African Traditional Religion Encounters Christianity: The Resilience of a Demonized Religion

African Traditional Religion Encounters Christianity: The Resilience of a Demonized Religion

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Dec 3, 2017

Product Description Right from the beginning of humankind, God has never deprived a people of his grace and revelation. In fact, God uses people's environment and culture to communicate his will. There is no single religion that can claim to have the exclusive possession of God's revelation, for God is too immense to be confined within one faith. Hence, it was erroneous, blasphemous, and misleading for some of the early Christian missionaries to Africa to claim that they had brought God to Africa, a mentality that implied the non-existence of God in Africa before their arrival. Of course, God was already in Africa, but the missionaries either failed to discern his presence or just disregarded the traces of his existence. This book explores the religious beliefs, practices, and values of the indigenous people of Africa at the time of the early missionaries' arrival, with particular reference to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. It also evaluates the extent of the missionarie's successes and challenges in converting Africans to Christianity. It finally surveys how African Christians have remained attached to the indigenous religious beliefs that used to provide answers to their existential questions.JOHN CHITAKURE is adjunct Professor of World Religions and The Religious Quest at The University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas. He is the author of The Pursuit of the Sacred (2016) and Shona Women in Zimbabwe--A Purchased People (2016). About the Author DR. JOHN CHITAKURE and his family migrated to the USA from Zimbabwe in 2012. He holds a D.Min from the Catholic Theological Union,Chicago, Illinois, MA in Religious Studies, BA (Honors) in Religious Studies, Diplomain Religious Studies, and Graduate Certificate in Education, all from the University of Zimbabwe. He is an Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology at the Mexican American Catholic College, in San Antonio, Texas. He has taught World Religions and The Religious Quest, at the University of the Incarnate Word, andNew Testament Interpretation, at Oblate School of Theology, both in SanAntonio, Texas. Prior to his coming to the USA, he taught several religious studies courses at Arrupe Jesuit University, Chishawasha Seminary, Holy Trinity College, Wadzanai National Catechetical Center, Zimbabwe Christian College, all in Zimbabwe. He is the author of ThePursuit of the Sacred (2016), ShonaWomen in Zimbabwe--A Purchased People? (2016), and The Audacity to Dream: Stories from an African Immigrant, 2018.