A Schematic Evaluation of the Impact of Heresies and Persecution in the Catholic Church: an Igbo Pragmatic Perspective (original) (raw)
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Inculturation as Dialogue, Igbo culture and the Message of Christ
Exchange, 2008
African theology has known some remarkable personalities who during recent decades dominated the scene, embracing John Mbiti, Ngindu Mushete, Eboussi Boulaga, Jean Marc Ela and Ka Manä. Th ey used various approaches to uncover the roots of African Christianity, to define its essence, and to demonstrate its relevance for worldwide Christianity. Chibueze Udeani, who as a Roman Catholic theologian is working in Germany, realises that, writing the present book, he builds on their spiritual and academic expertise. Yet, he goes in another direction. He quits the routes followed by his fellow-theologians to develop his own approach to penetrate to the essence of African Christianity. He confines his study, however, to the Igbo culture, which, with respect to both its area and population, comprises 27 percent of Nigeria. Although the author does not indicate so clearly, it might be possible that he regards the Igbo culture as pars pro toto for Africa in general, since this culture is, in spite of its giving a contrary impression, very imperfectly rooted in Christianity. Th erefore Udeani's point of departure is not to create space for an own implementation of the meaning of being an African Christian, but to investigate why there is a deficiency: 'a closer examination of Christianity shows that the Christian Faith has not taken root in Africa. Many Africans today declare themselves Christians, but as before, they remain followers of the African traditional religions in matters concerning the inner dimensions of their life. It is evident that in strictly personal matters relating to such issues as passage and crises of life, most Africans turn to the African traditional religions' (p. v). In his sketch of the Igbo culture and his delineation of the history of Western rule and the influence of mission accompanying it, Chibueze Udeani evocatively demonstrates how he came to his observation. Igbo culture went through a period in which it lost its original balance when, around 1840, it for the first time came into contact with both Western culture and the culture of the missionaries. Th e Igbo culture was torn apart by internal struggles, in which continuously people were blamed to be guilty of this process. For that reason Igbo culture was full of confusion and lacked the tranquillity for giving a balanced and thoughtful reaction to the message of the gospel, so that it would receive a legitimate place in its spiritual and social worldview. In addition, Christianity, coming from the West, did not see the Igbo culture as a social unity that deserved serious theological exploration, but as a bundle of 'superstition, idolatry, devils' mischief, magic, fetishism, animism, polytheism, ancestor worship, offspring/product of unenlightenment and blooming imagination' (p. 81). Th e missionaries believed that the solution to this problem was to erase everything
Religious Education in Context: Evangelization of the Igbo People and Culture
Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 2014
The context, content and process, by which the Church brings the good news of Christ into all aspects of human life and endeavors, influencing its transformation from within, constitute what is known as evangelization. Evangelization is about people and their way of life, that is their culture. It is a process of religious education which seeks to transform adherents of the Christian faith, whether new or old members, into persons who are Christ-like. In this regard, this paper grapples with the question: 'what will it take to produce the kind of Christians, today and in the future, who are Christ-like in mentality, behavior, and attitudes?' Using case stories from the mission fields in conjunction with available literature, including various post-synodal apostolic exhortations, the paper proposes 'integral evangelization as inculturation,' coupled with a prophetic stance, which keeps Christ central to the entire process.
unncbt, 2019
Ancestor-ship (Igbo forebears) charged with intercessory of the living are once humans before admittance after death into the comity of ancestors. It is one of Igbo expositors that life is not terminated after death and that their dead exist in another spiritual realm mirroring the activities of the living and determining their fate. The Igbo ancestors are always remembered in every Igbo religious rituals and worships while they are also presumed to be present in meals with the living. The admittance into the ancestral cult is not automatic as several criterions are first put in place and considered: living a good life and dying at a ripe old age. For the Christians, sainthood is conceived and used as a title of apostles of Jesus Christ having acknowledged as holy and virtuous during their lifetime. Today, churches still practice the canonization (official declaration) of their dead clergies as saints. The Christian saints believed to be in heaven after death having lived a pious life also serve as an object of veneration and worship. This paper Igbo Ancestor-ship and Christian Sainthood: The Bigotry brings to bear the attributes/making of Igbo ancestor, their roles and place in the Igbo cosmology. It further looks into the Christian saints, what informs ones canonization, their roles and place in Christian worship. This work at the end establishes paradoxical of the Igbo ancestors denigration by Christians despite sharing the same attribute. It further notes that the condemnation and Christians denotation of Igbo Ancestor-ship to paganism amounts to religious bigotry. It suggests for neopaganism approach to some Igbo beliefs and practices that share the same values and attributes to that of the Christians as in the case of Igbo Ancestor-ship and the Christian Sainthood.
One of the beautiful things about this well-researched work is the recognition by the author that the enterprise of Christology, just like the business of theology in general, is never an I-alone-istic affair. Rather, it is one which the person concerned can only do better standing on the shoulders of those who, before him\her, had worked in the field of Christology while at the same time holding hands with contemporaries who are doing the same today. All these being done within and not without the Church, the Body of the same Christ, who is the subject of the study. Little wonder, then, an elaborate review was made by the author, before making his original input, of some well-known models of Igbo Christology like Healer, Chi, Ancestor, Victor, etc. He equally tried his hands at listing not only the sources of Igbo Christology which include, among others, the Scripture, Igbo Traditional Religion, Igbo myths, proverbs and parables, the historical experience of the Igbo people, but also went ahead to underscore the relational character of the same Igbo Christology.
Religious Ambivalence In Igboland: A Synthesis Of Christianity And Igbo World View
2014
Whenever Christianity is professed, there is a constant dialectic arising from its relationship with the cultural presupposition and practices of the cultures where it is located. A philosophical look at the Christianization of Igboland shows that the response of the Igbo to Christianity has been as interesting as it is ambivalent. On one score, there is the success story of the phenomenological movement of the vast majority of Igbo population to Christianity. Church buildings and related institutions have displaced former sites of powerful local deities and reserved sacred places, forest and groves. However, turning to the other side of the coin, one finds a bewildering array of ambivalent practices, a mix-up of Christian elements and traditional religious beliefs and practices among professing Igbo Christians. Guidance through dreams and visions, miraculous healing, prayer that expects immediate and concrete answers, and so on now constitute the main features of Igbo Christian pra...
Cult of the Ancestors and Saints from the Igbo (Nigerian) Experience: A Liturgical Evaluation
GRACE & TRUTH a journal of catholic reflection for southern africa African Christian Reflections on Culture and Dialogue
This article is premised on the fact that over the past 100 years, amidst the confusion and darkness surrounding the Church’s attempt to evangelize the African culture, a few ideologies have aided the Church. Some scholars like Sarpong and Obijiaku will subscribe to ancestral cult as one of them. The philosophy behind the Ancestral cult of the African (Igbo) experience is anchored on the basis that their ancestors are at the Headquarters in the spirit land. Mbiti rightly corroborated that Africans are “religious people” who hold firmly to the cult of their ancestors and to the worship of other major and minor divinities. While not condemning outright what sustained their fore-fathers/fore-mothers in faith, the Church can use the values of African spirituality in the life and liturgy of the Church in Africa. Areas where this inculturation and contextualization can be experimented include the liturgy of baptism, at the Christian prayer for the dead, and of course, in celebration of the feasts of All Saints and All Souls. In all, through critical liturgical catechesis therefore traditionalists could come to understand fully the place of the dead in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Studies have shown that most of the precepts, ordinances and rituals in Christian religion are more of resemblances than novelties of what were the cases in the original religion of the African people. The belief in the communion of the Saints, and its surrounding practices stressed especially among the Catholic group is coterminous with the veneration of the Ancestors in this latter religion. The affinity that exists between these two beliefs calls for a special attention, and reinvestigation especially this period when inculturation and proper adaptation of Christian culture are emphasized in the evangelization of people. This study will apply a hermeneutical approach in its study. At the end of its theoretical sample analysis, it will suggest that those ancestors whose names are traceable be recognized among the local worshipping communities who know them and who are strong adherents of this belief. It calls for a new approach in the study of the ancestral veneration with some reservations applied in the absolute condemnation of the practice.
Christians" Response to Persecution: Its Implications to Contemporary Churches in Nigeria
Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 2016
The series of crises reported daily on local, national and international media on killing and destruction of Christians and properties worth millions of naira is alarming. Christian persecution in today's world has taken a dangerous trend that warrants academic discourse. Persecution has become a serious challenge which has turned to global threat. The church has suffered much security challenges from people of opposing religious faith, who felt threatened by the unique presence of God, convincing miracles, power-oriented and dominating spirituality, unparalleled missionary spirit, and more significantly, her particularistic doctrinal claims. The paper appraisingly evaluates the response of the church in the Bible, especially in the New Testament during the time of Apostles in (Acts 4:23-31). For this reason, this paper adopted historic narrative and exegetical approaches. The paper, postulates re-integrating, internalizing and implementing the importance of prayer, unity, righteous living and boldness in the contemporary church. This paper discusses how Christians should respond during the time of persecution from within and without and proffer recommendations that will reduce to barest minimum the persecution of Christian throughout the world.
A Critical Look At Contemporary Nigerian Christianity
2009
For over one hundred and sixty years of Christian flourish in Nigeria, it has recorded remarkable progress, especially in terms of evangelism, structural expansion, and numerical strength. However, recent trend in its manifest and latent practices show signs of contradistinction leading to significant reduction in practical living and sanctity of its teachings, and ways of its founder. From our phenomenological method and qualitative analysis, some of these shortcomings are specifically observed in recent astronomic proliferation of churches; materialism and commercial ministry; declining spiritual commitment; fraud and criminality; rivalry and confusion and, unhealthy Moslem-Christian relations. These are identified as teething challenges which Christendom in Nigeria must confront to reposition its flourish in this part of the world.