African Theology of Reconstruction: The Painful Realities and Practical Options!

Abstract

Reconstruction theology in Africa has been the latest theological project coming out of Africa, beginning in 1990 it has gradually established itself and from 2003 a number of publications have come out on the subject. Th is paper seeks to make an addition to this growing list of publications. In this paper, I question the validity of the blame of external forces for all the woes that Africa is going through now. I instead propose that a functional reconstruction theology should primarily tackle the evil that we commit against ourselves. When we deal with this evil we have a likelihood of bringing African people into a proper unifi ed group that can stand together against foreign elements. I also take issue with the selection of Nehemiah as the model upon which we can do our reconstruction theology. It is in this context that this paper suggests the prophet Amos over and above Jesus as the right model needed to confront the sort of problems we face as Africans. Th ere is need for the church in Africa to undergo a reconstruction of its own after which the church can lead in the African reconstruction. Th is paper brings to the fore the painful realities of internally perpetrated evils, which are bigger than has been appreciated in many earlier contributions.

Ubuntu, sacred texts and the agency of people on the margins

“…Contestation becomes a reality once those being pushed outside resolve to put their own questions to the text and to wear their own reading glasses because it is only then that it becomes apparent to them and others that it is not necessarily the text that is pushing them outside, but the prejudice of the dominant readers (Gunda 2009). At no point must we ever resolve to engage the text in a struggle for understanding, and we should even be more suspicious when those in charge of empire are informing us how we should read the Bible and who we should accept in the house of God, for then the house of God will become house of Empire.…”

“…The glorious stories of the great Kingdoms of the past, of the great and fearless ancestors who resisted the gunwielding coloniser with their bare hands and spears, and the bravery of young women and men who left their schools to go and fight for the liberation of their people from the yoke of colonial oppression. These glorious stories are, however, accompanied by some sad and sordid tales such as the humiliation of being made outsiders in our own lands, the humiliation of an elderly man being called "boy" (Vengeyi 2012) by a young white boy, the sad narratives of indigenous liberator-turned-oppressor in independent African states (Gunda 2009), the rabid resistance to women's empowerment in the 1990s (which continues in some circles to date) and now the de-humanisation of the ITLGB persons born and raised in this region. Most of the ITLGB persons have never known any other place on earth other than this region.…”

African Biblical Studies: An Introduction to an Emerging Discipline

“…Proponents of reconstruction theology have tended to ignore this element. Proposals for biblical replacements of Ezra and Nehemiah have included the book of Amos (Gunda 2009). Ultimately, even with the recognition that this metaphor of reconstruction remains relevant in the African scene, this approach has not garnered much traction with African biblical scholars.…”

Have we lost touch with the Prophet Amos's warning? Church leaders and blood money rituals among youths in Nigeria

“…The prophet Amos of the 8 th century pronounced woes on both the church minister, who is silent in the midst of youth indulging in crimes, and the youth, who decide to view ill-gotten wealth as the surest and fastest way to prove that they are not under the curse of God. Amos spoke against those who use their ill-gotten wealth to intimidate others (Gunda 2009). Okunoye (2018:124) also reveals that Amos spoke against people who viewed wealth as the greatest thing in life and that only people with money were thought to be important.…”