Introducing the UK’s First MA African Christianity at Liverpool Hope University

Read more at www.keepthefaith.co.uk

‘African Christianity’ is a force to be reckoned with. In Africa, adherence to the religion continues to explode, but in the UK, too, it is African expressions of faith that have now become a major shaping force. In cities such as London, more Africans attend church than native British people, and this is changing Christianity’s public face. Colourful worship services, exuberant singing, flamboyant dancing and loud night vigils, right on British high streets, tell of an exciting phenomenon: that African Christianity has come to stay.

Liverpool Hope University is a Christian foundation, and the only ecumenical University in Europe, and our new Master’s programme, the ‘MA African Christianity’, is one of the ways we have responded to the challenge of understanding the significance of this major shift. Our first students on the course begin their studies in February 2019.

This exciting course will be of great help to African and Caribbean ministers in Britain, and Europeans who work in Africa or with Africans in the Diaspora. It enables them to explore the diverse forms of worship, faith and life of African Christians - both in their historic and contemporary dimensions, and both within Africa and in the African Diaspora. It will also benefit those students, who study World Christianity, world religions, and other subjects related to Africa and Africans, such as African politics, African philosophy, sociology of religion, and anthropology.

The course is unique in five main ways:

1. It is available only at Liverpool Hope University, and is the first of its kind anywhere - either in Europe or North America.

2. It is unique in the breadth and depth being entirely dedicated to the study of African Christianity alone.

3. Students will learn from eminent scholars, like Professor Andrew Walls, whose experience in African Christianity spans over 60 years. The Programme Leader, Dr Harvey Kwiyani, is an African scholar with vast experience in ministry in Britain. Other key facilitators include Professor Daniel Jeyaraj, Associate Professor Peter McGrail and Dr Andrew Cheatle.

4. Students will have access to the main collections of the Andrew Walls Centre (eg. the Congo, West Africa, South Africa, and the like) and of The Sheppard-Worlock Library.

5. Students can benefit from Hope’s longstanding international partners in Africa. Outstanding among these are the Akrofi-Christaller Institute of Theology, Mission, and Culture in Akropong, Ghana, and the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary in Ogbomoso, Nigeria.

The MA strikes a delicate balance in its content, giving students an opportunity to explore the expansive world of African Christianity. It is sensitive in bringing together the historic roots of African Christianity and its adaptation to cultures outside of the continent. Thus, students will learn about early North African Christianity (and its relevance to current African Christianity) in one module, and about contemporary African prophetism in another. The programme is designed to give students the best overview of the current situation of Christianity in Africa, while also giving the African minister in Britain the practical tools for cross-cultural ministry.

Liverpool Hope University

The programme opens up the possibility of a number of career opportunities, as students develop their wide range of knowledge, skills and experiences. These could be applied in a variety of contexts, from congregational ministry to mission agencies and diplomatic organisations. Graduates of this programme will also be equipped for further studies at PhD level.

Dr Harvey Kwiyani, African Scholar

Dr Kwiyani is a leading expert in the field of African Christianity and Theology. His research explores the story of the development of African Christianity, both in Africa and in the African Diaspora. When he is not working on a project to rewrite the history of Christian missions in his native Malawi, he engages in hosting theological conversations between the younger generation of African theologians and the older ones. He also spends time working with African pastors in Europe for effective cross-cultural mission. As an African mission scholar and practitioner, who has worked in Europe and North America for over fifteen years, Dr Kwiyani helps students explore and understand the practical tools to negotiate the area of their passion - be it academic theology or practical ministry.

This course falls within the remit of the Department of Theology, Philosophy and Religious Studies, which has high quality expertise in African Christianity and Theology. This high-profile department possesses a strong research reputation.

On 8th December 2018, there will be an Open Evening for the MA African Christianity for potential students and for any others who are interested in hearing more about this development. While this is a full ,’s course, options exist to study in smaller blocks, leading to either a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma. The University has decided to make this course of study available at a reduced rate for anyone beginning in February 2019.

Further details will be made available on the dedicated website found at www.hope.ac.uk/africanchristianity.