“Christian Faith and African Diasporic Religions in Dialogue: Theology Across the Atlantic”

I am pleased to inform you that I just signed a new book contract with Bloomsbury Academic. The title of the new book is “Christian Faith and African Diasporic Religions in Dialogue: Theology Across the Atlantic.” Here’s a summary of what I hope to do through this project:

“This book project critically examines the African diasporic religions of Vodou, Rastafarianism, Candomblé, and Santería (Regla de Ocha), exploring their theological dimensions through the lens of selected Christian theological concepts and ideas. It aims to clarify seemingly conflicting beliefs between these traditions and Christianity, which are practiced worldwide and within the African Diaspora. Contemporary studies on these religions often emphasize their anthropological, cultural, performative-aesthetic, literary, and sociological aspects, neglecting their theological vision and worldview. Theology across the Atlantic provides a pioneering theological exploration of these African diasporic faiths, comparing them to the core doctrines of Christianity.

The primary aim of this book is to bridge beliefs through the theory of cross-cultural connections and intersections, emphasizing theological inquiry. This text delves into the contextualization of faith and sheds light on the theological visions of Vodou, Rastafarianism, Candomblé, and Santería—crucial yet often neglected aspects of these religious systems in both contemporary Christian and African diasporic religious scholarship. The book aims to dispel misconceptions that these traditions lack coherent theological beliefs and ethical guidelines. Instead, it illustrates their strong theological foundations and moral principles, which influence their worldviews, practices, and rituals. Additionally, the book explores the theological possibility of coexistence in terms of piety and dedication for both Christians and practitioners of these African diasporic religions.”

I have previously published a book with this remarkable press. It was a joy working with this incredible team!

Pursuing God: Reflection on my Spiritual Journey (Part 1)

“Let your passion be single” by John Piper

I first listened to this sermon twenty-five years ago. I was a 22 year-old College student. My old College friend Nathan, who was completely sold out for God, gave me a Piper cassette tape that had the recording. It was this sermon that radically transformed my spiritual journey with God in three various ways:

1. The sermon reoriented my life from a human-centered existence to a God-centered (theocentric) vision about life and self-existence. God has then become my utmost treasure and the precious stone since this epoch-making moment. The central argument articulated in the message of the sermon was both intellectually compelling and emotionally sensitive to both my intellect and my heart.
2. The sermon helped me discover my deep spiritual longings for the divine—that I didn’t know was missing in my life—and the ultimate Being who can satisfy the human soul; it also helped me realize that the value of the soul is in its connection with God himself. God is the only one who makes the human soul and heart worthy of life and worthy of divine delight.
3. Finally, the sermon helped build new theological infrastructures in my life toward a much-better biblical and theological understanding of God, and the message of this sermon also provided me with rich resources and magnificent insights into the life and pleasures of God.

This sermon remains my favorite of all time.

The most important relational emotion that Jesus demonstrates toward the people he meets is compassion, and the message of Jesus is a message of compassion toward the poor and the marginalized in society.

All the four Gospel writers highlight the compassion of Jesus as a key characteristic of the good news he announces, especially to desperate women and children, the economically-poor, the hungry, the sick, and the spiritually-blind individuals.

Compassion is a central virtue of biblical discipleship and serves as a model for all who follow Jesus and call him Lord and Savior.

To call Jesus one’s “Lord” is to pledge an uncompromising allegiance that transcends the spiritual realm and encompasses all political and powerful spheres in the modern world. The title itself is a bold rejection of all ethnocentric nationalisms, cultural idols, and all contemporary (political) “Caesars.”