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Attempts to Christianise Africa could be divided into three epochs. The first was 1st to 7th centuries in North Africa by the imperial Rome. The second was 15th to 16th centuries in West and East Africa by the Portuguese. During this epoch, I also included Central Africa during the 16th to 18th centuries. All these waves did not enjoy great success because of internal frictions in church during the first epoch and the wrangle between Calvinistic expansion against the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) during the second epoch. The focus of this article is located within the third epoch which is mid-19th and 20th centuries by Western churches and mission societies in Africa. Therefore, the author identified negative elements of colonial mission praxis in Africa and the African response. This article therefore seeks to critically assess the identified mission praxis and related responses. The identified responses will be divided into strategic and theological. With the understanding that the context has changed over the years, the author will thus conclude that the identified negative elements and responses could possibly be repeated if the church could be ignorant in her mission praxis today and going into the future. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: As a challenge to current and future missions, this article unearths the wrongs committed by Western Christian missions in Africa and the responses from Africa. It has intra-disciplinary implications for ecumenism, mission studies and the history of the church in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to the continental and national councils of churches and ecumenical theological institutions, Black and African theologies are some of the most ecumenical initiatives in Africa. This article explores the ecumenical factor in the emergence and the continued flourishing of Black and African theologies. Notably, these theologies have, from their earliest days, endeavoured to include indigenous religions and cultures as well as environmental issues. This essay also outlines a sample of the most prominent types of ecumenical theologies in contemporary Africa, arguing that these theologies are simultaneously the result of an ecumenical outlook and the greatest advocates for ecumenism in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After a basic statement of the Catholic doctrine on healing ministry, this article adopts the understanding of the World Council of Churches' document Healing and Wholeness: The Churches' Role in Health, adopted in 1990 by the central committee. The document views health, healing, and wholeness not just as medical issues, but as embracing the political, social, economic, cultural, and spiritual dimensions. Building on the above, this article proposes an integral approach to sacramental healing for the African Catholic Church, arguing that alongside healing of physical ailments and deliverance from evil and malignant forces, healing must include working for social justice and peace for the people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is structured from the epistemological vantage point of framing theological education within the context of Pan‐African women's experiences of migration, where theological education is defined in the widest sense of creating knowledge, ethos, and practices from within different versions of Christian tradition, as opposed to transmitting a static corpus of knowledge. It begins by examining the deconstructive potential of Pan‐African female migrants, particularly with regard to gendered patterns and projections of theological education. It then describes and analyzes the impact of Pan‐African female migrants on the project of contextual theological education as an act of birthing and bringing to life the dimensions of seeing and interpreting the one life‐giving story through the lenses of the lamenting, celebrating, and transforming stories of many. The article concludes by presenting Pan‐African female migration as an opportunity to revisit theological education as a creative, ecumenical, and intercultural enterprise, seeing the empirical location of Pan‐African female migrants as a paradigmatic lens for revisiting theological education as intercultural enterprise, and not (exclusively) as a contextual – and hence exceptional – historic experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An afterword is presented in which the editor discusses vairous reports within the issue on topics including Afrikaner nationalism, Christianity in Africa, and grassroots ecumenism.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including religious change, grassroots ecumenism, and Christianity in Africa.

Abstract: This article discusses the role played by Samuel Kobia in the ecumenical movement and the World Council of Churches, of which he was general secretary from 2004 to 2009, and his involvement in peacemaking and mediation in Africa, especially in his home country of Kenya, in Sudan, and in South Sudan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the theological, contextual, and institutional challenges of ecumenism in Africa. Topics discussed include the theological challenges such as church unity, mission and justice, several contextual challenges such as poverty, political instability and dictatorship, and religious and ethnic violence, and the institutional challenges such as ecclesiocentric movement, the focus on open dialogue, and the institutional changes.

The author offers an assessment of the condition of ecumenical fellowship in Africa, comments on the landscape of Christianity in the region, as well as the impact of denominational divides, and the roles of various ecumenical organizations as ways to bridge the gaps. Topics discussed include the spirituality which was grounded by strong belief in the unique God, national churches to ethnic denominations, and existence of tension between structure and movement in missionary approach.

The birth and rapid growth of new religious movements in Zimbabwe is a marked phenomenon in the history of Christianity in Africa. Ever since the Reformation that split the Western Church in the 16th century, a number of efforts have since been made by various new religious movements to try and foster ecumenism amongst the deeply divided ecclesiastical communities. Whilst great strides have since been made in critical areas such as common witnessing, inter-religious dialogue, common prayers, mixed marriages, ecumenism in faculties of theology, among other areas, one key element of ecumenism, namely, the common celebration of the Eucharist has always remained very remote and a no go area. To a greater extent, the Roman Catholic authorities in particular have been accused of dragging their feet or taking a 'distant and detached' approach to the same practice.1 This current article specifically examines the Light of Life Christian Group's (LLCG) vision of ecumenism, particularly its practice of Eucharistic intercommunion that dates back to the early 1970s. The main argument developed in this article is that, whilst LLCG may stand in sharp opposition to the traditional Christian (particularly Catholic) view with regard to sharing the Eucharist with non-Catholics and norms governing the formation of public associations, it has made a breakthrough in the realization of the highest goal of ecumenism. To a greater extent, it has also succeeded in uniting the various denominations that for centuries had been separated by doctrine, history and practice. The article also argues that whilst LLCG's breakthrough is of pinnacle importance in the history of Christianity in Zimbabwe in particular, it is also unique in the sense that, instead of starting from above, from popes and bishops as is always expected and canonically constituted, the breakthrough has started from below. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the ecumenical theological challenges being faced by Africa. According to the author, poverty in the midst of abundance of wealth in the region reflects a huge contradiction. He adds that the church has a duty to allow people to achieve the degree of autonomy requited to make the right choices in order to reclaim their dignity.

Correlating the general ecumenical directory from Rome and that of the Southern African region, both within the Catholic Church, the current study tends to bring to the fore, once again, the tension that exists between the local and universal spheres of the church. If the tension is not properly balanced up, the pursuit of global vision might tend to dwarf grassroots initiatives; thus engendering a dilemma of interests or a split in fidelities, especially among young churches like those in Africa. To realise their full essence, as I intend to posit here, however, both global policies and local praxis should mutually complement each other; empowering genuine and enriching diversity at the grass roots without disconnecting same from the global goal of the ecumenical movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking into consideration that Christians and Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa live intermingled in family, clan or ethnic groups, this article takes cognizance of the effect of the teachings of each tradition about their own identity and their perception of the other. It also seeks to take into account the Roman Catholic principles of inter-religious dialogue as enunciated by the Second Vatican Council in the documents Nostra Aetate and the Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christians, as well as Unitatis Reintegratio, the Decree on Ecumenism, and Dominus Iesus. In view of the fact that these are seen as a source of tension, the question arises as to whether they are being interpreted correctly or applied in the spirit intended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the transformation of ministerial ecumenical formation of the leadership in the life and mission of the church. Need for leaders who will mobilize individual Christians, churches and ecumenical institutions into creative community engagement; Value of research and scrutiny of Christianity, the church and ecumenism in Africa; Importance of institutional leadership and management; Merit in the use of a holistic approach to ministerial ecumenical formation.

Describes aspects of different congregation-based health programs. Definition of ecumenical learning; Author's experiences in ecumenical learning in Africa; Role of the nurse/midwife.

Discusses the nature of the quest for an African Christian theology and fundamental articles of the Christian faith in Africa. Reasons for the failure to create relevant and meaningful theologies; Sources for the development of African Christian theologies; Future agenda for the quest for African Christian theologies.

Focuses on the theme of liberation in Africa. Colonization as form of alienation in Africa; Difference of the form of slavery from the one liberated by Jesus Christ; Arguments against violence in the national and international liberation movements and non-violence of Jesus Christ.

"The eyes of the mind reach the destination before the legs get there," so say African elders. This speaks of the power of imagining and envisioning of the world that serves everybody better. An ecumenical vision of a just and peaceful Africa attests to this common wisdom. In this sense, theological imagination remains relevant for any ecumenical vision that intends to bring about transformation in the African continent. This essay argues for the importance of theological imagination in advancing any transformative ecumenical program that targets the social sphere in Africa. The reflection on theological imagination in view of ecumenical transformation will then be tested in three social areas of engagement, namely, education, politics, and gender justice. It focuses on the context of Nigeria because of its peculiar turbulent sociopolitical environment and its challenging, but promising, ecumenical opportunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents several ecumenical statements as of 1976. Statements include a Pentecost from the Presidents of the World Council of Churches, an "Alexandria Confession" of the General Committee of the All Africa Conference of Churches from its February 18-26 meeting, and a statement by leaders Gatsha Buthelezi and C. F. Beyers Naude on foreign investment in South Africa in relation to the economic implications of apartheid.

The article presents information about ecumenical movements in developing countries such as the Republic of the Congo. The impact of Christianity on reconciliation efforts in these countries is noted. A presentation on ecumenism by sociologist Paul Abrecht is described, which emphasized the gravity of the situation. Problems associated with efforts to improve living conditions in developing countries are mentioned, such as religious misunderstandings that prevent the growth of ecumenical unity.