A Panoramic View of 25 Years of African Theology in East Africa Foundations, Developments, and Prospects

Abstract

There are two possible ways of assessing the origin, growth, and development of African Theology (henceforth AT). On the one hand, it is possible to do so in a detached, abstract and analytical manner, as an outsider looking in. But it is also possible to consider the process in an engaged and committed way, offering a view of the process as a direct participant, from within. From the point of view of methodology, this approach may be described as more narrative than analytical. For the purposes of this article, I have opted for this latter method. After a preliminary autobiographical-theological note indicating the genesis of AT in East Africa in the first section of the essay, I discuss, in the second, the unique environment for its development provided by providential events during the 1960s and 70s. In the third section, I outline the contours of the discipline during the last 25 years (coinciding, incidentally, with the existence of Hekima College). In the fourth and final section, I indicate my hopes and concerns about the future of this new way of doing Christian theology in this region of Africa.