Five years ago, I wrote a blog post titled Recommended books for Apologetics in Africa. I limited the discussion to key resources that are written for the African context. Since then, I have edited a book titled Apologetics in Africa: An Introduction to help capture biblical, philosophical, cultural and practical ministry perspectives from top African theologians and scholars. However, in this post I am imagining someone totally new to the discussion on African Apologetics and asking “where can I start?”
Additionally, the COVID pandemic and recent protests in my own country dubbed #occupychurch have challenged the Christian faith – moving beyond the usual “Christianity is a white man’s religion” to incorporate conversations around African Traditional Religions and also responding to a variety of new age practices and aberrations such as manifesting the Kingdom. So, while I am writing with someone new to the discussion in mind, I am also writing this post to incorporate some of the emerging spiritual and theological challenges. Furthermore, the discussion on African apologetics not only takes place in academic texts, but also orally through interviews, speaking engagements and debates that can be accessed via online sources like YouTube. In this post I introduce four key books, two blogs, two video resources, and two websites to showcase the range of resources available on apologetics in Africa.
Africa Center for Apologetics Research. Accessed July 1, 2025. https://acfar.org.
The Center for Apologetics Research is an apologetics ministry in various parts of the world, with offices in East Africa (Uganda and Kenya), dealing with the question of cults in Africa. See also their channel on YouTube.
Apologetics Kenya. Accessed July 1, 2025. https://apologeticskenya.org.
An apologetics ministry tailored towards questions from the emerging generations in African contexts. They run an annual conference and have a four-month online certificate program on apologetics. See also their channel on YouTube.
Atwebembeire, Rodgers and ACFARvideo. INTERVIEW: Recognizing and Resisting False Prophets. Interview video, 49:20. Posted 2 July, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciBhfCTmDek.
With the rise of self-proclaimed prophets and prophetic churches in Africa, Christians need to carefully engage with some of the extraordinary claims made by prophets. Drawing on his extensive experience in countercult apologetics, Rodgers Atwebembeire of the Africa Centre for Apologetics Research provides an accessible guide for ordinary believers to recognize and resist false prophets.
Bediako, Kwame. Jesus and the Gospel in Africa: History and Experience. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2004.
Kwame Bediako is a luminary African theologian who converted from atheism to become a leading Christian thinker, Presbyterian missiologist and scholar of World Christianity. In chapter 2, “How is Jesus Lord,” he argues that “the necessities of theological apologetics require that we make sense of our Christian affirmations only in relation to whatever alternatives are found in the contexts in which we make those affirmations” (p.37). Engaging with the biblical record from a theological perspective, Bediako shows how engagement with the diverse religious traditions in biblical history of the Old and New Testaments has similar application for the diverse religious contexts of Africa. In chapter 3, “Africa and the Fathers,” he compares second-century Church Fathers with twentieth-century African theologians. Bediako shows that the ways in which the Church Fathers responded to the problem of Christian identity in the context of religious pluralism are highly relevant for African Christians today.
Byamukama, Joseph and Jude 3 Project. “Are African Traditional Religions Demonic?” Presentation video, 50:18. Posted on 1 July, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvhs72dMpJM.
Christians in Africa often have to engage with African cultural worldviews and religions. Dr. Joseph Byamukama provides a critical engagement with African Traditional Religions, focusing on the question of whether the Triune God is similar to the Traditional concepts of God.
Kigame, Reuben. Christian Apologetics through African Eyes. Nairobi: Posterity Publishers, 2018.
Reuben Kigame is a well-known Christian musician, but also, by equal measure, a noted apologist in the East African region. He was involved in ministry with Truth FM, and was a forerunner of apologetics ministry in Kenya, together with Dr. John Njoroge. Kigame’s volume is the first book-length account of African apologetics in the contemporary context. He does a great work in bridging the gap between the classical apologetics approach and African apologetic issues such as Black messianic teachings, indigenous African cults, prosperity teaching, church and the occult, as well as mediatized religion and ideas – the latter in which he recently earned a PhD.
Ndereba, Kevin Muriithi, ed. Apologetics in Africa: An Introduction. Carlisle: HippoBooks, 2024. https://langhamliterature.org/apologetics-in-africa.
The strength of this edited volume is providing a well-rounded perspective on apologetic issues from biblical, philosophical, cultural and practical perspectives. In the biblical section, Elizabeth Mburu, a distinguished New Testament scholar, elaborates on the questions raised about the Bible in the African context – including its inspiration, canonization, and interpretation. In the philosophical section, Joseph Okello looks at the problem of evil and suffering, showing that African theodicies must relate to African worldviews and cosmologies. In the cultural section, two noteworthy articles are Kyama Mugambi’s chapter, which makes a historical case for Christianity as an African religion, and Joseph Byamukama’s chapter, which makes a case for the Triune God in light of African Traditional Gods (a separate article titled Analysing African Traditional Gods Through a Trinitarian Apologetic can provide a comparative analysis). In the last section on practical apologetics, Judy Wang’ombe provides a great analysis of Christian-Muslim apologetics by proposing a dialogue before conversion approach, Daniël Maritz has a wonderful chapter on New Age practices and Rodgers Atwebembeire examines the issue of cults, which are very common within the African religious landscape.
Ng’ang’a, Wanjiru. In Truth She Delights. Accessed July 9, 2025. https://intruthshedelights.com.
Wanjiru Ng’ang’a’s blog geared to equipping young women with apologetic resources. One helpful blogpost is The Damning Theology of the Word of Faith Movement.
Shaw, Mark, and Wanjiru M. Gitau. The Kingdom of God in Africa: A History of African Christianity. Revised and updated edition. Carlisle: Langham Global Library, 2020. https://langhamliterature.org/the-kingdom-of-god-in-africa.
Even though Christianity is clearly flourishing in Africa, Christians still hear the charge that “Christianity is a white man’s religion.” In this accessible book, Shaw and Gitau show that the Christian story in Africa is longer than the recent missionary and colonial enterprise. They examine the early roots of Christianity on the continent, highlighting the historical significance of Egypt, Libya, Sudan and Ethiopia to the growth of Christianity, thereby tying the redemptive story of the gospel to African soil.
TGC Africa. “African Apologetics Archives.” Accessed July 9, 2025. https://africa.thegospelcoalition.org/series/african-apologetics.
A blog series curated for lay Christians and handling specific questions that Christians are asking in Africa, including the place of traditional gods, atheism among African youth, cultural practices and the spiritualisation of everyday life issues.
Rev. Kevin Muriithi Ndereba (PhD, University of South Africa) is a practical theologian, Presbyterian Minister and theological educator currently working as Lecturer and Head of the Department of History, Religion, Missions and Practical Theology at St. Paul’s University. He is editor of the book Apologetics in Africa: An Introduction and author of Youth Ministry after the Pandemic: A Practical Theology from the Global South. A brief introduction to the subject of apologetics can be found here. A helpful article on emerging apologetic themes among African youth can be found here. He is the Project Coordinator for Anglophone Africa at Africa Theology Worldwide and participates in various theological networks, societies and journals. He is also currently conducting a Templeton-funded research project on youth and mental health in the Kenyan church. He can be contacted at
Photo Credit: Kevin Muriithi Ndereba
