AbstractThis book argues that a view has taken root in Africa, which equates state-secularism to the aggressive removal of religion from the public sphere or even state ambivalence towards religious affairs. This view arises from a misguided interpretation of the practice of state-secularism particularly in France, Turkey and the US, which understanding is ill-suited for the sub-Sahara Africa’s state-religion because the region boasts of at least three major religious traditions, African religion, Islam and Christianity, and blanket condemnation of public manifestation of religion or ambivalence towards it may offend the natural flourishing of this trinity and more. The contribution holds that most applications of state-secularism in Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda favour the Christian faith, which during its tumultuous experiences in Europe survived the enlightenment, the reformation and like experiences socialised to co-exist with what are now called secular states. Additionally, due to the long history of Christendoms in Europe, Christian principles penetrated the colonial legal systems that were bequeathed to Africa at independence and the sustenance of the colonial legacy means that the Abrahamic faith has an upper hand in the state-religion relations’ contest. The obvious loser is African religion which has suffered major onslaughts since the colonial days.

AbstractDuring the second half of the twentieth century the most significant changes in the global demography of Christianity have occurred through the growth of Pentecostalism, which began in a series of revival movements at the beginning of the century.

AbstractDepuis leur naissance, les religions traversent les sociétés. L’histoire passée et contemporaine montre qu’elles portent en elles à la fois la paix et la guerre. Elles offrent une morale et permettent à des milliers de personnes pratiquantes ou non de vivre ensemble sans acrimonie, tant que la liberté de conscience et que le libre exercice des cultes sont respectés. Malheureusement, on peut constater que tel n’est pas toujours le cas dans de nombreux coins du globe. Il résulte de la déclaration universelle des droits de l’homme que « Toute personne a droit à la liberté de pensée, de conscience et de religion ». Néanmoins, il faut interroger les pratiques religieuses pour voir en quoi celles-ci peuvent générer des tensions et des violences. En effet, bien que l’éducation religieuse soit normalement vectrice de paix, certaines pratiques instrumentalisant la religion rejettent cette liberté de pensée et les modes de vies différents des leurs. À l’heure de la sécularisation progressive du monde occidental, à l’heure où les phénomènes de radicalisation religieuse sont de plus en plus importants et à l’heure où de nombreuses régions du monde sont encore en conflit pour des raisons de croyances religieuses (en Afrique, en Europe, aux États-Unis etc..), il apparaît nécessaire de s’attarder sur les relations qu’entretiennent les droits de l’Homme, la paix et la religion. Face à l’extrême hétérogénéité du phénomène religieux et des rapports qu’entretiennent les êtres humains avec celui-ci (croyant, pratiquant, athée, agnostique, musulman (chiite, sunnite), chrétien (catholique, protestant, évangélique), juif, hindou, bouddhiste, animiste, …), il convient de démontrer en quoi la liberté de pensée, de conscience et de religion et la liberté d’opinion et d’expression sont le socle d’un vivre ensemble et d’une cohabitation harmonieuse. Différents moyens peuvent permettre d’atteindre un tel objectif. Pour cette deuxième édition du séminaire « Religions, Droits de l’Homme et Paix », les organisateurs proposent d’explorer la question de savoir dans quelle mesure la laïcité et la défense de l’État de droit permettent de garantir la paix entre les religions dans une société respectueuse des droits de l’Homme. Pour ce faire, ce séminaire propose un échange de vues très large et ouvert entre différents acteurs des religions, de la société civile, de l’État et de l’Université. Il débute par un panel des doctorants autour des visions de la laïcité et se terminera par des questions de ces doctorants au panel de grand oral. Il permettra aussi des échanges autour de l’État de droit et de la laïcité, de l’État et des relations interconfessionnelles à travers le vivre ensemble dans la République, des religions et des libertés fondamentales.

AbstractLa réalité actuelle d’une Afrique s’inscrivant rapidement dans la mondialisation soulève d’importants et nouveaux défis pour l’évangélisation. Elle présente également un piquant paradoxe dans le contexte du débat sur l’empire et la religion dans l’environnement spécifique de l’Afrique. L’Afrique a été évangélisée au cours de l’époque moderne dans le contexte de l’entreprise coloniale de « civilisation » et d’assujettissement par les puissances européennes qui y ont bâti des empires. L’Afrique du Sud fait aujourd’hui partie des BRICS, groupe de pays en développement dont on prédit qu’il sera la plus puissante forme de groupe de nations de la société du milieu du xxie siècle. Que signifie ce contexte d’évolution rapide des centres de pouvoir socio-économique et de la périphérie du point de vue de la mission et de l’évangélisation au xxie siècle ? Le pape François a appelé à une nouvelle impulsion missionnaire pour identifier de nouvelles périphéries existentielles en vue de l’évangélisation. Quel sens prend la mission à la périphérie dans un tel monde en pleine mutation ?

AbstractSpecial journal volume

Abstract"Context and Catholicity in the Science and Religion Debate" published on 14 Apr 2020 by Brill.

AbstractIn this article, some major outcomes of the research from the project ‘Science and Religion in French-speaking Africa’ are approached from Western perspectives on secularization. Some scholars presuppose a link between science and scientific education and secularization. Based on the analysis of the discourses of groups of Christian academics and Masters students from two major university cities in francophone Africa, Abidjan and Yaoundé, the author defends the thesis that these discourses are not dominated by the strict separation between science and faith that is introduced by the French scholarly system and still in force at all state universities in Ivory Coast and Cameroon. In these discourses no autonomous space for science is created. The mainline of the argument of the discourses is orientated towards an integral understanding of sciences and faith which allows faith to be part of scientific deliberations. From this perspective, science is not contributing to secularization in its Western European appearance. There are, however, some tendencies in the discourses that indicate incentives of a separation between science and faith, especially in the discourses from Abidjan. These are analyzed in the light of the central thesis. Finally, the crucial role of the churches is highlighted when it comes to future developments in the relation between sciences and faith.

AbstractIn what ways and senses does religion endure? In what ways has development failed Africa? How can we build effective African politics from below? These are some of the questions explored in this volume, which seeks to analyze the shifting and complex sets of relationships that exist between religion, politics and development in Africa. Modernist and secularist thinking has long predicted that religion would be rendered irrelevant, to be sidestepped, ignored or eliminated. However, this is not the case in 21st century Africa. Religion plays an increasingly important role in politics and development. This volume captures the dynamism and power of religion in Africa. In doing so it aims to move beyond narrow conceptualisations of 'politics' and 'development' and public and private spaces in order to uncover the meaning of modern religion in Africa and the many ways it is embedded in millions of Africans' everyday struggles to survive, sustain themselves and make sense of the modern world.

AbstractHarvey Cox suggested recently that he and several others have been proved wrong about the dwindling influence of religion on modern society. This retraction corresponds to similar developments in the social sciences. However it can be argued, more radically, that secularism must be understood as an ideology rather than merely a social development or state of affairs. The analysis leading up to this conclusion draws on some of Paul Tillich's insights to show that the very idea of a non-religious culture is incoherent. There is much to be said for Tillich's often challenged alternative usage of the terms mentioned, it can be argued, so that religion and belief in God are no longer to be regarded as optional but as essential parts of the human condition. In line with this suggested usage, the terms secular and secularisation should therefore be redefined in terms of the contrast secular-sacred rather that secular-religious.

AbstractDans les livres d’histoire des États africains francophones, la fin du XXe siècle est présentée comme une formidable transition vers la démocratie. C’est au début de la décennie 1990 que ces États ont tous adopté des constitutions dites « démocratiques ». En effet, après la 16e conférence des chefs d’État d’Afrique et de France en juin 1990 à la Baule, une « fièvre constitutionnelle » s’est emparée de tous les États africains francophones et a permis l’adoption de nouvelles constitutions calquées, toutes, sur la Constitution française de 1958 que les constituants d’Afrique francophone ont pris pour modèle. Les nouvelles lois...

AbstractLa laïcité fait toujours débat. Et l’Afrique de demain a encore bien des ambiguïtés à gérer sur cette question.

AbstractLa laïcité fait toujours débat. Et l’Afrique de demain a encore bien des ambiguïtés à gérer sur cette question. – Jeune Afrique

AbstractActes de l'important colloque international réuni à Maredsous. Il a mis en dialogue des théologiens et des pasteurs des Églises d'Europe et d'Afrique subsaharienne sur les défis de la sécularisation, sur la nouvelle manière de penser la mission et l'évangélisationEn 1997, Eloi Messi Metogo, dominicain camerounais, publiait un livre intitulé Dieu peut-il mourir en Afrique? Ce livre réveilla beaucoup de théologiens africains de la conviction partagée par beaucoup d'anthropologues, ethnologues, etc. sur une Afrique et les africains qui seraient naturellement religieux. Cette évidence semble ne plus aller de soi et la théologie africaine est appelée à se saisir des tenants et des aboutissants des mutations profondes qui ont ou sont en train de changer le paradigme religieux des Africains.

AbstractActes de l'important colloque international réuni à Maredsous. Il a mis en dialogue des théologiens et des pasteurs des Églises d'Europe et d'Afrique subsaharienne sur les défis de la sécularisation, sur la nouvelle manière de penser la mission et l'évangélisationEn 1997, Eloi Messi Metogo, dominicain camerounais, publiait un livre intitulé Dieu peut-il mourir en Afrique? Ce livre réveilla beaucoup de théologiens africains de la conviction partagée par beaucoup d'anthropologues, ethnologues, etc. sur une Afrique et les africains qui seraient naturellement religieux. Cette évidence semble ne plus aller de soi et la théologie africaine est appelée à se saisir des tenants et des aboutissants des mutations profondes qui ont ou sont en train de changer le paradigme religieux des Africains.

AbstractActes de l'important colloque international réuni à Maredsous. Il a mis en dialogue des théologiens et des pasteurs des Églises d'Europe et d'Afrique subsaharienne sur les défis de la sécularisation, sur la nouvelle manière de penser la mission et l'évangélisationEn 1997, Eloi Messi Metogo, dominicain camerounais, publiait un livre intitulé Dieu peut-il mourir en Afrique? Ce livre réveilla beaucoup de théologiens africains de la conviction partagée par beaucoup d'anthropologues, ethnologues, etc. sur une Afrique et les africains qui seraient naturellement religieux. Cette évidence semble ne plus aller de soi et la théologie africaine est appelée à se saisir des tenants et des aboutissants des mutations profondes qui ont ou sont en train de changer le paradigme religieux des Africains.

AbstractThe term “secular spirituality” is meant to convey the contemporary phenomenon of spirituality as experienced in different spheres not associated with structured, institutionalised religion. An outline is given of the relation between secular reality (the natural realm) and religious/spiritual reality (the supernatural realm), as it developed from pre-secular animism (pre-modern unity with nature) to secular dualism (modernism) to post-secular holism (influence of postmodernism). Then follows a brief discussion of secular spirituality in Africa with reference to struggle spirituality. Secular spirituality in its technospiritual mode is becoming increasingly important and is dealt with cursorily before dealing with secular spirituality as a model for a postmodern natural theology. In this context “natural theology” is not concerned with proofs of God’s existence, but seeks to integrate the natural and supernatural dimensions of human life meaningfully.

AbstractEboussi Boulaga, Fabien

AbstractOver years, it has been difficult for the Church in Nigeria to totally be unaffected and uncorrupted by the world. In tandem with this, secularism .

AbstractAlmost none of the critical theory concerned with the secular addresses it in relation to sub-Saharan Africa. This is notable not least given the extent to which other post-colonial regions, such as North Africa and South Asia, are central to such discussions. It is not, however, that the critical theorists are ignoring Africanists' work; indeed, looking at the Africanist literature in any depth makes it clear that there is not, and has never been, a field of “secular studies.” Taking this observation as a point of departure, and considering it in relation to a range of classic and contemporary ethnographic cases, this paper aims to shed light (and cast shadows) on some of the key terms in current debates about the secular—terms such as immanence, the mundane, critique, and doubt. In doing so, it calls for further considerations of how to figure the Africanist canon in relation to the terms of critical theory.

AbstractThis article seeks to bring more nuance to recent discussions about the role of faith in religious development NGOs. It takes an in-depth look at Tearfund, a leading Evangelical development NGO, and explores the ways in which faith shapes its conceptualisation of development, its programme design, and its implementation strategy. The article traces the process through which Tearfund actively sought to bring faith into the centre of its development work, and argues that grappling with faith in this way can lead religious development NGOs to innovate new approaches to development that are at least somewhat outside of mainstream development thinking.

AbstractDepuis leur naissance, les religions traversent les sociétés. L’histoire passée et contemporaine montre qu’elles portent en elles à la fois la paix et la guerre. Elles offrent une morale et permettent à des milliers de personnes pratiquantes ou non de vivre ensemble sans acrimonie, tant que la liberté de conscience et que le libre exercice des cultes sont respectés. Malheureusement, on peut constater que tel n’est pas toujours le cas dans de nombreux coins du globe. Il résulte de la déclaration universelle des droits de l’homme que « Toute personne a droit à la liberté de pensée, de conscience et de religion ». Néanmoins, il faut interroger les pratiques religieuses pour voir en quoi celles-ci peuvent générer des tensions et des violences. En effet, bien que l’éducation religieuse soit normalement vectrice de paix, certaines pratiques instrumentalisant la religion rejettent cette liberté de pensée et les modes de vies différents des leurs. À l’heure de la sécularisation progressive du monde occidental, à l’heure où les phénomènes de radicalisation religieuse sont de plus en plus importants et à l’heure où de nombreuses régions du monde sont encore en conflit pour des raisons de croyances religieuses (en Afrique, en Europe, aux États-Unis etc..), il apparaît nécessaire de s’attarder sur les relations qu’entretiennent les droits de l’Homme, la paix et la religion. Face à l’extrême hétérogénéité du phénomène religieux et des rapports qu’entretiennent les êtres humains avec celui-ci (croyant, pratiquant, athée, agnostique, musulman (chiite, sunnite), chrétien (catholique, protestant, évangélique), juif, hindou, bouddhiste, animiste, …), il convient de démontrer en quoi la liberté de pensée, de conscience et de religion et la liberté d’opinion et d’expression sont le socle d’un vivre ensemble et d’une cohabitation harmonieuse. Différents moyens peuvent permettre d’atteindre un tel objectif. Pour cette deuxième édition du séminaire « Religions, Droits de l’Homme et Paix », les organisateurs proposent d’explorer la question de savoir dans quelle mesure la laïcité et la défense de l’État de droit permettent de garantir la paix entre les religions dans une société respectueuse des droits de l’Homme. Pour ce faire, ce séminaire propose un échange de vues très large et ouvert entre différents acteurs des religions, de la société civile, de l’État et de l’Université. Il débute par un panel des doctorants autour des visions de la laïcité et se terminera par des questions de ces doctorants au panel de grand oral. Il permettra aussi des échanges autour de l’État de droit et de la laïcité, de l’État et des relations interconfessionnelles à travers le vivre ensemble dans la République, des religions et des libertés fondamentales.

AbstractB.J. van der Walt’s concentration problem This contribution probes the concept of secularism, a key notion of B.J. van der Walt’s “Transforming power” (2007). It is found that Van der Walt’s interpretation of secularism rests on a double assumption. The first assumption is that human nature is intrinsically religious. Humans cannot live without putting their trust in something. The second is that this religious nature manifests itself in “concentrated” ways, rather than dispersing itself over a plurality of objects. These assumptions in tandem explain why Van der Walt holds the view that atheism, agnosticism and even overt indifference in matters of faith are at heart propelled by convictions that share the main features of positive religions. It also explains why he assumes that all these convictions tend towards one and the same goal: to gain dominance in the public realm. This article is sympathetic towards the first assumption, and skeptical towards the second. It is argued that the “concentration- thesis” fails to do justice to world and life-views that obviously do not claim total allegiance. To illustrate this point it turns to the phenomenon of “multiple religious participation”, as well as to different strands within contemporary humanism. It concludes that the main problem may well be that secular culture has little to offer to satisfy the innate religious drive in humankind.

AbstractLes articles ici rassemblés témoignent d'une réflexion sur les rapport entre l'éducation et sécularisme ou laïcité dans des cultures aussi diverses que celles de l'Algérie, du Nigéria et du Mali, de l'Ile Maurice, du Sri Lanka ou de l'Inde. Ils sont le fruit d'un échange entre universitaires de ces pays et leurs collègues espagnols, français et tchèques, et présentent des perspectives théoriques, littéraires et artistiques.

AbstractReview of Diangelo, Robin, 2018, White Fragility: why its so hard for white people to talk about racism. Boston: Beacon Press. What Diangelo is describing as white fragility, is a scenario that arises when an outsider unashamedly simply and apparently effectively questions or undermines one’s foundational beliefs. Whites’ understanding of history tells them that their grasp of science and objectivity, that is related to their having been the ones to initiate industry, democracy and civilisation, means that they are superior. In effect, secular whites have usurped the role of God. Thus, what Diangelo describes is none other than responses by whites to blasphemy by those who question their 'ascendancy'. Secular whites do not realise that this is what is happening. (Neither do Christian Whites, whose Christianity has appropriated many aspects of secular society.) The obvious solution, is to put God back in charge.

AbstractComprehension of the Old Testament in indigenous African Christianity can draw deeply on, confirm, and uphold tribal traditions designed to prevent death, calamity, and infertility. Deep spirituality demonstrated in such comprehension contrasts with “remnant spirituality” in the West. Western people's awareness of their own religious underpinnings has lapsed. As a result, how well are Western Christians able to engage with holistic African communities? Holistic or integral mission can fall short through being a holistic means of introducing dualism. This article questions the legitimacy of science's intrusion on the Christian faith, and draws practical implications for the Western mission enterprise, such as the fact that it generates dependency.

AbstractSecular assumptions underlie much formal communication between the West and Africa, and even intra-Africa. Secularism is dualistic by nature, but thinking in Africa is mostly monistic. This book suggests that it is better to be rooted in faith in Christ than in so-called secularism. The great respect given to the Bible in much of Africa verifies this idea. Communication of and through Christ is a bridge that can enable indigenous sustainable development. The same gospel is the bridge over which the West itself passes. Maintaining supposedly secular presuppositions may be denying sub-Saharan African people the means for self-initiated sustainable progress. This books draws on anthropology, linguistics, and theology, as well as the author's experience of living in Africa. Harries shares an autobiographical account of personal long-term grassroots ministry, and proposes a revision of widely held understandings of linguistics pertaining especially to the relationship between the West and Africa. He also looks at Bible teaching ministry in light of contemporary African contexts.

AbstractHuman life has been greatly influenced by the power of change, thus giving rise for man's insatiable demand for knowledge and more recently the struggle for power for a firmer control of his world and the affairs. Secularism of marriage has since been one of the adverse effects of human quest for reinventing his world. The paper focused on the effect of secularization on marriage by way of introducing dangerous practices that undermined the sacredness of marriage. The secularization of marriage has dismantled the wall between religion and the state, causing for the devaluation of the core Christian teachings on the sacredness of marriage. The methodology of the research was both qualitative and quantitative. The paper also recommended workable approaches in the promotion of Christian marital etiquette to uphold the sacredness of marriage.

AbstractChristian missionaries to Africa in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, believing that traditional African religions were demonic, sought to de-spiritualize the African space of its spiritual resources and re-sacralize it through Christian spirituality. According to scholars of secularization in Africa, including Herman Paul, Abel Ngarsouledé, Dick Seed, and Benno van den Toren, the unintended consequence of the missionaries‘ approach was the gradual secularization of African communities. Today, ironically, the process of secularization even extends to Christianity itself, which seems to be reaping a secular harvest from the very seeds missionaries sowed. This paper will briefly discuss secularization theory, review the arguments of Toren, Paul, Ngarsouledé, and Seed on secularization in Africa, and conclude with an analysis of the implications of secularization in Africa.

AbstractThe debate on the existence of religion in Africa is far from over; it reverberates in new dimensions but asking the same old questions in newer ways. The same argument is being extended to secularism. This article takes a critical look at the concepts, religion and secularism in sub-Saharan pre-colonial Africa, raising the recurring question still maintained by the West whether there was ‘religion’ in Africa at the turn of colonialism. It argues that where no religion exists, the notion of secularism as understood by the West, cannot also exist since the latter is not just the ‘opposite’ of the former, but in actual fact, streams from it. However, since the position of ‘non-religion’ in Africa could not be sustained by the West, the question of how and why ‘secularism’ was not also ‘discovered’ in pre-colonial Africa spontaneously arises. Not denying the widespread diversities of religious beliefs in pre-colonial Africa, this paper argues for the existence of religion, and presence and praxis of religio-secularity, which is non-atheistic in nature that also foregrounds the practice of ‘secularity’ in post-colonial Africa.

AbstractUnlike in Europe and in other parts of the Western world, secularism has not succeeded in defining the political landscape in Africa. In fact, the secularization of Africa has been marked by contrasts and contra-dictions, false starts and setbacks, misconceptions and misrepresentations, dilemmas and ambiguities due to the complex interplay of religion and politics in the […]

Abstract2017, 44 pp For What Secularism Means to Africa, Catholics for Choice brought together a diverse group of scholars, professionals and activists from across Africa to engage the idea of secularism: to define it, to identify its history and to discuss its relevance to good governance and human rights across Africa. Our report of the …

AbstractThe Ameru are a Bantu group of people who inhabit Meru and Tharaka Nithi Counties of Kenya. This paper examines how the ritual of marriage was conducted in the traditional setup and the changes that it has undergone with the coming of European missionaries and the influence of the Western ways of life since 1912. In order to contextualize the discussion, the following questions are addressed. First, how was marriage practised among the indigenous Ameru? Second, what are the changes that have affected this ritual in contemporary society? The Secularization theory is adopted to explain the changes that have taken place in this important rite of passage. The findings of this study are based on research conducted in Meru and Tharaka Nithi counties in Kenya. The study reveals that the Ameru society is dynamic and marriage as observed in the contemporary society is no longer practised the way it was before they interacted with the European missionaries. The indigenous positive cultural values should be accommodated while adjusting to modernity.

AbstractAnalysing two recent accounts of the secularization thesis, the paper outlines why Grace Davie and Lamin Sanneh both agree that the growth of modernity will not necessarily lead to a decline in religious observance. The growth of churches in non-European regions has important lessons to teach to the world church about the future of mission. The author asks: how is authentic Christian community possible and who should be the focus of mission, the invitees to the banquet or the poorest? As the poorest are already closer to the Kingdom, they ought to be at the centre of mission.

AbstractIt has been suggested that Christianity is inextricably linked with secularization due to its emphasis on purification and rationalization. But if we believe secularization in Europe is at least partly caused by internal developments within Christianity, may we then assume that secularization emerges wherever Christian missionaries are successful? Has the Christian mission unwittingly instigated secularization in its mission fields? This literature review analyses the argument that American anthropologist Elmer Miller made in the article “The Christian Missionary, Agent of Secularization” (1970) and explores whether his thesis has been confirmed in academic literature during the past fifty years. Miller presents rationalization as the primary driver of secularization and explains how missionaries have played a decisive role in this process. This paper demonstrates that while rationalization has often been mentioned as an effect of the Christian mission in other sources, the process has rarely been linked to secularization in the mission field.

AbstractIt has been suggested that Christianity is inextricably linked with secularization due to its emphasis on purification and rationalization. But if we believe secularization in Europe is at least partly caused by internal developments within Christianity, may we then assume that secularization emerges wherever Christian missionaries are successful? Has the Christian mission unwittingly instigated secularization in its mission fields? This literature review analyses the argument that American anthropologist Elmer Miller made in the article “The Christian Missionary, Agent of Secularization” (1970) and explores whether his thesis has been confirmed in academic literature during the past fifty years. Miller presents rationalization as the primary driver of secularization and explains how missionaries have played a decisive role in this process. This paper demonstrates that while rationalization has often been mentioned as an effect of the Christian mission in other sources, the process has rarely been linked to secularization in the mission field.

AbstractThis paper critically analyses the functioning of the secular apparatus in Cameroon, and of the ways in which religious traditions (Christianity, Islam, Indigenous Religion, etc.) have responded to it. Secularism, a western construct, was adopted by the reunified Cameroon state in 1961 in the hope of keeping religion and state separate. As a de jure secular state, the government was expected to adopt policies capable of transforming Cameroon into a secular society marked by the replacement of religious ideas with secular ideas. Amazingly, as argued in this paper, this secular apparatus has largely remained a myth evidenced by the rather heightened influence of the religious traditions’ specialist personnel: priests, pastors and traditional rulers (Chief Priests of Indigenous religion) on the secular society. To put it another way, the Government and Religion have interacted in ways that breach the secular apparatus provided by the constitution. In this perspective, this paper assesses the constitutionality of government accommodation of religion in Cameroon.

AbstractActes de l'important colloque international réuni à Maredsous. Il a mis en dialogue des théologiens et des pasteurs des Églises d'Europe et d'Afrique subsaharienne sur les défis de la sécularisation, sur la nouvelle manière de penser la mission et l'évangélisationEn 1997, Eloi Messi Metogo, dominicain camerounais, publiait un livre intitulé Dieu peut-il mourir en Afrique? Ce livre réveilla beaucoup de théologiens africains de la conviction partagée par beaucoup d'anthropologues, ethnologues, etc. sur une Afrique et les africains qui seraient naturellement religieux. Cette évidence semble ne plus aller de soi et la théologie africaine est appelée à se saisir des tenants et des aboutissants des mutations profondes qui ont ou sont en train de changer le paradigme religieux des Africains.

AbstractThis article offers an ethnographic study of the involvement of a controversial modern Japanese religious movement, Sukyo Mahikari, within the state-led pan-African reforestation project known as the Great Green Wall. The author argues that the members’ environmental efforts against desertilcation and climate change bring together so-called ‘religious’ and ‘secular’ actors. She shows how the oflcial recognition of Sukyo Mahikari as a valuable partner of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Senegal blurs the boundaries between the political, environmental, and religious spheres thanks to a ‘working misunderstanding’, an expression coined by Marshal Sahlins, thereby overcoming different framings in their relation to nature. This contribution examines the conditions that have facilitated the simultaneous secularization and spiritualization of ecology in the Senegalese context.

AbstractThis project examines the place of Atheists in the Kenyan legal system. It uses the example of the process of registration, suspension and deregistration of AIK in order to critically interrogate how the Kenyan legal system accommodate religious diversity and religious pluralism. Although the Constitution of Kenya 2010 contains an elaborate Bill of Rights framework, the place of Atheists in the Kenyan legal system continues to be in question. Despite the fact that the Constitution of Kenya 2010 contains elaborate human rights provisions geared towards the protection and respect for all Kenyans, the place of Atheists continues to be in question. This is because of the following reasons: firstly, the Constitution of Kenya 2010 does not explicitly recognize Atheists as a group. Secondly, the Constitution embodies an enduring tension between the desire to respect religious freedom on the one hand and to avoid institutionalization of any particular state religion. Thirdly, the constitution seeks to accommodate religious diversity and pluralism by adopting a critical liberal constitutional approach; this maintains the status of dominant groups in society, by legitimizing and perpetrating conservative hegemony. Fourthly, in practice the desire to protect the dominant system of social and power relations triumph over the need to protect the right of minority groups such as AIK. Fifthly, the political suppression of certain groups such as the AIK is disguised in the cloak of false constitutional and statutory validity. Lastly, contrary to the dictates of positivism; Church and State in Kenya are inseparable and legal questions need to be understood against the backdrop of such socio-economic and political contexts. This study relies on two theories; the human rights theory and the critical liberal constitutional theory. This study as well adopts a mixed research approach; doctrinal, case study and empirical research methodologies. The study was carried out among selected Christians, Muslims, Atheists and government officials.

AbstractEn quoi le phénomène de la sécularisation religieuse, rencontré depuis longtemps en Occident, concernet-il aussi les grandes religions en Afrique?

AbstractLa société moderne a une perception nouvelle de la religion. Les indicateurs manifestes sont, entre autres, le changement dans les sphères économiques, sociales et politiques ; le déclin de la religion avec l'émancipation personnelle, collective et du monde vis-à-vis de Dieu en raison de la montée de rationalité technico-scientifique ; et la perte par l'Église de son autorité dans les institutions et dans la vie des individus. Ceci dénote le glissement d'un état religieux à l'état séculier, la séparation de l'Église d'avec l'État, la différentiation fonctionnelle et la concentration de l'effort de l'homme sur son auto-épanouissement. Fort de tout ce qui précède, l'Église est appelée à s'impliquer dans le séculier à l'instar du Dieu trinitaire afin de lui redonner une orientation positive et à proposer au séculier le modèle de vie qui replace Dieu au centre de tous les secteurs de la société et dans tous les aspects de la vie.

AbstractAfrican communication is an age-long dissemination system. Its continuous existence in the ever-growing Nigerian society is of interest to so many communication scholars. This study was conducted to ascertain what channels of the African communication system still exist and how these influence the religious setting in Africa using Nigeria as a case study. A survey method was adopted to investigate the problem in the two traditional kingdoms of Uzairue and Auchi, both in Edo state. A set of questionnaires were designed to elicit responses from the Christian respondents, and interviews were also conducted with chiefs of two selected traditional communities of Iyamho and Auchi. The secularization theory was used to explain the topic. The findings of this study reveal that African communication channels, particularly the talking drum, pot drum and wooden drum, are commonly used in rural settings and these have crept into the religious (Christian) settings where they are used as instruments of praise, worship and choir presentations. This study is aimed at providing useful information for the teaching of African communication systems in the departments of communication and media studies in Nigerian universities, in particular, and Africa in general. It will also help Africans appreciate the value of African communication instruments in the modern world as well as traditional African communication channels used in churches. This study recommends that further research should be conducted to ascertain why there is a decline in the use of African communication instruments.

Abstract"À une époque où l'État se voit fétichisé par une absolutisation de sa fonction administrative abstraitement fixée, cet ouvrage, en sa globalité, invite à porter la vue au loin, vers l'avenir de notre monde, en interrogeant le libéralisme triomphant et en indiquant qu'il ne saurait être, en et pour soi, l'horizon final de l'humanité et de l'histoire. Ces Écrits politiques sont à saisir pour ce qu'ils sont : ils viennent d'un homme, se mouvant avec intelligence et élégance dans l'élément des lettres et des humanités, présent à son temps, afin d'en accompagner le mouvement par la pensée, et soucieux de lire de l'intérieur les choses, en nous invitant à sa suite à nous mettre en route et à accueillir la proximité du lointain."--Page 4 of cover.

AbstractEn quoi le phénomène de la sécularisation religieuse, rencontré depuis longtemps en Occident, concernet-il aussi les grandes religions en Afrique?

AbstractL'auteur examine et évalue l'action et la pensée aussi bien laïques que religieuses en Afrique sur base du concept d''humanisation de l'homme'. Son étude s'inscrit dans une série de réflexions qu'il mène sur l'évolution du processus 'timide' de sécularisation des sociétés africaines et sur le rapport religion-laïcité en Afrique. Elle se base sur la clause de la laïcité de l'Etat que recèlent la plupart des constitutions des Etats africains, le fonctionnement des institutions scolaires non-confessionnelles, le programme de morale imposé dans l'enseignement non-conventionné, les avatars du socialisme, du marxisme et du scientisme disséminés ça et là en Afrique, les conflits entre les Eglises et l'Etat en Afrique et les revendications de la confessionnalisation de l'Etat (Nord-Nigeria, Soudan). Sans tirer de conclusion, l'auteur termine provisoirement par la question de la possibilité d'un 'religieux laïque' en Afrique et d'une 'théologie politique' africaine qui pense le fait laïque au bénéfice d'une 'foi adulte conséquente'. English The author attempts to describe and to evaluate secular and religious action and thought in Africa using the concept of 'humanization'. This article is part of longer-term work on the evolution of 'tentative' secularization of African societies and on the relation between religion and laicity in Africa. He considers the 'laicity' clause contained in the majority of the constitutions of African states, the functioning of nondenominational schools, the programmes of moral education in such schools, the misadventures of socialism, Marxism and scientism in different parts of Africa, and the conflicts between church and state in African societies. He draws no conclusions, ending by speculating on the possibility of a secular religiosity in Africa and of an 'African political theology' which would harness laicity to the service of a 'significant, grown-up faith'.

AbstractSecularism is not the absence of religions in the state. Rather, it is the absence of a state sponsored religion where everyone will be made to choose a religion of their choice. People are free to follow which religious tenets they like without any fear, intimidation, victimization or favour. The central and state administrations are managed in such a way that no one is victimized because of his/her religious profession. The Nigerian 1999 constitution states in article 15(2) of chapter two that, “National Integration shall be actively encouraged, whilst discrimination on the grounds of place of origin, sex, religion, status, ethnic or linguistic association or ties shall be prohibited”. But is the spirit of the constitution adhered to in terms of its secularism as expected? This and other issues are what this paper intends to investigate that constitutes as obstacles to secularism in Nigeria.

Abstract2017, 44 pp For What Secularism Means to Africa, Catholics for Choice brought together a diverse group of scholars, professionals and activists from across Africa to engage the idea of secularism: to define it, to identify its history and to discuss its relevance to good governance and human rights across Africa. Our report of the …

Abstract2017, 44 pp For What Secularism Means to Africa, Catholics for Choice brought together a diverse group of scholars, professionals and activists from across Africa to engage the idea of secularism: to define it, to identify its history and to discuss its relevance to good governance and human rights across Africa. Our report of the …

AbstractThis paper is based on a survey conducted by the author covering between 1990 and 2010. The survey was geared to find out the extent of Christian influence and education on cultural modifications and the social system in Ibiaku Itam community of Akwa Ibom State, Southern Nigerian. The community as noted had previous Scottish missionary encounter decades ago, though there were no primary data sources on their latter’s impact within the period covered in this study. Through preliminary findings made, only key persons in the community and significantly Heads of families could offer reliable information in that respect. Accordingly, participant observation and direct interview was the medium of data collection with four categories of indigenes: Chiefs, Family heads, clergymen and a former governor of the State. It was found that Christianity and ‘modernization’ were main factors to cultural modifications other than education for the fact that resident indigenes took high cognizance of their cultural values and customs. The experience however re-established that in documenting local information, events and experience in traditional African setting, observation and oral sources (living libraries) are still commonly relevant.

AbstractIn March 2021, the Ghanaian social media was inundated with counter-opinions on two young men with dreadlocks—whose admission at Achimota High School was temporarily suspended unless they shaved their locked hair. Concurrently, opinions about the subject that involved politicians, educationists, religious leaders, and chiefs centred on religious freedom, minority rights, school culture, and the formation of the public sphere. Using Rastafarians as entry point, I deploy the theory of secularisation to engage the discourse on religion, minority rights, and the public sphere. Through a review of literature and social media content, I address the question: what values should shape the public sphere to foster equality and protect minority rights? I argue that Ghana’s liberal democracy would thrive on legitimate accommodation of religious differences.

AbstractResearch shows most Western societies became less religious over recent decades. But we know much less about the rest of the world. Is the non‐Western world also becoming less religious, as some varieties of secularization theory would lead us to expect? Using 1981‐to‐2020 World/European Values Survey data from 103 countries, this study describes, and uses mixed‐effects models to rigorously estimate, religious trends in eight world regions and five former Soviet and Eastern Bloc (FSEB) subregions. Results indicate that religious decline occurred in Latin America, Central and Baltic Europe, and (recently) in the Mideast and North Africa. But there is little evidence of such decline elsewhere in Asia, Africa, or the FSEB—despite the broad reach of many modernizing social trends. These findings do not lend support to a strong version of secularization theory but may be consistent with some versions of the idea that modernization can make people less religious.

AbstractAfrican scholars have claimed that African peoples are “notoriously religious”. Is this still the case? Empirical literature on the subject is meagre. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the antecedents, triggers and response of secularisation and spirituality among lapsed-Christian young adults in Nairobi, Kenya, the participants were aged between 18 and 35, who were baptised but have abandoned Christian faith in favour of secularisation or non-affiliated spirituality. Qualitative data, from semi-structured in-depth interviews among the 14 participants, sampled through a snowball process, was recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed by the two authors. Eleven emerging themes were identified from 10 h of data. The first two themes suggest that mixed faith backgrounds of parents and discordant relationship within the family act as antecedents in adopting a secular perspective. The next two themes relate to the role of Christianity itself in terms of lack of faith formation and exaggeration of religiosity. The fifth and sixth themes revolve around trauma in Africa/Kenya, historical and contemporary. There were two themes pertaining to ill-treatment meted out by Christianity. The rest of the themes relate to how these individuals maintain meaning, value and spiritual systems. The findings are likely to generate an evidence-based discussion among religious leaders in Africa/Kenya.

AbstractGiven the many conflicts that characterize contemporary intellectual discourse, the one between secularism and religion is emerging as the most crucial. Recently, there was in France and Turkey the debate on the laicity of the state; in the United States there was the debate on the theologization of politics; Italy is preoccupied with the debate on the relation between relativism and faith; and last but not the least, there is, in Britain, the rage over the conflict of science and religion ignited by Richard Dwarkins’ The God Delusion. This gives the impression that the phenomenon of secularism is solely the concern of the West. Just a few decades ago, Africa was seen as booming with various forms of religions – Christianity, Islam and African Traditional Religion. However, in view of the globalization process, of the power of the mass media, and of the rapidity of urbanization on the continent, it would be strange to believe that it is not already there. The aim of this paper is to discover the various ways in which secular values are at work in the African society, the manner in which they erode or displace religious and cultural values and the danger they pose to the youths of today. We shall equally pause to look at the reality of secularism in the Cameroonian society, particularly at the level of the educational system. Our argument in this paper is neither that religion should be the dominant factor in the society nor that religion should be completely wiped out of the society. Key words: Secularism, Secularization, colonialism, religion, atheism, cultural values, consumer materialism,

AbstractThis report examines how far secularization has advanced around the world. Unlike most studies of religion, it focuses on those at the secular or non-religious end of the spectrum. First, the report examines the size of the fully secular share of the population on 10 indicators of religious identifications, behaviors, and beliefs. For example, it looks at not identifying with a religion, never attending religious services, and not believing in God. Second, the rankings across the 10 indicators are combined to make an overall levels of secularism across countries. Third, reasons for the variation in secularism across countries are explored with particular focus on differences in the main religious tradition in each country. Finally, another method for assess the level of secularization is examined and compared to the 10-indicator method.

Abstract2017, 44 pp For What Secularism Means to Africa, Catholics for Choice brought together a diverse group of scholars, professionals and activists from across Africa to engage the idea of secularism: to define it, to identify its history and to discuss its relevance to good governance and human rights across Africa. Our report of the …

AbstractThis article contrasts three broad traditions that organize competing patterns of authority, community, and cooperation in contemporary Africa: the Axial religions (Christianity and Islam); indigenous chieftaincy systems based around chief, lineage, and clan; and globalized modernity, represented primarily by NGOs and the global human rights agenda. The article argues that in many respects it is the Axial religions that are the most modernizing, as they directly counter the power of traditional kin obligations (and the overwhelming dangers of witchcraft), while the purportedly modern and secular NGOs practice a ritualized version of modernity, even as they are penetrated by the norms and practices of the kin-based chieftaincy system and its related system of patron?client ties.

AbstractAlthough the church has been known for condemning tradition (particularly African tradition), Pentecostal charismatics have moved further in condemning the past.

AbstractThis paper argues that although Pentecostalism seems to be reviving Christianity in Africa, judging by the number of people attracted to this brand of Christianity, there is an extent to which its practices and beliefs are secular. Perhaps it is this ‘secularisation’ that remains a pull factor of this kind of Christianity. To do so, the paper begins with a brief review of the secularisation theory, reaching a conclusion that secularisation involves people’s concern with proximate (this worldly) issues rather than ultimate (post-mortem) issues. With this understanding of secularisation, the paper then discusses beliefs and practices of charismatic Pentecostal churches that this author believes make Pentecostalism a form of ‘religious’ secularisation. The focus will specifically be on Zimbabwean charismatic Pentecostal leaders’ discourses of wealth and health.

AbstractThough secularization discourse has been a consistent feature of western societies, possible manifestations of secularization in Africa have not been sufficiently accounted for because the continent is deemed to be deeply religious. This paper contests this assumption by arguing that ascriptions of Africa’s notorious religiosity may be masking secularizing influences that are emerging in Africa, its peoples and its new religious developments. It does so by focussing on a cluster of movements that appear to be a sign of desecularization: African neo-Pentecostalism. To do so, three paths of inquiry are undertaken. First, the paper discusses the different forms of secularization in sub-Saharan Africa, arguing that these can easily go unnoticed because they often appear in different ways. Secondly, it introduces the broad cluster of movements that are grouped under the label of neo-Pentecostalism, giving particular attention to their relationship with the traditional African worldview. Thirdly, the paper ends by arguing that neo-Pentecostal movements may be part of the answer to secularization, but are themselves in certain respects also vulnerable to secularizing processes.

AbstractIn view of a holistic and integrated understanding of Christian discipleship, this paper explores the relationship of Christian involvement in the secular domain on the one hand and the calling to evangelize on the other. With reference to examples from the life of the church in Africa, it shows that often one of the mandates is highlighted at the expense of the other, or that both exist side-by-side in the Christian life without proper integration. It is argued that all these three options render the church vulnerable to secularization, particularly “the secularization of desire.” This paper approaches the question from a systematic theological angle by examining the relationship between the creation mandate and the mission mandate. It argues that both mandates are linked in Christ’s role as Savior of creation in its entirety and because Christ also is the goal of creation. Christian investment in the creation mandate therefore presupposes the saving work of Christ and needs to find its fulfillment in him. It finally proposes to understand the relationship between the two mandates as a “double helix” where the two are always intimately related yet can never be reduced to either one.

AbstractThe author attempts to describe and to evaluate secular and religious action and thought in Africa using the concept of “humanization”. This article is part of longer-term work on the evolution of “tentative” secularization of African societies and on the relation between religion and laicity in Africa. He considers the “laicity” clause contained in the majority of the constitutions of African states, the functioning of nondenominational schools, the programmes of moral education in such schools, the misadventures of socialism, Marxism and scientism in different parts of Africa, and the conflicts between church and state in African societies. He draws no conclusions, ending by speculating on the possibility of a secular religiosity in Africa and of an “African political theology” which would harness laicity to the service of a “significant, grown-up faith”.

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AbstractThough secularization discourse has been a consistent feature of western societies, possible manifestations of secularization in Africa have not been sufficiently accounted for because the continent is deemed to be deeply religious. This paper contests this assumption by arguing that ascriptions of Africa’s notorious religiosity may be masking secularizing influences that are emerging in Africa, its peoples and its new religious developments. It does so by focussing on a cluster of movements that appear to be a sign of desecularization: African neo-Pentecostalism. To do so, three paths of inquiry are undertaken. First, the paper discusses the different forms of secularization in sub-Saharan Africa, arguing that these can easily go unnoticed because they often appear in different ways. Secondly, it introduces the broad cluster of movements that are grouped under the label of neo-Pentecostalism, giving particular attention to their relationship with the traditional African worldview. Thirdly, the paper ends by arguing that neo-Pentecostal movements may be part of the answer to secularization, but are themselves in certain respects also vulnerable to secularizing processes.

AbstractThis article envisages a systematic exploration of the way in which the concepts of God (or the lack of such a concept) of Africa’s prevalent worldviews determine their respective conception and practice of human authority. It argues that a Christian understanding and practice of authority should distinguish itself from the perspective of African Traditional Religion, of which the practice of authority suffers from its sacralisation of human authorities. It should distinguish itself from (post)modern influences, which miss a transcendent moral basis for a critique of human authorities. Lastly, it should distinguish itself from Islamic concepts of authority, which are based on the dominant metaphor of the God as King of the Universe and Master. In looking for an answer to Africa’s crisis of authorities, Christians should be guided by their proper understanding of the Triune God, who revealed Himself in the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

AbstractThe paper argues that the relationship between secularisation and sacralisation has to be understood dialectically. We have to accept the ''intellectual irreversibility of the Enlightenment'', for the secular is here to stay. But also religion is not going away. Hence, we have to struggle to live authentically in a complex ambiguous situation, with a plurality of faiths and secularisms. The key questions to be considered are: (a) What is meant by ''the secular age''? (b) How did we arrive at this secular age? (c) How do we respond authentically to this secular age? Following Lonergan, I argue that (a) there is a secularism to be welcomed, as well as a secularism to be resisted, and (b) there is a sacralisation to be discarded, as well as a sacralisation to be fostered.

AbstractIs Harvey Cox’s Fire from Heaven which focused on Pentecostalism merely a mea culpa for the hubris of predicting the death of God in the 1960s or a case of using the “pentecostaliza- tion” of religions to describe the shape of religiosity in the emerging global civil society, global secular city? This essay shows how theologically liberal ideas in both his Fire from Heaven and Secular City are today used to theologize the relevant shape of faith in the global civil society in ways that hauntingly suggest Pentecostalism is implicated in the emergence and working of the global secular city which reject notions of transcendence in religion. The essay then chal- lenges pentecostal theologians to seriously consider the question: In what way is Pentecostalism already secularized or secularizing from its core?

AbstractThis article analyses the debate on the invention of African Religion and the notion that Africans are incurably religious. It uses critical discourse analysis as a form of ideology critique to demonstrate how advocates and opponents of the ‘invention of African Religion’ theory construct their own social realities. Drawing on a conversation between members of the African Association for the Study of Religions the article concludes that the dilemma between the myth and reality of African Religion is false. The fact that African religion was invented does not signify that it does not exist.</p></section>

AbstractLe constat du rejet total ou partiel de la théorie de l’évolution au nom de motifs religieux par des élèves dans différents pays amène à s’interroger – plus globalement – sur les facteurs influençant l’adoption ou non-adoption d’une conception sécularisée de la science. Cette recherche vise à examiner, à partir d’un questionnaire à réponses fermées, l’influence de deux facteurs : les convictions personnelles des élèves en matière de religion et la filière d’études (scientifique ou non). L’enquête a été réalisée dans sept pays présentant des caractéristiques différenciées en matière de sécularisation : la Belgique, l’Espagne, l’Italie, la Côte d’Ivoire, la République démocratique du Congo, le Maroc et la Turquie.

AbstractThe expansion of Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa is an integral part of the shift to the Global South and Pentecostal Christianity is the most dynamic brand in this process of expansion. This chapter examines the core tenets of African Pentecostalism, accounting for its evolution and flourishing, and its consequences on cultural and social institutions of the continent, amidst the struggle for a more just and fair society. The chapter asserts that while Pentecostal Christianity is making immense contribution in Africa in an era essentially characterized by the hegemony of neoliberal globalization, the church situates itself within, not outside, the current dominant system. In taking this position, the movement has constrained itself in terms of its otherwise great potential for positively transforming African societies in a holistic manner. Instead, its vision is often far more associated with the mundane values of material prosperity and uneven capitalist accumulation rather than the struggle against social injustice and the widening gap between the rich and the poor. The chapter concludes with the hope of a new generation of Pentecostal leaders who would not only preach about demonology (whatever it is!), prosperity, salvation, and miracles, but also rigorously engage in the existential challenges and problems that Africa faces, and doing all of these in faith, humility and love based on God’s common grace for all humanity.