Acta Theologica is an academic journal managed by the University of the Free State and listed in various indices including Web of Science and SciELO South Africa. Acta Theologica is inviting academics in the fields of Theology and Religion to contribute to a Supplementary issue on “AFRICAN WORSHIP: RETHINKING OUR THEOLOGIES, RESHAPING OUR PRACTICES” with Rev. Dr. Kevin Muriithi Ndereba as guest editor.
About the Special Issue
African expressions of worship remain a vibrant facet of Christianity in Africa, where the Christian faith is often practiced and embodied (Getui 1998; Asamoah-Gyadu 2018). These expressions are also diverse in nature, from the more conservative use of hymnology to the wide usage of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) especially in emerging and urban churches, which sometimes generates debate within the worship practices in congregations. While hymns may strengthen spiritual formation and piety, CCM seems to connect with the emerging generations. On the other hand, there are several gaps in connecting hymnology to indigenous African religious life and cultural practices. Following this argument, there is still a continued need of indigenizing and inculturating liturgical practices within African communities (Letšosa 2019). The practice of CCM may also be approached from post-colonial and decolonial lenses, with a critical look at how it may either support or inhibit Christian life in a variety of African contexts. Lastly, worship is often dichotomized and separated from public life, and other aspects of Christian life and witness such as mission, climate change, and social justice (Baron and Letšosa 2021). What liturgical reflections and renewals are required to deal with some of these contemporary public issues in African contexts? What liturgies need to be crafted to help congregants deal with mental health challenges or perhaps to foster ecumenical dialogue in a service of public worship in a public university or in a significant national event? How might burial practices and liturgies shape communal aspects of African culture while offering sensitive pastoral care to bereaved families of suicide? This theme of African Worship: Rethinking our Theologies, Reshaping our Practices seeks to explore some of these critical areas.
Articles of high academic standards, contributing to the theme of the Supplementum, will be considered for publication. Articles should be between 4000 and 6500 words, written according to the authors’ guidelines of Acta Theologica. A double-blind peer-review process is followed. Authors affiliated to South African Higher Education Institutions pay a page fee of R7000 plus VAT for an article. A maximum of twenty articles will be published.
Paper Themes
As such, papers are welcomed on any of the following themes:
- Orality in African Worship practices
- Old Testament perspectives on African worship
- New Testament perspectives on African worship
- Worship in African Church History
- Inculturation, Indigenization and Contextualization of Worship practices
- Gendered perspectives on African worship
- Worship and Mission in African Churches
- Worship and African Independent Churches
- Pentecostalization of African worship
- Decolonial and postcolonial approaches to Christian worship
- African Liturgies for Special Occasions
Research Paradigm
Research projects should include a grounded component that connects theological principles with the lives of the church in the world. This can include, but are not limited to:
- Historical studies of individuals or communities of worship that exhibited Christ-likeness in the social and cultural conditions of their time.
- Qualitative studies of contemporary communities or institutions negotiating and expressing their faith through connecting worship with public life.
- And/or quantitative studies that highlight trends and patterns in worship formation and discipleship. Contexts of study should be specific to regions, cultures, and/or traditions from Africa, and the diaspora.
Submission Guidelines
Papers that do not adhere to the writing guidelines will not be accepted.
Closing date for submissions: 30 November 2026
Date for publication of accepted articles: November 2027
Guest editor: Rev. Dr. Kevin Muriithi Ndereba
Articles to be submitted at: http://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/about/submissions Suppl 44.
References
Asamoah-Gyadu, J. K. 2018. “Signs, Tokens, and Points of Contact: Religious Symbolism and Sacramentality in Non-Western Christianity.” Studia Liturgica 48(1–2), pp. 127–46.
Baron, E, and Letšosa, R. 2021. “Liturgy as an Anti-Racist Praxis for Reformed Churches in South Africa.” In Die Skriflig/In Luce Verbi 55 (2), pp. 1-10.
Getui, M. N., ed. 1998. Theological Method and Aspects of Worship in African Christianity. Nairobi: Acton Publishers.
Letšosa, R. S., and Klerk, B. D. 2019. “A Liturgical Comparative Study of Sotho Initiation and Christian Baptism.” In Die Skriflig/In Luce Verbi 53 (1).
