Why Augustine – now? An African perspective

• Main Author: J.H. van Wyk
• Format: Article
• Language: Afrikaans
• Published: AOSIS 2004-08-01
• Series: In die Skriflig
• Subjects: African Theologian; Augustine; Ecumenical Theologian; Kingdom Theologian; Biblical; Theologian; Augustines Relevancy For Today
• Online Access: https://indieskriflig.org.za/index.php/skriflig/article/view/418

It is a fascinating fact that interest in Augustine’s theology has never waned and that Protestant as well as Catholic theologians have time and again involved themselves in a study of Augustine’s views. The question is: why? In this article the author attempts to formulate an answer to this intriguing question, writing from an African and a Reformed perspective. He considers five possible answers and specifically highlights Augustine’s emphasis on the kingdom of God as an overriding concept in theology. The author argues that it is precisely this message of the kingdom of God, and not messages of secular utopias, that white and black Christians in South Africa need to hear today – more than anything else.