interpretation "are multi-disciplinary, analyses involving social scientists, philosophers, creative writers and artists, biological and physical scientists" (1991:40).
In Mugambi's view, African theology cannot be over concerned with the theme of liberation, that has dominated Africa since the Cold War of the 1960s, when Africa was divided into two ideological blocks (East vis-a-vis West). In the absence of "outsiders"
maintaining the so-called dictators in Africa; and encouraging African patriots to languish in prison (as was the case of Nelson Mandela) or face death and torture (as was the case with Patrice Lumumba of DRC), depending on which side of the ideological block that one stands. With political pluralism being encouraged throughout Africa, thereby opening socio-religious space for everyone including the propagators of the Christian gospel, African theology should not fail to take cognisance of the new scenario, for theology is never done in a vacuum. African theology has to play a renewed role of being the beacon of God's stewardship of creation amongst the people of tropical Africa and the Continent as a whole.
How suitable is Mugambi's call for a paradigm shift from liberation to reconstruction in African theology of the twenty-first century? How timely is this call? These problem issues still remain to be answered.
Mbiti (2003: 5-6) is at pains when he cites a few examples of these theological engineers/expatriates who can easily divert the course and cause of African theology. For example, Vincent J. Donovan who provides what he calls "An African Creed" at the end of his book, Christianity Rediscovered (Fides/Claretian, Notre Dame, Indiana 1979, P.
200). This states, among other things, that,
We believe in the one High God... We have known this High God in the darkness, and now we know him ((sic) in the light We believe that God made good his promise by sending his son, Jesus Christ, a man in the flesh, a Jew by tribe, born poor in a little village.... He was rejected by his people, tortured and nailed hands and feet to a cross, and died. He lay buried in the grave, but the hyenas did not touch him, and on the third day, he rose from the grave. He ascended to the skies.
He is the Lord.... He is alive. He lives.
When such a "theological engineer" formulates a new "creed" and designates it as
"African," no wonder Mbiti and others are concerned. Who gave them the authority to speak on behalf of African theology and misrepresent it to the point of subjecting it to ridicule? Fearing such misrepresentation, Mugambi says that, "foreign missionaries and theologians cannot articulate African theology. As only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches" (1989b: 11). Creeds by their very nature are public property and not created by individuals, however astute they may be. Again, in African vernacular languages, terms such as "High God" are not applicable (Mbiti 1969). Furthermore, African traditional knowledge of God is not "in darkness." It is erroneous to refer to Jews as a tribe just as it is ludicrous to mention hyenas in connection with the burial and resurrection of Jesus. To refer to heaven as the "skies" is a serious distortion and poor reflection on African theology and African Christianity in general.
Another example of engineered works in African theology is the works of Joseph Healey who has published a book entitled, A Fifth Gospel (Mary Knoll, New York: Orbis books, 1981). In this book, he describes what he calls "Black Christian Values" in Eastern Africa.
While it is good that he fully acknowledges the traditional values of the people of Eastern Africa, he does not have to project it as the "fifth Gospel" as there are only four Gospels in Canonical scriptures.
Another example of theologically "engineered" works is that of Aylward Shorter. In his book, African Christian Theology - Adaptation or Incarnation? (Mary Knoll, New York:
Orbis Books 1977), he clearly wants to suggest that African theology has to be engineered towards either of these two alternatives - which is misleading! Curiously, he concludes
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that, "an African Christian Theology...has to be a dialogical theology" (1989b: 160). One wonders: Is that all there is, in order to be African theology? Does African theology need to be considered reductionist in nature in order for it to be declared reasonable? Why denigrate African theology, and make it appear as though it does not require critical academic engagements? Why disparage the sincere theological efforts of others in such an ignorant and pretentious way? Finally, why provide such a misleading and yet capturing title?
Another case in point is that of J Richard Gehman, in his book entitled, Doing African Christian Theology: An Evangelical Perspective (Nairobi: Evangel Press, 1987), Gehman clearly wants to navigate the articulation of African theology towards western evangelicalism, to which he subscribes (Mbiti 2003:6). Gehman's concern that African theology must follow western frameworks is both presumptuous and arrogant.
With such poignant examples, one can easily conclude that African theology is under attack by scholars who claiming to know much about Africa and its theological task, yet, have either never studied or lived in Africa.44 From the above analysis and in the light of Mugambi's works, it is important to ask the question: how do we project our theology - from liberation to reconstruction - when Africa faces such serious misrepresentations in all fronts? Second, in the face of such deliberate obscurantism, wither too African theology, where do we go from there? Is Mugambi, to use the words of Tinyiko Maluleke, truly the "passionate and committed African Churchman, theologian and continental patriot of our time" (1996:473)? Is he aware that such belligerent misrepresentations can frustrate his efforts at theo-social reconstruction? In the light of the many publications on African theology by scholars unqualified to make such judgments, yet being privileged in terms of their ability to disseminate information through publishing, how can the project of theological reconstruction be successfully carried out by African scholars in their terms?
The works of Kwame Bediako will attest to this. In particular, Edward Taylor never visited Africa yet he wrote on African anthropology and claimed to have first hand information on Africa. As a result, he misinterpreted Africa. He referred to African religiosity as animism (See also, Mbiti 1969:7).