Kongo Incarnations and Diffuse Reincarnation: The Kimbanguist Saga with the World Council of Churches

On 12 May 2022 (14-16) Dr. Mika Vähäkangas will give a talk titled “Kongo Incarnations and Diffuse Reincarnation: The Kimbanguist Saga with the World Council of Churches”. The event will be held in hybrid form at the University of Turku (Arcanum building) and Zoom.

Abstract:
Kimbanguists were the first African Initiated Church included in the World Council of Churches, and the first church ever whose membership was discontinued in 2021. The entry based on the Protestant-inspired doctrine in French whereas the rejection was due to the increasing importance of the Kikongo “popular religiosity” that became de facto doctrine. This presentation investigates the interaction between the Kongo traditions and western Protestantism in Kimbanguist thought and how this was played out in the WCC membership processes. The nagging question for the WCC after all this is: does one need to become European in mind to be Christian?