Trinity and Inculturation: The Humanity of God and the Future of African Theology

Trinity and Inculturation offers a renewed examination of the naming of God in the context of contemporary fundamental theology and African inculturation theology. In the past decades, missionary discourse has developed an intentional theological awareness of the intricacies of African traditional religions. Its aim of counteracting the prevalent devaluation of African culture throughout history, however, has come at the expense of foundational components of Trinitarian theology. Trinity and Inculturation seeks to reconcile the disjunction between theology and Christology present in African inculturation theology by re-centering the conversation on the Trinitarian nature of the Christian God revealed through Jesus Christ and the activities of the Holy Spirit. Father Bede Uche Ukwuije uses the work of German theologian Eberhard Jüngel, and more specifically his idea of the humanity of God, to overcome the dependence of African theology on Western theism. Through this dialogue, Ukwuije crafts a thorough, Trinitarian argument that calls for a reconsideration of fundamental Christian apologetics and the renewal of Christian mission and interreligious dialogue.