Andrea Ng’weshemi

Professor Ng’weshemi joined the faculty at Carthage College in August 2015. A theologian by training, his primary scholarly interests cluster around themes related to global Christianity, particularly Lutheranism in Africa and postcolonial theologies originating from the global south (Africa, Latin America, and Asia). He is also concerned with African indigenous traditions and cultures and their ongoing influence on sub-Saharan African Christianity.

In his current research, Prof. Ng’weshemi seeks to reinterpret Lutheran themes and topics using categories of life and concepts from African indigenous traditions, cultures, and worldviews, and in light of Africa’s socio-economic and political realities. The goal is to make Lutheran theology relevant in the African context.

Prof. Ng’weshemi has presented papers at numerous academic conferences. His scholarly publications have appeared in Global Lutheranism: Vitality and Challenges; Dialog: Journal of Theology; Africa Theological Journal; Journal of Constructive Theology; The Evangelical Review of Theology, and African Ecclesiastical Review. His first book, Rediscovering the Human: the Quest for a Christo-theological Anthropology in Africa was published in 2002.

He is a member of a number of academic associations, including the American Academy of Religion, Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians, African Association for the Study of Religion, Association of Teaching Theologians (ELCA), and Conference of International Black Lutherans (CIBL).

Prof. Ng’weshemi earned his Ph.D. (with distinction) from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

• Th.M., Ph.D. (with distinction) — Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
• B.D. — Makumira University College, Tanzania
• Further Studies: University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

• REL 1000 Understandings of Religion
• REL 2000 History of Christian Thought
• REL 2010 Christianities in the Global South
• REL 2220 Jesus Beyond Christianity
• REL 3300 Theologies of Liberation
• REL 3370 Religion in Africa
• REL 6751: Experience Tanzania: Religion, Society, and Culture

• “Unmasking the Stranger: The Search for an African Lutheran Theology,” Africa Theological Journal, vol. 38 (1), 2021: 101-131.
• “Lutheran Churches in Africa: Vitality, Challenges, and Opportunities for the New Face of Lutheranism in the 21st Century,” Dialog, vol. 59 (1), 2020: 4-22.
• Review of Born from Lament: The Theology and Politics of Hope in Africa by Emmanuel Katongole. William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2017. In Dialog, vol. 59 (1) 2020: 40-42.
• With Tiffany Chaney et al., Luther’s Small Catechism with African Descent Reflections. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2019.
• “In Search of an African Lutheran Theology: the Inculturation Imperative.” Global Lutheranism: Vitality and Challenges. Peter Vethanayagamony and F. Volker Greifenhagen, eds. Minneapolis: Lutheran University Press, 2018, 46-66.
• “The Way of the Ancestors Revisited: The Concept of Life in African Traditional Religion,” Africa Theological Journal vol. 34 (2), 2014: 1-14. World Religions. Custom Edition for Lane College, Pearson Publishing, 2012.
• “Robert Schreiter: On the Mission of the Christian Church in an Age of Globalization,” Dana Review, vol. 59, (4), 2004: 6.
• “Rediscovering the Doctrine of Justification by Faith: Its Meaning, Relevance, and Implications in Africa Today,” Africa Theological Journal, vol. 26 (1), 2003: 22-43.
• Andrea M. Ng’weshemi, Rediscovering the Human: The Quest for a Christo-Theological Anthropology in Africa. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2002.
• “Who am I? Who are We? Religious Conversion and the Identity Crisis: The Case of Africa,” Africa Theological Journal, vol. 24 (2), 2002: 21-36.
• “Doing Justice to Context: The Quest for a Christian Answer to the African Condition,” The Evangelical Review of Theology, vol. 23 (2), 1999: 163-173.
• Review of African Religion: The Moral Traditions of Abundant Life by Laurenti Magesa. In Journal of Constructive Theology, vol. 4 (1), 1998: 113-117.