To equip the Church

by Kieth Ferdinando

Everybody is a theologian. We have notions about God, about the world, about human beings, about meaning and fulfillment, about death and what comes after, and so on. The real question is not whether we are theologians or not, but whether we are good theologians or poor ones. To be more exact, do our beliefs – and so our lives – faithfully reflect the truth that has been spoken by the living God, or do they simply bear the imprint of the societies we live in, and of our own fallible human wisdom and pragmatism? It is a vital matter, for issues of eternal life and death hang on the answers we give to crucial theological questions—like the one Jesus asks, ‘Who do you say I am?’

It is well known that Christianity has been rapidly expanding in Africa for a good while. But who is the Christ they have embraced? Across the continent – and often in the most difficult of places like war-torn Sudan or Congo – there are outstanding examples of faithful churches and believers – men and women who live in obedience to God and give themselves sacrificially for his sake and that of their neighbors. But there are real problems too. In evangelistic campaigns in Kigali, Kampala, Nairobi and just about everywhere else, crowds hear that true faith will bring them the good things of life – health, prosperity, academic success – just name it and claim it. This is a fraudulent message – a cruelly misleading parody of the gospel. Then, for too many believers, being discipled means little more than hearing a weekly condemnation of a few cardinal sins, such as adultery, alcohol and anger, but learning little of the infinite riches of Christ. And so in many churches the foundation of faith and repentance is laid week after week, but the walls never seem to go up (Hebrews 6:1-3).

So one of the greatest challenges facing African churches is that of communicating the gospel in its fullness, responding to the travesties and lies on offer, and building up believers who will have an impact on their societies as salt and light. It is a theological challenge, and the state of so much of the continent shows how critical it is. Corruption, ethnic violence, and political instability all demonstrate Africa’s desperate need to have Christians who truly know God and deeply love him, and who can live out the gospel of Jesus Christ in every section of society. Theological education exists to equip the church to participate in God’s mission in this world – it is about following Jesus, learning from him, growing to be like him, and so becoming fishers of men wherever he sends (Matthew 4:19).