Christianity exists in a world of religious pluralism, so the Christian attitude to other religions is a pressing issue on today’s pastoral agenda. In Africa one of the major challenges facing the continent as a clash of civilisation is religious pluralism. The three major religions in Africa are: Christianity, Islam, and African Traditional Religion.
The major question confronting the African Christian is the Christian attitude to other religions. How confess the Lordship of Jesus Christ as we live and work together with neighbours of other faiths? Why have the Islam and ATR posed a great challenge to Christianity? The major religions in Africa, Islam and ATR, deny the claim of Christianity to be the final or even the highest type of religion. The Christian faith has always claimed that Christian religion is not only superior to all others, but is final and absolute truth for all time. This claim has indeed never been admitted by these major religions. In 1922, Syed Ameer Ali, in his book ‘The Spirit of Islam’, maintained that in every department of life, teaching and example of Mohammed is superior to that of Jesus Christ.1 S.A.W. Bukhari of the Jamalia Arabic College, Madras, writes; ‘revelation is not the monopoly of one section of the people to the exclusion of another. Allah is not the God of the Jews or Christians or Muslims only’.2
In Africa, Islam and African Traditional Religion are reacting to the Global transformation that is taking place. The reaction is a mixture of anger, incomprehension and violent hatred. The notion of a clash of civilization in which Muslims and African Traditional Religion are seen as the main opponents. This has raised many questions like:
1.Does the Quran preach violence?
2.Do Muslims hate Jews and Christians?
3.Why is the message of peace and compassion of the world’s religion lost in the din of anger and hatred?
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