Africa has entered the 21st Century still carrying baggage from the 20th Century, in terms of escalating poverty, violence, gender injustice, globalization, environmental degradation and HIV/AIDS and other debilitating diseases. Therefore, the question arises: What is the role of theology in the social reconstruction of Africa? How does the Church perceive herself and her mission? What does the Church have to offer in this context?

This volume is the first of a new series by the Ecumenical Symposium of Eastern Africa Theologians (ESEAT), investigating various features of African Christianity. It is concerned with the challenges and prospects facing the Church in Africa in the 21st century. The contributors search for new technological insights with which to interpret the gospel in ways that are relevant tot he African context. In this work, they have reflected theologically on various challenges including inculturation theology, environmental theology, the African family in the face of rapid social changes, Christology, African woman defined theology, women and evangelization, Africans' humanity in relation to the AIDS scourge, and finally, the Church and HIV/AIDS.

These essays have as their common denominator the search for an appropriate theological response by the Church in Africa in the face of the perennial problems bedeviling the continent.