Journal: Conspectus
Volume: CONSPECTUS 31:1 (Apr 2021)
Article: Editorial
Author: Batanayi I. Manyika

Conspectus 31:1 (April 2021) p. 4

Editorial

Batanayi I. Manyika

Conspectus 31 presents six essays and a book review covering the broad spectrum of theological reflection. Complementing this interdisciplinary core is a contextual emphasis presented by scholars with strong affinities to the church in Africa and the broader mission of God. As you read through this issue, our hope is that you would encounter reasoned reflections about God, the church, and our world. May these reflections root our convictions in the eternal and may they fuel our pursuit of the imperishable.

Conspectus 31 Articles

In “A Procedure for Analysis of Contemporary Reception of Biblical Texts in Ghana: A Methodological Consideration,” Dr. Clement Adjei-Brown reflects on reception theory, charismatic preachers, and Ghanaian traditional religions. His methodological article bridges the disciplines of Bible interpretation and contextual theology, charting a course for hermeneutical strategies that speak directly to African realities.

Next is an essay entitled “The Concept of Cult Centralization in Deuteronomy and its Possible Implications for Today” by Dr. Miracle Ajah. Motivated by a vision of an inclusive society, Ajah reads Deuteronomy exegetically and historically, tracing the debate on cult centralization and its social implications in antiquity. From this discussion, he submits an appropriation of Deuteronomy that could address fiscal federalism and resource control in several African countries.

Prof. Charles Owiredu enters the world of metaphor, analyzing the conceptualization of the “nose” in the Hebrew Bible. His paper “Metaphoric and Metonymic Conceptualization of the Nose in Hebrew and Twi” leverages Conceptual Metaphor Theory to explicate the use of the nose metaphor in human experiences and its codification in the Akuapem Twi Bible of 1964. Dr. Harvey Kwiyani and Joseph Ola’s paper entitled, “God in Oral African Theology: Exploring the Spoken theologies of Afua Kuma and Tope Alabi” brings orality and theology into crystal focus. Their approach documents the rich theological heritage of a couple of West African women, providing a credible counterpoint to Occidental theological refrains. The conceptualization of God and the formulation of African identity are featured in continuity with luminaries such as Mbiti and Bediako.

In a rejoinder to the simplistic view that considers the Reformed tradition underdeveloped in its pneumatology, Dr. Alistair I. Wilson presents the doctrine of the Holy Spirit as an established tenet in Reformed theology. His paper, “The Holy Spirit in Relation to Mission and World Christianity: A Reformed Perspective” etches lines of continuity between pneumatology in the Reformed tradition and Christianity’s global...