Magic, divine revelation and translation in theological education in the majority world today; with a focus on Africa

Abstract

The impact or sense of text translated into a different worldview must be transformed to engage its new cultural context. An understanding of why and how this happens is vital for the globalising church to get away from a uni-central model of theological truth rooted in economic dependency on the hegemony of Western English. This article portrays inter-cultural translation in vivid ways using Scriptural example to show how some current models of translation depend for their success on either direct divine revelation or magic. This article advocates Christian discipleship at depth through inter-cultural missionary engagement rooted in local languages and resources.