JOURNALS

ABSTRACT

The tension between faith and culture has existed since the Gospel began to be preached. With the spread of the Gospel message to new climes, disputes arose which bordered on how to adapt the Gospel to the environment within which it took root. The question would often be how to make Christ relevant to these new cultures. This work is a review of Helmut Richard Niebuhr’s celebrated work, Christ and Culture. It revisits it as a guide towards a theology of inculturation. The discourse begins with an introduction which sets the pace of our discussion. Having given a brief biography of Richard Niebuhr, it gives a detailed summary and exposition of the work Christ and Culture. This leads to the theology of inculturation. Inculturation is defined and a brief history of inculturation if presented. Inculturation as a model for evangelization is established and this is backed by the Church’s magisterium. The early missionary approach in condemning African cultures is identified as a hindrance to inculturation. A path is forged towards a theology of inculturation and the work is concluded.