Africa Society of Evangelical Theology

This collection of essays - the product of the 8th annual conference of the Africa Society of Evangelical Theology - wrestles with the topics of God and creation from distinctly African perspectives. Touching on topics from environmentalism, to ethnic conflict, to childlessness, the contributors present a powerful and timely reflection on the nature of God as creator and the implications of that identity on our relationship with the divine, with the earth, and with each other. Highlighting the rich wisdom of African voices, this book explores the particularities and complexities of an African cultural context, while presenting biblical truth that extends beyond geographical limits. Anyone interested in thinking theologically about our role in the universe God has made or what African culture, in dialogue with Scripture, has to teach us, will find this book to be an invaluable resource.

We often hear these days that the centre of Christianity is moving toward the Global South and Africa is a key player in that movement. This makes the study of African Christianity and African realities important – even more so when it is being done by Africans themselves in their own context. The Africa Society of Evangelical Theology (ASET) was created to encourage research and sustained theological reflection on key issues facing Africa by and for African Christians and those working within African contexts. The volumes in the ASET series constitute the best papers presented at the annual conferences of ASET and together they seek to fill this important gap in the literature of Christianity. Africa is all too familiar with suffering. Yet there is a dearth of sustained theological reflection on suffering by Africans, or for Africans. Christianity and Suffering: African Perspectives addresses this need and is the fruit of the 5th Annual Conference of the Africa Society of Evangelical Theology. The contributions address age-old issues like why God does not prevent or relieve human suffering; they wrestle with causes of suffering including witchcraft, poverty, curses, and war; and they also explore appropriate Christian responses to suffering, all from within the African context. The Africa Society of Evangelical Theology (ASET) is a professional society, founded in 2009 for the purpose of fostering evangelical theological scholarship and to facilitate collegial relationships among scholars and practitioners of the Christian religion in Africa. Its core values are: (1) Faithfulness to the Bible, (2) Professional ethics, (3) Creative and critical thinking, (4) Christ-like humility, (5) Community of scholars encouraging, respecting, and learning from one another, and (6) Development and inspiration of young scholars. To learn more about ASET, please visit its Facebook page: facebook.com/AfricaSocietyOfEvangelicalTheology

In this volume from the Africa Society of Evangelical Theology, contributors explore forgiveness, peacemaking and reconciliation as necessary prerequisites for human flourishing. Ranging from biblical studies and church history to medical ethics and public theology, this collection offers a rich diversity of voices and perspectives as each author reflects on God's heart for conflict alleviation within the contexts of their own communities, nations, histories, and academic disciplines. Taken together, these contributions offer profound insight into both the particularities and generalities of God's transformative, healing work in the world, and how we, the church, are called to partner with that work, in Africa and beyond.

The essence of the church's character lies in God's mission. It is the foundational call for God's people in every generation and the core of God's divine purpose for the church. In this tenth volume from the annual conference of the Africa Society of Evangelical Theology, contributors explore God's mission and the church's participation, reflecting on how missiology relates to other theological fields while also being rooted in reality to ultimately encourage the church's interaction with the world in a way that reflects God's missionary heart. This collection of papers investigates the important connection between missiology and hermeneutics, going on to examine how missional frameworks shape theological ideas and provide insights into how the church can practically represent God's mission in a broken world. Presenting missiology through the lenses of scriptural examinations, historical theology, systematic examinations, and practical theology, these essays work together to build a contemporary understanding of how we can put theory into practice as we consider God's mission and the African church's place in it.

In spite of persecution and waning in some areas of the world, Christianity in Africa has continued to grow. Yet alongside the flourishing of the church comes challenges of syncretism and pluralism. In this ninth volume from the annual conference of the Africa Society of Evangelical Theology, contributors explore the African Christian's understanding of church through contextual ecclesiology. These African theologians address irrefutable realities for the African church while covering an extensive range of topics such as the priesthood of all believers, the functions and ministries of church in society, and church growth strategies. Presenting ecclesiology through the lenses of scriptural examinations, historical theology, systematic examinations, and practical theology, these essays work together to build a contemporary understanding of the burgeoning church in Africa through African voices.

For the church, there can be no more significant question than Christ's Who do you say that I am? It is the cornerstone upon which all of Christian faith and praxis must stand. In this volume, the sixth from the Africa Society of Evangelical Theology, contributors explore the question of Christ's identity — and its implications for the global church — from a distinctly African perspective. Engaging biblical studies, church history, and applications for missions, discipleship, and inter-religious dialogue, these essays utilize African hermeneutics and rich cultural perspectives to shed light on Christ's contextual relevance for Africa and for the world. The final section is dedicated to the memory of John S. Mbiti, the father of modern African theology, who passed away in 2019.

Everyone who has "eyes to see" acknowledges the growing importance of the African church to the future of global Christianity. But what does it mean for the church to take root in Africa? How should the message of the gospel and the practice of Christianity be contextualized for Africa? African Contextual Realities addresses many of the questions surrounding contextualization from a practical point of view and is the fruit of the 6th Annual Conference of the Africa Society of Evangelical Theology held in Nairobi in 2016. The book explores such questions as: • In what ways should the mission of God be universally recognizable in every cultural context? • In our efforts to contextualize, how do we avoid compromising the very gospel we are to proclaim? • How can the African church wean itself away from dependency on the Western church? • How does Christianity speak into some of the cultural and social issues arising out of contemporary African settings - issues like widow cleansing, Christian-Muslim relations, and peace-building? All those who are interested to learn more about the contextualization of African Christianity will find this volume to be an important resource.

Integrity, pastoral care and authority lie at the heart of Christian leadership and indeed, following Jesus in any capacity and they are also critical in state governance and Christian higher education. The articles in this book, the product of the 2017 conference of the Africa Society of Evangelical Theology, address these themes and other topics relating to the spheres of government and education in Africa to enhance our understanding of the challenges faced in African contexts. A wide range of Christian scholar-leaders provide a way forward for other church and institutional leaders who are seeking to faithfully fulfill their responsibilities of stewardship and instruction. Corruption, civil disobedience, good governance and formation of Christian leaders are matters that are becoming increasingly relevant not only in many African countries but across the world, and this book is a valuable resource for thoughtful reflection and guidance on these important subjects.

"What must I do to be saved?" That question, raised in the book of Acts by the Philippian jailer, is a question for the ages. Yet what, even, does it mean to be saved? Is salvation for this life or the next? Is it purely spiritual or does it have physical and material implications? Can salvation be lost? Do we determine who will be saved or does God? What role does Christ play in salvation? Such are the seemingly unending questions soteriology strives to answer. In this eighth volume from “The Africa Society of Evangelical Theology”, African theologians articulate their understanding of salvation—and its widespread implications for life and practice—in conversation with Scripture and the rich diversity of an African cultural context. Salvation is examined from historical, philosophical, and theological lenses, and scholars address topics as wide-ranging as conversion, ethnicity, fertility, poverty, prosperity, the Trinity, exclusivism, African Pentecostalism, rural community, eschatology, wholeness, and atonement. It is a powerful exploration of the holistic nature of salvation as articulated in Scripture and understood by the African church.

The identity and nature of the Holy Spirit has long been a critical—and often divisive—topic among Christians. Yet it is one with which we must continue to grapple if we are to grow in our understanding of the personhood of God, the calling of the church and the life of the believer. The seventh volume drawn from the annual conference of the Africa Society of Evangelical Theology, this collection of essays addresses questions of pneumatology against the rich background of African church history. African theologians explore centuries of Christian understanding, from the writings of Augustine to the doctrine of African Instituted Churches, and examine the impact of pneumatological belief upon the life and worship of the believer. Serving as a corrective on pneumatological heterodoxies while making space for both the diversity and unity of the African church, this volume provides a powerful reminder of the centrality of the Holy Spirit to Christian doctrine and praxis.