CHAPTER THREE GOSPEL AND CULTURE
3.7 Christology in African theology
Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." "But what about you?" He asked, "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ the Son of the living God" (Matt 16:13-16). Now, our question in this sub-section is,
"who do we say Jesus Christ is in our African context to day?"
It is beyond doubt that much has been done by African theologians- both women and men regarding the question of African Christology of contextualization. Nthamburi (1991:61) confirms this when he says, "a number of African Theologians have endeavored to show how Chnstology can be indigenized." The main purpose of this work, in the words of Mugambi and Magesa (1998:45), is "to translate Jesus Christ to the tongue, style, genius, character and culture of African people."
This is done so that the African Christians will no longer feel uncomfortable, but instead find Christ to be the fulfillment of their heritage, because the Africans understand Christ in the context of their culture. For Christology helps in approaching the New Testament teaching on Christ with African worldview. Nyamiti (1991:3) shows his appreciation for the work that has been done by African {Black} theologians concerning the subject matter and he says, "by far this is the most common and most developed theological school in Black Africa."
In African theology, Jesus is depicted by the titles that befit Africans. For example Jesus is perceived as Ancestor, an Elder Brother, Master of initiation. Mediator, Chief, Liberator, just to mention a few. In my work I have focused my conversation on the two titles, Jesus
as African ancestor and as a liberator based on the views of Kabasele Bujo, Bediako, Moila and Was ike.
Bujo (in Nyamiti 1991:10) depicts Jesus as "Proto-Ancestor, the unique ancestor, and the source of life and highest model of ancestorship. "Through the incarnation, Christ assumed the whole human history including the legitimate aspirations of our ancestors." Though our biological ancestors transmitted life to us, the fact remains that they also received that life from Christ who is the source of life. Moila's view is that, "the concept of ancestor is a very important one for the African explanation of the human and divine natures of Jesus Christ (2002:77)."
According to Kabasele (1991:126), Christ came to fulfill the ancestral mediation to himself. Bediako summarizes this point by saying that,
The way is open to appreciating more fully how Jesus Christ is the only real and true ancestor and source of life for all mankind [sic], fulfilling and transcending the benefits believed to be bestowed by lineage ancestors (2000:31).
Though most of African scholars agree with the application of ancestral office to Jesus, Idowu is very conscious on the term applied to the divinities, for example the term
ancestor. He argues that, there is always a clear distinction between the divine beings and pure ancestors, and because we have many words or terms to use, we need to be keen in selecting the suitable term that fits the context, instead of overloading any term with forced meaning, if we are not careful in the usage of terms applied to the divine beings, we will find ourselves violating the distinction between the divine beings and pure ancestors. As a result, God or Jesus Christ becomes demoted to the rank of ancestor in African thought. I agree with Idowu that a clear distinction should be put in place, but on the other hand my confidence is built on the usage of Proto- ancestor that is used by both Bujo and Moila.
Moila's response is that
Jesus is further accepted as ancestor not in the normal sense. In other words, his status as the Son of God gives him a status of extraordinary ancestor or Prime-Ancestor. His works affirm this point. He did what no human being is able to do (2002:72).
For Anne Nasimiyu- Wasike (1991:77), Jesus is the liberator and saviour of African women. She says, in their oppression African women have learnt tolerance, but now the time has come when there is hope in Jesus Christ,
who came to heal a broken humanity. He empowered and enabled the downtrodden of society to realize their dignity and worth as persons.
He continues to empower and enable the African women today so that she passes from unauthentic to authentic human existence, and so that she discovers her true identity of being made in the Image of and likeness of God.
Wasike continues to argue that Jesus "inaugurated the restoration of individuals and societies to wholeness and he invited disciples to participate in this restoration" (ibid).
Phiri (1997:13) supports the approach of the Gospel with critical mind when she says, despite this domination, some women have began to discover the liberating and empowering potential of the Gospel with regard to their situation as women, and have began to reread the Bible from their own perspective. This comes as a challenge to the Church as the body of Christ to participate fully in this restoration.
I would summarize this point by the words of Anslme Sanon that says, the incarnation of Christ made,
him exposed to humans and their cultural experiences. This cultural humanity assumed by Jesus in this incarnation serves as mediation of redemption both to humanity and to his role of adoption of all humanity. This human being Jesus, assumed by infinitude to the divinity, is capable of assuming all humanity is open to all humanity, joining all humanities together in time and space to heal and save
them (1991:96).
In reverting to our main concern, in this study- polygamy- we note that African theology grapples with relevant issues such as "polygamy as a challenge" to the spread of the Gospel, as it is, indeed an interaction between cultural tendencies, however patriarchalised, and the Gospel. The study on Christology in African theology has therefore prepared us to study "Culture and Christianity at logger head."