How God Became African: African Spirituality and Western Secular Thought (review)

Originating in a series of lectures delivered to the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh in 2006 (121), this monograph opens a window onto the conceptual world of contemporary African Christianity. Following a Preface that summarizes the book's primary objectives and an introductory chapter that offers an overview for examining religion in Africa, the book's remaining chapters address: the process through which ideas about the divine have been contextually re-defined by African Christians (Chapter 2); the spiritual topography of the African imaginary and its theological import (Chapter 3); the role of the miraculous in African worldviews (Chapter 4); the impact of African conceptions of evil and their bearing on the struggle for human rights (Chapter 5); the mobilization of religious resources in the enhancement of the lives of individuals and institutions in Africa (Chapter 6); and both the global diffusion of "African Instituted Churches" (93) and their missionary efforts in Europe.

Those lacking familiarity with African Christianity and the cultural matrices within which it has taken shape will appreciate the background provided for understanding its dynamism as well as some of the more important factors contributing to its ongoing evolution. Those already conversant with such matters will, no doubt, find ter Haar's articulation of several key issues refreshing and thought provoking: e.g., the legitimacy and cachet of "spiritual knowledge" among Africans (19); the importance of engaging "African epistemologies" given the modern realities of diaspora and migration (20); the role of the "spirit world" (23), conceptions of "evil" (29, 60-61), and notions of "power" (29, 86) in African cosmologies; the ubiquitous nature of the miraculous in African Christianity (50-54) and the close relationship between such phenomena and the political arena (57-58); the "contextual reading" and deployment of the Christian Bible in critiquing "European society" (58, 98); the complex interplay of ideas about evil, personhood, and human rights (61-67); the perceived spiritual basis for health and prosperity within some African Christian theologies (82-86); and the relatively recent impetus for international missionary initiatives, particularly among members of "African Instituted Churches" (vii, 93, 96-99) in Europe.

Two crucial points noted by the author in the Preface to the book should not be overlooked by readers—i.e., the antiquity of the Christian presence in Africa (vii); and the "spirit-oriented" character of African Christianity from its "early beginnings" (viii). While ter Haar does not focus on the ancient roots of the Christian movement in Africa, the aforementioned references make clear that Africanization of the Judeo-Christian deity began—in a real sense—with the arrival of the very first missionaries on the continent. Thus, treatises by theologians such as Augustine, Coptic Christian icons, and illuminated biblical manuscripts produced by Ethiopian Orthodox artists are examples of genres that can—and should—be utilized as sources illustrative of Christian enculturation in Africa. This is an area much in need of additional work and ter Haar is to be commended for subtly calling attention to this fact.

In sum, ter Haar has provided a concise and lucid treatment of the theoretical underpinnings of African Christianity and the forces fueling the process of Christian enculturation in Africa since the nineteenth century (vii, 31-33). Lay and specialist audiences should find it very illuminating and helpful for purposes of teaching or research.