Where do we go from here? A review of the role and status of the "past" theological tradition in contemporary African theological scholarship

The development of contemporary theological scholarship took place in three phases: a foundational phase in which theologians pre-occupied themselves with the critique of the missionary theological method and the subsequent quest for an indigenous theology; the second phase in which the various proposals made in the foundational phase were turned into finished theology, which made it possible for Africa to have three theological trends called African Theology, Black Theology and African Women's Theology, and the third and most recent phase characterised by the reexamination of methods, ideas, and prospects for a more relevant theological scholarship.In all three phases, the past theological tradition has either been rejected or claimed - depending on the type of the tradition (Western or African) and the ideological interest of the theologians in view - to support a particular theological argument. This essay undertakes an exploration of the use of the past traditions in all three phases and argues that instead of searching for a particular tradition to follow slavishly or reject uprightly, contemporary theologians should seek to elucidate what contributions these past traditions have made and attempt to develop a more viable and relevant theology that could see Christ shining in the life of Africans and their societies.