Un-Thinking the West?

On African Christianities and the Future of Global Public Theology

Abstract

This article critically examines the dominance of Western epistemologies in global Public Theology as it intersects with African Christianities and the perspectives of African theologians in the diaspora. Drawing on decolonial and African theological frameworks, we address the “theme park theology” trend, where some Western-centric approaches sanitize and commodify faith, often marginalizing non-Western voices and realities. The persistence of religion in African and migrant contexts, despite secularization theories, underscores the need for a nuanced, context-aware Public Theology that accounts for socio-political and economic influences on faith expressions. Through comparisons between religious trends in South Africa and Sweden, the author highlights how existential insecurities shape religious engagement differently across regions. Ultimately, the paper argues that a “global” Public Theology could expand beyond Western models to include more diverse perspectives, recognize religion’s persistence across the world, support decolonial discourses, and amplify African voices in shaping global theological conversations.