An Eschatological Critique of the African Christian Fear of the Dead
Abstract
The article seeks to contribute to an African Christian theology that empowers African Christians to relate to their ancestors in ways that affirm their historical importance while freeing them from fear of the spirits of the dead. It addresses the central question: what theological-biblical position can be taken regarding the African Christian belief in the continuing agency of ancestors – a belief that leaves many in fear of them? The article proceeds in six steps. First, it defines the fear of the dead. Second, it analyses the eschatological understanding of the dead within African traditional religion. Third, it describes selected expressions of the fear of the dead among African Christians. Fourth, it examines the element of restlessness in African conceptions of the realm of the dead. Fifth, it explores the biblical-eschatological view of the state of the dead. Finally, it proposes a theological-biblical framework aimed at empowering African Christians to overcome this fear. In doing so, the article contributes to the development of an eschatological framework that addresses and seeks to overcome the fear of the dead among African Christians.Downloads
Authors retain copyright and grant the Journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this Journal.
This is an open access journal, and the authors and journal should be properly acknowledged, when works are cited.
Authors may use the publishers version for teaching purposes, in books, theses, dissertations, conferences and conference papers.
A copy of the authors’ publishers version may also be hosted on the following websites:
- Non-commercial personal webpage or blog.
- Institutional webpage.
- Authors Institutional Repository.
The following notice should accompany such a posting on the website: “This is an electronic version of an article published in Scriptura, Volume XXX, number XXX, pages XXX–XXX”, DOI. Authors should also supply a hyperlink to the original paper or indicate where the original paper (http://scriptura.journals.ac.za/pub) may be found.
Authors publishers version, affiliated with the Stellenbosch University will be automatically deposited in the University’s’ Institutional Repository SUNScholar.
Articles as a whole, may not be re-published with another journal.
The following license applies:
