BALANCING KERYGMA AND PARAENESIS IN RESPONDING TO POVERTY BY THE CHURCH IN AFRICA

Abstract

The church as a collection of the called-out ones is saddled with the basic responsibilities of preaching the gospel and nurturing the members spiritually, economically and even physically. The later becomes more important due to the prevalence of multi-dimensional poverty that is ravaging the African continent. These kerygmatic and paraenetic functions characterized the earthly ministry of Jesus. However, there exists an imbalance in the discharge of these roles in the contemporary church. On the one hand, there is a group, who put more emphasis on the kerygma i.e., preaching and spiritual nurturing of souls. On the other hand, is a group whose focus is on ensuring the comfort and welfare of members through financial, psychological and material empowerment for members, which has heightened the crave for prosperity. This paper investigates this imbalance between kerygma and paraenesis through a descriptive method within the context of the church in Africa, and juxtaposes a model in 1 Cor. 8:1-5. Thorough and unbiased biblical hermeneutics is advocated for in maintaining such a balance.