Religious Education in Context: Evangelization of the Igbo People and Culture

The context, content and process, by which the Church brings the good news of Christ into all aspects of human life and endeavors, influencing its transformation from within, constitute what is known as evangelization. Evangelization is about people and their way of life, that is their culture. It is a process of religious education which seeks to transform adherents of the Christian faith, whether new or old members, into persons who are Christ-like. In this regard, this paper grapples with the question: ‘what will it take to produce the kind of Christians, today and in the future, who are Christ-like in mentality, behavior, and attitudes?’ Using case stories from the mission fields in conjunction with available literature, including various post-synodal apostolic exhortations, the paper proposes ‘integral evangelization as inculturation,’ coupled with a prophetic stance, which keeps Christ central to the entire process. Key words: religious education, context, Igbo culture, evangelization, inculturatio

Inclusive Education and Sustainable Peace in Africa

Inclusive education is an innovative approach to education by which all children, youths and adults on the globe have equal opportunities to learn comfortably in the same academic environment regardless their intellectual and physical ability/disability and irrespective of their political, ethnic and socio-economic background. It is a brain child of UNESCO (the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization); part of its Education For All (EFA) initiative which seeks to overcome the global challenges of marginalization, discrimination and exclusion. In this light, this paper examines the concept of inclusive education as a means of attaining long-lasting peace in Africa, which in turn will rekindle socio-economic and political progress. The paper provides copious evidence of the fact that socio-economic and political exclusion and marginalization are major sources of conflict and instability in Africa. Its underlying assumption is that inclusive education is a sure means of attaining optimum integral development and sustainable peace in Africa. Keywords: Inclusive education, sustainable peace in Afric