Philosophical Theologies in South Africa: Genealogies, Traditions, and Speculations (2025)

Philosophical Theology in South Africa?

Journal of Systematic Theology, 2022

This article aims to trace, apparently for the first time, the interactions of philosophy and theology, particularly in the post-1994 period. It begins with a brief genealogy of the concept of "philosophical theology", and thereafter moves to trace some of its influence in pre-1994 South Africa. Thereafter, I outline the trajectories of philosophical theology, as they have developed in post-1994, particularly focusing on continental philosophy of religion, Reformational philosophy, analytical philosophy of religion, and African Philosophical Theology, In the final part, I give an indication of the prospects of philosophical theology within the South African context.

The Revelation of God : meditations of the black church in existential times

2017

God. Biko (1978: 100) asserts that black people should realise that their situation is not a mistake, but a deliberate act by whites and that no amount of moral lecturing will persuade the white man to rectify this situation. He continues by pointing out that the system concedes

Re-imagining South Africa: Black Consciousness, radical Christianity and the New Left, 1967–1977

2011

The Theologian as Critic

Tinyiko Sam Maluleke is a prolific South African theologian whose work mounts a thoroughgoing critique 6 of the status of Christianity in contemporary sub-Saharan Africa. Situating his work within its archival 7 context, this article argues that the work of Maluleke emphasizes the vocation of the theologian as critic. 8 The essay looks at some key themes in his work and suggests that Maluleke’s critique of African 9 Christianity is soteriological in nature, that is, he questions the role the Christian faith may play in the sal- 10 vation of (South) Africa.

Black soteriology: the physiological and ontological process

Acta Theologica, 2016

The Black experience that is historical and continues in post-oppressive and racist regimes proves to be problematic for Black existence. This is particularly so when one considers that the freedom posed by colourlessness and universalism of humanity is an irrational ideal, which works to undermine the level of Black historical oppression, and a denial of justice. This is linked to the untapped reconciliation of the chasm and dichotomy in Black ontological and physiological existence, where their humanity has to be reconciled in both these paradigms for authenticity and even more so for salvation. Such a need ushers in a soteriology that is dialectical in the quest for Black ontology and physiology to allow true affirmation, which is redemption, of Black humanity as Black before God and the world. This soteriology exists through Black theology and the notion of the Black church by encouraging a Black soteriological syllogism.

Prophetic theology in the Kairos tradition : a pentecostal and reformed perspective in black liberation theology in South Africa

2018

Ubuntu - a soteriological ethic for an effaced umntu in a post 1994 South Africa : a black theology of liberation perspective

University of Pretoria, 2019

This thesis proffers Ubuntu as a soteriological ethic for the liberation of an effaced umntu in the post 1994 South Africa from a black perspective. The post 1994 South African socioeconomic policies perpetuate the effacement of umntu and are, thus, a manifestation of ukunxaxha (hamartos – missing the mark) and an assault to the image of God. Umntu continues to be undermined, marginalised and denigrated. Umntu is wounded and broken. The objective of the study is achieved by investigating hamartiological factors, ukunxaxha, in the South African socio-economic situation and by analysing the soteriological aspects of Ubuntu, approaching soteriology from a liberation perspective. Ubuntu is an African philosophy – ontology and ethics – that is as old as African humanity. It is a progression towards wholeness – ingqibelelo and it guarantees personhood, a sense of identity and human dignity. Ubuntu has stood against the onslaught of European modernity, which fosters individualism and capitalism, which have been the cause for ukunxaxha. Ubuntu fosters communalism, interconnectedness and interdependence, emphasising the three dimensional relationships, which include the living dead, the living and the yet-to-be-born. These relationships need to be kept intact for a balanced life to continue in an African worldview, so that there is reconciliation and harmony in the universe. The fulcrum of Ubuntu is umntu ngumntu ngabantu and this guarantees that Ubuntu allows for abantu to draw from the experiences and best practices of others, including the modern technological advancements. European modernity has influenced ukunxaxha and has contributed to genocides, epistemicides and spiritualicides. In South Africa, Europeanism was styled as colonialism, apartheid and racism and it caused much suffering, brokenness and disfigurement of the bodies of the indigenous people, with the dispossession of the land as the worst form of ukunxaxha. It perpetuated slavery and oppression. Ubuntu has been undermined. The church and some of the missionaries also participated in the undermining of Ubuntu and oppression of abantu. xiv The epistemology of Black Consciousness and Black Theology of Liberation shows that Ubuntu remains a relevant soteriological ethic for the liberation of umntu. Ubuntu buyahlangula, buyakhulula. Salvation is liberation and liberation is salvation. Salvation is intended for every sphere and area of life and it takes place in history, in space and time. Liberation is an effort of the underdeveloped to break out of that situation to become fully human. Salvation does not dichotomise human life into body and soul, material and spiritual, but is concerned about the entire context. God suffers with the suffering and is oppressed with the oppressed. Ubuntu is at the heart of the struggles for the liberation of umntu out of prison. It forces the poor and the oppressed to deny the denial of oppressive systems. The ethic of imago Dei is a liberative tool, as it encourages the poor and the oppressed to be happy that God created them black and not accept the state of poverty and oppression as their portion. Salvation is achieved by knowledge. Knowledge helps the oppressed masses to deny the innocence of modernity to discover the other side of modernity, which is denial to life. In the post 1994 South African society, Black Theology of Liberation and the Black Consciousness have been conspicuous by their silence.There is need to strengthen the use of the hermeneutical tools that were brought about by Black Theology of Liberation, to convey the message of salvation as liberation and the reading and interpretation of the bible in the manner that the poor and the oppressed would identify with the message of the bible and use the bible for the liberation of the masses. The dissertation proposes a new community of Ubuntu that will promote human dignity, equality, peace, justice and prosperity. That community is based on the three pillars of just socioeconomic order, unshackled church and academia. That is a revolution. The Accra Confession provides the basis to deal with the empire towards the establishment of a just socioeconomic order. There is need to lift up the poor for them to stand up against empire in all its manifestations. There is need for decolonising the mind in all the three spheres – society, church and academia. Black Theology of liberation has a big role to play in this venture. The expropriation of land should be done with the main motive being to promote the dignity of the effaced people.

Womanism and Black Anthropology: In Memory of James Cone

Journal of Theology for Southern Africa , 2019

The fragmentation of black humanity by colonialism and apartheid to the 21st century, borders on the location of blacks in a white society and their constant claim to racial authenticity. The ontological negation of black bodies as subjects of being suggests that blackness is an antithesis for humanity, and to be black in a racist world is a jeopardy. The fragments can also be traced on how Black Theology of Liberation (BTL) has responded to the constructs of race and class, while apparently overlooking the detriment of patriarchy as an equal challenge to black people themselves. The article looks at the fragmented black humanity from a womanist perspective by problematising a black man as a construct, a product of capitalism with a black woman as evidence of the tendency of patriarchal violence to elude BTL and a black home being a site of struggle. By looking at a fragmented black home as context which gave rise to an era of Black Consciousness (BC), in an attempt to fix the degradation of black humanity which was harnessed by BTL, we are decentring from the Western traditional forms of theology, epistemology and life which are anti-thesis to black humanity.

Religious Radicalism

2021

An African path to a Global future

An African Path to a global future, 2018

In this book, we have put together a collection of papers which applies African philosophical solutions to problems in areas of ethics, health, education, economics and criminal justice, both in Africa as well as the rest of the world.