Black Theology in Theological Education

Abstract

The development and key features of African women’s theologies, primarily through the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians, has entered the mainstream of theological education, which could provide insights for Black theology. In the landscape of theological education, which has been dominated by western-centric approaches, Black theology and the quest for liberation have made some inroads in challenging dominant discourses. However, aspirations for a liberative Afrocentric curriculum and pedagogy are yet to be realized. This paper will briefly survey the development of Black theology, primarily in the South African context, where theology was dominated by universal Western claims to theological education and repressive anti-Black theology. Second, the development of African women’s theologies, primarily through the work of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians, will be explored with particular features which created inroads in theological education despite its marginal position. Finally, the paper will review how robust engagement with the lived realities of African women and their communities through engendering theological education has broadened the scope of the educational enterprise. The intersectional methodological and pedagogical approaches of African women’s theologies open up space to focus on praxis and the lived realities of Africans, which could be instructive to proponents of Black theology.