The Gospel and Tradition (ePub)

This book is deeply rooted in the African cultural realism in which the concept of Mawu or God existed before the arrival of the missionaries from Europe. Krobo culture has always accepted and expressed the presence of the Supreme Creator in all (without exception) aspects of social, occupational, emotional engagements of life. Throughout the book, there are illustrations depicting the essence of God in Krobo traditional religion before the arrival of Christian missionaries from Europe. The only new concept my ancestors acquired from the missionaries was the story of the life and teaching of Christ and the doctrine as the Savior and Mawu (second person in the Trinity) at the same time. Krobo culture eloquently and sincerely found expression in names like Mawulede (God's wish); Mawulepee (God did it); Mawu le ha nor (it is God who provides); and in sentences expressing hope, as in Mawu nge (God lives), Mawumaalewor (God would care for us), and others all of which existed before the story of the cross.

The book is the manifestation of what is happening today with the gospel and tradition on the continent with the self-acclaimed preachers of the gospel and how they have misrepresented the whole doctrine of Christianity to acquire wealth rather than preaching salvation to the people of Africa. These "preachers" I refer to as false prophets and mostly blasphemers who have taken undue advantage of the ignorance of the people of Africa wisely because religion is part and parcel of life in the African society.

This book goes at length to delineate Christian influence on the cultural values in Africa using the Krobo experience and to display cultural traits and interaction with the missionaries. It will also go into Christian tradition and the African tradition, which apparently would lead us into the training of the clergy and show why Christianity is being represented deceptively by "false prophets" in Africa and sometimes at the expense of our tradition.

There will be a discussion on Krobo culture and the gospel as well as cultural norms that affect Christians the most. A full discussion depicts the world of blasphemy which preachers and people call it Christianity but which I term "victims of Christianity."

It is very important to admire our traditional saints and show the similarities with the religious saints. And who are the traditional saints anyhow?

In the end, I conclude with a discussion on poverty, spelling out the tradition that must be reformed to diminish poverty which is portrayed in the book as the enemy of culture and development.

This book is relevant for contemporary religious and cultural appreciation, what it is to be Christian and African no less than the proper training of the clergy that befits the African society before they are "shipped" to Africa or any other developing country with different cultural orientation for adaptation.