Abstract:
The purpose of this work is to contribute to the ongoing debate on inculturation by projecting a trajectory that
appreciates the authenticity of all cultures. The chief objective
for inculturation is to make Christianity more relevant, more
appealing, more understandable or even more feel-at-home to
the Afrucan continent (Walligo, 1986:12). Inculturation, as a
concept, was coined to satisfy the need for addressing the
mistakes made by some of the pioneer white missionaries who
condemned indigenous culture as devilish and therefore one of
the evils from which Africans required to be liberated (Kanu,
2012; Mugambi, 2002). To undo this erroneous ideology, African
theologians began to push for a more sympathetic theological
approach that could give credence rather tha general
condemnation of their indigenous traditions. But the truth of the
matter is ********that the damage was already done. Prowestern cultural attributes have already become entrenched in
African mentality such that to completely remove them from
people’s minds is like a mission in vanity. For this reason, there
is need to appreciate the fact that indigenous cultures may not
always provide an adequate material for inculturation. In some
instances, it may well be the vase that a more suitable material is
available in the western culture, or any other foreign culture.
This paper focuses on the following areas: examination of the
prevailing approaches to inculturation in African Christianity;
the need for a global model and an analysis of a proposed model.
This work is underpinned by Grenham’s (2001) observation that
the process of inculturation infers a transformative and
dialog*ical engagement involving Christian and nonChristian
values aimed at revealing God’s vision for humanity.
