“Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism” by Philip Kakungulu

Literalism has chained the African church to colonial distortions, fueling tensions over sexuality, gender, and justice. Jesus, an oral teacher, left no written words, and the New Testament, written decades later in Greek, cannot claim inerrancy (John 8:6). Paul’s letters, the earliest Christian writings, show no knowledge of Jesus’s supernatural birth (Romans 1:3-4), revealing scriptural diversity that resists rigid interpretation (Walls, 2002).

Fundamentalism embarrasses the church by freezing scripture in time, as seen in Uganda’s anti-gay laws rooted in colonial theology. Kwame Bediako calls for an African hermeneutic that liberates scripture for justice (Bediako, 1995). By unlearning literalism, we open new possibilities for faith-based peacemaking, as modeled by the East African Revival’s emphasis on repentance and unity (Ward, 2005). The Bible’s truth lies in its call to Shalom, not in verbatim accuracy.

Call to Action: Free the Bible for today’s generation. Join the Pan African Peace Network to reinterpret scripture for peace and justice.

Bediako, K. (1995). Christianity in Africa: The Renewal of a Non-Western Religion. Edinburgh University Press.

Holy Bible, New International Version. (2011). John 8:6, Romans 1:3-4.

Walls, A. F. (2002). The Cross-Cultural Process in Christian History. Orbis Books.

Ward, K. (2005). The East African Revival: History and Legacies. Fountain Publishers.