Towards A Christian Ecological Theology from an African Christian Perspective

Abstract

This paper proceeds from the assumption that climate change is real. Furthermore, it holds that climate change primarily arises from the human moral- theological view of creation. This is the view that creation serves the interest of humanity, hence the greedy exploitation of creation. More importantly, while the effects of climate change have been global, the most affected are those who have done the least to cause it, especially from Africa. In Africa, many people have lost their livelihoods due to climate change. Thus, there is a need to develop a  theology of climate change or ecological theology. Whereas more theologians from the global North have written on this subject, there is missing a Christian theology that speaks to the environmental concerns of the African People. Christian ecological theology that engages the Holy Scripture, African traditional wisdom, and the contemporary problems of the African people is required to establish a paradigm for understanding and to tackle climate change in Africa. Therefore, through a socio-cultural analysis and theological approach, this paper seeks to sketch a discourse on the environmental crisis within the categories of African cosmology and contemporary realities. Central to this task is a contribution towards a Christian ecological theology from an African perspective.