14 Africa Journal ofEvangelical Theology /4.1 /995

Evangelicalism and African Augustine C. Musopole

he idea to write on this subject to scriptures and the Gospel, and by has been with me for some time actually mapping out a method for T now, but its urgency was brought achieving this. There were also things about by the reading of Richard which I considered serious omissions in Gehman's book, Doing African Gehman's consideration of a viable Christian Theology: An Evangelical biblically based ACT. Perspective. However, it is one thing to have a thought and quite another to put Gehman's Contribution to it on paper in order to share it with a ACT larger public, so the thought remained latent until I read a review of the book Most of the things that Richard by Ernst Wendland in Africa Journal of Gehman has said in his book are not Evangelical Theology, Vol. 11.1, 1992. new. They have been articulated many In the review, Wendland stated "I times by African evangelical Christians ' would now like to see an African at conferences, in books, Afroscope, response to this material, specifically and various journals. The concerns that with respect to Gehman's criticism and he raises are not new either. The late assessment of the current state of Byang Kato articulated them African Christian theology (ACT), and vehemently when he was in office as also in response to his proposals for General Secretary of AEAM [now the setting the situation right by restoring Association of Evangelicals in Africa, the basis for Christian theologizing in AEA], and his successor Dr. Tukunboh African to a more solidly biblical Adeyemo has continued to do the same. foundation." My initial intention to The only new thing in his book is the write was prompted by the important proposed method for doing ACT from and courageous effort the book was an evangelical perspective. Richard attempting in determining the Gehman is to be commended, especially foundations for an ACT that was true as a missionary, for recognizing and appreciating the need for an African Musopo/e 15

Christian Theology. While evangelicals must come under the scrutiny of in Africa have raised concerns about African evangelical theologians in their ACT and have responded to the effort to make their theology relevant to perceived "theological pitfalls" through the African context. It will be their published and unpublished works, important to engage the hermeneutic of and the establishment of two graduate "new thinking" to avoid using stale schools of theology, at best they have theological bread and run the danger of simply reacted negatively and are not "theological sickness" resulting in a doing much theologizing that takes the nauseating or poisoned spirituality. African context seriously as does Dr. The criticism that Richard Gehman Gehman. One book which attempts to brings to bear on a select group of do this is Osadolor Imasogie, African theologians is not new. As he Guidelines for Christian Theology in himself acknowledges, Byang Kato Africa,(Ghana: African Christian Press, recognized the dangers and warned the 1973). The African evangelical African Church, especially its theologians have left it to the so-called evangelical wing, in a way that was "liberals" in African universities forthright and aggressive like an angry departments of religious studies to carry mother hen defending its chicks. While on the task of contextualizing theology Byang Kato reacted most strongly to in Africa. Some of these scholars have what he called incipient universalism no intention of adopting an evangelical arising out of perceived theological perspective as a matter of commitment. liberalism, John Mbiti, one of those Therefore, it is refreshing to find one attacked by Kato, has been critical of who is concerned for the effective the lack of biblical usage in African presence of an African evangelical theology. He has actually written a theology as the mainstream theology in book to demonstrate how the has Africa. to be used in the creation of contextual Richard Gelunan is to be further theology. It is wonderful to see more commended for realizing that imported voices being added in addressing what theologies are not totally relevant to the is perceived to be a serious deficiency in African situation. He states, "To the doing of African theology. What is depend upon theological conclusions of needed is more evangelicals doing more another generation without seeking out biblically based African theologies by the truth for oneself is to eat stale bread engaging in rigorous dialogue with all without proper nourishment." This ·shades of theologies, and not simply means that even western decrying the fact that the so-called 16 Africa Journal ofE vangelical Theology 14.1 1995

"liberals" are not taking the Bible extremes. It seems to me that a seriously. The counter charge is that dialogue within the Mrican Church of evangelicals do not take either the theologians and lay people, and the context of the Bible or of the Mrican sharing of their testimonies to the believer seriously. The Bible is used as reality of God in Christ through the if it were a book of spiritual theorems power of the Holy Spirit is one way to that are applicable everywhere avoid these abuses. This is also the regardless of the cultural, social, way in which the Mrican church can economic, and political context. have a homegrown theology and not One thing that needs to be depend on stale theologies from acknowledged is that there is abuse elsewhere. (misuse, underuse, overuse) of the Bible The emphasis that Gehman places on by both "conservative" and "liberal" the doing of theology as a task of the believers. I have put the terms whole church is most welcome, and conservative and liberal in quotes especially the suggestion of a method because their applicability in the that can make this happen. The tragedy Mrican context is questionable. There of the Mrican churches, of all is a tendency among those holding to theological complexions, is that very what Gehman calls a high view of few, if any, have produced a confession scripture to dehistoricize the Bible and in response to the question, What does to disengage it from living reality. It is it mean to be the church of God in called the over-spiritualization Mrica in the second half of the 20th syndrome. The result is a people who century and beyond? The European live in a spitualized world, but do not churches emerged into their own know how that world relates positively particular identities by the confessions to their cultural context except through that they formulated in response to the some negative attitudes. On the other theological challenges of their day. By end is the tendency to so historicize the inheriting these confessions, Mrican scriptures as to deny its divine role as evangelicalism has become unwittingly bearer of and witness to the divine captive to western reformed scholastic Word, and the result is a sociology of theology. Without Mri can-g~erated religion and not theology, while confession by the churches, the selfhood spirituality is reduced to psycho-social of the church will be impossible to well being. If African evangelicalism is :ealize. It can only be hoped that those to contribute to the correction of the who engage in theological discourse and situation, then it has to avoid these two writing are doing so out of their deep Musopole 17

corrullitment to and their love for the Troubling Aspects of church in Africa and not simply out of Gehman's Position intellectual curiosity and gamesmanship. The mei:..:'rod acvocated (a) Presuppositions by Gehman will help, one hopes, to There are certain things which I find bring into the discourse both pastors troubling in Gehman's book because and lay people and thus spread many of his assumptions are not stated theological awareness far afield, rather and clarified. The first problem is that than leave it to university and seminary he has failed to follow his own professors. Having said this, it has to observation that "the colonial context be acknowledged that it has been the did not provide that encouragement to nature of theological reflection that allow the Christian nationals to arrive certain individuals contribute more than at their own conclusions." Specifically most. We have the example of Paul, it should be said that it was the Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, missionaries who failed to permit ,Schleiem1acher, the Hodges, Mafhen, African nationals to reach their own Barth, Tillich, Stott, Schaefer, Mbiti, theological conclusions. Kato and many more. Individual Evangelicalism as a theological contribution needs to be encouraged movement is not a product of Africa. It even as the churches set up theology is a theological position which work groups. It is hoped that these developed outside of Africa and was work groups will involve scholars who introduced to Africa as a new are already working in a academic battlefront in the theological wars that institutions. I do hope that many had been raging in Europe and America churches will take theology as seriously for a long time between liberalism and as they take evangelism, because they conservatism in response to the are two sides of the same coin. Perhaps Enlightenment. There is a history to the if the missionaries had allowed the development of the evangelical churches to do this from the very movement in the West and in Africa. beginning as part of the selfhood of the Within Africa there is need for a very church, some denominational splits clear distinction to be made between might have been avoided. evangelicalism as the theological movement and the Evangel of Jesus Christ who is God's power and wisdom unto salvation. Even though the two might not be separated, they need to be 18 Africa Journal ofEvangelical Theology 14. 1 1995

distinguished. The Evangel is primary Christian experience evangelical. and Mrican evangelicalism is the tool Thanks be to God that He works in of the Evangel and not the other way spite of our methods and systems. round. Without this distinction, it is easy to mix the two and to make the (b) The role ofScripture tool become the reality. It needs to be Following from this failure to clarify made clear here that the Evangel is none his assumptions is Gehman's position other than Jesus himself and not simply on Scripture. A further distinction words about Jesus. Evangelicalism is needs to be drawn between a theology historically an intellectual and of the Bible and biblical theology. theological movement which is These two are not the same even though contextual in character. Only the they imply each other. As it has been Evangel as the application of the reality stated above the Bible has been abused of Jesus, the Christ, to sinful humanity by both conservative and liberal is theologically universal. American scholars because of the questions and evangelicalism or European presuppositions they bring to it and the evangelicalism or Asian evangelicalism attitudes with which they approach it. can never be transferred to Mrica, lock, The theology of the Bible is what is said stock and barrel, and be totally about the theological status of the Bible adequate for the Mrican context. It is as to its message, authority, and out of the incarnation of the Evangel authenticity; and Biblical theology is within a cultural, sociological, and what the Bible teaches about God's historical context that a local relationship to humanity and all evangelical theology emerges. This creation. This distinction is not clear in distinction is not clear in Gelunan's the book. What is disturbing is that, book. It is a distortion to confuse the contrary to his method, the position that means and the ends. It is simply Gehman adopts regarding the Bible did assumed that evangelicalism as a not come out of his theological study theological system is universally group in Mrica. In his guidelines, the applicable. Evangelicalism is only a first proposal on presuppositions which means, but not the end, while Jesus as has to do with what is normative in the Evangel is both the means and the theology is spelled out before a end. It is the reality of Jesus in the lives theological task force which will then and culture of Mricans and as their way state its presuppositions. Why do this of salvation, and everything else critical work for them? Though following from this that makes Mrican Gehman might be right in what he has Musopole 19

said in his first proposition, he seems to position is a product of an epistemology be imposing a ready-made view on the which may not be biblical. Western African church. Somehow he seems not evangelicalism shares to a large extent to trust the African church to come up this rationalistic epistemological with the right assumptions related to the heritage with liberal theology, and it is theology of the Bible. The African this epistemology which has given rise people love and read their , and to some theological problems and the are capable of saying why they have to resulting evangelical apologetics. The obey the Bible instead of other African church will have to deal with authorities. The view of biblical their epistemology in an effort to authority that Gehman presents is a develop a theology of the Bible. statement out of the theological battles Is African evangelicalism right to of Europe and America concerned with insist on Scripture as the "final infallibility and inerracy which arose authority in matter of faith and out of the Renaissance and conduct?" Is this not to put the vehicle Enlightenment periods. The African in the place of the reality being church has not talked about "inerrancy conveyed by it? Jesus promised his and infallibility" as yet, and there are disciples the Spirit of truth to lead them other more pressing theological matters. into all the truth and to bring to It is, therefore, interesting to note remembrance all the things that he had that while Gehman is willing to let the said. Jesus promised his presence to be local church deal with the practical with them to the end of the age. Jesus, issues, he takes upon himself the the Word that is God, is the final responsibility of delineating the position authority in matters of faith and that they need to take ·on the Bible as conduct and is the one who our authority. I think the African authenticates the scriptures and draws church should be left to determine what out their intention. The authority of the it thinks about the Bible as with any Bible is derived authority because it other problem that confronts it. For points to Jesus who is the author and Gehman to define the theology of the finisher of our faith according to the Bible for the African Church is to act writer to the Hebrews. Jesus told the paternalistically. Without the African Pharisees that they look to scripture for Christians establishing their own salvation, and yet they bear witness to biblical foundation, an African him. evangelical theology will never emerge. The question of authority comes We need to note here that Gehman' s from the dual needs for both a teaching 20 Africa .Journal ofEvangelical Theology 14.1 1995

church and for a context for an African has been shaped by an epistemological theology to develop . Yet, the Jerusalem approach which is not simply Council remind us that biblical evangelical, but Aristotelian in modification may be forced on orientation and the result is a scholastic Scripture because it has pleased the theology filled with paradoxes and Holy Spirit and the African church to dualisms. We have inherited that make appropriate changes to certain epistemological conditioning in Africa practices because Christ has made them and there is need to recognize it for clean. Pastoral letters cannot be used what it is: limited and inadequate for as proof texts without proper exegetical understanding both traditional African work, indeed as Gehman proposes, but and Christian spirituality. African m some cases fails to do in his book. cultures that never recognized the Questions need to be asked as to what is dichotomy between matter and spirit, as the problem that led the apostles to the Greeks did, are much closer to the place the emphasis on the need for "all biblical epistemology based on the scriptures". It needs to be remembered wisdom of God than Western also that when those letters were being evangelicalism steeped in rationalistic written, they were not yet part of the categories. Gehman seems to recognize recognized canon, and so the scripture this when he speaks on culture and the they refer to was the Old Testament. need for contextualization, but for the The epistles were important because of wrong reason. Western evangelical their apostolic authorship which the theology is caught in the same early church used to establish the rationalistic trappings and reaction to canon. The repetition of doctrinal philosophy and culture. This is why cliches that have come out of varied Gehman speaks about universal and historical situations may or may not be propositional truths. Africans and the helpful . African Christians need to find Bible have more ways of answers for themselves and this calls communicating truth than simply the for a testing of all theological spirits to propositional way which is more a fmd out whether they are of Christ and legacy of Aristotelian syllogisms than relevant to the African context. biblical wisdom that uses narrative, prose, proverbs, ritual, symbols, (c) The Dangers of Epistemological parables and poetry. The truth of the Captivity Bible is captured better as the whole of It has already been pointed out that being is tuned to God in a personal evangelicalism as arising from the West relationship and obedience, and not only Musopole 21

and simply by assenting to the truth of other, but rather to show wisdom and some statements. a method that has a responsibility toward both. We cannot tendency of freezing the truth and thus be beneficiaries of liberalism in some killing the life which it is supposed to areas of our life and them vilify it as if convey. it were the enemy without playing the The terms liberal and conservative hypocrite. Both theological need to be explained instead of being perspectives have been hurtful to the bandied around as if they were African people. While liberal opposites. Unfortunately, the history of theologies encouraged colonialism, the usage of these terms have created conservative theologies supported this impression and led to their racism and still do to this day. Many of polarization. There are some things us would like to be set free from certain that need to be conserved, and there are customs, traditions, and attitudes, while other things that must change (become to conserve them would mean remaining liberated). Change can be directed or it prisoners of a past no longer necessary can be forced on a community. While for the meaning of our present confessions do not change, people do existence. ACT need not be either change and either outgrow or become liberal or conservative, but theologically fatigued by some issues. It may also be responsive to the reality of Jesus in the the case that some issues become lives of African believers. To achieve irrelevant to the community or are this, it overtaken by other events in the will have to be biblically based by use community. Therefore, there is the of adequate hermeneutic tools, need for each generation to rethink the contextually relevant in the problems it faith for itself in view of changed engages, culturally sensitive (but not situations. While Jesus remains the captive) in its attempt to express the same yesterday, today, and forever, the presence and meaning of the incarnate scriptures need to be interpreted afresh. Christ. Furthermore, when we talk of In any society, there will be people who liberalism in Africa and in ACT, we are always questioning the past and need to put it in its historical context, seeking to change it because it is in the remembering that it was a reaction way of new possibilities, just as there against a kind of obscurant spiritual will always be people that work to authoritarianism that had grown out of conserve the past because the present a polemical situation following the and its meaning are rooted in it. What Reformation. Theology is more than a is required, is not to favor one or the science, it is an exercise in kinship with 22 Africa Journal ofEvangelical Theology 14.1 1995

God, the study of God. While it does theologians who embody that reality not negate the use of reason as a tool, it (doers of the word), which is, "Jesus in recognizes its limitation because reason you, the hope of glory." For the alone cannot understand both scripture African church, there is theological and the power of God. Faith is not a danger lurking in both liberal and leap into the dark, as Kierkegaard conservative perspectives and African would have us believe, but out of evangelicals need to watch both sides darkness into God's ~arvelous light cautiously. Faith is reasonable and reason is faithbound, otherwise it has no grounds (d) Living the Whole Tnlfh for confidence. The fact that The insistence by evangelicals that rationalism has made claims beyond its theology is a community effort is own limits is no reason to vilify it, nor meant to provide for internal and should it force theology to confine itself mutual correction under the guidance of to its canons. It is as much a gift of the Holy Spirit. lt is the authority of God as faith, love, and hope are, but we the truth that we want, not of people's know that love is the greatest and not intellect or sectarian propositions. It is reason. African evangelicals need to the truth that sets free and our loyalty explore more this matter of love as should be to that truth as embodied and related to God's wisdom as a possible manifested in Christ and not simply to . epistemological point of departure for some confessional statements which doing theology. Conservatives have soon become dead letters of the law. tended to be narrow in their perspective Hans Kung has advocated a church because they do not take the whole maintained in truth, and not on existential and historical reality of our tradition--catholic or evangelical (I humanity in view, while liberals have would highly recommend his little book tended to move to the other extreme m to anyone concerned for evangelical which anything and everything goes. theological orthodoxy and the church). For liberals a theological perspective We can only maintain an evangelical governs the reality of God, and not God tradition because it upholds the truth as determining the perspective. What the the church presently knows it and ·seeks African church needs is not an to grow in it by embodying it. obscurant evangelicalism, but an Therefore, doctrinal claims to biblical African evangelical theology based on truth that have been developed the love, wisdom, and power of God elsewhere must come under scrutiny in (and that is who Jesus is) and the light of our unique experience of Musopole 23

Jesus Christ and historico-cultural all tools of biblical criticism and come context. Richard Gehman has put to very different understanding from the priority on "the spiritual renewal liberals because their epistemology is among the churches and building up the different and their approach arises out Kingdom of God." While I would of a personal relationship with the applaud this emphasis, it is narrowly subject of the Word thus allowing for focused. It suffers from a Hellenistic enlightened and informed subjectivity dualism. There is the need for an within the community of faith in African evangelical theology to be theological discourse. While the Bible historically engaged. It is the whole is significant due to Israel's election to gospel, to the whole person, in the be God's servant in mission to the totality of their culture, and for the world, the question of where was God whole world. It is the life of people that before the Gospel reached Africa is we should talk about, and not simply critical to an African evangelical their souls or spirits. Until African theology and it impinges on soteriology people see the relevance of the Evangel as well as the theological status of the to the redemption of their lives and ancestors. To bring in God from culture, spiritual renewal will be African traditional religion (ATR) is ineffective. Social responsibility and not to engage in natural theology evangelism are not altemati ves, but because Africans do not recognize such each imply the other. African a theology. If it has something to do evangelicals need to emphasize both with the God who is creator, then it is especially in view of Africa's cultural valid theology. Natural theology is a emphasis on conmmnalliving. The Hellenistic creation and deals with God concern should be how can the Evangel who is a concept to be intellectually contribute toward the creation of demonstrated or proved and not as a communities of freedom, peace, Being to relate to personally. To speak integrity and abundant life in Africa. of God from ATR is not to substitute ATR for the Old Testament, but to (e) The Need for the Whole Tool-Box understand and appreciate ATR better for Biblical in the light of the Scriptures, hence On the need for thorough biblical Gehman is on target to advocate a exegesis, Gehman has a point, but his theology of culture. The fact that there tools are inadequate and so is the is an interplay between divine revelation epistemological basis on which his and human progress through time in argument rests. Evangelicals can use view of God's promised future implies 24 Africa Journal of Evangelical Theology 1-1.1 /995

that there will have to be an interplay bread called Mrican between biblical traditions and Mrican evangelicai/Christian theology. religio-cultural traditions in discerning the meaning of God's word for Mrica today. The Bible as a norm is not fixed or static, but rather creatively and incamationally living and unfolding as applied by the Holy Spirit. It can only be fixed and inflexible if applied rationally.

Conclusion

I have attempted in a general way to highlight some of the issues that I consider critical in the development of African evangelicalism as mainstream Mrican Christian theology. It is imperative that apart from the experience of Jesus as Savior and Lord, any theology that has come from outside has to be examined critically in the light of the Scriptures, as w1derstood by the African community of faith, if it can make a positive contribution to the development of African Christian Theology under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The African church as a living reality cannot continue to live, as Gehman has rightly said, on stale theological bread without getting spiritually malnourished in the process. In many ways, it has been sick for a long time, and it is time to give to it some fresh homemade