African Theology: Is it relevant for global Christianity?

Abstract

Despite the fact that 20% of all Christians come from Africa, most theological issues concerning African Christians do not feature prominently on the agenda of world Christianity. Is that because these issues are irrelevant to Christians outside Africa? This articles claims that some of the central and most important topics on the agenda of African theology are as important to theology and Christianity outside of Africa as they are within Africa. The quest for a genuine Christian identity should take place every day in the life of every Christian anywhere in the world. The issue of translatability concerns the continuous conversion of all Christians and their cultures. And the attempts of African feminist theologians to develop a hermeneutic that allows the Word of God to speak to the victims of oppressive structures are an invitation to all theologians and Christians to genuinely open up for the transformative power of God’s Word by allowing those that are not part of the dominant theological circles to add their distinctive voices to the rich diversity of Christian life and experience.