How God Became African

Gerrie ter Haar is among the most experienced analysts of contemporary African Christianity. In much of her work she has insisted on the necessity of approaching African Christians on their own terms. This book can be seen as a concise presentation of her central findings on African Christianity, and as a manifesto. The manifesto consists of a few theses. The first is that in Africa we are witnessing a major reinterpretation of Christianity which should not be perceived as a deviation from the Western norm or as a degeneration of ‘pure’ Christianity. Rather it is a question of the inculturation of Christian faith in African reality. The second thesis is that even if the African spirit world may appear strange or irrational to outsiders, the Western observer had better respect this different view and give it a chance to be interpreted from within as consistent and logical. Ter Haar is also at pains to argue that African forms of faith in a spirit world may have a proper foundation in human perception. Thirdly, she argues that African Christianity and African religiosity have great social and cultural importance, and lack of understanding of this leads to failures – in developmental policies, for example. Finally, she points out that African Christianity has become a notable global religious force through African emigration and the expansion of churches established by Africans in the diaspora.

Christianity · Diaspora · Faith · Islam · Sociology · Spirituality · Theology · African cultural and philosophical studies · Christian Theology and Mission · Gender Studies · Philosophy · Religion, Society, and Development · Religious studies