Several years ago when I was editing a manuscript that would be used in Burundi for a faith-sharing  process, I was given a book to read entitled, Theology Brewed in an African Pot, by Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator. I was a bit intimidated at first, expecting the vision from a culture so markedly different from my own to pose a challenge. I was delightfully mistaken. One passage resonated with me and has been shared many times:

“We need to dispel the notion that theology is the exclusive preserve of experts and academicians. Theology is something that we all do all the time, even without actually paying attention to it.

“I find no better illustration of this than the conversation between Mr. Brown and Chief Akunna. The former had probably spent a few years studying the Bible and theology in his native England to prepare for his missionary journey to the African village of Umuofia. He possessed an impressive mastery of the religious vocabulary and could reel off the theological terminologies with ease.

“Chief Akunna had not received any formal theological training in the knowledge of his religion. Notwithstanding, he possessed a native sense of religion that made him a theologian of no lesser statue and repute than Mr. Brown. He knew how to talk sensibly about God—the nature of God, the meaning of workshop, meditation and creation, divine providence, and divine retribution.

“In the course of this engaging conversation between Mr. Brown and Chief Akunna we get a clear idea of the meaning of theology: talking sensibly about God.”