Journal: Conspectus
Volume: CONSPECTUS 34:1 (Oct 2022)
Article: Book Review: "African Public Theology"
Author: Michael Blythe

Conspectus 34:1 (October 2022) p. 62

Book Review: African Public Theology

Michael Blythe

Agang, Sunday B. (ed.). 2020. African Public Theology. Cumbria: Langham. 1–422 pp. ISBN: 978–1–78368–766–4. Approx. 231 ZAR (14.99 USD). Kindle.

1. Introduction

This book was compiled at the initiative of Sunday Bobai Agang, who holds a Ph.D. from Fuller Theological Seminary, USA, in Christian Ethics, Theology, and Public Policy. He currently serves as provost of the Nigerian seminary JETS (Jos ECWA Theological Seminary), is a professor of Christian ethics and theology, and is a former pastor. Agang has engaged in multiple post-doctoral endeavors in connection with Wheaton College, Cambridge University, Oxford University, Theological College in Singapore, Asbury Theological Seminary, and Stellenbosch University, South Africa. His academic awards identify him as an exemplary scholar. He has authored multiple peer-reviewed articles, conference papers, and books. These include When Evil Strikes: Faith and the Politics of Human Hostility, published in 2016, and Globalization and Terrorism: Corruption as a Case to Ponder, published in English in 2019 and re-issued in German and French in 2021. Agang has served as chairman, secretary, or member of multiple boards and commissions, including his current position as chair of the Executive Committee of NetACT (Network for African Congregational Theology).

African Public Theology evolved through the efforts of Agang in partnership with Langham Publishing and NetACT. Agang organized planning meetings and worked on this effort during a sabbatical year in 2018 at Stellenbosch University. There he connected with H. Jurgens Hendriks, program coordinator of NetACT and professor emeritus of Stellenbosch, and Dion A. Forster, chair of the Systematic Theology Department at Stellenbosch, who became co-editors.

2. Overview

African Public Theology’s method is to root itself in biblical theology while addressing a broad scope of issues facing African society, using theology as a voice for justice. The volume’s thesis is that public theology is especially needed in the African context, as it addresses multiple needs: for theology to be reimagined as not only an understanding about God, but as a vision of God’s desire for his creation and his people, specifically Africa; for the African church to undergo reform so it can be effective; and for Christians to take their faith public and engage in deliberate action to contribute to change.

Another pointed emphasis is that academically-focused theology is often merely cognitive and therefore irrelevant to the real-life experiences of everyday people. For this reason, the book’s intention is to help readers comprehend the...