Pressured to opt for a more globalizing and homogenizing “public theology,” some African theologians strongly resist, insisting that the particular context of Africa must remain essential. In this spirit, Paul Gifford, PhD, discusses three particularities of African Catholicism, relating each to Africa’s current situation: its huge involvement in development, its relative lack of interest in ecumenism, and its vulnerability in the face of the recent “Pentecostal” explosion.

About the Speaker
Paul Gifford is emeritus professor of the study of religions at the School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS), University of London, and has been living on the African continent for several decades. He's currently serving as the fall 2021 visting scholar in DePaul's Center for World Catholicism & Intercultural Theology, and one of his recent books is Christianity, Modernity, and Development in Africa (Hurst, 2015).

About the Photo
Mass in Ngudu, Tanzania / Courtesy of Krystina Kwizera-Masabo and J. J. Carney