An Adamic incarnational Christological framework as a theological approach for African contextual ministry

Abstract

Many African Christian thinkers and writers are responding to the foreignness of Christ in African Christianity by treating Christ under the traditional African ancestral category. However, it is our contention that the designation of the ancestral category to Christ has a tendency of diminishing the actuality of Christ as God incarnate and encouraging syncretism in African Christianity. Given this, this article proposes and formulates an Adamic incarnational Christological model as an alternative response to the foreignness of Christ in African Christianity. In employing the anhypostastic and enhypostastic principles, we demonstrate that Jesus Christ is not a foreigner to African Christians, since the human nature he assumed in the incarnation is a general human nature which embraces all humankind. In establishing the Adam-Christ relationship in Romans 5:12-21 and 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, we advance Adam as a biblical-theological category in enhancing the relevance of Christ to Africans. It is from this perspective that our Adamic incarnational Christological model proposes that in the incarnation, God in Christ fully identified with all mankind as the New Adam, acting from the ontological depth of his divine-human existence to save African Christians from sin and all its consequences, including death and opposing spiritual forces. Thus, our own model underscores the relevance of Christ to African Christians by emphasizing Christ's complete solidarity with all humanity as the New Adam.

Christ also ours in Africa: A consideration of Torrance's incarnational, Christological model as nexus for Christ's identification with African Christians

“…that the general or common human nature of Jesus Christ has no independent grounding. The concept of enhypostatic union affirms the positive that in the incarnation, the human nature of Christ is grounded in the eternal person of the divine Logos, which implies that the human nature of Christ acquires real existence and stability in the existence of God (Barth 1958:49;Torrance 2008:84, 230) (also see Magezi & Magezi 2016a). Thus, Bavinck (2006) is right in concurring with Torrance that the human nature of Jesus Christ:…”

“…Many African theologians have attempted to translate the gospel into various traditional African categories and concepts which are familiar to African Christians (Igba 2013:3;Oborji 2008:15-17). This method 'reflects on the gospel, the Christian tradition, and the total Christian reality in an African manner and from the perspectives of the African world-view' (Oborji 2008:15) (also see Magezi & Magezi 2016a). Oborji identifies many Christological models that have been employed by African theologians in enhancing Christ's complete identification with Africans.…”

“…For example, Bediako (1994:93-121), Bujo (1992:79), Nyamiti (2006:24), Pobee (1979:94), Milingo (1984:85), Kwesi (1984:197-198), Kabasele (1991:123-124) and many others are approaching the subject of Christology from an ancestral perspective (also see Magezi & Magezi 2016a). …”

“…Hence, for Christ to be accepted by Africans and fulfil the expected responsibilities in addressing the African contextual needs (which is believed by Africans to be the role of ancestors and other African traditional practitioners), the overarching concern however is about the familial relationship between Jesus Christ of Nazareth and African people because the two do not belong to the same 'clan, family, tribe and nation' (Bediako 2004:23;cf. Pobee 1979:81;Reed & Mtukwa 2010:158-161, see also Magezi & Magezi 2016a, 2016c.…”

“…He stated that the concept of enhypostastic union seems to deny the actual humanity of Christ (docetism), if not understood properly (Barth 1958:49) (also see Magezi & Magezi 2016a). Nevertheless, Torrance's explanation of the concept of enhypostatic union is cognisant of the aforesaid challenge because Torrance qualified what he means and does not mean by his use of the enhpostastic concept.…”