The African Ecological Spirituality in the Light of Henrik Gregersen’s Christology of Deep Incarnation

Abstract

The world is witnessing the growing destruction of the world’s ecosystems
prompting nations of the world and religious leaders to embark on the search
for extensive scientific, cultural, and religious frameworks for analysing and
mitigating this cosmological disaster. At the centre of this crisis is modern man’s
failure to manage the environment in the manner that our pre-colonial
forefathers used to do thereby posing a threat to the subsistence of human life.
Using a framework of inculturation, this article reviews Gregersen’s theology of
deep incarnation that focuses on understanding Jesus’ incarnation as implying
a complete union of the divine with biological existence. Through the
incarnation, Jesus became matter and hence matter was divinized. The article
argues that traditional African cosmological spirituality manifests elements of
deep incarnation. Hence, the environment through the incarnation of Jesus has
received the dignity often thought to be the preserve of human beings.