Prior to the turn of the twentieth century, many commentators keep opined that Christianity is growing rapidly in Africa as opposed to other parts of the world. This indication is feasible to result; in disastrous consequences for the spread of the Gospel. Yemi Ladipo1 has on the contrary observed that this title is not something African Christian thinkers are always comfortable with, for the consequent reasons: (1).This worldwide fame makes the African church complacent. (2) This phenomenal continuance of the African church is much used as a essential basis for the continuing subordination on non-native method and personnel. (3). The drawing the earth had had on the African Church is that of a fat baby, growing fatter day-to-day however never growing up.

Suffice it to add that the aforementioned examination has far-reaching been a differentiating naked truth of African Christianity. The basic reasons were that African theologians keep not been able to mellow clever ways of doing biblical theology in a development suitable to the African context. It is against this background that I annex fix absent to evolve a convoy to doing biblical theology in Africa.

This presentation has been fragmented into four extensive series. (1) A Preview of Theology in Africa. (2) Sources of Theology in Africa. (3) Trends of Theology in Africa. (4) A conductor to doing Biblical Theology in Africa.

In approaching the surmountable employment of addressing the praxis of biblical theology in Africa, it testament be becoming to effect by previewing theology in cast to be able to decide a fair definition and delimitation of the existence of theology.

A. Definition of Theology

As it stands today, the period "Theology" is technically older than Christianity. Before Christianity came into existence, works of bulky Greek Poets enjoy Homer and Hesiod containing stories approximately gods were categorised as "Theologia'.2 Succeeding these poets, stoic writers again spoke of mystical theology and Aristotle has besides deliberated upon ecclesiastical philosophy in his rhetorical dialogue.

Alister E. M cGrath's definition of theology makes arresting reading. He said that the signal 'theology' is easily broken down into two Greek words: theos (God) and logos (word).3 From this etymology, theology is a discourse about All powerful or gods. Thus, it can be seen from above that this definition is besides typical and then further problematic and cannot maybe mention to one specific devout tradition. Besides, Christianity came into duration in a polytheistic world, where view in the career of copious gods was characteristic place. McGrath observed also that disposed the above complication a worthier any of the charge of the earliest Christian writers appears to enjoy been to distinguish the Christian

God from other gods in the religious place. The meaning of the Trinity appears to hold been in part, a response to the impulse to recognize the Demon that Christian theologians were speaking about.4

Another dispute associated with the notion entrenched in the allusion of theology is the insufficient pursuit by fallible workman to epitomize (let alone understand) the infallible God. Professor John Parrat 5 in highlighting this misnomer observed that conservative scholars hold always insisted that theology is a systematic discription of creator as He in truth is in His dependable being revealed fini his word. However, as Parratt puts it, we engage in not preference to minimize revelation as an valuable exertion of God. We estimate theology is not so even a logical description of God, nevertheless man's unending lick to communicate Absolute being as He is revealed in everyday and defined revelation.

Through the centuries the notion of theology has developed beyond simply a systematic dialogue of the nature, purposes and the bustle of God. This was necessitated by the operation of the University of Paris in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Under the energy Parisian writers such as Peter Abelard and Gilbert dela Porree, the Latin Expression "theologia" came to penny-pinching "the discipline of holy learning" embracing the totality of Christian doctrine, not merely the belief of God.6

In this article, I carry restricted the expression theology to cite to 'Christian Theology'. Hence, Christian Theology refers to that path of recite that undertakes to locate away the teachings of the Christian religion in a systematic order. It includes an orignised exposition of the leading doctrines of Christianity.7 The church in Africa needs a systematic kind of its faith to be able to habitus a homogenous good and practical term suited for the African context.

B. Ecclesiastical Forms of Traditional Christian Theology

From the lifetime of the early church fathers, the church has always sought statements that incorporate graphic descriptions of the faith it professes. These statements were imaginary in response to the quick developments of heresies that challenged and threatened the too activity of the Christian faith. The elementary of such statements to accumulation entrance into Christian theology was the Apostle's Creed. This was developed encircling the third century in response to attacks levied on the creed of the Trinity by pagan scholars. Bruce Milne subscribing to the image that these were summaries of Christian certainty produced in the early centuries to governance the essence of the faith in a duration of holy confusion, added:

The Apostle's Creed is the oldest and peak notorious and thus has a firm affirm to authority. It certainly produced a fruitful series of pegs on which to hang expositions of the Christian faith, on the other hand it will not serve as the ending source and morals of Christian truth.

Firstly, it is also general. It has worth in checking persist viewpoints, on the contrary does not add a all-inclusive sufficiently statement of the doctrines in question. Secondly, its speak to management rests on something earlier and deeper primitive, the teaching of Jesus Christ and his apostles.8

The interval of Reformation and advise reformation and axiom the advancement of confessional statements of faith. Of primordial consequence were the 39 articles of 1571 and the Westminster Confession of 1647.9 These statements were yet fuller than the creeds but they extremely could not stand outside as final authorities for the following: First, they are statements reflecting views of one department of the common church, and consequently insert elements which could not order the bedding of other branches. Further, they as well are secondary statements. A cursory glance shows that they consciously bear out their assertions by entreat to biblical teaching.

The controversies surrounding the critical examination of the creeds of the third century and the confessional statements of the 16th and 17th centuries led to the advance of divers forms by which the church perceive theology. Osadolor Imasogie10 gives three models by which the church has viewed theology.

(i) Orthodox Dogmatic Model:

This example ignores the genuineness of the recent sensitive of human growth in the construction and employ of scripture. In this sense, the Orthodox theologian exercises positive commitment to the perennial truths of traditional Christianity.11 This will enable the theologian treasure trove analogies in bag for these beliefs; operate these analogies to feed a systematic patient of the interconnection of the dominant mysteries of faith and shot to relate that alike empathetic to the final site of man.

(ii) Liberal Religious Model:

Unlike the Orthodox theologians, the liberal theologian takes current man's remark to a contemporary self understanding. In fact, he takes it very seriously and in consequence is dedicated without reservation to original man's values and his stipulation that absent empirico-rational inquiry there is no important statement. At the duplicate day the liberal theologian wants to behind committed to the basic Christian truths and to commend them to existing man.

(iii) Revisionist Doctrinal Model:

The revisionist theologian presupposes a transcendental income of expression seen as the by oneself feasible full wealth of echoing that can be the medium by resources of which the customary doing of adult and its basic religious dimension are analyzed in the lambent of God's revelation. The revisionist makes provision for man's sympathetic but critically examines them.

C. Philosophy of African Religion

It is fully a galling job to homeland the philosophy of a religious class that has not developed a literacy culture in which tradition is preserved. African Traditional Religion is conspicuously famous for not having any literature from which scholars can easily touch to in their chase for the interpretation of an African Philosophy of religion. In Ralph A. Hustin's comments, he reasoned in collaboration with Africanist scholars that Africans carry the functional equivalent of written historical records in their highly developed verbal traditions. He went on to sign that for the cd of events with wide regular significance, African communities repeatedly relied on specialists bands who mythical advantage of heterogeneous poetic and mellifluous devices to formalize their accounts of the past.12

Consequent upon the above, the philosophy of African Traditional religions entails a description of concepts regarding the Supreme Being, the Spirits and the ancestors.

(i) The Supreme Being:

Professor Harry Sawyer begins his explicit chore titled 'God: Ancestor or Creator' by stating that most of the works on African religious thought-forms derivation on the assumption that the African is an animist; that is he believes that inanimate objects cherish trees and stones accept everyone its own spirit which he worships.13 As Sawyer indicated adjacent in the text, the Supreme Vitality has not left Himself without a witness, as such Africans were conscious of his lifetime and thence sought him in all the four better periods of life, particulary birth, initiation, wedding and death. African comprehension of Demigod is expressed in proverbs, short statements, songs, prayers, names, myths, stories and religious ceremonies. All these are basic to brood over and pass on to other people, because there is no consecrated writings in traditional societies.14 Africans further perceive the Supreme Lifetime as the creator of all things. He is eternal, self-sustaining and omniscient who cannot be approached directly. For Africans to ergo advance him, they itch to life concluded the multifarious divinities and spirits in the spiritual realm.

(ii) Man:

At the centre of African ontology is the sense that person is at the center of every being - anthropocentric. Every stuff in the kingdom is seen as revolving environing man. Mortal is born in a local where he is expected to be integrated. He is bite of the regional where he must be ready to help his information possession without condition. It is expected that in such a resident such a adult must surrender every cut of individualism to that kinship. John Mbiti has this to say:

The deep-seated idea of kinship, with all it implies has been one of the strongest forces in traditional life. In such a setting the especial exclusive says 'I am, thanks to we are; and on account of we are hence I am'. In traditional life, the exclusive does not and cannot exist alone apart from corporately. He is simply a department of the whole.15

(iii) Ancestors:

The ancestors appearance another strategic meaning in the philosophy of African religion. Richard J. Gehman observes that among frequent African peoples the capacious majority of admitted spirits are ancestral spirits, that is, the ghost of the dead if they are the fresh dead (living dead) or extended dead (spirits).16

Kofi Asare Opoku noted that the absoluteness of their continuance constitutes one of the most foremost features of West African Traditional Religions. They are always revered and held in elevated esteem. In fact, after Holiness who is the final administration in all maters, the one who is pre-eminent in all things, the ancestors come closest in importance. All other spiritual beings may be spoken sick of or much ridiculed on occasion, but Divine being and the ancestors are always held in awe.

Furthermore, the ancestors are believed to demonstrate their ability buttoned up the welfare or mishap of their family, in sending children and blessing the crops. They are recurrently associated with Almighty in prayer, and as a manager is approached complete an middleman so prayer is said to ascend faster to Daemon the ancestors and other divinities/spirits with allied powers.17

In summary, We retain noted in this article that theology (restricted to Christian theology) refers to that border of interpret which undertakes to place gone in a systematic line the teachings of Christianity. Further, we compass very examined the three views (orthodox, liberal and revisionist) by which ecclesiastical forms of traditional theology acquire been expressed. Lastly, we include outlined views about the Supreme Being, subject and the ancestors as principal concepts in the philosophy of African religions. Due to scarcity of a culture of literacy, this philosophy is articulated in uttered tradition.

END NOTES

1New Vocabulary of Theology. (Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 1981) S.V. Theology by D.F. Wright.

2Alister E. McGrath. Christian Theology: An Introduction. (Oxford: Blackwell, 1994) p. 117.

3Ibid pp. 117-118

4John Parratt. A Cicerone to Doing Theology. (London: SPCK, 1996) p. 35

5McGrath, p 118.

6Dr. L.A. Foullah, talk paper money on 'TH 211 Christian Theology I' SLBC, 1994.

7Bruce Milne. Comprehend the Truth. (Illinois: Inter-Varsity Press, 1982) p 16

8Ibid

9Osadolor Imasogie. Guidelines for Christian Theology in Africa. (Ghana: African Christian Press, 1983) pp. 25-45

10Ibid, p 31

11International Encyclopaedia of Communications. Volume I. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989) S.V. Precolonial Africa by Ralph A. Austin

12Harry Sawyer. God: Ancestor or Creator. (London: Longman Aggregation Ltd., 1970), P. 1

13John S. Mbiti. African Religions and Philosophy. (London: Heinemann, 1969), p. 29

14Ibid, pp 108-109

15Richard J. Gehman. African Traditional Religion in Biblical Perspective. (Kenya, Kijabe: Kesho Publications, 1989), p 139

16Kofi Asare Opoku. West African Traditional Religion. (Singapore: FEP, 1978) p. 36

17Gepffery Parrinder. Africa's Three Religions. (London: Sheldon Press, 1969) p 69.