Original Research - Special Collection: NRCA Dedication

Teaching theology at African public universities as decolonisation through education and contextualisation

Johan Buitendag, Corneliu C. Simut
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies | Vol 73, No 1 | a4806 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v73i1.4806 | © 2017 Johan Buitendag, Corneliu C. Simut | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 06 September 2017 | Published: 24 October 2017

About the author(s)

Johan Buitendag, Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria, South Africa, South Africa
Corneliu C. Simut, Historical and Systematic Theology, Emanuel University, Romania

Abstract

This article is an attempt to provide a systematic and integrative picture of the main contributions presented at the colloquium which addressed the current state of theological education, proposals for the basic values to be laid as foundation for a new theological curriculum and concrete attempts to build such a curriculum in South Africa, the African continent and especially at the University of Pretoria with a particular stress on decolonisation as contextualisation. In dealing with these aspects, the article focuses on whether or not theology as an academic field has a future in university and society by implementing a concrete programme of decolonisation which is adapted – by means of education – to the specifics of various local contexts including those in Africa. If the answer to this question is positive – and the colloquium contributors, as well as the authors, of this article do believe to be so – then one must find out how theology should be done in the university, how theology should work in society and what (kind of) theology should be taught in the university so that its impact in society is continuously transformative and permanently relevant to human life and human existence in Africa and throughout the world.

Keywords

theology; curriculum; transformation; innovation; justice; democracy; decolonization; education; contextualization; Africa

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Crossref Citations

1. Ecodomy as education in tertiary institutions. Teaching theology and religion in a globalised world: African perspectives
Johan Buitendag, Corneliu C. Simuț
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies  vol: 76  issue: 1  year: 2020  
doi: 10.4102/hts.v76i1.5956