‘Covenant’ in the Grassroots Christologies of African Christianity: An inquiry into a Translation of Doctrine

Abstract

The Christian faith has been part of the religious landscape of Africa from the early centuries. History records that believers in Egypt and Ethiopia perceived Christianity as a religion which, far from being confined within the spheres of speculative theology, promoted their overall well-being. In an almost similar manner, the revitalization of Christianity in the twenty-first century Africa owes part of its impetus to grassroots theologies that translate biblical doctrine to address people’s experiences. However, some of the formulations seem to divert from mainstream academic discourses. This paper uses a phenomenological approach to examine the meaning of ‘covenant’ in the representations of Christ at the grassroots. The paper hypothesizes that the theme of ‘covenant’ is pervasive in African Christianity, and reflects deliberate efforts from Christian community members to translate soteriology in their existential realities. From the findings, it appears that grassroots Christologies are a form of contextual theology, and ethno-musicology a central element in their formulation. This study fills the methodological gap between academic theology and the pews in contextual theology.