The gods of Africa or the God of the Bible?: The Snares of African Traditional Religion in Biblical Perspective (in English)
Synopsis "The gods of Africa or the God of the Bible?: The Snares of African Traditional Religion in Biblical Perspective (in English)"
Our problem on the African continent at the moment is the following: Western people in general and Christian missionaries in particular, were mostly uncritical about their own (European) culture and over-critical about African culture. In reaction, African Christians in general and theologians in particular are today, on the one hand, very critical about the Western type of Christianity which has been transplanted to the continent, but, on the other hand, not critical enough about their own African culture and traditional religion. Many African theologians, for instance, claim that before the Gospel came to our continent, Africans already correctly worshiped the true God. They say that the Gospel was not the beginning of the true knowledge of God, but merely a continuation or fulfillment of true faith that already existed in the pre-Christian African's heart. Some even go so far as to suggest that the African's method of approaching God is as valid as the way of salvation through the Gospel. Such ideas are emphatically denied in this book. The whole book is more than an attempt to present African indigenous beliefs in a systematic manner, comparing it with Biblical teaching. It is not only against Western secularism, but also strongly opposed to the very strong syncretistic tendency in African church life and in African theology. It convincingly argues that the idea of adaptation should be replaced by the idea of transformation in the light of God's Word. We cannot have a peaceful accommodation but only a powerful confrontation between traditional African religion and real Biblical Christian faith. This clash of irreconcilable spiritual powers becomes clear on every page - a struggle between life and death, a struggle for control of the hearts and minds of the African people. The writer pleads with his fellow African to make a definite choice (either the Gospel or traditional beliefs) and not to opt for a "both and" position. A book with such a powerful message will not be popular today amongst many Africans or even Christians. Had it been written by a person from the West, it could easily be rejected as "Western Eurocentrism". Mr. Nyirongo, however, is a black African who does not only know the Bible, but who - apart from his extensive studies on the topic - also has first-hand experience of traditional African religion and is willing to be critical about it. He personally fought the difficult battle between two loyalties and made a definite choice.Even if there are those who do not like what is written here (who say "we live in a pluralistic world and should not be dogmatic about our religion, but acknowledge the truth in every religion"), it will not be possible to ignore the challenge of this book, written by a committed African Christian on a crucial issue for all African Christians.
