ECUMENICAL THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION AND THE CHURCH IN AFRICA
TODAY
Nyambura J. Njoroge
"The wretchedness of the African people dishonours their creator. Therefore every
Christian has a moral responsibility to do their best to correct the situation. " George
Kinoti. (1)
The issues at hand are challenging and they not only require us to examine our
journey of faith individually and collectively but also to dream of new ways of being
church in Africa today. I hope my struggle with these issues will provoke questions
and discussions which will lead us to see visions and dream dreams through the
power of the Holy Spirit. I understand my task to be that of examining ministry or
service of the church rather than the missionary nature of the church. The latter, I
believe, is the task of another presentation.
Church is people and not buildings and structures. Buildings and structures are only
tools which enable us to carry out our responsibilities. The church is called upon to
be a witnessing, healing and caring community in a broken world but it cannot do so
unless it clearly understands the message it witnesses to and has the right tools to
use. In this paper we are searching for ways of doing ecumenical theological
education which will equip the people of God, the body of Christ which is joined
together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom we are built together
spiritually into a dwelling place for God.
Ecumenical theology, and theological education, among other things should help us
understand how we travel with God our creator and source of life in a church and
world full of strife and tensions. Fortunately we are not beginning from scratch;
neither are we reflecting in a vacuum. We have a body of witnesses from ancient
Israel, the apostolic and universal church, of which we have become part as people
who have heard, believed and who in turn are called to be witnesses. On the other
hand, we have African cultures, traditions and religions which not only provide tools
and styles for our theological education but also create critical challenges as we go
about our faith in God.
First we will examine what it means to be a people of God, the body of Christ; the
rationale for ecumenical theological education and what are the implications of
ecumenical theological education on ministerial formation processes? Second, we
shall explore some of the issues that should be at the heart of ecumenical theology
and theological education in Africa today.
The people of God
It is common practice in Africa to provide theological education only for men who are preparing for the ministry of word and sacrament (a number of churches now accept women); even though in the Bible ministry and mission are the responsibility of the whole people of God (1 Peter 3:15; 2:9). The present structures of theological education programmes have developed along denominational lines.(2)
This practice
has been inherited from western Christiandom and has direct impact on how we
understand the meaning and role of the church, especially within the context of
ecumenism or church unity. It is, therefore, imperative to reexamine the meaning of
the church and its role in the world.
In this section we shall reflect on the letters to the Galatians and Ephesians for our
understanding of the people of God. Whereas New Testament scholars agree that
St Paul was the author of Galatians, the authorship of Ephesians is disputed. In
Ephesians we are provided with a summary of the first holy nation of God, the
ancient Israel, chosen and adopted in Christ before the foundation of the world to be
the people of God (Eph 1:3-14). But in the fullness of time, the same Christ through
his life on earth, suffering and death on the cross, and resurrection extended the
adoption to the Gentiles to become part of the holy nation, the people of God (Eph.
2:11-22). Through a revelation, Paul, a Jew, well-schooled in Judaism, and who
persecuted the young Christian community was mandated by God to proclaim the
crucified and risen Christ to the Gentiles (Gal 1:11-2:21 and Acts 9 & 26). Through
the coming of Christ in human form, the Word became flesh and lived among us
(John 1:14), the dividing wall, the hostility between Jew and Gentile was abolished,
creating one humanity and making peace.
The two groups were reconciled into one body in Christ, thus proclaiming peace. In
Eph 3:1-6, we learn that the breaking down of the wall that divided the Jew and
Gentile is the mystery of Christ and was only revealed to the apostles and prophets
by the Holy Spirit. Hence both Jew and Gentile who heard and believed in this
message narrated in the four gospels, became the new holy nation, the people of
God who are called to one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God, the
Creator of all (Eph 4:4-5). Together the new holy nation, the church in Christ, is
invited to see the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, so that through the
church the wisdom of God and its rich variety might now be made known to all. It is
in this context and understanding that St Paul proclaims our oneness in Christ
through baptism that there is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female
and that we are heirs of God's promises (Gal 3, especially 27-29).
Rationale for ecumenical theological education
In Africa through the faithfulness of the apostles and prophets who heard, believed and witnessed to the mystery of Christ throughout the centuries, we have become part of the holy, apostolic and catholic church. Like the Gentiles in Ephesus, all Africans who have heard and believed in Christ have been marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit and have become the people of God(3)
(Eph 1:14). However,
the writers of Galatians and Ephesians indicate that the new communities of faith
were faced with false teachings and distortions of the gospel. As such besides
praying for their strengthening in their inner being, they also prayed for deeper
theological understanding and exhorted them to be rooted and grounded in love.
I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you
a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that with the
eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to
which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance
among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power
for us who believe, according to the working of his great power....I pray
that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be
strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ
may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and
grounded in love. I pray that you may have power to comprehend, with all
the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know
the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all
the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to
accomplish abundantly far more than we can ask or imagine, to him be glory
in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.
(Ephesians 1:17-19 & 3:16-21, emphasis is mine)
I have quoted these verses and highlighted some of them because I believe they
provide the rationale for ecumenical theological education for the whole people of
God. This is not to say we do not need technicians or the academically trained
theologians who are equipped for particular functions in the church and its related
institutions. Rather, we are saying that these specially trained theologians and
ministers of word and sacrament need to recognize the great need to equip every
Christian with basic knowledge of the riches of what we have inherited and the
unfathomable treasure of Christ (to use the words in the Jerusalem Bible). The
people of God need to understand what they believe in and that it is important to be
properly rooted and grounded in God (who is love) before we can witness to the
gospel of Christ. Just by reading the New Testament we realise how central
ecumenical theological education is in the life of a Christian because much is
required from us. In Acts 18, we read of Apollos - despite his eloquence and burning
enthusiasm in teaching about Jesus, his colleagues Priscilla and Aquila realized that
he needed greater understanding of what he taught in the synagogue. Profound
understanding of our faith is crucial lest we teach false doctrine.
On the other hand, we are called to be partners with God in restoring God's reign in
a world where evil forces rage from all directions. Witnessing to the kingdom of God
i.e. for justice, truth, love, peace, reconciliation and righteousness is a fulltime
responsibility whatever we do for a living. It is the nature of being a Christian. Earlier
on, Jesus himself had demonstrated the great need for ecumenical theological
education. Like his followers, rather than teach about it, he also prayed:
Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you,
since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all
whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you,
the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent....I have given
them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to
the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take
them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil
one....Sanctify them [set them apart] in the truth, your word is truth. (John 17:
1-3, 14-15, 17)
As much as John 17 is a prayer for unity which we shall deal with later, Jesus
prayed that his followers, the people of God, the church, may know the true God, the
eternal life and the word of God. When Christians engage in doing theology and
theological education we are seeking to understand and know the core of our faith,
the true God and Jesus Christ. We are searching for the truth about the things we
have heard and experienced in life individually or collectively in our relationship with
God. We are seeking for ways of living a faithful calling as the worshipping,
witnessing and serving church through the ministry of all believers. Therefore we
must be equipped for the work of ministry, for building up one another in the body of
Christ until all of us come to the unity of the faith and knowledge of God.
The treasure of Christ is unfathomable, immeasurable and boundless. For the last
twenty centuries, Christians have been digging into this treasure. Ecumenically we
are called to labour together as we search for truth. We are not only expected to
work together with other Christians of our time but we are also called to be united
with all the saints who have gone before us who have faithfully laboured in their time
to restore God's reign. In other words, ecumenical theology and theological
education draw from the lived experience of all people of God including ancient
Israel as we labour to face the challenges that confront us today. In light of this
discussion, the Bible is a central resource for our Christian faith and the basis of
ecumenical theological education. Hence Bible study and biblical interpretation are
at the heart of ecumenical theological education which should be available for all the
people of God. This approach in ecumenical theological education for all people of
God has direct impact on the ministerial formation processes, to which we now turn.
Ministerial formation
The church has the responsibility to equip leaders who will guide the whole people
of God in the ministries and mission of the church. In other words, the goal of
ecumenical theological education for all the whole people of God is to equip the
church for the two fold task of ministry and mission in all the spheres of life as
prophets of hope and priests of reconciliation. That is, the ordination of ministers
and priests important as it is in the life of the church should not be the object of
ecumenical theological education. Taking the Scriptures seriously, especially
Romans 12:3-8, 1 Cor 12 and Eph 4:7-16, we are reminded that there are varieties
of gifts (charismata), services and activities from the same Spirit. Ecumenical
theological education is at the service of the people of God and must take these
diversities into account but also the context in which people are living. The service
rendered by the whole people of God must be relevant to the needs of the people in
the church and in society. Different ministries have to be created in accordance with
the needs of the people. This we see happening in the New Testament especially
with Jesus whose ministries included teaching, preaching, healing the sick, feeding
the hungry, counselling the grieving (pastoral care) etc. Ministry has to take its
orientation from the challenges that people face in their given context. If we fail to
engage in ecumenical theological education and to take the human condition
seriously, the people of God will remain darkened in their understanding, alienated
from the life of God because of ignorance and hardness of heart. People are bound
to lose all sensitivity towards the suffering and needy and get greedy to engage in
injustice and exploitation of others.
Critical awareness of the human condition, varieties of gifts, services and activities
will affect the processes of ministerial formation. For instance, the process of
equipping theologians and ministers must be evaluated periodically in order to meet
the challenges confronting the church. Ministerial formation process must also take
into account those who wish to share their God-given gifts who are otherwise
excluded because they do not seek ministry of word and sacrament or because of
their gender, ethnic background or physical disabilities. These God-given gifts need
to be nurtured, improved and channelled into relevant services in any given
situation.
However we should not lose sight of the centrality of prayer and guidance of the
Holy Spirit in ecumenical theological education and ministerial formation. I do not
just mean teaching doctrines on prayer and Holy Spirit, but serious engagement in
prayer and searching the will of the Holy Spirit who discerns the gifts in the whole
people of God. Doing this is following in the footsteps of Christ and his apostles from
whom we have received the good news. Ecumenical theological education, prayer
and guidance of the Holy Spirit will equip the people of God with renewed minds and
new vision to be fully involved in the problems and battles of their world.
But we need leaders who are compassionate and have the vision of a better Africa. Quoting John Scott, George Kinoti reminds us: "Vision is a deep dissatisfaction with what is and a clear grasp of what could be. Vision begins with indignation over the status quo, and it grows into the earnest quest for an alternative. This combination we find in Jesus who was indignant over disease and death, and the hunger of the people, for he perceived these things as alien to the purpose of God."(4)
The crisis of
church leadership in many of our churches calls for a critical evaluation of ministerial
formation processes in Africa today. In the Gikuyu language there is a saying:
Iguthua ndongoria itikinyagira nyeki i.e."if the leaders are limping the flock will not
reach the green pastures".
The search for authentic ecumenical theological education
We have already alluded to the dependence of African theological education and
ministerial formation on inherited structures from western Christiandom.
Dissatisfaction with the methods of missionary evangelisation and its collaboration
with colonial powers in some areas provoked African Christians to establish African
Indigenous (Instituted) churches. These churches attempted to anchor Christianity in
the African cosmos. According to Harvey J. Sindima: "The challenge that Indigenous
Christianity has taken very seriously is to make Christianity authentically African.
The process involves deep theological reflection. Indigenous churches have not only
done this, but they have also put into practice the changes called forth by their
theological reflection. Though unsophisticated in their approach, these Churches
have posed a challenge to mission Churches to engage in the kind of theological
thinking which will help to produce an authentic African Church".(5)
For a long time mission churches ignored the existence of the Indigenous churches
and their struggle for independence from missionary mentality and colonial
dominance. From the 1960s African theologians began to call and search for an
authentic African theology and church. But this exercise has largely remained in the
academic arena and the best it has produced are cosmetic changes, for example,
some hymns sung to traditional tunes and instruments but no fundamental changes
to the liturgy and models of ministries. In the book we have quoted above, Sindima
has demonstrated the great damage caused by missionary thought and practice
which was rooted in the Enlightenment: "The aim of the Enlightenment was to rid
Christianity of myth and remain with truth only, and truth was that which could be
discerned by pure reason...When Christianity was brought to Africa, missionaries
brought this baggage of the Enlightenment with them. The baggage became a
stumbling block in their attempt to understand African life and world. Anything that
could not be proven or was not logical according to their way of reasoning was
superstition and evil".(6)
This approach towards the African way of life created the belief that anything African
is inferior including the people themselves. Hence the need to hang on and look up
to anything foreign especially if it comes from the North. Ecumenical theological
education needs to address dependence which permeates all spheres of life in
Africa today. During this process of developing ecumenical theological education for
the whole people of God, we need to take seriously all the available resources
beyond the God-given gifts that we bring to the church. Here I have in mind also the
tools and methods of communicating the education we bring to the whole people of
God. We should listen to the people and together search in their communities how
best to share the information. Theologians, ministers and teachers should avoid
imposing foreign tools and methods on the people.
I am reminded of the narrative story of David, King Saul and Goliath during the war
between the Israelites and Philistines in 1 Samuel 17. David, a shepherd boy, was
sent by his father to take provisions for his three brothers at the battle field. On
arrival David got curious about Goliath, the Philistine giant whom no Israelite could
dare approach. Despite his brother's anger and silencing, David got interested in
fighting Goliath and word reached King Saul. Although he was young, David had the
experience of fighting with lions and bears when they attacked his flock. King Saul
allowed David to face Goliath but insisted on clothing David with his armour and
strapped him with his sword. But David could not walk! In place of the armour and
sword David pulled out his tools and with his boyish methods he killed the giant.
Another story in the Bible which is a challenge to us is the feeding of the five
thousand men besides women and children (Mt 14:13-21, Mk 6:30-44, Jn 6:1-14).
The key issue in this story is what the disciples had at hand! It did not even need to
belong to the disciples, but come from the people themselves. What do we have?
These stories should challenge every African that we need to draw on our many
resources, and that we need to have confidence in ourselves and in God. Likewise
theologians and ministers should not dismiss anyone because of their age or level of
education. Together we should identify tools and methods that will enable us to
develop Christian faith that will reach the people. The objective is to act with power
which "cuts people to the heart". (Acts 2:6, 11) It is important to critically examine
the way people communicate in their local communities which will enrich our learned
skills and structures of theological education.
More important, theologians must develop ecumenical theological education together with the people in the pews. Elsewhere I have examined how theologians can work with local congregations to develop theology and ethics for the people, following the example of Ngugi wa Thiong'o, a leading Kenyan novelist and playwright who worked with a poor community to develop a musical play(7)
. The play
Ngaahika Ndeenda (I Will Marry When I Want)(8) was very powerful; the Kenyan
government considered it subversive. Consequently, Ngugi wa Thiong'o was
detained and the play was banned. But the play taught many Kenyans how
oppressive governments operate and how institutions including the church can
become dominating and controlling. Wa Thiong'o used the local language of the
people and later the play was translated into other languages. We have the skills
and resources; all we need are creative and determined people.
The church (the whole people of God, not just the theologians) in Africa has yet to
wrestle with the damage created by the negative image of the "dark continent".
Africans have internalized the negative image which has nurtured dependence in
many aspects of our lives. Dependence has caused a lot of hardships and misery in
Africa, a thing that ecumenical theological education needs to address. Dependence
has distorted the image of Africa and African humanity. We should be able to affirm
our humanity which is created in God's image. Like the Psalmist we must shout with
confidence:
For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my
mother's womb. l praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. (Ps. 139:13-14)
Church unity and renewal
It is beyond the scope of this paper to explore the recent developments of denominationalism in Africa. Paul Gifford, has attempted to give an impressionistic view of recent developments in African Christianity in the 1980s, especially of the Pentecostal explosion which is the new trend of fragmentation of the African church.(9)
Gifford comments that new divisions are taking place and there is little
ecumenism. I believe each of these churches has a lot to offer as we develop an
ecumenical theology and theological education. We need a united front as the whole
people of God confront the many crises (powers and principalities) that face Africa
today. Suffice it to say, ecumenical theology and theological education should help
the whole people of God to explore what is at the heart of our divisions and disunity
and the practical steps to be taken on this path to unity. Church divisions and
disputes over church leadership have become a major threat to the spirit of
ecumenism and at worst a scandal in the society.
First and foremost, the call for unity is one of the many instructions Jesus left for his
disciples. Suzanne de Dietrich rightly states, "Jesus did not speak about it, he
prayed". Among Christians, unity means entering into the mystery of the triune God:
"I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me
through their word that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I in you,
may they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me". (John
17:20-21) Elaborating on the task of church unity Dietrich writes: "To build unity on
the human level by diplomatic conversations and compromise will always mean a
shaky construction. The broken church can be restored only from above. This does
not exclude our constant striving for mutual understanding, our common searching
for truth. But to restore unity, more than this is needed. The work of Christ's Spirit,
humbling and sifting, pruning and purifying, breaking through our stubborn
oppositions and making all things new, is necessary". (10)
Church unity is itself for restoring the reign of God and the whole creation which
commits one to the task of witnessing in a world full of evil forces. In Africa the great
forces of evil as witnessed in the extreme poverty, genocide in Rwanda and the
painful destruction of life through AIDS to mention a few, alone warrant the African
church to earnestly seek unity. Together we must pray and witness that evil does not
have the last word which is the message of the resurrection, the eternal life. The
common trend in Africa is for the mission churches to develop bilateral partnerships
with churches in the North, especially in North America while they have no contact
with the denominations in the neighbourhood. With the ongoing divisions in the
African church and these bilateral relationships with churches in the North, it would
be interesting to study and research on what it means for these churches to belong
to the National Council of Churches or regional and world bodies such as All Africa
Conference of Churches (AACC), World Council of Churches (WCC), World
Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), etc. Our belief in one holy, catholic church,
as we state in the Apostles' creed, should motivate us to grow and struggle together
for unity for the sake of the one who called us to be the people of God.
Church divisions and lack of cooperation in Africa pose another problem. If people
of the same faith cannot sit around the same table and strive mutually to understand
each other or work together on a common problem, how difficult it is for the church in
Africa to relate to other faiths, especially Islam. Ecumenical theology and theological
education which takes seriously church unity in Africa and the relation of the
Christian faith to other faith traditions must critically study African church history, the
African way of life and Islam in Africa. These subjects need to be compulsory in the
curriculum in the seminaries and universities and, if possible, should be taught by
adherents of these faith traditions. On the other hand, church leaders (the ministers,
priests and bishops) must encourage Christians to approach people of other faiths
with an open mind and to seek for ways of tackling together issues of common
interest in the local community together. Ecumenical theological education should
provide methods of fostering healing processes where deep wounds have been
caused by divisions and prejudices in the local communities. African ecumenical
theology and theological education must take the African context as part of the
divine revelation.
The African context has many sides to it, including the fast growth of both Christianity and Islam in Africa. Special attention must be given to this growth which inevitably has direct impact on how we develop ecumenical theological education. Moral decline in our societies raises critical questions for the church in the light of these growing numbers. The growing numbers provide a great potential and resource for the transformation of Africa which should be reflected in the lives of the people. More attention should be given to the renewal of the church as we seek to equip the whole people of God as the instrument of God's presence and redemptive purpose in the world.
1. George Kinoti, Hope for Africa and What the Christian Can Do, Nairobi, African Institute for Scientific Research and Development (AISRED), 1994, v.
2. There are seminaries where several denominations have formed united institutions. On the other hand the same denominations build other Bible schools and pastoral institutes which reduce the spirit of ecumenism in the united seminaries.
3. For more information on the early African Church in North Africa and Ethiopia see Harvey J. Sindima, Drums of Redemption: An Introduction to African Christianity, Westport CT, Greenwood Press, 1994, pp 3-47
4. Kinoti, op.cit. p. 68
5. Sindima, op. cit., p 153
6. Ibid. 99-101. On Enlightenment also see David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission, Maryknoll, New York, Orbis Books, 1991
7. N. J. Njoroge, "The Woman's Guild: The Institutional Locus for an African Woman's Christian Social Ethic", Ph.D Dissertation, Princeton theological Seminary, USA, 1992
8. Ngugi wa Thiong'o and Ngugi wa Mirii, l Will Marry When l Want. Translated from Gikuyu by authors. Nairobi, Heinemann Educational Books Ltd., 1982
9. Paul Gifford. "Some Recent Developments in African Christianity" in African Affairs, 1994, p. 513-534
10. Suzanne de Dietrich, The Witnessing Community: The Biblical Record of God's Purpose, Philadelphia, The Westminster Press, 1955, p. 147. On Dietrich's life and ecumenical contribution see Hans-Ruedi Weber, The Courage to Live: A Biography of Suzanne de Dietrich, Geneva, WCC Publications, 1995.