Saturday 14 March 2009

Inclusive Paradigm

3 Inclusive Paradigm
Inclusive Paradigm affirms the salvific presence of God in non-Christian religions while still maintaining that Christ is the definitive and authoritative revelation of God.
Karl Rahner’s Inclusivist Approach
Rahner maintains that salvation comes only through faith in God through Christ and again argues the salvific presence of God in non- Christian religions. To hold the two principles in balance he argues that:
When we have to keep in mind both principles together, namely the necessity of Christian faith and the universal salvific will of God’s love and omnipotence, we can only reconcile them by saying that somehow all men must be capable of being members of the Church; and this capacity must not be understood merely in the sense of an abstract and purely logical possibility, but as a real and historically concrete one.1

Rahner gives four thesis to explain his position:
1.Christianity understands itself as the absolute religion, intended for all men, which cannot recognise any other religion beside itself as of equal right. Rahner adds a statement to this thesis by saying, the fact that Christianity understands itself as the absolute religion must be balanced by the difficulties involved in discerning ‘when the existentially real demand is made by the absolute religion in its historically tangible form.’2
2.The universal salvific will of God revealed in Christ can be experienced by non-Christian religions. He argues that God must somehow offer grace to all those who have never properly encountered the Gospel. The grace of God must be made available through and not despite the non-Christian’s religion
3.A non-Christian may have already accepted God’s grace in the depths of his or her heart by doing good. If a non- Christian has responded positively to God’s grace, through selfless love for another, then even though it is not known objectively, that person has accepted the God that is historically and definitively revealed in Christ. God’s salvation cannot be divorced from Christ; hence the term ‘anonymous Christian’ is more appropriate than ‘anonymous theist’.
4.The church cannot be seen as an elite community of those who are saved as opposed to the mass of unredeemed non-Christian humanity. The church is a tangible sign of the faith, hope and love made visible, present and irreversible in Christ. The Inclusive approach affirms that the only possible normative truth basis for Christians is Christ, while accommodating the salvific experience in non-Christian religions. The inclusivist challenges the pluralist removal of Christ and his church from the centre of the universe of faiths and those exclusivist who sever the relationship between Christ and other faiths.

3.3 The Lordship of Jesus Christ and Religious Pluralism
The Lordship of Christ is one of the central affirmation of the New Testament, the manner in which it was expressed was developed in the West where religious pluralism was not a big issue. Those of us Africans whose history, tradition, culture, and social relationship are different from those in the West do not find it easy to bear this burden of this heritage. This means that the involvement of African Christians in pluralist communities should be taken serious. The divine-human encounter in Jesus Christ is the basis for this confession.
The obvious mark of a Christian is the confession that Jesus Christ is Lord (2Cor. 4:5; Rom. 10:9; Col. 2:6 etc). It signifies a new relationship of the believer to Jesus Christ, of commitment and loyalty, of surrendering oneself to God and to the one Lord, Jesus Christ. It is an affirmation that by virtue of his death and resurrection Jesus Christ has been exalted above all lords.
There are three main points in the New Testament that can help in understanding the Lordship of Jesus Christ in the context of religious pluralism. The first is the connection between the confession of Christ’s Lordship and faith in his resurrection. The second is the relation between the exaltation of Jesus Christ as Lord and his humility, his suffering, his emptying himself, his servant hood. The third is the unique combination of the fatherhood of God with the Lordship of Jesus Christ.3 This leads us to a major question as to how Christians can witness to the Lordship of Jesus Christ as they live with neighbours of other faiths. Christians should witness to the Lordship of Jesus Christ by proclaiming the salvation of Jesus Christ and actively involve in the struggle for justice. Christians should also share with neighbours of other faith that in Jesus Christ the Ultimate has become intimate with humanity, “that nowhere else is the victory over suffering and death manifested so decisively as in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.”4

4. African Christianity and Afrikania Movement
Christianity is universal; the particularity of African Christianity should provide a contribution to the universal church. This contribution will defuse the Afrikania claim that what Africa needs is African Traditional Religion as an alternate to Christianity. The following statements of Komfo Damuah confirm the challenge the movement poses to the Church. His fundamental problem with Christianity in Africa lies in what he said:
Christianity is generally viewed by Africans as not indigenously African, but rather a white man’s religion, because as in other ‘pagan’ areas of the world, Christian missionaries often opposed or denigrated traditional local customs and institutions: veneration of ancestors, traditional tribal ceremonies and authority systems, and polygamy…5

Damuah proposed a solution to the problem of what he called the great dilemma facing Africans today’ by calling for a ‘new synthesis’ a reconstruction of the traditional religion which he considers as the divine purpose for Africa and for the world. He mentions in the Afrikania handbook what the movement wants to achieve.
It is not a new religion. It is a traditional African Religion ‘come alive’, reformed and updated. Afrikania is here not to destroy but to fulfil the dream of a new Africa. It is Africa’s religion of today’s generation, but it is open to all, irrespective of race, creed, colour or ideological orientation.6

Perhaps the most fundamental challenge Afrikania poses to Christianity in Africa is the question of cultural identity: the question of Ghanaian Christian identity. Bediako has raised the following questions that need further research. Have churches in Africa especially the mainline churches, adequately indigenised the Christian gospel by making full use of the potential elements of faith rooted in our traditional religions?

Christianity and Islam: With particular reference to Shariah Law

Shariah or Islamic Law which has become a a big challenge to the world especially in some countries in Africa especially in Nigeria. The system of law that governed a flourishing Islamic society for centuries has become a backward practice of endorsing corporal punishment. The traditional practice of Islamic law has been overshadowed by extreme interpretations.
Shariah is founded on three sources: the Quran, traditions and guidance of the scholars in authority.

Extreme Shariah: Extremism in Islam constitutes a total disregard for the principles of inclusiveness inherent in the faith.
1.The Punishment for Theft: The punishment for theft is the amputation of the hand.
2.The Punishment for Adultery: The punishment for adultery is death by stoning.
3.Death Penalty: Many countries choose not to endorse the death penalty, and even among those that do, its application is tempered by rules.

Extremist Hegemony: Extremist leaders attempting to create a puritanical overnight, disregard the practical aspects inherent in Islamic law, and ignore the fundamentals of human nature and societal conditioning. They put themselves in a position where they must try and overpower man’s resistance by brute force in order to institute their system of governance. Extreme leaders exert tremendous effort to prevent Muslims from living under a democratic system. They aim to prevent the spread of democracy because it will cancel their hegemony.

In the year 2000 eleven Northern states in Nigeria re-Islamised their legal system. The penal codes have adopted most of the provisions and added new provisions on the Quranic offences like: Theft, Unlawful Sexual Intercourse, Robbery, Defamation, Drinking Alcohol. The fixed punishment for unlawful sexual intercourse are stoning to death for persons who are currently married or have ever contracted a valid marriage. For those who have never contracted a marriage, the punishment is one hundred lashes and in addition, banishment for men. Theft is to be punished by amputation of the right hand. Robbery is punished by death if a life has been taken, by death by crucifixion if both lives and property have been taken, by amputation of both the right hand and the left foot if only property has been taken, and by banishment if there was only a “hold up” without further aggravation. Drinking alcohol are both punishable with eighty lashes.


Faith, Tradition and Modernity
God has made us and we are in relationship with God whether we recognise it or not. The Bible speaks of humankind as God’s image, as being unique and communal, and as having an identity which is derived and not autonomous. The chief end of human existence is and will be always to serve God and enjoy him forever in both our personal and communal lives. There is an immerse confusion when we try to interrelate faith, tradition and modernity. Our priorities creates problems when God is left out of the game. The image of God is marred and tarnished. Of ourselves we are powerless, alienated fragmented, fearful. What makes a Christian anthropology good news, is the message that Jesus Christ, the incarnate word of God, came to share our humanity and to redeem it through the cross. Our wholeness depends on the quality of relationship with God.

Christian Faith and Tradition
The critical debate between Christian faith an d tradition pose serious questions regarding the role of tradition in Christianity and between tradition and modernity. During the Colonial period the traditional leaders took the approach of ‘Sankofa’ and the missionaries took the approach of ‘to wamanmmere gu’ do away with or throw away your cultural practices. According to the missionaries cultural values have no place in Christianity. The traditional leaders especially the Afrikania movement assert that Christianity is a foreign religion and therefore Africa must reject it and make African Traditional Religion her god given religion. The Afrikania Movement emphasises that: Christianity and Islam do not seem to satisfy adequate Africa’s quest for identity and self-determination. He posits that a reconstructed Traditional African Religion may be considered as a likely answer to Africa’s search for freedom and self-determination. ATR can exist in its own right on equal terms with other religions within an ecumenical framework.
The Afrikania Movement has raised pertinent questions regarding African Christianity, especially the question of identity. The movement is asking whether Christian Africa has adequately appropriated the faith that she espouses. Have Christian churches adequately indigenised the Christian gospel by making use of religious values in their culture? The movement rejects Christianity and advocates ATR as an alternative religion to Christianity. Rejecting Christianity is not the solution to African’s quest for authentic African religion. The challenge confronting the Church in Africa is appropriating positive ideas of faith from our tradition, which are compatible with the Christian faith and the scriptures.

Modernity, Information Technology and Christian Faith
The dominating technology today is the information technology which creates our images of the world. How do we as African Church relate to this global phenomenon when the Church in Africa is concerned about African spirituality. What sort of church do we need in an information society? The big challenge is a church on the move, always relevant for today’s world. If the church cannot communicate in the language and culture of this present generation, it is tragically out of touch, not only with the world today but also with the God of today. The church finds itself in a crisis of communication as we move into an information society. This modern culture is characterised by a belief in cause and effect – an indefinite cycle of production of consumption, self-interest with capital system. The message of most churches is based on cycle of production of consumption, self-interest – prosperity message.
Four interrelated reasons why we need to pay attention to information technology

1.It is a heartland technology which will influence all aspects of our life in a much more comprehensive way than the technology of the industrial society.

2.It raises questions about power and information gulfs

3.The speed of technological change is accelerating. As a result the technology, including bio and gene technology out runs the political decision processes

4.The consequences of the development of IT are far reaching and global.. The entire society may be transformed into a global village.

Technology as an Idol of Modern Culture
There is at least little doubt that the technology has become the universal language of modern culture. If you cannot read and talk that language you have lost even before you start. And the language is primarily that of IT. Wherever you go in the world, you see the footprints of our technology and hear the sound of its electronics.
The problem is that the worldview of technology turns everything upside down; it transforms the means into goals, and the good becomes pragmatic that which makes things happen. Technology creates our image of the world and defines society and worldview. What is dangerous here is the power we give to technology and the way we combine it with our self interest for where this happens technology will assume a religious character. The mistake is not in technology the problem began when we developed technology within a culture that no longer had room for a living God and His purpose for life. The culture in which the technology has been developed has gone astray and technology becomes an idol for this reason.
Where technology gains a religious character it becomes a threat to religion.
1.The technological worldview will divert our world’s interest, motivation, satisfaction, and energy away from a religious center. Example: empty churches in Europe
2.The technological worldview takes the power out of our religious vocabulary. Religious symbols images and rituals become meaningless.
3.The technological surroundings encourage a religiosity which has little or no interest in organised religion.

The church in Africa is caught in a middle of two strong ideologies
1.African Spirituality: Dealing with the African past – spirit world, ancestors, fetishism, witchcraft, worship of rivers, trees, stones etc.
2.Modern Technology – Major shift to the future with little or no relevance to our past.
The Church in Africa can not let go our past and discard our future. We need a good balance.

Extreme Spirituality – Has its problems. Especially when there is much emphasis on the devil. We see any move in a negative way creating fear and confusion. No attempt to venture to the future. We limit the power of God and give priority to the devil and his evil activities.
Extreme modernism – results in secularization.

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