Reconciled to Reconcile : An African View of John Calvin’s Doctrine of Salvation

In the words of John Paul II, «A faith which does not become culture is a faith that has not been received, not thoroughly thought (through), nor fully lived out». It is for this reason that inculturation hermeneutics has become a useful reflective tool for many African students of Theology. In this work, the author argues that the concept of salvation in evangelical Christian thought as postulated in the works of the French Reformer John Calvin and that of African Traditional Religions do not connote the same idea nor lead to the same goals. In spite of the basic differences, he states that symbols, metaphors and some practices from the traditional religions of Africa can be employed as hermeneutical tools for the explanation of concepts of the Christian faith. The author therefore concludes that the Anlo-Ewe traditional religious practice of nugbidodo-ritual reconciliation best explains Christian salvation as man’s reconciliation with God and constitutes a basis for the healing, deliverance, and a socio-economic advancement of the individual and the entire community.

In the words of John Paul II, «A faith which does not become culture is a faith that has not been received, not thoroughly thought (through), nor fully lived out». It is for this reason that inculturation hermeneutics has become a useful reflective tool for many African students of Theology. In this work, the author argues that the concept of salvation in evangelical Christian thought as postulated in the works of the French Reformer John Calvin and that of African Traditional Religions do not connote the same idea nor lead to the same goals. In spite of the basic differences, he states that symbols, metaphors and some practices from the traditional religions of Africa can be employed as hermeneutical tools for the explanation of concepts of the Christian faith. The author therefore concludes that the Anlo-Ewe traditional religious practice of nugbidodo-ritual reconciliation best explains Christian salvation as man’s reconciliation with God and constitutes a basis for the healing, deliverance, and a socio-economic advancement of the individual and the entire community.