Integrating African values with Christianity: A requirement for dialogue between Christian religion and African culture

Abstract

In the recent time, African Christian scholars have been singing like a hymn, the need to inculturate Christian religion in Africa. According to them, the Christian religion that the Western missionaries brought to Africa was packaged in the “garb” of Western culture and values. This situation in their view, has led to an inauthentic Christian life and syncretism among African Christians. The simple reason is because Christian religion like the Word made flesh has not been incarnated into African way of life. Instead of this very essential approach to evangelization, Christian missionaries of the West saw most of what Africans treasured and valued in their culture as devilish and demons to be cast out. However, following the emphasis on Mission as Dialogue with Culture which many Christian teachers and scholars have advocated, this paper investigates the possibility of being truly African and truly Christian and postulates that what would bring authentic Christian practice and good living that will enhance the growth of human society in the lives of the large population of Christian men and women in Africa, is the integration of African values with Christian orientations since no one lives authentically who lives outside his nature.