Martha Frederiks

Coming of age in African theology: the quest for authentic theology in African soil

This article explores the concept of African theology from a historical and methodological point of view. It shows that there is not one type of theology that can be called African theology but that there is a cluster of diverse theologies which share a number of common characteristics: African theology is theology done in Africa, arising out of the identity of African people, using African concepts of thought and speaking to the African context. The authors signal that there is relatively little interaction between the various theologies developed on the continent and that much theology is a reaction to Western Christianity and Western colonialism. The article ends by concluding that the quest for African theologies is in full progress, as the contexts in the midst of which African theologies are developed continue to change. Yet, despite the many challenges African theologians face, their theologies speak of hope and life. This vitality of African theologies, according to the authors, is the contribution of African theologies to the discourse of world Christianity.

HIV and Aids: Mapping Theological Responses in Africa

The HIV and Aids epidemic has had an enormous impact on the African continent: millions of people are infected by HIV and ten thousands of people are dying of Aids. The epidemic has challenged secular as well as religious leaders to speak in the context of HIV and Aids. This article maps African Christian theological responses to HIV and Aids. Its aim is to give an overview (however defunct) of the abundance of material that is being published on HIV and Aids and theology and to highlight some of the trends within the African theological reflections on HIV and Aids.

Kenosis as a Model for Interreligious Dialogue

In the past Christians have used various models in relating to people of other faiths. Most are still in use. Four dominant models immediately come to mind: those of expansion, of diakonia, of presence, and of interreligious dialogue. This article discusses the pros and cons of these models and then proposes a fifth model: the model of kenosis. The model of kenosis calls for imitation of the self-emptying act of Jesus in his Incarnation in relation to people of other faiths, based on a shared humanity. Kenosis demands, on the one hand, a total openness for the other, as a fellow human being and a religious person, while, on the other hand, it offers the possibility to be authentically different from the other, in religion, culture, etc. Thus is seems to offer a model for interreligious living and relating, which honors religious differences, give guidelines for relating to each other, and is firmly based in a shared humanity.

Journeying towards multiculturalism. The relationship between immigrant Christians and Dutch indigenous Christians

Due to globalisation and migration western Europe has become home to adherents of many different religions. This article focuses on one aspect of the changes on the religious scene; it investigates in what way immigration—and Christian immigrant religiosity particularly—has affected the structure and identity of the Dutch Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. We argue that the Roman Catholic Church in the Netherlands has been able to accommodate a substantial group of immigrants whilst the PCN seems to encounter more problems responding to the increasingly multicultural society. We conclude that both churches, however, in structure and theology, remain largely unaffected by the influx of immigrant Christians.

Let Us Understand Our Differences: Current Trends in Christian-Muslim Relations in Sub-Saharan Africa

This article gives a brief overview of Christian-Muslim Relations in sub-Saharan Africa. It points out that in recent years, due to the pentecostalisation of Christianity and the increased influence of fundamentalist Islamic groups, relations in sub-Sahara Africa seem to deteriorate, despite initiatives to work on harmonious interfaith relations. The article then identifies three current trends in Christian-Muslim relations: an increase in polarisation and polemics, the debate on the implementation of shari’a and joint social action programmes.

Hermeneutics from an Inter-religious Perspective?

In the field of inter-religious (and intercultural) hermeneutics there are two different streams of interpretation. There is a group who sees inter-religious hermeneutics as the discipline of looking at the sacred texts in an inter-religious perspective. Some interpret this as the reinterpretation of the Christian scriptures in the perspective of other traditions, whilst others see inter-religious hermeneutics as those methods of hermeneutics which have received support across the religious spectrum. And there is a group who sees inter-religious hermeneutics as a communication theory, the art of communicating across religious (and cultural) boundaries. Both groups however start from the context of shared humanity and demands a radical openness for the other in his/her religious and cultural context. This shared humanity inevitably then also leads to a renewed reflection on and interpretation of the religious texts with the other in mind.

Miss Jairus Speaks: Developments in African Feminist Theology

African feminist theology is a recent phenomenon Where male theologians such as John Mbiti, Kwame Bediako, Lamin Sanneh, Ka Mana, Laurenti Magesi and others have become widely known, very few of their female counterparts have received attention and recognition in the Western academic world. For years the Ghanaian Mercy Amba Oduyoye, well known through her work at the World Council of Churches, was the only black African woman theologian whose publications were widely read. Only a few scholars were also familiar with the publications of women like Teresa Okure, Mary Getui and Anne Nasimiyu-Wasiki. More recently the work of the Biblical scholar Musa Dube has received world-wide recognition. To insiders also the names of Louise Tappa, Musimbi Kanyoro and Nyambura Njoroge, known through their work in global organisations such as the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians, the Lutheran World Federation and World Alliance of Reformed Churches, ring a bell, but few people have read their publications. But apart from these women, there are many more African women theologians who have a valuable contribution to make to African theology. Several hundreds women associate themselves with the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians2 and its aims of research and publication. But only few have been able to find ways and means to publish their research and therewith making their voices heard. This article wants to entice the reader to widen his or her perspective of African theology by introducing some themes and persons in African feminist theology. The article will start with a historical background of African feminist theology, its aims and methods. Then it will discuss two of the key themes of African feminist theology and point to the gradual diversification of insights that is taking place. The article will end with some concluding remarks.

Religion, Migration, and Identity

This article aims to give a representative overview and appraisal of insights and theories developed thus far in the field of religion, migration and identity. It investigates whether the present conceptual toolbox is adequate to describe and analyse the impact of migration phenomena on individual and communal expressions of faith. The article first explores the concepts “migrant” and “migration”. It then discusses theories focusing on the significance of faith and religious communities for migrants, followed by theories pertaining to the changes effectuated by migration in the religious landscapes of the country of origin as well as destination. The article argues that there is a need for further clarification and stipulation of key terms in the discourses on religion and migration, as well as a necessity to do more comparative research, since most of the prevailing theories so far have emerged from research on Christian migrant communities in the USA. Finally, it identifies areas for further research.

Religion, migration and identity : A conceptual and theoretical exploration

This article aims to give a representative overview and appraisal of insights and theories developed thus far in the field of religion, migration and identity. It investigates whether the present conceptual toolbox is adequate to describe and analyse the impact of migration phenomena on individual and communal expressions of faith. The article first explores the concepts “migrant” and “migration”. It then discusses theories focusing on the significance of faith and religious communities for migrants, followed by theories pertaining to the changes effectuated by migration in the religious landscapes of the country of origin as well as destination. The article argues that there is a need for further clarification and stipulation of key terms in the discourses on religion and migration, as well as a necessity to do more comparative research, since most of the prevailing theories so far have emerged from research on Christian migrant communities in the USA. Finally, it identifies areas for further research.

Methodists and Muslims in the Gambia

The Gambia (West Africa) is a predominantly Muslim country, with a small Christian community. Christian–Muslim encounters in the Gambia can be traced back as far as the fifteenth century. This article explores part of this long interreligious history of the Gambia. It researches – on the basis of archival materials – the attitudes and perceptions of the Gambian Methodist Church towards Muslims in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The article argues that, although the attitude of the Methodists towards Muslims changed in the middle of the twentieth century from aggressive evangelization towards more irenic relations, Methodism in the Gambia still perceives Christian witness to Muslims to be one of its core callings.