The Church in Conversation for Social Transformation: From Christology to Christo- Praxis

The pivotal roles of the church and theology in public space continue to dominate the thoughts of many churchmen and theologians from the global south as they grapple with the fact of the increase in the number of Christian communities in those parts of the world. It becomes particularly disheartening as one realises that the poorest people on earth; the most economically disadvantaged, religiously ostracised, and politically marginal people are all located there despite the acclaimed growth of Christianity. One would naturally expect that the church in the global south would be apt at bringing in the knowledge of the person of Jesus Christ to the fore in advocating the urgent need for social transformation. The paper proceeds by arguing that if properly articulated by theologians and church leadership, Christological notions can make useful contributions to lasting solutions to the quest for a social, political, economic and religious emancipation. This paper takesthe West Africa sub-region as a representative of the focus of this discussion. It further suggests a collaboration of ecclesiastical, religious and government approaches which can be directed through Christo-praxis as a new way of living to ameliorate the socio-economic and political challenges.