Central Africa Seminary prioritizes theological training and mentorship which equips our students for the task of global disciple-making, first by cultivating their commitment to the Christian faith through study of its authority, the Scripture. CAS then aims to augment our students’ understanding of Christianity both in its historical development and according to its modern global contexts. Clarity on the gospel in the wider context of all the Scriptures, combined with a depth of historical and global awareness of the Christian faith, prepares our graduates to engage in appropriate contextualization in order to make disciples of Christ in African contexts who have left all to follow Christ and learn from him.

Biblical

Biblical Christianity is apostolic because the church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” (Eph 2:20, NIV; 2 Pet 3:2). In the fourth century, Athanasius of Alexandria wrote:

“For even though we have a succession of teachers and have become their disciples, yet because we are taught by them the things of Christ, we are, and are called Christians nonetheless.” (Athanasius, Against the Arians, Oration I. 3).

Regardless of how theological lineage might be traced through history, any expression of genuine Christianity derives from and is submitted to the teachings of Christ and his apostles, as they are recorded in the New Testament.

Even amoung Christians who profess the gospel and are submitted to the authority of Scripture, one can still find a significant diversity of perspective. Like Martin Luther, the consciences of believers must remain captive to the Word of God. Central Africa Seminary cultivates free academic enquiry that is submitted to the authority of the Scripture and supported by sound principles of interpretation. We offer a kind of theological education which spurs Christian conviction toward greater conformity to the teaching of Scripture.

Historical

The Christian faith is historical, both because it was revealed in history (Gal 4:4–5) and because the scope of its mandate is the present age (Matt 28:19–20). Historical developments in Christian thought and practice are not, themselves, authoritative. Yet, knowledge of the past contributes to a sense of historical rootedness and to a mature Christian perspective in the present. Believers today are strengthened by examining Christianity’s positive movements in history and are warned by critical attention to its lapses into error.

Central Africa Seminary is committed to faithfully representing Christianity under the authority of Scripture and with attention to its development in history. Students are challenged to discern genuine Christianity from its many counterfeits and they are equipped to critically assess various branches and movements within Christianity.

Global

Christianity has always been a global faith, neither being restricted to a particular region of the world nor confined to any one culture. As one early Christian writer expressed it,

“Christians are not distinct from the rest of humankind either by land, language, or custom” (Letter to Diognetus 5.1).

Modern globalisation has further highlighted the trans-cultural character of Christianity, as believers from around the world engage together in advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ in diverse contexts.

A healthy interconnectedness of the Church in the modern era is possible only when those who profess Christ submit to His teaching and uphold a biblically defined orthodoxy. This interconnectedness is further strengthened when believers understand themselves as part of the historic tradition of the teachings of Christ and his apostles. It is also demonstrated by a healthy regard for the global Body of Christ, marked by sensitivity to its growth within particular cultural settings.

By grounding pastors and other leaders in the godly character that Scriptural doctrine produces, Central Africa Seminary aims to support the labour of Christ’s church to advance the gospel globally. Central Africa Seminary also seeks to cultivate a historical and global awareness of the Church’s progress in the present age, in order to facilitate the flourishing of local congregations throughout the African continent.

Contextual

Contextualization refers to the task of appropriately communicating, exhorting and integrating the teaching of Scripture into the lives of believers in diverse cultural contexts. The task is necessary since Christ’s commission to his church extends far beyond mere proclamation of the gospel to the nations—he commanded the church to make disciples from among the nations. In order for people to be made disciples, they must be baptized to identify themselves as Christ’s followers, and they must come under ongoing instruction in what obedience to all of Christ’s commands requires. Obedience in a particular cultural context to all the commands of Christ is the proper aim of contextualization.

In order for this to be done responsibly and to avoid the pitfalls, on the one side of confusing cultural norms with the commands of Christ, and, on the other, of casting aside the commands of Christ in favor of human tradition, it is paramount for Christians to gain utmost clarity on the gospel itself, before contextualization can be done rightly.