Journal Title

The Church, Migration, and Global (In)Difference. Pathways for Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue

Publication Date

2021

Abstract

Gone are the days when one could clearly define the contours of western Christianity. Such a description must necessarily account for the influences of African expressions of Christianity and African religiosity in general. From the role of religious leaders to the very expressions of Christin rituals in the western world, Africa continues to play a prominent role. This is particularly true for the North American continent, where several hundreds of ordained ministers originally from the African continent are ministering.

Since Africa is not a monolithic continent, a legitimate question arises: What do we mean by the adjective, ‘African’ in the contexts of speaking of both an African identity and African Christianity? This work offers a response to the question by first exploring the colonial consciousness of the word. It proceeds further to show innovative ways contemporary Africans reinterpret the word as a pathway for new imaginations of community and self – imaginations that are intentionally inclusive. Furthermore, this work sheds light on the successes and challenges facing African Christians as they navigate western socio-cultural identities both as diaspora African communities and as individuals., especially in the American context.

Author Supplied Keywords

African Catholicism, African Christianity, African Conference of Catholic Clergy and Religious in the United States, African Priests, African Theology, Colonialism, Evangelization, Migrants, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Western Christianity

Subjects

Christianity--African influences; Social conflict--Religious aspects--Christianity; Catholic Church and world politics

Publication Information

© The Author(s) 2021

Archived version is the pre-print.

DOI

10.1007/978-3-030-54226-9_16

Document Type

Book Chapter

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