African Church Fathers - Ancient and Modern

African Church Fathers - Ancient and Modern
Author: Hans S. A. Engdahl
Publisher: African Sun Media
Total Pages: 504
Release: 2021-01-26
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1928480896

This critical and close reading of two African theologians, Origen (185 – 254) and Mbiti (1931 – 2019), focuses on the following areas: philosophy (African philosophy and religion and Platonic cosmology), ecclesiology and eschatology; a parallel presentation of these three themes leads to a fourth theme, that of the resurrection, where it is argued that there exists a consensus and a convergence between the two. This reading also highlights two convictions that partly have caused strong criticism: Mbiti has suggested that African philosophy and religion have a conception of time of their own, Origen that all and everything is gradually moving towards an apokatastasis, at which point all will be saved. Yet, the contention is that even more important to both Mbiti and Origen is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In order to establish the impact of the resurrection on their lives as Christians and as theologians, a contrast reading has been undertaken, i.e. texts are identified which underline the need to forge a link between the resurrection and the earthly ministry of Jesus. These texts also underwrite the conviction of Mbiti as well as Origen of the resurrection as something which must be lived in church and society, corporately as well as in personal devotion. The fact of resurrection creates a new mode of life.

African Church Fathers - Ancient and Modern

African Church Fathers - Ancient and Modern
Author: Hans S. A. Engdahl
Publisher: African Sun Media
Total Pages: 504
Release: 2021-01-26
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1928480888

This critical and close reading of two African theologians, Origen (185 – 254) and Mbiti (1931 – 2019), focuses on the following areas: philosophy (African philosophy and religion and Platonic cosmology), ecclesiology and eschatology; a parallel presentation of these three themes leads to a fourth theme, that of the resurrection, where it is argued that there exists a consensus and a convergence between the two. This reading also highlights two convictions that partly have caused strong criticism: Mbiti has suggested that African philosophy and religion have a conception of time of their own, Origen that all and everything is gradually moving towards an apokatastasis, at which point all will be saved. Yet, the contention is that even more important to both Mbiti and Origen is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In order to establish the impact of the resurrection on their lives as Christians and as theologians, a contrast reading has been undertaken, i.e. texts are identified which underline the need to forge a link between the resurrection and the earthly ministry of Jesus. These texts also underwrite the conviction of Mbiti as well as Origen of the resurrection as something which must be lived in church and society, corporately as well as in personal devotion. The fact of resurrection creates a new mode of life.

How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind

How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind
Author: Thomas C. Oden
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 205
Release: 2010-07-23
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0830837051

Thomas C. Oden surveys the decisive role of African Christians and theologians in shaping the doctrines and practices of the church of the first five centuries, and makes an impassioned plea for the rediscovery of that heritage. Christians throughout the world will benefit from this reclaiming of an important heritage.

Africa Study Bible, NLT

Africa Study Bible, NLT
Author:
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Total Pages: 2162
Release: 2017-05-09
Genre: Bible
ISBN: 1496424719

The Africa Study Bible brings together 350 contributors from over 50 countries, providing a unique African perspective. It's an all-in-one course in biblical content, theology, history, and culture, with special attention to the African context. Each feature was planned by African leaders to help readers grow strong in Jesus Christ by providing understanding and instruction on how to live a good and righteous life--Publisher.

A History of the Church in Africa

A History of the Church in Africa
Author: Bengt Sundkler
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 1268
Release: 2000-05-04
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780521583428

Bengt Sundkler's long-awaited book on African Christian churches will become the standard reference for the subject.

Getting to Know the Church Fathers

Getting to Know the Church Fathers
Author: Bryan M. Litfin
Publisher: Baker Academic
Total Pages: 410
Release: 2016-07-19
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1493404784

A Trusted Introduction to the Church Fathers This concise introduction to the church fathers connects evangelical students and readers to twelve key figures from the early church. Bryan Litfin engages readers with actual people, not just abstract doctrines or impersonal events, to help them understand the fathers as spiritual ancestors in the faith. The first edition has been well received and widely used. This updated and revised edition adds chapters on Ephrem of Syria and Patrick of Ireland. The book requires no previous knowledge of the patristic period and includes original, easy-to-read translations that give a brief taste of each writer's thought.

Desert Fathers and Mothers

Desert Fathers and Mothers
Author: Christine Valters Paintner
Publisher: SkyLight Paths Publishing
Total Pages: 183
Release: 2012
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1594733732

Timeless and contemplative sayings from the earliest Christian sages of desert spirituality can be a companion on your own spiritual journey. The desert fathers and mothers were ordinary Christians living in solitude in the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Arabia who chose to renounce the world in order to deliberately and individually follow God's call. They embraced lives of celibacy, labor, fasting, prayer and poverty, believing that denouncing material goods and practicing stoic self-discipline would lead to unity with the Divine. Their spiritual practice formed the basis of Western monasticism and greatly influenced both Western and Eastern Christianity. Their writings, first recorded in the fourth century, consist of spiritual advice, parables and anecdotes emphasizing the primacy of love and the purity of heart. Focusing on key themes of charity, fortitude, lust, patience, prayer and self-control, the Sayings influenced the rule of St. Benedict and have inspired centuries of opera, poetry and art. This probing and personal SkyLight Illuminations edition opens up their wisdom for readers with no previous knowledge of Western monasticism and early Christianity. It provides insightful yet unobtrusive commentary that describes historical background, explains the practice of asceticism and illustrates how you can use their wisdom to energize your spiritual quest.

Modern Church History

Modern Church History
Author: Tim Grass
Publisher: SCM Press
Total Pages: 432
Release: 2008-03-28
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0334040620

This is the SCM Core Text: "Modern Church History" provides an introduction to global Christianity from 1700 to the mid 20th C. The book aims to help students understand the processes, movements and individuals who have contributed to making the contemporary Christian landscape the shape it is in the 21st century. Theologically it takes a wide and inclusive approach to provide a balanced survey of Christianity in all its forms - Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox. Geographically it focuses on the Christian church in the UK, continental Europe and North America, and examines in each location the social movements, campaigns and campaigners, scientific and political challenges that have shaped the Christian Church throughout the period.Beginning with the reaction to Lutherism, it charts the rise of Pietism in Europe throughout the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the influence of John Wesley and the Methodists, in the UK and the 'Great Awakening' in North America. The early chapters summarize the developments within the Christian Church in the UK, with detailed coverage of the English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish situations, throughout the 19th Century. This is followed by a summary of the various schools of thought to have developed through the 20th C, including the church's reaction to the 2 world wars in Europe, fundamentalism in the USA. The book also provides specific coverage of the religious situation in North America throughout the modern period covering the development of separate black churches, the 'New Evangelicalism'. It is suitable for level two as well as introductory courses in modern church history or courses concerned with religion, culture and society in the 18th - 20th centuries

The African Memory of Mark

The African Memory of Mark
Author: Thomas C. Oden
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2011-07-27
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0830868887

We often regard the author of the Gospel of Mark as an obscure figure about whom we know little. Many would be surprised to learn how much fuller a picture of Mark exists within widespread African tradition, tradition that holds that Mark himself was from North Africa, that he founded the church in Alexandria, that he was an eyewitness to the Last Supper and Pentecost, that he was related not only to Barnabas but to Peter as well and accompanied him on many of his travels. In this provocative reassessment of early church tradition, Thomas C. Oden begins with the palette of New Testament evidence and adds to it the range of colors from traditional African sources, including synaxaries (compilations of short biographies of saints to be read on feast days), archaeological sites, non-Western historical documents and ancient churches. The result is a fresh and illuminating portrait of Mark, one that is deeply rooted in African memory and seldom viewed appreciatively in the West.

Tertullian

Tertullian
Author: Geoffrey D. Dunn
Publisher: Psychology Press
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2004
Genre: Theology
ISBN: 9780415282307

Tertullian (c. AD 160 - 225) was one of the first theologians of the Western Church & ranks among the most prominent of the early Latin fathers. His wide-ranging literary output offers a valuable insight into the Christian Church at a crucial stage in its development.