Theologies that matter are developed with and by the people in their cultural environment- the difficult and complex process of developing an African Theology
Peter Arthur
Theology
Theology should not be a theoretical philosophy of a merely scientific approach. Rather, it should help the people to understand the will of God re- vealed in Scripture and to apply it in everyday life. People of all cultures are invited to follow Christ. So theology should prepare the ground on which they can walk and practice what has been written without giving up their cultural identity.
SANKOFA
SAN – to return
KO – to go
FA – to fetch, seek or take
The role of history in national development has been acknowledged. It adequately equips the historian to understand his environment. It unravels the eclipsed past and provides lessons to guide the future.
Another Missionary Society which worked in close collaboration with the Basel Evangelical Missionary Society, was the Bremen Mission (Northern German Lutheran Mission.)
From 1847 onwards, Bremen missionaries settled and worked among the Ewes at the Eastern side of the Gold Coast; an area which covered what was later designated “Dutch Togoland.” Out of the Bremen Mission emerged the present day Evangelical Presbyterian Churches.
Two examples of the bridge building third generation:
- Christian Hornberger (1831- 1881)
- Robert Stephen Kwami (1879- 1945)
Christian Hornberger was a mis- sionary of the Northern German Mission in West Africa who in the 1890 ceremonial record of the 25th governmental jubilee of King Karl from Württemberg (Southern Germany) was des- cribed as an “important geogra- phical, ethnological and lingu- istic researcher of the Ewe”.
Hornberger worked about 23 yrs among the Ewe people in today Togo and Ghana.
OLDENBURG – The moderator (bishop) of the Evangelical Church in Togo (West Africa), Emmanuel Awanyoh, will name a hall after the legendary Togolese pastor Robert Kwami (1879- 1945) this Sunday in the Lamberti Church in Oldenburg (approx. 11.15 a.m., after the service). On September 20, 1932, Kwami had resisted massive threats from the Nazis and preached twice in front of 3,000 visitors in the Lamberti Church.
Vane/Avatime-Togo
with two chiefs, 1932
Strand (Northern Germany)
Robert Stephen Kwami was an Ewe pastor who had been trained in Germany at young age and was invited by the mission in 1932 for a series of lectures. Because of great interest, the number of these was raised to 150 at 82 different places.
The highlight was in the “Lambertikirche” in Oldenburg, where the National Socialist Party had already overtaken the federal state go- vernment and tried to stop Kwami’s visit. But the church was able to resist, and the speeches of the African pastor were visited by about 3.000 people. Afterwards, the church leader- ship stood up against the racism of that party with nine theses.
The Kwami Hall was named after Pastor Robert Kwami from Togo, who visited the Lamberti Church on 20.9.1932
With moral courage against National Socialists
The so-called “Robert Kwami Affair” was triggered by the National Socialists in Oldenburg when they tried to prevent the planned lecture of the Ewe pastor Robert Kwami (1879 – 1945) in the St. Lamberti Church on 20.9.1932.
The ideological background was the National Socialist racial doctrine. As early as 1932, Oldenburg was governed by a National Socialist state government under the leadership of Carl Röver.
He judged Robert Kwami as a black man to be inferior because of his “non- Aryan” origins. The politician invoked the anti-Semitic racial doctrine and wanted to have the pastor’s lecture banned. The NSDAP and the state government it provided were in charge of a showdown with the church.
Mission, High Church Council, Pastor and community members united behind Robert Kwami and demonstrated their solidarity. The church leadership did not see Robert Kwami as a representative of a race, but as a brother in Christ.
More Info
- https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Kwami
- St. Lamberti-Kirche benennt Raum nach Robert Kwami
https://www.kirche-oldenburg.de/aktuell/pressemitteilungen/artikel/st-lamberti-kirche-benennt-raum-nach-robert-kwami - Mit Zivilcourage gegen Nationalsozialisten
https://www.norddeutschemission.de/mission-heute/ausstellung-mission-im-wandel/politik/robert-kwami/ - Mit Gottvertrauen gegen die Nazis
https://www.nwzonline.de/politik/niedersachsen/mit-gottvertrauen-gegen-die-nazis_a_1,0,1015589556.html#