MANY studies of Anglican theology focus on the Church of England, maybe with some American material thrown in, and perhaps a final chapter on the Anglican Communion. They, therefore, miss the richness of worldwide Anglicanism and take for granted the way in which the C of E shaped the Churches of the Communion, for good or ill.
This collection of essays seeks to redress that, showing where Anglican theology has sought to move beyond its colonial origins and become more responsive to its current context. In so doing, it celebrates those whose theology has helped their Church to embrace a more open and liberating ministry, and so break free from many inherited colonial assumptions.
Eighteen contemporary or recent theologians are described, each by a usually ardent supporter. In some instances, the emphasis is on how far the received tradition has been incorporated into the local culture or be seen to chime with it. We read how, in the 1970s, one of the pioneers was John Mbiti (Kenya), showing how Africans conceived of a Supreme Being in a way that was far from superstition. Julius Gathogo (also a Kenyan) pursued hybridity, seeking links with indigenous wisdom and denying that dialogue was syncretism.
Harry Sawyerr did the same in Sierra Leone, drawing on African sources — as he saw them, more a world faith than tribal religions — to explore such themes as sacrifice and incarnation. Jaci Maraschin (Brazil) explores integration with national culture, especially around liturgy. From Oceania, Winston Halapua celebrates a connectedness that includes nature itself.
But theology for what? Running through most of these pieces is how theology can help the Church in each place to stand with those who are ignored or oppressed. They show that there is a history here, linked to liberation movements, especially in Africa: Burgess Carr (West Africa), but moving on to less nationalistic peace-building, Jesse Mugambi with the Mau Mau, John Acland Ramadhani (Tanzania), and more recently Nyameko Barney Pityana and the emergence of a non-racial but often corrupt South Africa.
Today, Jenny Te Paa-Daniel (of Maori descent in New Zealand) advocates a radical inclusion replacing the colonial shackles of imperialism, elitism, racism, and sexism. In the Middle East, Naim Ateek has developed a liberation theology for Palestine. A number of women from Asian backgrounds (Mukti Barton, Kwok Pui-lan, Verna J. Dozier, Gale A. Yee) challenge the usually male hierarchies which seek to control who can be involved.
In contrast, Gerard West (South Africa), who has brought scripture alive for the bishops at the past two Lambeth Conferences, sets out a theological method centred on reading the Bible with those most excluded. An unexpected inclusion is Miroslav Volf, whose journey from Yugoslavia to the United States included a transition from Pentecostalism to an Anglicanism that provided a better foundation for his work on reconciliation, non-violence, and building bridges to those with whom we disagree.
This is a useful resource for those who want to see beyond English Anglicanism. It does not claim that all the Churches in our Communion are embracing a non-colonial future. Indeed, it may be significant that, whatever their origins, most of its subjects were or are much more at home in the Western academy. Among them is one of the editors, James Tengatenga, former Bishop of Southern Malawi, who now teaches at the University of the South, at Sewanee, in Tennessee.
From the other side, there is little here from those Provinces that are attempting to establish a separate and more conservative Communion, where a commitment to emancipation, and to a more participatory leadership style, may be scarcer. They will say that the imposition of “Western” developments in theology and morality are yet more colonialism, while their beliefs and hierarchy remain faithful to what the missionaries brought.
For these Churches, the test will be whether it leads to the kinds of liberation set out in this book. We in the West are not, however, immune from similar questions. As Peniel Rajkumar, USPG’s Global Theologian, asks in the afterword: have we really decentred our thinking and our theology from our imperial, and very colonial, past?
The Rt Revd Michael Doe is a former General Secretary of USPG.
Anglican Theology: Postcolonial perspectives
Stephen Burns and James Tengatenga, editors
SCM Press £25
(978-0-334-06623-1)
Church Times Bookshop £20