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Christianity is not a Western Religion: An Apologetic Response

Religion and Theology

By Bernard Kimani, PhD

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  1. Introduction
  2. Conclusion
  3. References

Abstract

This paper responds to the charge that Christianity is a Western religion — too white, too foreign, and a religious expression of colonialism — and therefore not an authentic faith for Africans. While acknowledging the aggressive, superior and imperialistic attitudes that have accompanied much of historic Western Christianity, it argues that Christianity is not and never was a Western religion, nor was it imposed on Africans by Westerners. Nine lines of argument are advanced: Africans freely chose to believe the gospel; the gospel was received and transmitted by indigenous Africans; Christianity is distinct from colonialism; the faith did not originate in the West but was shaped in Africa by the early church fathers; the biblical account links Africa with early Christianity; the colour of the messenger does not colour the message; Christianity is universal and cannot be encapsulated in race or colour; the charge of foreignness rests on neo-colonial presuppositions; and Africa's own religious heritage was never the blank slate the missionaries assumed. The paper closes with implications for contextualisation, incarnational missiology and a presuppositional apologetics in African Christianity.

Who this is for

Readers examining Christianity’s African history; Christians preparing to answer objections about faith and colonialism

What this resource helps you explore

Understanding of African Theological Foundations of Faith

Resource details

Format
Paper · PDF
Subject
Religion and Theology
Learning level
Multi-level
Edition / length
1

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