Conference Theme: Challenges and Prospects of Doing Biblical Studies in Africa
Venue: Online Date: 4th December 2022
Introduction
Since the establishment of Christianity in Africa in the 17th century, there had been issues concerning appropriate methods and approaches for doing biblical studies in Africa. Some of the methods and approaches introduced by the missionaries did not consider the unique worldviews and presuppositions of the African context. Arguably, the lack of an appropriate method for biblical studies is one of the main issues that helped the Arab raid of North Africa to succeed and wiped away the dominance of Christianity in North Africa. This happened because the Christian faith was not imbedded in their local worldviews. Subsequently, African biblical scholars have propounded various methods and approaches for doing biblical studies in Africa. Some of the methods are appendages of the Historical Critical Methods that are inherited from the missionaries. Others argue for entirely novel methods; again others argue for eclectic methods between the inherited methods and those propounded for use for the African context or eclectic methods among the methods put forth for the African context. The availability of myriad methods and approaches for biblical studies in Africa raise the issue of segmentation of the African context and the determination of particular methods suitable for a particular context in Africa rather than considering Africa as a single context.
Moderator: Prof. D. Ekem