or Islam, or modernity?

What is the impact of such a belief as it shapes and moulds the traditional African mind, or the Christian mind in Africa, or modernity in Africa?

What religious and social practices, rituals, rites, and ceremonies of traditional Africa are rooted in beliefs that shape and mould the African response to Christianity and modernity?

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