Abstract

MOSCICKE, Hans. Reconciling the Supernatural Worldviews of the Bible, African Traditional Religion, and African Christianity. Missionalia (Online) [online]. 2017, vol.45, n.2, pp.127-143. ISSN 2312-878X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.7832/45-2-162.

Christian interactions with the spirit world of African traditional religion (ATR) remain problematic because Christian missionaries have not adequately come to terms with the spiritual realm of ATR and the supernatural worldview of the Bible. In this article I propose a way beyond this impasse. I overview the cosmology and spirit world of ATR and African Christianity's variegated responses to these traditional beliefs. Having critiqued these responses, I survey the supernatural worldview of Scripture and its mythological narratives concerning the spiritual realm. I suggest that a responsible retrieval of these scriptural phenomena can help theologians reconcile the spirit world of ATR within a biblically-informed African theology, thereby yielding new pathways for the inculturation of Christianity in the African context.

Keywords : African theology; African traditional religion; biblical worldview; biblical cosmology; early Christianity; the spiritual realm; demonology.

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