What Is Not Sacred: African Spirituality

by Laurenti Magesa

Overview

Did Christianity replace traditional African religion with the arrival of European missionaries in past centuries? Or did sub-Saharan African cultures persist in maintaining their religious worldviews even after accepting the salvific message of Christianity? In this compelling book, noted scholar Laurenti Magesa argues that despite missionary Christianity's refusal to acknowledge the worth of traditional African religious culture, the incarnational spirituality of those cultures remains vibrant and visible today, and has much to offer and teach other cultures, both Christian and not. When we admit that, in fact, all is sacred, we are challenged to reevaluate our relationships with each other, with other cultures, with God, and with the environment.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626980525
Publisher:	Orbis Books
Publication date:	11/01/2013
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.60(d)

Table of Contents

Foreword Bénézet Bujo ix

Acknowledgments xi

Part I Encounters: The Phenomenology of African Spirituality 1

Introduction: Spirituality Matters 3

1 Accepting African Spiritual Identity 11

2 The Heart of the Matter 23

3 Spiritual Direction 33

4 You Are Your Shadow 42

5 Time, Space, History, and Human Fulfillment 52

6 Piety, Worship, and Health 61

7 Performance and Aesthetics 69

8 Death: Final Exit or Deeper Reunion? 81

9 Cosmology and Community 90

Part II Conversations: The Contribution of African Spirituality 99

Introduction: Connections and Innovations 101

10 Combining Old and New Treasures 106

11 Engaging Language 114

12 The Spirit of Interreligious Dialogue 123

13 Politics and Governance 137

14 The Economics of Affection or "Eating Together" 147

15 Reconciliation as Peace 158

16 The Universe as the "Divine Milieu" 167

17 Mission in the Age of Globalization 177

18 Where Is Inculturation Going? 186

Epilogue 195

Works Cited 199

Index 213