Towards a Christian Theology of African Ancestors

Thomas Ochieng Otanga

• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Year: 2023
• ISBN:
  9781666727357
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Systematic Theology & Ethics

This book examines the similarities and relationship between Christian saints and African ancestors. Further, it analyzes the deep cultural roots of African peoples and the ancestral frame as a point of departure for developing an indigenous African theology. Questions dealt with include: Does the conversion of Africans to Christianity require a break with their African cultural heritage? Who is an African ancestor? Is syncretism a good thing for an African Christian? What contribution can the African church make to the universal church? The author argues that rather than being antithetical to formal Christianity, an African Christian theology of ancestors is an example of how an indigenous African tradition can best express Christianity as well as make considerable impact on world Christianity.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: The Doctrine of the Communion of Saints
• Chapter 2: African Ancestors
• Chapter 3: Veneration of African Ancestors
• Chapter 4: African Ancestors and Communio Sanctorum
• Chapter 5: Parallels between African Ancestors and Communion Sanctorum
• Chapter 6: Mababu Theology
• Chapter 7: The African Christian in the Twenty-First Century
• Chapter 8: Mababu Theology: An African Contribution to the Universal Church
• Bibliography