When: June 9, 2021, 1:00 pm - Wednesday

Where: Swang 242

Session 1

Session Abstract

African Christianity has long been unapologetically holistic, refusing the Cartesian divide between mind and body, spirit and substance. The presenters in this session highlight historical and contemporary efforts to impact the arenas of health, media, and the environment with the good news of the kingdom. Taken together, these case studies in holistic mission present a sharpened focus for future creative and contextual Christian transformational endeavors.

 

Paper Abstracts

Evans Lartey, Heritage Christian College, Accra, Ghana, “African Ecological Beliefs and Theological Creation Care”

This paper investigates African ecological consciousness and commitments and what they might contribute to an African theological ethic of creation care. Among the ideas explored that serve to preserve the natural environment are traditional norms and taboos, values of ecological interconnectedness and communication, and a sacred reverence for forests, rivers, plants, and animals. Such beliefs create a fund of ecological wisdom ripe for theological reflection on creation care, especially in light of Africa’s ecological crisis.

 

Alan Howell, Harding University, “Swapping Drinking Songs for Spiritual Songs: Skolia and Possession in Ephesians 5 and Mozambique”

The prevalence of both drinking songs and spirit possession among the Makua-Metto of Mozambique shaped the way in which Mozambican Christians interpreted Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Based upon their cultural context, they naturally heard chapter 5 addressing these two phenomena as interconnected topics. That experience led to an investigation into the background of the original recipients of the letter through the lens of drinking songs and spirit possession to see if reading this text in the “laboratory” of the Mozambican context can shed new light on contemporary readings of the Eph 5 text and provide an example of non-Western contextual interpretation.

 

Speakers

Nathan Bills, Heritage Christian College, Accra, Ghana, Convener

• Conrad Kakraba, Heritage Christian College, Accra, Ghana, “‘Advancing the Kingdom of Christ and National Development’: The Missional Role of HCC’s Truth TV in a Hurting African Continent”
• Evans Lartey, Heritage Christian College, Accra, Ghana, “African Ecological Beliefs and Theological Creation Care”
• Alan Howell, Harding University, “Swapping Drinking Songs for Spiritual Songs: Skolia and Possession in Ephesians 5 and Mozambique”
• Paul Chimhungwe, African Christian College, Manzini, Eswatini, Respondent

Speakers

Nathan Bills, Heritage Christian College, Convener

• Evans Lartey, Heritage Christian College, “African Ecological Beliefs and Theological Creation Care”
• Alan Howell, Harding University, “Swapping Drinking Songs for Spiritual Songs: Skolia and Possession in Ephesians 5 and Mozambique”
• Paul Chimhungwe, African Christian College, Respondent