At a high-profile public lecture held at Hekima University College, Professor James Jay Carney, a Professor of Church History at Creighton University and a Research Scholar in Residence at Hekima University College, delivered a provocative critique of modern theological trends, arguing that the uncritical indigenization of Christianity can lead to dangerous distortions of the Gospel.
The event, organized by the Department of Pastoral Theology and the School of Theology, brought together scholars, Jesuit formation leaders, and students to reflect on the “great theological tension” of how the Gospel remains at home in a culture without being captured by its darker shadows.
Opening the conference, Hekima Principal Rev. Dr. Marcel Uwineza, SJ, framed the discussion with an African proverb. He recounted a village elder challenging a missionary: “If Jesus truly came for us, then he must also speak our language, walk our path, and sit by our fire.”
Fr. Uwineza emphasized that Hekima does not view theology as the mere repetition of past formulas. “We strive to practice contextual theology, a theology that listens deeply to the pleas of our people, the questions of our time, and the wounds of our societies,” he said. However, he noted that the lecture’s title, “Making Jesus Christ One of Us Will Not Save Us,” was designed to shock listeners into deeper reflection on the “danger and promise” of enculturation.
The Rector of the Hekima Jesuit Community, Dr. Emmanuel Foro, SJ, introduced Prof. Carney not just as a distinguished historian of African Catholicism, but as a “total stranger” whose presence offered a moment of “African hospitality.” He noted Carney’s extensive research in Uganda, DRC, and Kenya as evidence of a scholar who seeks “common ground through interaction.”
Prof. Carney began his lecture by acknowledging the irony of a “white American professor” lecturing on enculturation in Africa. However, he argued that enculturation is a universal challenge, occurring as much in Omaha or New York as in Nairobi or Lagos.
Drawing on the work of Ugandan theologian Emmanuel Katongole, Carney warned that when the Church fails to maintain a “prophetic distance” from culture, the result is often a “sacralization of violence or identity.” He provided several historical and contemporary examples:
- The “Aryan Jesus”: Carney highlighted the 1930s German-Christian movement, which purged the New Testament of Jewish references to align with Nazi racial ideology. “In a 95% Christian country,” Carney noted, “this ideological groundwork for the Holocaust should not be underestimated.”
- American Christian Nationalism: Turning to his home country, Carney cited recent 2025 statistics showing that one-third of Americans and two-thirds of white evangelical Protestants identify as Christian Nationalists. He pointed to the chilling fact that over 25% of these individuals believe “true patriots may have to resort to violence to save the country.”
- Satirical Consumerism: To illustrate the “domestication” of the Gospel, Carney used a clip from the film Talladega Nights, where a character prays to a “baby Jesus” in “golden fleece diapers” to protect his multimillion-dollar race car endorsements.
To move beyond these distortions, Carney pointed toward the 1978 letter of Fr. Pedro Arrupe, which defined enculturation as the “incarnation of Christian life into a particular context” in a way that creates a “new creation.”
He argued that authentic enculturation must be refined by an “ethic of integral liberation.” Quoting Arrupe and the late John Mary Waligo, Carney insisted that the Gospel must “animate, direct, and unify” a culture, transforming it rather than merely adapting to it.
Concluding his lecture, Prof. Carney shared insights from his current research on Small Christian Communities (SCCs) in Kenya. He described SCCs as the primary site where “lived enculturation” happens today, amidst the complexities of urbanization and modernity.
“A university is not only a place where knowledge is transformed, but it is also a place where knowledge is generated,” Carney concluded, echoing Fr. Uwineza’s earlier sentiment. “The Gospel does not erase cultures; it purifies, challenges, and fulfils them.”
The conference also featured a response from Prof. Wilfried Okambawa, SJ, who explored the parable of the prodigal son through the African concept of Akuaba/Akwaba (welcome home), reinforcing the idea that while culture is a vehicle for reconciliation, and it must constantly encounter the transformative power of the Gospel.
By Pamela Adinda, HUC Communications & International Office Coordinator
