Africa Theological Journal
https://bru-magazin.de/ojs/index.php/atj
Africa Theological Journal (ATJ). A peer-reviewed international journal established in 1968. A journal of Tumaini University Makumira. Theological research conducted by local and foreign scholars in African contexts.Tumaini University Makumiraen-USAfrica Theological Journal0856-0048African Churches Responding to Endangered Fullness of Life
https://bru-magazin.de/ojs/index.php/atj/article/view/1230
<p>The climate change crisis has been a global concern in recent years, with discussions focusing on who is most affected, the need for compensation to the most affected, and how best to mitigate it. The West has been widely accused of being the primary contributor to this crisis over the years. However, Africa and other continents, often seen as the most impacted but contributing little, have also played a role in causing the harm, and thus must take steps to stop the climate crisis. This crisis threatens not only ecosystems but also fundamental human rights and the quality of life. The church in Africa, particularly within the ecumenical community, has been at the forefront of discussions on climate justice. The All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC), one of the faith actors on the forefront of seeking mitigation of the crisis under the African Faith Actors Network for Climate Justice (AFAN-CJ), has actively advocated for both theological and practical responses to this urgent issue. This paper examines the efforts made by AFAN-CJ towards climate justice, reflecting on God’s command and human responsibility towards the environment, particularly through the lens of dominion and stewardship over the earth, the love of one's neighbor, and the care for future generations. It will further highlight the challenges that have hindered change, despite the efforts put in place, such as poverty, unsustainable population growth, ignorance, and reckless theological positions.</p>Fidon R. Mwombeki
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2025-07-302025-07-30411124110.25661/atj.v41i1.1230Conflation of Diakonia with Charity
https://bru-magazin.de/ojs/index.php/atj/article/view/1233
<p class="ATJStandard-Lora-12-ATJstandard" style="margin-left: -14.2pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">This article explores the Annual Mission Week (AMW) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Morogoro Diocese (ELCT-MD) and its understanding of diakonia. The central thesis is that the AMW embraces a flawed concept of diakonia, i.e., mere charity. This conflation limits the potential of diakonia to foster genuine social transformation and empowerment. Methodologically, the article draws on systematic-theological reflections on diakonia and charity. Its primary sources are ecumenical documents and the works of African scholars, such as Mercy A. Oduyoye. These theological perspectives challenge a narrow misunderstanding of diakonia as charity and advocate for a nuanced understanding of service that includes community empowerment and systemic change. To analyse the AMW and its understanding and practice of diakonia, this study also employs qualitative research methods. These are semi-structured interviews with 15 pastors responsible for the organisation and management of the AMW. The major findings were that many respondents expressed a desire for a broader interpretation of diakonia that encompasses not just immediate relief but also sustainable development and social justice. Furthermore, the interviews revealed key themes, including the importance of spiritual care, social empowerment, and structural justice. Finally, this paper brings these empirical insights into a dialogue with the theological grounding of diakonia. It concludes by calling for a more comprehensive understanding of diakonia through the AMW.</span></p>Nestar James KyobyaJörg Zehelein
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2025-07-302025-07-304117110410.25661/atj.v41i1.1233Reimagining Theological Education in the Anglican Church of Tanzania
https://bru-magazin.de/ojs/index.php/atj/article/view/1234
<p>This study examined the institutional and pedagogical challenges to integrating the Five Marks of Mission into Anglican theological education in Tanzania. Data were collected from ten Anglican theological institutions using a convergent mixed-methods case study approach, including structured surveys, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis. Bandura's Social Learning Theory provided the theoretical foundation, offering insights into how institutional culture, instructor behaviour, and social modelling influence students' ministerial development. Findings indicated that while the institutions offered intense doctrinal instruction, they faced significant challenges in delivering contextually relevant and mission-oriented education. These challenges included outdated curricula, inadequate faculty qualifications in contextual and applied theology, limited exposure to ecological and justice-centred pedagogies, weak collaborations with local communities, and bureaucratic resistance to curriculum innovation. Students often reported a lack of practical mission opportunities, few examples in areas like social justice and environmental stewardship, and limited access to field-based learning experiences. The analysis confirmed long-standing critiques within African theological scholarship that theology education remains overly theoretical and disconnected from the lived realities of society. It also highlighted a gap between classroom teaching and the holistic ministerial formation promoted by the Five Marks of Mission. The study recommended strategic reforms in curriculum development, faculty capacity building, and institutional partnerships with churches and civil society organisations. It emphasised the importance of experiential learning, supervised ministry placements, and reflective practice in fostering missional competence among clergy-in-training. By aligning theological education more closely with the Five Marks of Mission, this study provides a roadmap for transforming clergy training in Tanzania. The findings offer valuable insights into missiological discourse in Africa and serve as a practical resource for theological educators, church leaders, and policymakers dedicated to preparing clergy for faithful and contextually relevant ministry.</p>David W. MdabukoKevin M. NderebaAloo Mojola
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2025-07-302025-07-3041110514110.25661/atj.v41i1.1234The Cross and the African Ancestor
https://bru-magazin.de/ojs/index.php/atj/article/view/1235
<p class="ATJStandard-Lora-12-ATJstandard" style="margin-left: -14.2pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">In African traditional religious systems, ancestors occupy a revered role as spiritual mediators, guardians of moral order, and conduits between the living and the divine. This paper explores how such Indigenous understandings shape the theological imagination of Nigerian Lutherans, particularly in relation to the mediatory work of Christ as revealed through the theology of the cross. Drawing from the communal and ancestral cosmologies prevalent in Nigerian cultures, the study <a name="_Hlk204762296"></a>reinterprets the crucified Christ as the “ultimate ancestor” – one who embodies sacrificial solidarity with human suffering and offers eternal mediation through his atoning death. Utilising a contextual theological method, this paper critically engages both Martin Luther’s articulation of the theology of the cross and African christological constructs, including Christ as elder brother, redeemer, and ancestor. The research highlights how Nigerian Lutherans negotiate between inherited Lutheran doctrine and African ancestral consciousness, leading to a re-imagining of the cross not merely as a juridical symbol of individual salvation, but as a communal and ancestral event with socio-spiritual significance. This synthesis provides a culturally attuned Christology that affirms the redemptive power of the cross while honouring African epistemologies. By examining liturgical practices, homiletic narratives, and oral theological expressions, the paper demonstrates that Christ’s mediatory role, when situated within an ancestral framework, deepens the resonance of the gospel message and contributes to a more incarnational and accessible theology for African Christians.</span></p>Emmanuel S. Gabriel
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2025-07-302025-07-3041114217210.25661/atj.v41i1.1235Integrating the Sabbath, the Health Message, and Ubuntu as a Response to the Ecological Crises
https://bru-magazin.de/ojs/index.php/atj/article/view/1238
<p class="ATJStandard-Lora-12-ATJstandard" style="margin-left: -14.2pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">This study is situated in the intersections between systematic theology and Christian ecotheology. It seeks to bring into dialogue the current ecological situation in South Africa with two Seventh-day Adventist beliefs, namely, the Sabbath and the health message in tandem with the African notion of <em>ubuntu</em> as a possibility of probing an ecological ethos and praxis in the Seventh-day Adventist church in the context of South Africa and beyond. On this basis, this paper offers an explication of the Seventh-day Adventist “Fundamental Beliefs,” the contributions that the Seventh-day Adventist church can make to Christian ecotheology, the South African situation and lastly the significance of the doctrine of the health message, Sabbath and <em>ubuntu</em> as response(s) to the current ecological crises. This study will contribute to the growth of ecotheology within the Seventh-day Adventist church in South Africa.</span></p>Siyamthanda Mqhayisa
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2025-07-302025-07-304114270Book Review of Chirongoma, Sophia, and Ven Scholar Wayua. Mother Earth, Mother Africa: World Religions and Environmental Imagination. Mother Earth, Mother Africa Ser. Stellenbosch: African Sun Media, 2022, 256 pp. ISBN: 1-998951-13-8.
https://bru-magazin.de/ojs/index.php/atj/article/view/1236
Erik Egeland
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2025-07-302025-07-3041117317710.25661/atj.v41i1.1236Book Review of Hinlicky Wilson, Sarah. Seven Ways of Looking at the Transfiguration. Unabridged. S.l.: Thornbush Press, 2024, 129 pp. 979-8-9899141-2-8
https://bru-magazin.de/ojs/index.php/atj/article/view/1237
Jörg Zehelein
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2025-07-302025-07-3041117818110.25661/atj.v41i1.1237