The Influence Of Akan Traditional Religious Conceptions On The Reception Of Hamartiology Of First John By Charismatic Preachers Of Ghana

Abstract

The general Christian tradition in Ghana has historically attracted local and cultural views to itself that have enriched its universal nature and strengthened it to address different doctrines in different cultural and religious contexts. This has, however, led to misconceptions in the interpretation of some Christian doctrines such as the doctrine of sin in 1 John. This dissertation discovered that both for better and for worse, Akan Traditional Religious concepts of sin influence the reception of the hamartiology of 1 John by a selection of charismatic preachers in Ghana. This finding is in itself not surprising. However, the precise manner and extent to which the influences flow have immense implications for the communication of the Gospel in Ghana. The doctrine of sin in 1 John relates to the quality and nature of sin on Christian identity and witness in the world, and therefore serves as a very attractive standard for shedding light on the hamartiology of Ghanaian charismatic preachers. The reception analytical method I developed from the philosophical framework of reception theory enabled me to establish that Akan Traditional Religion (ATR) concepts create a horizon of expectation for Akan charismatic preachers in Ghana that influences their reception of the doctrine of sin in 1 John. From the comparison between the reconstructed meaning of the doctrine of sin in 1 John and the horizon of expectations of charismatic preachers in Ghana, it is apparent that to a large extent they have succeeded in contextualizing the Christian message. In the process, however, traditional Akan cosmology has both for better and for worse influenced their reception of the doctrine of sin in 1 John. The degree of influence for worse can be minimized if they become conscious of the danger of syncretism by conferring with original manuscripts and availing themselves to sound theological 6education. The analytical method developed for this study may also be usefully employed for studying the reception of other major Christian doctrines in the contemporary Ghanaian context.