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The Theology of Inculturation and the African Church International Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Vol. 1(5) pp. 090-098 September, 2009 Available online http://www.academicjournals.org/ijsa ©2009 Academic Journals Full Length Research Paper The theology of inculturation and the African church Sussy Gumo Kurgat Department of Religion, Theology and Philosophy, Maseno University, P.O Box 333-40105, Maseno, Kenya. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: +254 722721436. Fax: +254 722721436 Accepted 31 August, 2009 This paper investigated the theology of inculturation and the African Church. Specifically, the study set to examined the demand and relevance of inculturation for cultural development, assess inculturation message to Africa, determine the role of Small Christian Communities and examine the impact of inculturation in African Church. The study was based on both primary and secondary data collected for a period of two years. The study was principally qualitative in nature based on qualitative techniques of data analysis. The results of the study indicated that for an effective inculturation, facilitation of active local participation motivated and controlled from bottom-up approach through Small Christian Communities has been very crucial for a sustainable inculturation process. This approach has led to successful inculturation especially in areas of liturgy, moral theology, African leadership and the Church-as-family. The study recommended that to establish an authentic African Church, there is need to emphasize on the role of Small Christian Communities. Key words: Theology, inculturation, christianity, catholic church, culture. INTRODUCTION Communication between human cultures can only take takes a concrete form in African cultures. Inculturation is place effectively through dialogue and participation, still a theoretical issue rather than a practical one. In the through listening and through readiness to learn (Shorter, process evangelization effort is suffering in most African 1975: 132). Dialogue between Churches, religions and nations today. religious based countries leads to a better self identifica- The question on whether the Catholic Church is tion and hope for convergence or growth towards a com- adopting authentic African cultural beliefs and practices mon horizon of truth. It is only through interdependence into its teachings has been ignored and remains a in corporation, and congruence that conversions can pertinent issue that needs to be addressed urgently to successfully take place. There is an emerging consensus save the African Church. Inculturation message to most that culture is a developing process in which there is and Christian countries in Africa is an important theological there must be a continuous dialogue between faith and message, which was communicated to African Churches culture. Practical inculturation is relevant to the African through Synods and addresses by various Popes. All this nations, which have been Christianized and areas where arrived at bringing dialogue between Christianity and the Gospel has been proclaimed. As long as faith is African culture in particular. However, the impact of incul- present to a culture, then inculturation dialogue must take turation has not been felt in most African Churches. This place. emerging issue has led researchers both in academia The available evidence shows that the Catholic and the church to rethink the role played by the local Church’s official teaching on inculturation is that all people in their local churches in making inculturation a cultures have the right to an independence existence reality. within Christianity and that the introduction of Christian Pope John Paul II insisted that there is an organic and teachings in a new culture must involve an ‘adoption’ that constitute link between Christianity and culture and that preserves the essential integrity of culture, its values, “the synthesis between culture and faith is not just a institutions, and customs. However, despite the Catholic demand of culture, but also of faith” (waliggo et al, 1986: Church’s stand on the theology of inculturation, it has 7; McGarry, 1995: 53). The Second Vatican Council has proved difficult to make the gospel a reality in most opened the eyes of many on one hand, to see in the tra- African cultures, which takes into consideration the total ditional African religions, “a ray of truth which enlightens collective religious, social, and moral life as it gradually all men and, on the other hand, to admit that the Church Kurgat 091 is not tied exclusively and indissolubly to any race or rish. Simple random sampling was utilized to select five male and nation, to any customary practices, ancient or modern”. It five female (parishioners) from every parish. This gave us a total of can then enter into communion with different forms of ninety (90) lay members from the sampled population. Nine (9) youth leaders were purposively sampled to represent each parish in cultures, thereby enriching both itself and the cultures the district. Therefore, the total sample size came to two hundred themselves (Radoli, 1993: 112; Baur, 1999: 231). and twenty nine (229) respondents. Virtually, the Pope’s sentiments and the Second To obtain qualitative data for empirical analysis, qualitative Vatican council express the need for inculturation. More methods of data collection, which included oral interviews, so, from Vatican II onwards, the movement of incultu- observation, focus group interviews and document analysis, were employed. Oral interview was done through structured interview ration has been advocated and insisted upon in that was employed on the key respondents and unstructured numerous Papal pronousments, Bishop’s synods, pasto- interview schedules were used on illiterate respondent. Observation ral letters and in books by scholars in the field (Pobee, method was administered through unstructured observation 1979; Flannery, 1983; John Paul I message to Zairian (participatory observation) and structured observation (non- Bishop, 1984). Therefore, what is the Catholic Church participatory observation). Observation methods hence provided a doing to enhance the process of inculturation? There is detailed and comprehensive description of phenomena as mani- fested. Documents Analysis method was used to gather data from need to examine this pertinent issue and it is the purpose church documents and archives. Finally, focus group discussions of this paper to provide insights on what steps the were designed to obtain participant attitudes on a defined topic. The Catholic Church has taken to make an authentic African discussions were facilitated where six to fifteen people were Christian Church? How successful has been the process brought together in a discussion. Qualitative methods of data analy- of inculturation in Liturgy, Moral Theology, African sis were employed to analyse the qualitative data. Christian Marriage, African leadership and on the Church These was done by coding the themes topics, sub- topics and issues systematically which were then described verbatim. The data as a family. This study therefore sought to investigate the was then systematically and logically compiled and presented impact of inculturation on the African Church in Busia through descriptive design. District. The empirical results of this article are presented according to the objectives of the study. Conclusions and recommendations were drawn based on the findings of EMPIRICAL FINDINGS the study. The results of the study will be presented in the following order; the demand and relevance of inculturation, incultu- Objectives of the study ration message to Africa, the role of Small Christian Communities in the process of inculturation, the impact of The general objective of the study was to examine the inculturation process on the African Church, conclusions Theology of inculturation and the African Church among and recommendations. the Luhya of Busia District. Specifically, the study sought to meet the following; The demand and relevance of inculturation (a) Examine the demand and relevance of inculturation for cultural development The interaction of cultures is part of the normal pattern of (b) Assess inculturation message to Africa cultural development. All cultures, throughout history, (c) Determine the role of Small Christian Communities have undergone some form of change in which the struc- and, tures of society and its patterns of thought have remained (d) Examine the impact of inculturation in African Church. intact or changed. A Christian approach to any culture cannot be adequately elaborated outside that culture (Bediak, 1992: 30). This is not to say that culture super- METHODOLOGY cedes the Gospel, but it does mean that, when the Gospel is transmitted and received within a culture, one The information contained here comes from two sources: first, library research, and second, field research conducted between begins to appreciate the true nature and the contours of a March, 2001 and September, 2003. Primary data was derived from Christian approach to that culture. In other words, the first hand information through personal interviews, observation, question of a Christian approach to culture is always a questionnaire and document analysis methods. Primary data was dynamic process, which starts with the Gospel taking the core of our data, which was supplemented with secondary data people as they are when it encounters them and conti- from relevant library data gathered from published books, unpu- blished books, articles, government records,
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