How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind

Rediscovering the African Seedbed of Western Christianity

By: Dr. Thomas C. Oden PhD

Narrated by: Tom Parks

Africa has played a decisive role in the formation of Christian culture from its infancy. Some of the most decisive intellectual achievements of Christianity were explored and understood in Africa before they were in Europe.

If this is so, why is Christianity so often perceived in Africa as a Western colonial import? How can Christians in Northern and sub-Saharan Africa, indeed, how can Christians throughout the world, rediscover and learn from this ancient heritage?

Theologian Thomas C. Oden offers a portrait that challenges prevailing notions of the intellectual development of Christianity from its early roots to its modern expressions. The pattern, he suggests, is not from north to south from Europe to Africa, but the other way around. He then makes an impassioned plea to uncover the hard data and study in depth the vital role that early African Christians played in developing the modern university, maturing Christian exegesis of Scripture, shaping early Christian dogma, modeling conciliar patterns of ecumenical decision-making, stimulating early monasticism, developing Neoplatonism, and refining rhetorical and dialectical skills.

©2007 Thomas C. Oden (P)2019 Tantor

Christianity’s African Roots

I learned so much about the African roots of my faith. I really appreciate the scholarship and research of this work.

Great resource

A great job by the reader. This is a very scholarly book which will cause you to look up words but great nonetheless. Add this to your library if you’re serious about historical Christianity!

Massive Implications for the World

This is must reading for the history of theological development. The sad thing is the not so hidden attempts to twist the narrative of the contribution of African luminaries.

very detailed

This is an amazing and informative book. I would recommend it to anyone interested in how Christianity arrived in Africa centuries before it was in Europe.

Great Start

Great Start on a great topic. I look forward to future research on this topic