AbstractExplore millions of resources from scholarly journals, books, newspapers, videos and more, on the ProQuest Platform.

AbstractAfrica and Africans in the New Testament is a survey of references to Africa and Africans in the New Testament Bible. It describes in detail the various biblical terminologies and incidents referring to Africa and Africans, including the significant role of Africans in the spreading of Christianity to Jerusalem, Corinth, Rome, and other parts of the world in the biblical Period.

AbstractAn important contribution to Old Testament studies focusing on the Table of Nations (Genesis 10) as well as clear Black African elements in Old Testament scripture and theology.

AbstractThe fathers of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) acknowledge the importance of using the means of social communication to proclaim the Gospel. Some people have refuted and continue to denigrate the Christian and or the Catholic faith. Therefore, apologetics is always relevant in evangelisation. This study coined digital apologetics to mean using the social media for apologetics. It aimed at appraising the extent to which the Catholic Church in Nigeria has deployed the social media for apologetics given the contemporary objection to the Catholic faith through the social media. The study adopted the qualitative research design using the narrative approach. It gathered data through formal interviews and informal group interviews, online participant observation and the use of written sources. Research questions were sent to 40 Catholic respondents including laity, religious and priests through WhatsApp, but 34 responded. Findings revealed that the social media was used to attack Christianity and or the Catholic faith, and most Nigerian Catholics were aware. Most Nigerian Catholics did not use their social media handles for apologetics. Among most Nigerian clergy on social media, Fada Oluoma, Fr Kelvin Ugwu, MSP, the Claretian Sisters, and Bishop Godfrey I. Onah have been most visible at engaging in digital apologetics. The study challenges Nigerian Catholics to use their social media handles for apologetics rather than solely reporting social or religious events. It is recommended that Nigerian Catholics, and most especially the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CS

Abstract"Christianity will always be attacked," says Ebenezer Afolabi. It is therefore the duty of every believer to take up the task of defending what they believe. This book is divided into two interesting sections where you can learn how to be empowered to defend your faith. In the first section, the author discloses the conflicting and erroneous presuppositions of the major Christian groups in the world, their strengths and weaknesses, and how to deal with them. In the second section you will also learn more about Jesus Christ, His historicity, His deity and humanity, and what other religions and historical documents say about Him. Furthermore, the author reveals the methods used by skeptics to attack the Christian faith, and also suggest eight practical tools Christians can use to expose and refute all erroneous claims. This is a book you cannot afford to miss. Please consider posting a review after reading this book. This will be greatly appreciated.

AbstractIn such a time as this when many churches in Africa are drifting away from biblical Christianity and adopting doctrines and practices totally foreign to the Christianity practiced by the apostles and the church fathers, it is therefore imperative to urgently engage in apologetics and polemics, so that the church in Africa can preserve and transmit the tradition of truth and biblical Christianity to the coming generations of Christians in Africa. In Doing Apologetics with an African Mindset, readers will learn the following: 1. How to do Apologetics from the African perspective, 2. The presuppositions of the dominant religions in Africa and why Christianity is unique, 3. How to engage the intellectuals and help them remove their mental barriers to the Christian faith, 4. The uniqueness of Christianity, Jesus, the Bible and the hope Christianity offer to Africans, 5. The Jesus Africans would accept and the images of Christ in Africa. This book is a valuable resource material to help missionaries, church leaders, Pastors, teachers, evangelists, seminarians, youth ministers, parents and Christian educators provide logical and biblical explanations for their Christian claims from the African perspective.

AbstractThis book is to educate African Christians of the need to defend the Christian faith in all its fullness and depth and to present Christian Apologetics from the African perspective.

AbstractWhat’s behind the plague of false prophets dividing the church today? How does Scripture equip believers to recognize and resist counterfeit messengers from God? Rodgers Atwebembeire of ACFAR explores these questions and many more in this wide-ranging interview.

AbstractRyan van der Avoort discusses how apologetics in Africa must be contextually Christological, engaging local traditions and faiths.

AbstractWhat is the singular subject that currently dominates other issues in African congregations today? What is the dilemma that has seemingly crippled and incapacitated the power of God in its manifestation freely among the believers? What is the topic that attracts attention in social media, television, radio, and newspaper reports every day in the world? It is the pursuit and clamor for a miracle. It is observed that the number of church-goers, miracle-seekers, and miracle-workers is on the increase daily in Christian gatherings. The question remains, “Magic or Miracle?” If it is a miracle that only comes from God, why the craze? The biblical account is full of God’s miracles through His prophets in the Old Testament and through Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Besides, God worked wondrously through the apostles. He is still able to do wonders in this end time. Thus, this paper is a Christian apologetic response to current prophetic claims that are associated with magic but are displayed as miracles. It significantly argues that God is not a magician and miracles do not depend on human efforts. The discourse, therefore, employs the Christian apologetical method in responding to the challenges that these misconstrued conceptions have had on African Christian congregations, with particular reference to Nigeria.

AbstractDuring the summer of 2010 Ghana played host to the first ever conference held within Africa to focus solely on the relationship of the African Christian and Islam. The event was led by John Azumah in partnership with the Center of Early African Theology. The conference, chaired by Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja welcomed over 50 participants from across 27 African countries and several denominations. This book is a collection of the papers presented by 22 of the delegates forming a historical survey and thematic assessment of the African Christian and Islam. In addition, key information on the introduction, spread and engagement of Islam and Christianity within 9 African countries is presented. The book closes with Biblical reflections that opened each day of the conference, providing useful examples of Christians reading the Bible in reference to Islam.

AbstractDuring the summer of 2010 Ghana played host to the first ever conference held within Africa to focus solely on the relationship of the African Christian and Islam. The event was led by John Azumah in partnership with the Center of Early African Theology. The conference, chaired by Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja welcomed over 50 participants from across 27 African countries and several denominations. This book is a collection of the papers presented by 22 of the delegates forming a historical survey and thematic assessment of the African Christian and Islam. In addition, key information on the introduction, spread and engagement of Islam and Christianity within 9 African countries is presented. The book closes with Biblical reflections that opened each day of the conference, providing useful examples of Christians reading the Bible in reference to Islam.

AbstractDuring the summer of 2010 Ghana played host to the first ever conference held within Africa to focus solely on the relationship of the African Christian and Islam. The event was led by John Azumah in partnership with the Center of Early African Theology. The conference, chaired by Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja welcomed over 50 participants from across 27 African countries and several denominations. This book is a collection of the papers presented by 22 of the delegates forming a historical survey and thematic assessment of the African Christian and Islam. In addition, key information on the introduction, spread and engagement of Islam and Christianity within 9 African countries is presented. The book closes with Biblical reflections that opened each day of the conference, providing useful examples of Christians reading the Bible in reference to Islam.

Abstract"Christianity is not becoming a global religion-it has always been one. Vince Bantu surveys the geographic range of the early church's history, investigating the historical roots of the Western cultural captivity of the church and the concurrent development of diverse expressions of Christianity across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia"--

Abstract"Jesus and the Gospel in Africa collects writings by Kwame Bediako and is the best source for his insights into the Christ of present-day African history and the Jesus of African faith. Bediako shows how intimately bound together are such elements as the message of Jesus and the struggle to give birth to African democracy." --Book Jacket.

AbstractThe phase of Christian history offering the most instructive parallels to the modern African context is the beginning of Hellenistic Christianity in the early Roman Empire. With Christianity virtually transposed from its original Jewish matrix and fast becoming a predominantly Gentile phenomenon, there emerged from the circles of Gentile Christian thought a significant body of Christian literature, in which the problem of Christian identity and the nature of continuity with the pre-Christian tradition began to be faced in earnest. Traditionally, early Christian writers have been studied largely for their contribution or otherwise to the development of Christian doctrine. Their careers...

Abstract"Jesus and the Gospel in Africa collects writings by Kwame Bediako and is the best source for his insights into the Christ of present-day African history and the Jesus of African faith. Bediako shows how intimately bound together are such elements as the message of Jesus and the struggle to give birth to African democracy." --Book Jacket.

Abstract"Jesus and the Gospel in Africa collects writings by Kwame Bediako and is the best source for his insights into the Christ of present-day African history and the Jesus of African faith. Bediako shows how intimately bound together are such elements as the message of Jesus and the struggle to give birth to African democracy." --Book Jacket.

AbstractA very popular narrative says that Christianity isn't African, but arrived with the Colonialists. Historically speaking, this claim is a fiction.

AbstractIn this eye-opening episode, Lisa Fields sits down with Dr. Joseph Byamukama, a New Testament scholar from Uganda, to explore the deep roots of African spirituality, its misconceptions in the West, and its complex relationship with Christianity. They unpack key themes from Dr. Byamukama's powerful chapter in Apologetics in Africa, including African understandings of a supreme creator, the role of ancestors, polygamy, witchcraft, and the theological bridge Christianity can offer through the resurrection. This is a must-watch for anyone interested in contextual theology, African traditions, or the resurgence of African spiritual practices in the diaspora.

AbstractHow do we justify faith in a good God in the face of suffering? Discover how Christianity equips us to make sense of suffering. #AfricanApologetics

AbstractThere are fundamental differences between Christianity and African Traditional Religion. It isn't just the practices that differ: it's who we worship

AbstractThis research assesses the use of scripture in tracts published in Swahili in East Africa. The use of tracts for the propagation of religion is introduced through the work of Tract Societies in Britain and the use of Christian tracts in overseas missions. Printing in Arabic and the propagation of Islam through tracts is surveyed. The historical use of tracts by Christians and Muslims in East Africa, and Swahili as a religious language, are examined. In 2000 and 2001, Christian and Muslim tracts in Swahili were purchased from particular locations in Kenya and Tanzania. Of these, sixteen tracts, eight by Christians and eight by Muslims, were selected. The tracts use passages from the Bible and/or the Qur’an mainly for outreach purposes. They are described and analysed and scriptures within them recorded. Eighteen Biblical and Qur’anic passages that appeared in more than one tract were chosen. These scriptures, together with the interpretations of them within the tracts, are translated, presented thematically, analysed and compared. The research found differences between Christian and Muslim use of the passages, noting that the approach of most tracts is polemical, thus raising concerns that they may increase misunderstandings between Christians and Muslims in East Africa.

AbstractFor decades, the problem of evil has occupied a centre stage in the Western philosophical discourse of the existence of God. The problem centres on the unlikelihood to reconcile the existence of an absolute and morally perfect God with the evidence of evil in the universe. This is the evidential problem of evil that has been a source of dispute among theists, atheists, agnostics, and sceptics. There seems to be no end to this dispute, making the problem of evil a perennial one in Western Philosophy of Religion. In this essay, I will contribute to this discourse from an African perspective. This essay, therefore, explores the evidential problem of evil within the African philosophy of religion. I argue that it is unlikely for the evidential problem of evil to be a problem in African philosophy of religion. I invoke an Ejima-based argument to support this claim. I conceptualize the Igbo word Ejima to metaphysically mean the inevitable coexistence of two opposite variables as complements to argue that God could be both good and evil within the African Traditional Religion, which explains why good and evil exist in the universe.

AbstractAbstract There has recently been an increased interest in debates on the nature of God, supernatural entities, and the problem of evil outside the Western tradition and there is a growing realisation that philosophical scholarship should go beyond Western perspectives in order to properly address issues in the philosophy of religion that arise in non‐Western cultures. Taking this on board, this article surveys the field of African philosophy of religion and highlights some of the concerns and issues driving debates in the field. In particular, we focus on three important debates. Firstly, we outline the two main schools of thought that divide African philosophers into theistic and non‐theistic camps. We label the theistic perspective the 'African theistic view' and the non‐theistic perpective the 'limited God view'. Secondly, we explore how commitment to the two views has led to distinct explanations of the problem of evil. Thirdly, we highlight the role of ancestors in African belief‐systems and their place in the scheme of things. Adopting the method of philosophical exposition and argument, we show how the two dominant views of God's nature define this emerging field of African philosophy and will determine the future trajectory of the field.

AbstractAs in many other cultures and across history, there is a longing among Africans for a messiah. But human saviours always disappoint

AbstractWho was Shembe and how should we view the Nazareth Baptist Church? This article delves into some of the history, theology and controversy

AbstractThe need of cultural interaction in Apologetics: Acts 17:16–32 as explanatory statement. Acceptance of a secular-versus-holy dualism holds Christianity in a cultural prison and has the effect that the Christian faith becomes a compartmentalised entity, which oddly fits in a secular context, because it does not have an impact outside the church building. To be culturally effective in its communication, apologetics should make use of images and expressions that is known by the people it aims to reach. Interacting with their worldviews in a narrative form is also much more subtle than the use of an argumentative style of reasoning that emphasise differences. Arts have a particular ability to shape and analyse culture. Films can help Christian apologists to understand culture as well as to be in a better position to engage meaningfully with the world. In a similar way to which Paul made use of pagan insights and narratives in Acts 17, the themes of contemporary movies can be used by apologists. Paul’s strategy was not the syncretistic reconciliation of two incompatible worldviews, but subversion through giving Greek ideas new meaning by placing them in a monotheistic context. When apologetics makes use of stories saturated with Christian themes, it can address secular imagination with an understanding of God and the world which they would not otherwise have considered.

AbstractApologetics take their place beside miracles of healing and courage in the face of persecution as an important means of furthering the early Christian mission. In the first two centuries AD, when the popular perception was that Christianity was closely allied to Judaism, the argument from Old Testament prophecy was important. In the third century, however, as the Church gained ground among the educated classes in east and west, the emphasis changed to an attempt to demonstrate the superiority of Christianity over its pagan rivals as a philosophy with a more convincing understanding of the role of providence. Apologists in the north African tradition, Tertullian, Minucius Felix, Arnobius and Lactantius, all played their part in this process. The prophecies of the Old Testament had to be confirmed by other prophecies, notably the Sibylline oracles and the sayings of Hermes Trismegistus. Finally, in the fourth century, many north Africans who, like Augustine for ten years, adhered to Manichaean Christianity relied wholly on these authorities, rejecting the Old Testament altogether.

AbstractMany agree that God exists. Yet if you really believe, there are 3 major implications that should radically change the way you live, not just what you think

AbstractA shared interest of law and religion is the advancement of human flourishing, yet there is no common understanding of what it means for humans to flourish and the means by which to attain a flourishing life.

AbstractThe cultural and intellectual history of Africa rarely mentions atheism as being and living in Africa. Frequently, what is emphasized is the notoriety and inevitability of belief and its diverse performances in the form of rituals and deities and practices related to human attempts at appeasing and manipulating their assumed powers (Parrinder 1954; Mbiti 2015). However, atheism and its culturally informed performances are diffused in (southern) Africa. This is a core claim of Okot p’Bitek in his disagreement with Mbiti’s thesis on the notoriety of African religiosity: Africans make fun or jokes about the gods; sometimes what may seem a religious performance is in reality a religious ridicule of the deities. In fact, some performances – such as oracle consultation and divination, the choice of a new king, or the cause of death or disease in a community – that are considered acts of God are human acts disguised as God’s.

AbstractTo prove that a clear understanding of African traditional religion (ATR) lends itself to a fertile ground for Christian apologetics, this Nigerian author surveys the methodology of Christian apologetics. Based on the premise that if the Christian church is to seek the conversion of one whose background is ATR, it must first understand its theological roots and the theology of ATR, the author develops Christian apologetics that is informed by an understanding of ATR. God's decisive revelation in the Christ-event can legitimately be commended as the fulfillment of the longings of ATR.

AbstractIn this interview, I talk with Vincent Kajuma. Vincent Kajuma serves on staff at Emmanuel Baptist Church (Nairobi) and is the Kenya coordinator for the Centers for Apologetics Research. He is a leader apologist in the African countercults movement.

AbstractJoin us for an insightful public lecture by Reuben Kigame, hosted by the Africa Centre for Apologetics Research (ACFAR). In this session, Kigame dives deep into Christian apologetics, equipping believers with the knowledge and tools to defend their faith against false doctrines and misconceptions.

AbstractOne of the ultimate questions of human existence is: ‘Why am I here?’ Reuben Kigame declares his identity as fully African and fully Christian to share his mission: ‘I am put here for the defense of the Gospel’. Drawing on a wealth of information and years of interaction and reflection, Reuben Kigame has given us a wide-ranging reference work that will receive a deservedly warm welcome wherever current and future African apologists are to be found. Read this book and see how clear-eyed and sharp-witted Reuben is!

Abstract<p>This thesis discusses Lactantius’ moral philosophy and understanding of justice, and explores the apologetic use he made of these ideas. The present study is the fullest treatment of Lactantius’ view of justice in any language, and the only one in English. Its methodology is philological; it combines a close reading of Lactantius’ corpus with a literary-historical investigation of the many sources he cites and of the ideological justification of the Diocletian persecution. I investigate how these sources govern the form and content of Lactantius’ arguments; his apologetic method means he often argues for Christian ideas from pagan sources and premises. Lactantius understands justice as meeting obligations and divides obligations into two domains: duties to God and duties to other humans. He does so by likening God to a Roman paterfamilias, which creates the obligations of worshipping God and of treating other humans as his children and one’s siblings. Lactantius arrives at this definition by reconfiguring Cicero’s understanding of natural law, which undergirds justice in de Legibus Book 1. Lactantius’ conception of justice thus adopts a Ciceronian framework, but fills it with Christian ideas which drive his ethics. Lactantius’ ethics were influenced by Cyprian’s selection of biblical quotations in ad Quirinum; contra Wlosok and Loi, I found no profound dependence upon the Hermetica. The study then situates Lactantius’ ethics in the intellectual context of his day. Lactantius’ understanding of justice is carefully constructed to respond holistically to the persecutors’ ideology and asserts that Christians embody the ideals of Roman virtue. Contrary to the suggestions of Digeser and Colot, he does not seek to Christianise the Roman empire, but rather to dissuade it from persecuting Christians.</p>

AbstractThis article investigates the roots of the so-called spiritual law of attraction that some Christian preachers today describe as an important biblical law. One of the proponents of this idea, Pastor At Boshoff of the Christian Revival Church (CRC), refers in his sermons to the law of attraction as a powerful principle derived from the Word of God. This idea bears striking similarities to the positive confession doctrine as taught by popular Word of Faith preachers. The basic claim of this spiritual ‘law’ is that human beings create their own future through their thoughts and words. The article shows the idea of a spiritual law of attraction as a New Age doctrine that flows from a New Age worldview. Preaching prosperity through the law of attraction is not in accordance with orthodox, historical Christianity or the Christian worldview. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The article challenges the secular view that intangible thoughts and words can take on tangible reality. This is important since this secular idea is infiltrating the Christian church. It is already being preached as biblical although the roots thereof are clearly shown to originate from the New Age movement.

AbstractThis article investigates the biblical motivation that is given for the secular idea of the so-called spiritual law of attraction to become part of Christian doctrine. In 2010 Pastor At Boshoff of the Christian Revival Church (CRC) preached two sermons on the law of attraction in which he claimed it as a powerful principle in the Word of God. According to him this biblical ‘law’ provides human beings with physical manifestations of their thoughts and words. The idea to create one’s own favourable future through the law of attraction flows from a New Age worldview and is similar to the positive confession doctrine taught by popular Word of Faith teachers. Boshoff’s claim regarding the law of attraction cannot be deduced from the key Scripture passages he uses, which reflects an unfounded use of Scripture to promote this idea. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The article challenges the secular infiltration of the Law of Attraction in the church. This is important since the so-called Law of Attraction was preached by Pastor A. Boshoff of the CRC. Many of his listeners embrace his teaching although it reflects a poor exposition and application of Scripture.

AbstractRestoring Black Dignity with the Gospel

AbstractThis report, Christian Witness to People of African Traditional Religions, is one of a series of Lausanne Occasional Papers (LOPs) emerging from the historic Consultation on World Evangelization (COWE) held in Pattaya, Thailand, in June 1980. The report was drafted by members of the "Mini-Consultation on Reaching Traditional Religionists," under the chairmanship of Rev. Tite Tienou. The major part of this report went through a draft and a revised draft, which involved all members of the mini-consultation. It was also submitted to a wider "sub-plenary" group for comment, but the responsibility for the final text rests with the mini-consultation and its chairman. The report is released with the prayer and hope that it will stimulate the church and individual members in reaching this large segment of the population.

AbstractIs my chosen religion just one of many ways to the same god? Can Christians deny Christ's words in Scripture: "No one comes to the Father except through me"

AbstractEspecially since the late 20th century, former ‘Western’ cults such as the Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons and Branhamites, became a real threat to churches in the greater Kolwezi, the rest of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and several other places in Africa. Because these cultic groups question some of the most basic teachings of Christianity, including who God is and whether salvation occurs through Jesus Christ alone, it is crucial for Christian churches confronted with them, to respond apologetically in an effective way. To be able to do it, it is important to understand why these groups made such inroads and proselytes from Christian churches. In the article such background is given and a way forward through Christian apologetics and a missionary strategy is discussed.

AbstractThis Christian apologetic thesis focuses on the question of the identity of Jesus. Is he God, the only God, or not God? The aim of the work is to bring back a Biblical understanding of basic Christian doctrines in Kolwezi and other places in the DRC and Africa in light of the influence of the teachings of the Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW) and Branhamites. The research starts with the history of Kolwezi, and this includes the people, culture, customs, behaviour and social life. Then it describes the introduction of Christianity in Kolwezi and follows its growth from colonial times until the independence of the DRC (1885-1960). The different periods of the country and city’s history, including the period of the Congo Free State (1885-1908); the Belgian Congo (1908-1960); the Democratic Republic of Congo (1960-1965); Congo-Zaire (1965-1997); and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1997-2014), have all influenced the insight and understanding of Christianity and Christian doctrines. When the Christianity came to Kolwezi, it found the people involved in ancestors’ worship, practising magic powers in the indigenous communities. With this as background, the focus is on the religious life of the people in Kolwezi for the last fifty years. The research examines the influence of Arius by tracing the doctrines and the growth of the JW on the one hand. In 1985, this group had about 300 members, but today they are 37 times more (12 000 members). On the other hand, the research investigates the heresies of Sabellius (influential in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th century) by tracing the beliefs of the Branhamites in and through the life and teachings of their prophet, William Marrion Branham. In Kolwezi, these two groups seized the opportunities provided by unstable situations such as the civil war (1960-65), tribal conflict (1961-63, 1992-93) and political crisis (1990-1991, 1998-2001, 2008-2012) to influence Christians in all walks of life with their end-time prophecies. The JW prophesied the end of the world several times (1914) and the Branhamites also (1977) prophesied the end time of the present world. While none of their prophecies have been fulfilled, their influence is spreading. This is in contradiction with the way Christians view the end time Christians believe according to Biblical prophecy that the second coming of Christ and the end of this era will be accomplished once and for all one day in the future. Not only their involvement in Kolwezi, but also the similarities between the JW and the Branhamites provide reasons to study them together. These similarities include this such as that both groups consider their founder to be a messenger of God; both see the organization as the only true church; both teach a Christology that differs radically from Christianity and the Bible; both deny the Trinity; both deny the bodily resurrection of Christ; both deny the personality of the Holy Spirit; both have wrongly prophesied the end time; both use manipulation techniques; and both deny the Apostles’ Creed. The thesis employs Christian apologetics to evaluate the two groups in an effort to understand what the task is and what method must be implemented so that the people of Kolwezi can be reintroduced to Jesus of the Bible.

AbstractOur churches need leaders who gently shepherd the flock and fiercely fend off wolves. We need more pastoral apologists, majoring in care and conviction

AbstractGod's people are always vulnerable. Between false teaching and cultural trends, the church needs leaders who carry out the charge to be pastoral apologists

AbstractGod exhorts pastors to doctrinal purity, discernment, and the defence of the gospel. Through discipleship they must teach their congregations to do the same

AbstractOn this episode, Kevin Muriithi Ndereba discussed his new book "Apologetics in Africa."

AbstractThis textbook provides an in-depth exploration of the biblical, philosophical, cultural, and practical concerns facing African Christians as they proclaim and defend the gospel in Africa. Written by a diverse group of pastors and scholars, it provides a much needed interdisciplinary and contextualized approach to apologetics.

AbstractAfrican Atheism is rising. We explore the roots and underlying worldview of Atheism - plus what makes it so attractive to Africans today #AfricanApologetics

AbstractChristian apologetics within the African continent is undergoing some level of retrieval. While classical topics such as the existence of God and the problem of evil and suffering are critical questions to answer for the emerging generations, there is a need to answer specific questions that emerge from the African religious heritage. Among them is the question of whether the Triune God of Christianity is the same as the gods of the African Traditional Religions (ATRs), and if not, what do we make of the doctrine of God in view of the two traditions? To explore this question, this article utilises a comparative approach in analysing the understanding of God in ATRs and in classic Christian trinitarianism. Beginning with an overview of the socio-cultural and worldview antecedents in African societies, this article then contrasts the doctrine of God within ATRs with the doctrine within a Christian worldview. The contribution of this article is in explicating the continuities and discontinuities between ATRs and Christian trinitarianism, and especially in formulating apologetics within the African context.

AbstractThis article explores how digital media culture affects young people in African cities in three major areas. First, it leads to a shift in the area of knowledge and certainty; second, it leads to isolation and attendant mental health issues; third, it provides a bridge for engaging popular culture’s philosophical and religious ideas that are propagated by new media. This article proposes that, to counter digital isolation or assimilation, Christian leaders are called to “wise-engagement” modelled after Paul’s apologetic in Acts 17. The article offers practical considerations for engaging in the apologetic task among Africa’s next gens (generations).

AbstractIn an age of religious tolerance and political correctness, Christians are pressured to apologise for what they believe in. Talk of God, faith, repentance, holiness, salvation and eternity in an age of many choices, is cushioned in politeness, hushed tones, diluted convictions and platitudinous confessions. Winsomeness has its place, but half-hearted witness is ineffective for our time. Social media timelines are filled with videos and images that are a reflection of how much we have elevated the self, to the point of obscuring any confrontation of ideas, except those ideas that are non-Christian. On the other hand, African Christianity is...

AbstractIs Christianity a white man’s religion? Or is it a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural Kingdom we can embrace as 21st century Africans?

AbstractContemporary Christian ministry and theological education in Africa cannot neglect her children and young people. Engaging effectively with the children and youth in Africa's cities presents a rising challenge to scholars and practitioners. In addition to the developmental issues surrounding children and youth, there are worldview issues at play among young people. Urban African cities like Nairobi contain a mixture of African traditional religious worldviews, modern worldviews, and postmodern worldviews. This means that Christian ministry with the emerging generations will often take an apologetic mode. The scholarly literature on apologetics in the continent is scanty. Further, much of the research is merely theoretical and lacks empirical insight from practical ministry. This article will use an empirical methodology among African church leaders to collect salient themes in the discipline and practice of apologetics and draw conclusions for ministry and theological education.

AbstractThis essay problematizes worldview engagement in Africa from a Kenyan context. The author suggests that robust youth engagement must straddle the traditional/animistic, modern, atheistic, and postmodern worldviews. The essay approaches the study using a practical theological methodology, which deepens the interplay of theory and praxis. In particular, the essay is grounded in Osmer's approach which asks four questions. The first question is the descriptive-empirical question, “what is happening,” that explores the state of African youth ministry; the second question is the interpretive question, “why is this happening,” which unpacks worldview issues in the lives of young people; the third question is the normative question, “what ought to be happening,” and will engage Johannine Christology in John 4. The fourth question is the pragmatic question, which asks, “how can we apply this,” and offers recommendations for youth ministry practice and higher education.

AbstractKevin Muriithi unpacks the atheistic worldview and gives Christians 4 practical tools for engaging with those who identify as atheists. #AfricanApologetics

AbstractThis textbook provides an in-depth exploration of the biblical, philosophical, cultural, and practical concerns facing African Christians as they proclaim and defend the gospel in Africa. Written by a diverse group of pastors and scholars, it provides a much needed interdisciplinary and contextualized approach to apologetics.

AbstractApologetics Kenya is a ministry that was co-founded to equip believers in the African church and to engage skeptics through answering the big questions of life within a Christian worldview in the A…

AbstractAmong the Gĩkũyũ Christians, there has been a push from the traditional council of elders to “return to our roots”. Part of this return is the call to give away a goat or goats, called mbũri cia kiama, which is usually given to the council of elders as part of the progression of a man into the status of eldership. Some churches and church leaders have taken the position that this practice has no bearing on one’s faith in Jesus Christ and that Gĩkũyũ men should see no harm in doing this. Further, it would be a sign of celebrating the Gĩkũyũ or African identity of Christian men. Utilizing Bevan’s contextualisation methods, I make use of an integral approach to theological reflection by engaging Christology in the book of Hebrews with the anthropological findings of the aforementioned practice. I argue that while there are some positive elements in such practices including the African values of communality, mentorship and respect for elders, the covenantal underpinning of the practice obfuscates the New Covenant in Christ and should therefore be repudiated. I, therefore, show how the continuities and discontinuities of Gĩkũyũ culture and Christianity impacts African Christianity and African theology and suggest implications for Christian ministry.

AbstractFaith formation is a crucial area in youth ministry. Although the area of apologetics may be a helpful bridge, the theory and praxis of apologetics in the African context is scanty. The work of apologists such as William Lane Craig, John Frame, Ravi Zacharias, and John Lennox has responded to the post-Christian context of Europe and North America. Much needs to be done in light of the African contextual realities. Using a practical theological methodology, this paper considers how ubuntu apologetics – which honors both the cognitive and affective development of adolescents – can lead to holistic faith formation of African youth. This research paper will 1) consider youth ministry contextual realities in Kenya and Africa; 2) analyze foundational methods of apologetics; 3) utilize an ethnographic methodology in analyzing the data and 4) offer recommendations for youth ministry education and practice in Nairobi and Africa at large.

AbstractAn African's account of faith seeking understanding

AbstractThe modern practice of being slain in the Spirit is more akin to demonic possession as it's described in the Bible than the work of God

AbstractTheology | Culture | Worship

AbstractIn this project, I clarify and expand on G.E.M. Anscombe's claim that it's logically incoherence for philosophers to employ the concept of obligation in their moral theories without acknowledging the existence of a lawgiving God. I refer to this critique of contemporary moral philosophy as "Anscombe's Challenge", designating it as "AC" for short. I argue that for AC to be successful, it needs to be shown both that a lawgiving agent is necessary to make sense of the concept of obligation and that human beings, individually or collectively, do not fully suffice as the appropriate lawgiving agents. In the bulk of the project, I examine three responses to AC. The first is the Divine Command Theory (DCT) which endorses AC and argues that AC is not a problem to philosophy since moral obligations are really God's commands, whether or not human beings recognize them as such. The second is the Social Command Theory (SCT) which acknowledges that moral obligation is agent-relative but argues that no supernatural agent is needed to account for it since obligations arise from within human societies. The final one is a form of naturalism that casts obligation in an agent-neutral way: moral obligations exist necessarily and they therefore don't need an agent to account for them. I argue that SCT must deny the objectivity of moral obligation, thus making obligations relative to society. By denying that moral obligation is agent-relative, naturalists concede Anscombe's point that obligation should not be understood in terms of the commanded. DCT defenders argue that, by giving up on objectivity (SCT) and the agency behind obligation (naturalists), both SCT and naturalism fail to account adequately for the law-like force of obligation and for the intrinsic worth of humanity. DCT claims to be able to account for both features of morality since God is seen as the source of the commands behind human obligations who also maintains a unique relationship with human beings as their Creator, thus conferring them intrinsic worth. I conclude each section with an examination of what I take to be the best arguments against each view

AbstractAfrica has played a decisive role in the formation of Christian culture from its infancy. Some of the most decisive intellectual achievements of Christianity were explored and understood in Africa before they were in Europe. If this is so, why is Christianity so often perceived in Africa as a Western colonial import? How can Christians in Northern and sub-Saharan Africa, indeed how can Christians throughout the world, rediscover and learn from this ancient heritage? Theologian Thomas C. Oden offers a portrait that challenges prevailing notions of the intellectual development of Christianity from its early roots to its modern expressions. The pattern, he suggests, is not from north to south from Europe to Africa, but the other way around. He then makes an impassioned plea to uncover the hard data and study in depth the vital role that early African Christians played in developing the modern university, maturing Christian exegesis of Scripture, shaping early Christian dogma, modeling conciliar patterns of ecumenical decision-making, stimulating early monasticism, developing Neoplatonism, and refining rhetorical and dialectical skills. He calls for a wide-ranging research project to fill out the picture he sketches. It will require, he says, a generation of disciplined investigation, combining intensive language study with a risk-taking commitment to uncover the truth in potentially unreceptive environments. Oden envisions a dedicated consortium of scholars linked by computer technology and a common commitment that will seek to shape not only the scholar's understanding but the ordinary African Christian's self-perception.

AbstractWe often regard the author of the Gospel of Mark as an obscure figure about whom we know little. Many would be surprised to learn how much fuller a picture of Mark exists within widespread African tradition, tradition that holds that Mark himself was from North Africa, that he founded the church in Alexandria, that he was an eyewitness to the Last Supper and Pentecost, that he was related not only to Barnabas but to Peter as well and accompanied him on many of his travels. In this provocative reassessment of early church tradition, Tom Oden begins with New Testament evidence and adds to it African sources, including synaxaries, archaeological sites and non-Western historical documents. The result is a fresh and illuminating portrait of Mark, one that is deeply rooted in African memory and seldom viewed appreciatively in the West.

AbstractHigh on the list of objections to Christianity is the problem of evil and suffering. Here is a clear, Biblical explanation for why God allows pain to exist.

AbstractRecent scholarship has begun to consider more seriously the effects of Tertullian of Carthage’s status as a colonized subject on his oeuvre. This article builds upon this groundwork, addressing Tertullian’s relationship to his North African identity by analyzing his use of Roman and North African history in his apologetic works. In particular, it examines Tertullian’s deployment of the Roman historiographic trope of exempla, narrative vignettes designed to emphasize the ideological goals of the historian, in the Apologeticum and his letter Ad Martyras with his colonial status in mind. Tertullian draws on certain exempla from the historical relationship between Carthage and Rome that prior Roman historians often used to bolster Rome’s claim to the divine right to rule. He reframes these stories in a manner that undermines these claims and places North Africa at the center of the historical narrative. In this way, Tertullian presents a view of history that privileges a North African narrative identity in which local Christians, especially martyrs, could imagine themselves as the latest participants.

AbstractThis study aims to offer an account of the emergence of the phenomenon of atheism in South Africa and in so doing present a case for its admittance as a new and exciting field of research within the academy in the country. The pervasive assumptions of religious normativity on the continent and in South Africa may serve to conceal a rich and vibrant worldview of atheism which, as this study proposes, can in its own right, also attempt meaningful responses to life’s deepest and most complex questions, without the need to declare an affiliation to any religious authority or sect. It is in the lived realities of atheists and in the makings of their social contexts, inclusive of its political history, its media and its laws, that this study finds its mooring and academic purpose. Given the embryonic nature of this project within a field of study which is under-researched in the country, the research design adopted includes a set of empirical components, by way of direct interviews with a set of self-pronounced South African atheists, an analysis of the phenomenon in relation to the country’s legal framework and jurisprudence, and a survey of the online digital media contexts in which atheism also finds representation. This multi-disciplinary approach sought to broadly trace through factors historic and current, as well as issues foreign and domestic, which have either advanced or suppressed the emergence of atheism in South Africa. Locating this study within the historical development of the worldview of atheism from as far back as Greek antiquity up to advances made in recent years in shaping this field of formal academic research, was considered imperative as a potential gateway for new rounds of future research on atheism itself, or other related sub-categories within the broader field of non-religion. Constructs which are distinctly different but which have grown in alliance with atheism in recent years, such as secularity and humanism have also become essential to the construction of atheist self-identities and the emergence of atheism as a social phenomenon in South Africa. The dialogue developed within this study between related literature resources and the responses of interviewees pointed to a new range of perspectives on atheism which were greater than the sum of these parts, in that South African atheists had demonstrably moved beyond the confines of having their lives defined by the absence of a religious belief system or by something that they are not.

AbstractThe current developments in New Prophetic Churches (NPCs) raise the necessity for theological research. There are some practices within these formations, similar to African spiritualities. Spirituality is defined and some reflections on African spiritualities highlighted. This article identifies the NPCs and African spiritualities and how the two converge towards spiritual formation for Christians in these churches. Literature review and social media are used to research and conclude the research question, which is the resurgence of African spiritualities in faith formation of this faith community. Justification for this resurgence is based on both theological and etymological analyses of features, especially occultism and deliverance. Research finding is that many believers abandon Christian faith or opt to be opponents of the Gospel when promised prophecies are not fulfilled. Hence a conclusion is arrived at as an appeal for the return to Christian apologetics and vivacious socio-cultural contextual studies in the church. Robust dialogue with NPC leaders is long overdue, as at the end the local pastors are the ones engaged with damage control after the prophet has passed. Minimum standards should be suggested to minimize emotional damage in individuals and communities of faith, and discipleship into Christian faith needs to be heightened.

Abstractxv, 207 p. ; 24 cm; Includes bibliographical references (p. 175-195) and index

AbstractMany historians of religion now recognize that Christianity is a global faith whose most vibrant expression and growth are found today in the non-Western world. But no one explores this reality and its implications for modern life with the depth of learning and personal insight of Lamin Sanneh. This book is unique in the literature of world Christianity, not least for its novel structure. Sanneh's engaging narrative takes the form of a self-interview in which he asks questions about the cross-cultural expansion of Christianity and provides insightful answers and meaningful predictions about the future. This technique also allows Sanneh to track developments in world Christianity even while giving attention to the responses and involvement of indigenous peoples around the world. Sanneh's own background and lifelong involvement with non-Western cultures bring a richness of perspective not found in any other book on world Christianity. For example, Sanneh highlights what is distinctive about Christianity as a world religion, and he offers a timely comparison of Christianity with Islam's own missionary tradition. The book also gives pride of place to the recipients of the Christian message rather than to the missionaries themselves. Indeed, Sanneh argues here that the gospel is not owned by the West and that the future of the tradition lies in its "world" character.

AbstractThis work studies dialogue, argumentation, and their relationship to belief revision in person-to-person apologetics in five West Cameroonian dialogues. The seeming irrelevance of Western Apologetics to West Cameroonian thought is the problem that stimulated the study. The primary methodological steps of the study include obtaining meticulously transcribed scripts of unrehearsed conversations, and subjecting those transcripts to an inquiry about the presence and nature of dialogue, argument patterns, commitment, questions, rhetoric, and belief revision in the conversations. These primary tools are drawn from Commitment in Dialogue (1995), Argumentation Schemes (2008), ‘A Truth Maintenance System’ (1979), ‘Reason Maintenance and Belief Revision’ (1992), and related sources. The initial premise, to be tested by the research, is that these conversational elements are present, and that the theories are useful in understanding the dialogues’ rationality. The second, but no less important, premise of the study is that this research contributes to an understanding of the nature and role of the cumulative case in the practice of person-to-person apologetics in West Cameroon and cultural situations dominated by relativism. Chapter 1 introduces the background of the research and the questions of the inquiry, which I call ‘tools’. Chapter 2 questions the significance of the tools and the analysis of the data for person-to-person apologetics in pluralistic contexts. Chapters 3-7 document the analysis of the dialogues. And chapter 8 ends with a summary of the evidence for the thesis of the work: ‘A belief’s entrenchment, the result of argument patterns converging into a cumulative case for the belief, is primarily sensitive to understanding and revision in the context of dialogue.’ This work contributes to the understanding of modern African rationality, and the relationships of dialogue, argument, belief revision, and the cumulative case in relativistic contexts.

AbstractApologetics articles for the African believer

AbstractThis work is a discussion of the African Latin apologists prior to St. Augustine. The time-frame ranges from the end of the second century into the opening of the fourth; one of the most important locations in the formative history of Christian doctrine and practice. In turn, the literary medium of the apology carries particular significance in this period. The apologetic writings of Minucius Felix, Tertullian, Cyprian, Arnobius of Sicca and Lactantius are considered in chronological order, highlighting aspects of a collective tradition as well as more individual apologetic concerns. Common themes, shared arguments, and probable lines of influence all support a highly workable generic connection of African Latin apologetics, provided that the nuances of each text are taken into account. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the dialogue of a tradition of African Latin apologetics before Augustine of Hippo’s landmark De ciuitate dei.

AbstractCults are a worldwide phenomenon and Africa has certainly not been spared. They are not a problem 'out there,' but one that lurks at every church door.

AbstractChristian apologetics is in crisis. Old concepts do no longer hold andpost-modern development pose new questions. Benno van den Toren arguesfor an apologetic witness that is an exercise in cross-culturaldialogue aimed at persuading our conversation partners of the relevanceof a life centred on the reality revealed in Jesus Christ. Somesignificant steps have been made toward the development of such a newapologetic practice. The aim of this book is to provide theological andphilosophical basis for a new paradigm for Christian apologeticdialogue with our post-modern and multi-cultural world and t

AbstractThis book is a study of the writings of a group of Chinese Christian apologists in the seventeenth century, focussing on Xu Guangqi. Eleven of his shorter writings are included in Chinese and in translation. The first part of the book is devoted to a study of Latin Christian apologists within the Roman Empire to provide a comparison for the analysis of Xu Guangqi's work. Minucius Felix, Tertullian and Lactantius are shown to have faced, in regard to imperial power and Graeco-Roman culture, a situation comparable to that of Xu Guangqi, Li Zhizao and Yang Tinqyun in regard to imperial power and culture in the late Ming period. The final chapters of the book reconsider general issues of confrontation and adaptation in the inculturation of Christianity.

AbstractThis book shows the presence and the participation of Africans in the biblical text, helping demonstrate that Christianity is not a "white man's religion," and that Christianity has deep roots in African soil. It looks at all those in the Bible who can legitimately be considered as African, supporting its findings with both ancient and modern scholarship. Extensive appendices indicate precisely the African people and places mentioned either directly or indirectly in the Christian Scriptures, supporting the premise that Africans are not simply recipients of the Gospel message, but they are an integral part of it. It is time for the Church in Africa to recognize its very rich biblical heritage. --From publisher's description

AbstractWithin Africa, as well as outside the continent, the writings and videocassettes of Ahmed Deedat have been, and still are, most influential. In this article, Deedat's great interest in religious polemics, especially against Christianity, has been interpreted primarily as an apologetical endeavour influenced largely by the marginal and exposed situation of the small minority of Muslims in the strongly Christian-dominated South Africa. Deedat's main task was to provide Muslims with theological tools for defending themselves against the intense missionary strivings of many Christian denominations. He spoke and wrote for the Muslim masses rather than for learned scholars, and the fact that he used English instead of Arabic or some other 'Muslim' language further increased the availability of his writings among, for instance, Muslim minorities in Europe and North America.

AbstractThis chapter presents a reading of the Octavius, which is cast as a transcription of an earlier dialogue that purportedly took place in Ostia between three lawyers and friends: Marcus Minucius Felix, Caecilius Natalis, and Octavius Januaris. The text is set in a dialogical format that is clearly meant to recall the philosophical dialogues of Cicero, though it is less of a dialogue as it is actually composed of two speeches: one by Caecilius, defending the pagan position; and one by Octavius the Christian. Minucius functions as the arbitrator between the two others, though his actual role is the narrator of the exchange. The three lawyers are on holiday in Ostia, chatting as they walk along the shoreline, when the subject turns to religion; their conversation becomes a debate presenting both sides of the pagan-vs.-Christian arguments as commonly portrayed at the end of the second century. The chapter also considers the work of Thracius Caecilianus Cyprianus, bishop of Carthage.

AbstractThis chapter considers the work of Tertullian of Carthage. No Christian apologetic author could match Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus (Tertullian) in his sardonic rhetorical style and massive erudition when writing against Christian heretics, fellow Catholics, and menacing pagans. His handful of apologetic works represent an apex in the refinement of refuting pagan denigrations of Christianity during the second and third centuries. Most remarkable in Tertullian’s case is that the reader encounters not merely another body of apologetic texts that marshaled philosophical or historical arguments against pagan condemnations, but the invention of a series of related texts advising Christians how they should live in and respond to a hostile culture.

AbstractThis chapter focuses on the work of Ambrose of Milan: specifically, it considers his two letters to Valentinian to see what they can tell us about the structure and evolution of Christian apologetic literature in the later fourth century. Both of Ambrose’s petitions are intent on making the bishop’s Against Symmachus the basis of a broader appeal in establishing the legitimacy of Christianity to an audience of uncommitted Christians or pagans. If it is correct to regard the two documents as such, then we are acknowledging the elasticity of Christian apologetic literature—a recognition that has come to typify scholarly assessment of Christian apologetic texts. The chapter also examines the work of Augustine of Hippo Regius, particularly the City of God and his analysis of evil things happening during “Christian times.”

AbstractThis chapter considers the work of Origen, whose one and only anti-pagan work elevated Christian standing in a culture that prized philosophical argumentation and intellectual attainment as among the higher goods. It was the first draft, as it were, “of a sustained Christian reflection of the evangelization of Hellenistic culture,” and the first one to survive. Origen had produced multivolume projects on a larger scale than Contra Celsum (Against Celsus), but it is this work that has come down to us, complete, in eight volumes. A great deal is known about both Origen and his literary efforts, including his work against the Christian critic Celsus. Although Celsus had been dead for seventy years or so, it is supposed that his arguments had been effectual enough to cause such severe Christian trepidation that Origen was asked by his patron, Ambrosius, to construct a refutation.

AbstractThis chapter considers the work of Arnobius, who presents the most mysteries of all the figures discussed in this book, both in terms of himself and in terms of what he was precisely attempting to achieve with his only known work, Against the Pagans (Adversus nations). There is almost no externally verifiable information on Arnobius except his authorship of this work, penned about fifty years after Cyprian’s death, likely during or just after the “great persecution” that the emperor Diocletian inaugurated from 303 until it was unexpectedly halted in 311 by Galerius—one week before his death. Against the Pagans provides a window into the intellectual debate of the time, through its engagement with the religious and philosophical standpoints that underpinned the outburst of anti-Christian feeling of the Diocletianic persecution. Just as Lactantius’s Divine Institutes and Eusebius’s Preparation of the Gospel will do, so Arnobius is rebutting the pagan attempts to justify the gods’ perceived anger toward Christianity. This chapter is also concerned with Lactantius

AbstractChristian apologetics in the patristic era should be understood broadly as a defense of Christian beliefs and practices against non-Christian beliefs, practices, and policies (religious, social, and political) that were either antithetical to Christian beliefs and practices or openly hostile to Christianity. The advantage of this conceptualization of apologetics is that it enables readers to follow the discussion of Christian responses to Hellenistic culture beyond the context of persecution associated with the pre-Constantinian period, which tends to be where many scholarly projects on apologetics end. The reader is also invited to see the links in the intellectual trajectory from early second-century apologetics through those written in the early fifth century, prompting deeper reflection about the process of Christian self-definition in late antiquity. This book explores Christian apologetic literature from the second through fifth centuries, examining the writers within the intellectual context of their times. The book argues that most apologies were not directed at a pagan readership. In most cases, ancient apologetics had a double object: to instruct the Christian, and persuade less devout Christians or non-Christians who were sympathetic to Christian claims. Taken cumulatively, it finds that apologetic literature was integral to the formation of Christian identity in the Roman world.

AbstractWhat does the Bible say about Africa? More then 80 photos, maps, and charts are included in this insightful exploration of the African presence in Scripture.

AbstractThe mission of the Africa Centre for Apologetics Research is rooted in Jesus’ “Great Commission” (Mt. 28:18–20), in which He commands us to disciple the nations. First, we are tasked with equipping God’s people for discernment—helping them distinguish scripturally between truth and error, good and evil, darkness and light. Spiritual counterfeits thrive in the absence of “the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil” (Heb. 5:14). Second, we seek to train believers for the defence of the faith (Jude 3–4). This command requires us to “earnestly contend” for that faith in the face of opposition—simply and reasonably, with sincerity and zeal, humbly speaking the truth that God has revealed. Third, we seek to mobilize Christians for the neglected but essential task of cult evangelism. This means compassionately helping those entrapped in cultic groups to know Jesus Christ as the true and living God and grasp the hope that only He can offer.

Abstract______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Apologetics Kenya is passionate about how faith engages with life's big questions in Africa. The ministry started in 2017 to engage skeptics and equip believers with a Christian worldview. We do this through clarifying the gospel and defending it in light of the African challenges to the faith. We carry out this mandate through training, lectures, debates, campus outreaches, speaking engagements, and digital resources. HOW TO REACH US: linktr.ee/apologeticskenya #apologetics #christianity #bible

AbstractSeasoned Apologist is a Christian Apologist Channel dedicated to explaining the Christian faith and also providing resources for Christians who are interested in reaching out to the Muslims and those of other faith. You will find helpful videos here to get that accomplished. Always visit for new videos. You can always reach us at info@seasonedapologist.com