Theme: God, Bible and African Traditional Religions.

Prompted by the desire to give an account of the Christian faith through theological reflection in the context of the Church in Africa, our seminary, the Spiritan International School of Theology, Attakwu, Enugu has chosen God, Bible and African Traditional Regions as the theme of its 13th  Missiological Symposium 2009.

The symposium will revisit the issue of the naming of God in African Inculturation Theology. Encouraged by the Vatican II Council to subject the expression of Christian faith to a new examination, African theologians in collaboration with their pastors and local churches have sought to make the Christian faith relevant to African culture and traditions. This gave rise to the central claim that there is continuity between the Christian God and the God of African traditional religions called the Supreme Being.

However, more and more voices from different disciplines, anthropology, Exegesis and theology, question the validity of this claim.

• How does it give account of the understanding of God, deities and spirits in African traditional religions?
  
• How does this claim give account of the specificity of the Christian God who revealed himself in the mystery of the life and death of Jesus Christ and in the activities of the Holy Spirit?
  
• How does it enable Christians to undertake the new evangelization of African cultures and traditions demanded for the First Synod for Africa 1994 (Ecclesia in Africa) and the forthcoming 2nd Synod for Africa 2009?

The reflection will articulate three dimensions

c)  Specialists in Systematic Theology will attempt a re-appraisal of the naming of God in African inculturation theology and sketch out ideas for making Christians theology relevant in contemporary African society.

Call for voluntary papers

Rev. Fr. Dr. Bede Ukwuije, C.S.Sp.

Symposium Coordinator