#WesternTheological EducationMustFall: The impact of Western theological training on Africa

Abstract

Peer review declarationThe publisher (AOSIS) endorses the South African 'National Scholarly Book Publishers Forum Best Practice for Peer Review of Scholarly Books'. The manuscript was subjected to a rigorous two-step peer review prior to publication, with the identities of the reviewers not revealed to the author(s). The reviewers were independent of the publisher and/or authors in question. The reviewers commented positively on the scholarly merits of the manuscript and recommended that the manuscript be published. Where the reviewers recommended revision and/or improvements to the manuscript, the authors responded adequately to such recommendations. Research JustificationIn this book, a critical engagement with theological education in Africa is offered. As the book originates from South Africa, it is presented from a South African perspective although contributors are situated accross the African continent and abroad. The common denominator is, however, that all contributers are, in some way or another, invested in theological education in Africa.The main contribution of this collaborative work is to be sought in the insights it offers on four main areas of theological education: a historical and current orientation on theological edcuation in Africa, some paradigm shifts in theological education in Africa, ministerial formation needs versus theological education challenges and a critical reflection on elective models and methods. This book presents an original and innovative research of scholars involved in theological higher education, as it is grounded in the respective fields of interest of each contributor. It contributes to a better understanding of the complex African theological higher education landscape, a complex landscape that is experiencing even greater challenges since the dawn of COVID-19, which is noted in the research findings.Methodologically, the work draws on a combination of methods, including literature studies, empirical work and, in some cases, sectional offerings from doctoral studies, as indicated in the various chapters.The centre target consists of scholars in the field of higher theological education in Africa. No part of the book was plagiarised from another publication or published elsewhere before.