THE RELEVANCE OF AFRICAN THEOLOGY IN ADDRESING THE RFLIGIOUS WORLD VIEWS OF THE AFRICANS

Abstract

The thrust of this study is to portray the relevance of African theology in addressing the problems of Africans. The basic persistent trait of African societies is the importance of religion embedded in its theology. It is like a shaft of light across the entire spectrum of African existence. The purpose of this study is to state the relevance of African theology in addressing the issues of the African religious world view. This religious worldviews include marriage, farming, career choices even such as mundane matters as travelling. The problem of this study is that African theology is often times referred to as an abstract thinking and as such considered irrelevant by some group of intellectuals. This study has therefore proven that African theology is very much productive and relevant to the very existence of the Africans and should not be merely dismissed as an abstraction. The findings showed that African theology has been controlled exclusively by the West. Theological teaching materials like textbooks, manuals, philosophy, and methodology of African theology has been of Western orientation. This is why the theology has not clearly featured the real issues of the African life, and that is what this article has attempted to solve. This study however recommends that African theology must seriously address the religious worldview of the Africans. The methods of approach adopted for this study include; historical and phenomenological methods. The study concluded that African Christian Theology is the most suitable in understanding and analyzing the African religious worldview.