A CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF THE CONTENT OF SALVATION IN AFRICAN THEOLOGY

Abodunrin, Adeniyi Olufemi

Department of Religious Studies, College of Humanities

Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji Arakeji, Osun State

e-mail: femiabodunrin93@yahoo.com

 ABSTRACTS

 African church theology or “Theology African” the market is now flooded with article that try to define these terms, some people are even afraid that any of these terms connotes a pollution or syncretism of  theology as  they understand it in  the  western traditions of  the church. There are three main area of African theology today which sincludes written theology, oral theology, and symbolic theology. Written theology is the  privilege of a few  Christians who have had considerable education and who generally articulate their theological reflection  in articles and so far few books, mostly in  English, French, Germany  or another European languages .Oral theology is produced in the fields , by the  masses, through songs, sermons ,teachings, prayers, conversation ,e.g.  It is theology in the open air often unrecorded. Often heard only by small group and generally   lost to libraries   and seminaries. Symbolic theology is expressed through art, sculpture, drama,  symbol ritual, colors, number e t  c The  word ”syncretism ”has  become a bogey word, used to  frighten all who  would venture to do Christian theology in  the  context of the world views and religions, but is syncretism not  in fact a positive and  unavoidable process, Christian theology and practice have always interacted with the religion and philosophical  presuppositions  of the various periods .practice like the  observance  of Sunday, distributions of Easter eggs ,and the festival of the Nile in the medieval church are  instances of the acculturation of  Christianity .Evidence of this process is increasing  In African. African   theology   attempts to takes due   account of the African to whom the faith is addressed. It takes notes of African’s cultures, as a religion, and civilization. It advocates  the right  of African  to ponder on Christianity  and its truth in their own terms, All these  and  many  more  like theology of the  cross, concepts of  salvation, missionary theology, church and liberation, and  salvation as  a whole will  be examine  in this paper.