'Evangelion': religion in God's face: an African and Semitic confrontation

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Periodical article

Title:	'Evangelion': religion in God's face: an African and Semitic confrontation
Author:	Eggen, Wiel
Year:	2000
Periodical:	Exchange: Journal of Contemporary Christianities in Context
Volume:	29
Issue:	2
Pages:	117-134
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Central African Republic
Subjects:	Christianity African religions Banda
External link:	https://doi.org/10.1163/157254300X00085
Abstract:	As Christianity knows its huge historical impact to have been a mixed blessing, it feels urged to review its confrontational relations with other traditions, notably with its co-heirs of the Abrahamic faith. Seeing itself as social entity identifiable by its 'religion in the face of God', a view it shares with the other Semitic traditions, Christianity senses the need to give this a fresh (third) reading, in dialogue with fellow believers, and in search of the ancient insights on what this face-to-face may entail. The author turns to Africa to see if some of the insights gained on the continent may help turn the Christian-Semitic confrontation into a true con-frontation, in the sense of a face-to-face, by shedding new light on some key concepts. He analyses two notions of 'God' ('Eyilingu' and 'Ere') as they are used among the Banda of the Central African Republic to illustrate his argument. Notes, ref.