Rereading Biblical Creation Texts in Light of the African Primal Worldview: Toward an Eco-Theology of Creation Care

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https://doi.org/10.71064/spu.amjr.11.1.2026.525
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Vol. 11 No. 1 (2026): African Multidisciplinary Journal of Research

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Kabiro Wa Gatumu
St. Paul's University

Abstract

This study addresses the persistent gap between Christian theological affirmations of creation and the contemporary ecological crisis. In particular, the study focuses on the African context where ecological neglect persists despite a strong religious presence. Thus, the crisis is not only ecological and economic, but also theological and hermeneutical. Interpretive trends such as anthropocentrism, dualism and the marginalisation of indigenous ecological wisdom, among other factors, escalate it. Methodologically, the study employs a comparative and contextual hermeneutical approach that puts selected biblical texts (Gen. 1–2; Ps. 104; Jer. 4:23-28; Mk. 4; Rom. 8:18-25; Col. 1:15-20) into dialogue with the African primal worldview. Furthermore, it adopts a canonical and thematic interpretation to construct a coherent theological account of creation, integrating insights from African primal worldviews’ ecological ethics. The findings show that these texts jointly present creation as sacred, unified, yet vulnerable and included in God’s redemptive purposes, which echo African primal ecological ethics. By integrating the ecological wisdom from Scripture, African primal worldview’s resources and insights from science and technology, the study shows that these domains are complementary resources. Such integration offers a contextual eco-theological framework that can bridge the gap between faith and ecological practice while contributing to sustainable creation care.

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Rereading Biblical Creation Texts in Light of the African Primal Worldview: Toward an Eco-Theology of Creation Care . (2026). African Multidisciplinary Journal of Research, 11(1), 58-81. https://doi.org/10.71064/spu.amjr.11.1.2026.525

How to Cite

Rereading Biblical Creation Texts in Light of the African Primal Worldview: Toward an Eco-Theology of Creation Care . (2026). African Multidisciplinary Journal of Research, 11(1), 58-81. https://doi.org/10.71064/spu.amjr.11.1.2026.525

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