Bøger af Yusufu Turaki

This is a revised and expanded edition 2019 of the tainted legacy released in 2017. This new edition included update to the chapters and an addition of Chapter 16 detailing specific ways the latest impact of islamization in having on Northern Christians and minorities. The past twenty years have seen a spate of violent riots and other conflicts in Nigeria resulting in considerable numbers of Christian and Muslim dead, of churches and mosques destroyed, of homes and businesses ransacked and burned. These incidents have taken place mainly in the Middle Belt, where Christians and Muslims are present in approximately equal numbers. Recently, however, we have seen such violence occurring in the "northern North" itself, where Christians are a small minority. More often than not, Christians have been the targets of Muslim-initiated violence, perpetrated by groups ranging from gangs of young people to fully armed Islamist militias. Attacks by Muslims in the last ten years have killed thousands of Christians.The climate of intimidation and fear that these repeated conflicts engender adds to an existing situation of anti-Christian discrimination and marginalisation in the North. The vulnerability of Christians has been effectively enshrined in law in twelve northern states, where shari'a has has become the main source of civil and criminal law since 1999. Despite Muslim promises that Christians will be exempt, expe- rience has repeatedly shown the opposite. The fact that some Islamists are calling for an Islamic state in Nigeria, ruled by shari'a, is a cause of very serious concern for Nigerian Christians.This valuable work by Yusufu Turaki shows how the present situa- tion does not arise simply from ethnic differences, as is often suggest- ed, but is deeply rooted in the history of West Africa, dominated as it was by the mighty empires of the Sokoto Caliphate and the Sultanate of Kanem-Bornu and their Islamic colonialism. This Islamic rule was then consolidated by British colonialism, employing Lord Lugard's policy of indirect rule. The centralised administration of the Fulanis

Throughout this Book, the Author stresses the centrality of morality and ethics of leadership, the State and that of ethnic groups.

This book updates my earlier books: The British Colonial Legacy, 1993; Theory and Practice of Christian Missions, 1999 and Tainted Legacy: Islam, Colonialism and Slavery in Northern Nigeria, 2010. Instead of revising each book, I decided to write this book as a follow-up to the long-term consequences of the traditional, Islamic, colonial and missionary legacies upon post-colonial and independent Nigeria. The book seeks to show how the politicians and soldiers addressed the politics of ethnicity, regionalism and religion in both colonial and post-colonial Nigeria. The book primary examines and analyzes the historical roots of ethno-religious crises and conflicts in Northern Nigeria as rooted in the legacies of African traditions, Islam, colonialism and Christian missions. This requires that we develop a new comprehensive and appropriate methodology of addressing and evaluating the prevalent and pervasive ethno-religious crises and conflicts in Northern Nigeria. People have sought to address this very issue by using two basic approaches. The first and easier approach is to examine the immediate causes of ethno-religious crises and conflicts. The readily available causes are usually named as religious, ethnic, political, or economics. These surface analyses tend to examine the nature of social interactions and networks and the use of religion, ethnicity, politics, or economics by various people groups that tend towards crises or conflicts. The categories of people who over-use this approach are mainly foreign researchers, journalists and social media practitioners as well as Government functionaries. They tend to look for quick and easy answers and solutions to the immediate crises and conflicts. This approach tends to overlook the deeper question, especially the historical roots of crises and conflicts.This takes us to the neglected second but very valuable and enduring approach, the search for the historical roots of crises. This book develops and formulates a new method of social inquiry that can unravel the mystery of frequent, prevalent and pervasive ethno-religious crises and conflicts in Northern Nigeria. This new social inquiry was developed when I was asked to write a research paper on the Historical Roots of Crises and Conflicts in Kaduna State by the Kaduna State Peace and Reconciliation Committee (KSPRC) in 2012. Since then, I have modified and upgraded this new methodology. The outcome of this new social inquiry gives a better understanding of the nature of interactions and networks of relationships between and among various ethnic, religious and regional groups in Northern Nigeria. The historical time-lime that shaped interactions and engagements of various people groups was identified as a very important social factor that needs to be thoroughly defined and delineated. Our new method of social inquiry wove together certain historical primordial social factors as the roots of ethno-religious crises and conflicts. The first group of social factors identified is the primordial social factors of ethnography (ethnicity), geography (land, territory), religion and culture. A second group called the social reformers were identified through the social inquiry.

The primary objective of this Monograph No.1 is to examine and evaluate the nature, scope, characteristics and issues of the unity of the Church in Nigeria from the times of the Pioneering missionaries to date. The Nigerian Church is characterized by great regional and international growth and spread, liveliness and enthusiasm, and a great show of religiosity and a manifest diversity of churches and denominations that carry out many activities and ministries that sometimes look divisive and competitive. To the extent that on the surface, Nigerians are deeply religious in all facets of life and they do demonstrate that in their vibrant Christianity with very strong ecumenics, associations and fellowships. However, negatively, the same large and vibrant Nigerian Church is also plagued by great divisions and splinter groupings, lack of unity, stiff competition and rivalry, and is also overwhelmingly dominated by ethnic, tribal, primordial and regional values, interests and sentiments. No single church, denomination, or organization can address effectively and adequately the problems and challenges of the Nigerian social environment alone.The task of addressing the problems, challenges and prospects of unity of the Church in Nigeria is immense and difficult. The best we can do is to introduce the subject matter for wider and general discussions and deliberations by all Christians. This is how we proposed that this subject matter be addressed. The first section presents a summary of the major issues of the unity of the Church that need to be discussed and addressed. The second section gives a summary guideline on how these issues could be defined and addressed. The third section presents and establishes a biblical and theological foundations of the unity of the Church based upon select relevant Bible Texts. This seeks to give a biblical and theological understanding and grounding of the major issues and challenges of unity of the Church. The fourth section presents a brief historical and social background of the context of the Nigerian Church as an answer to many questions and issues of diversity, competition, rivalry and schisms. It also outlines and highlights the nature, scope and characteristics of the Nigerian Church. The fifth section presents a brief history of the established Missionary Christianity and Church in Nigeria and how Christian Missions attempted to deal with the questions and issues of unity of the Church in their missionary work in Nigeria.

Turaki does a scholarly work in developing moral laws based on creation and the God of creation. He argues for an inter-relationship between the moral laws and ethics that would derive from the observance of creation through natural science, and that which derives from God. This according to him is based on the inter-relationship that already exists between the God of creation and creation.Given that humanity is the creation of God, the moral laws and ethics that are derived from God and His creation must be universally applicable to all humanity.Turaki further argues that the moral laws and ethics that are derived from biblical revelation are the absolutes by which all other laws derived from other religions, natural science and common sense are judged.Turaki does not make these claims without serious academic wrestling with various perspectives on the subject both philosophically and theologically. His approach provides useful information for the systematic theologian as he treats each relevant subject both descriptively and critically.In a postmodern age where relativity and corresponding subjectivity has become the new absolute, this work is a welcome challenge, calling us to rethink the popular assumptions of our time and revisit the subject of morality and ethics from a theistic perspective.The Christ of God claims to be truth and life. His followers should therefore define moral laws and ethics based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. They should also be evangelistic about the necessity of an absolute as a standard for evaluating all moral laws and ethics. This is the good work Turaki has done as a follower of Jesus Christ. His work is an invitation to consider the character of God as the absolute by which all moral laws and ethics should be evaluated.I am personally grateful to him. I believe you will share my gratitude after reading this book.This work should be seen as a contribution to the conversation. I invite you to join the discussion after reading Universal Moral Laws.Rev.Dr. Delah AdadevoUSAMarch 2019

A shorter version of this book was published by Hippo Books in 2012. Those who have read the original Manuscript feel very strongly that it be published as A Revised Expanded Version 2019 for the benefit of scholars in the field of Theology. Additional materials culled from other works of mine were included so as to give the main subject of the Book a comprehensive outlook. You cannot kill a tree by cutting off its branches; you need to dig down and cut off its roots. In this book, Professor Yusufu Turaki uses the Holy Scriptures as spade and axe as he digs down to examine the roots of sin. His knowledge of traditional African beliefs and value adds depth to his discussion of the origin, nature, effects and power of sin in our lives. He shows the relevance of each member of the Holy Trinity to our struggle against the root sins of self-centredness and pride, greed and lust, and anxiety and fear. Professor Yusufu Turaki helps us to understand how sin affects our relationships with ourselves, with God and with others. More than that, he gives us guidelines for dealing with sin inour lives and in our communities. I commend this book for personal reading and for academic study. Dr. Samuel NgewaProfessor of New Testament StudiesNairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology, Kenya

This book re-affirms Christian commitment to Biblical truth, apostolic teachings, and the historic witness of the Church that Jesus is Lord. For tills reason, the book examines the Christian concept of the unique Christ for salvation within two modem societies: (1) Western concept of pluralism and secularism and (2) African traditional spirituality and worldview. The uniqueness of Christ was affirmed by using prophetic and apostolic witness based upon Biblical data. Western pluralism and secularism and African traditional spirituality and worldview are not to be accepted as valid religious arguments that negate the uniqueness of Christ but are indeed arguments of the non-Christian religions and cultures which are to be judged by the prophetic and apostolic witness and the Biblical data. CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS AND MISSIONS

For more than a generation Yusufu Turaki has been one of Africa's most distinguished and productive evangelical theologians. Here in two substantial volumes we have the fruit of his mature reflection on a principal crux of the African theological project, namely the appropriate way for African Christianity to understand and address Africa's traditional religious heritage. Since one cannot understand Africa without understanding Africa's traditional heritage, and since the religious dimension Africa's traditional culture affects all aspects of modern African life, Christian presence and witness in Africa cannot flourish within its context without a serious theological and practical engagement with these realities. This is not Turaki's first endeavour in this field of inquiry. He has been engaging these issues throughout his academic and ministry careers. And in doing so he has also been interacting with the considerable range of thinkers and literature in this field. Furthermore, within what otherwise has often been an ill-defined and poorly disciplined discussion, Turaki proposes a particular and fruitful way forward. In these two large volumes Turaki is both commending and demonstrating a biblically-grounded, theologically-responsible methodology for a Christian understanding of African Traditional Religion. He seeks to show how Christianity can best address African Traditional Religion with informed realism, with scholarly depth and integrity, and with biblical faithfulness. Having taken his first degree in Nigeria, Turaki then earned masters and doctoral degrees at leading academic institutions overseas. Thereafter he was long involved in the leadership of one of Africa's principal theological institutions, Jos ECWA Theological Seminary (JETS), and in the leadership of one of Africa's principal evangelical denominations, the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA). In more recent years Turaki has also been engaged in international ministries and venues, including work with the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA), the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), and the Lausanne movement (LCWE), as well as in extensive writing and teaching ministries In the first volume of this major contribution Turaki provides an in-depth study of the African traditional religious worldview. He is convinced that a thorough familiarity with the religious mindset of traditional Africa is essential for any effective Christian presence and witness in modern Africa. He first surveys both western and African scholarly approaches to traditional religion. Then he undertakes a detailed introduction to the foundational theological, psychological, philosophical, ethical, and moral beliefs of African Traditional Religion, together with the relevant rituals, sacrifices, ceremonies, and festivals. He also emphasises how those beliefs pervasively influence religious attitudes, practice and social behaviour throughout Africa today. In the second volume Turaki then turns to outline a Christian and biblical approach to the realities of African Traditional Religion in modern Africa. He discusses each major component of an African traditional worldview from this standpoint. In doing so Turaki emphasises that the principal task of Christian reflection in Africa is not to understand Christianity from the perspective of African traditional culture and religion, but to understand African traditional culture and religion from the perspective of a Christian and biblical worldview.

Corruption! Corruption!! Corruption!!! Wherever you turn people are talking about corruption. Corruption is prevalent in society. It is seen in the high corridors of power, among the movers and shakers of society, it is present in business; it is also present among the so-called "common" people. What is corruption? Corruption has been defined in many ways. A simple definition given in the Oxford dictionary is, "widespread moral deterioration." The classic definition, followed by the World Bank and Transparency International, views corruption as "the use of one's public position for illegitimate private gains." Information International based in Lebanon adopted the following definition: "Corruption is the behavior of private individuals or public officials who deviate from set responsibilities and use their position of power in order to serve private ends and secure private gains." (Lebanon Anti-Corruption Initiative Report 1999). The UN's Global Programme against Corruption defines corruption as the "abuse of power for private gain" and includes thereby both the public and private sector. Yusufu Turaki is a Professor of Theology and Social Ethics. He teaches Theology and Social Ethics at the Jos ECWA Theological Seminary (JETS) since 1980. He studied Theology at Igbaja Theological Seminary, Nigeria (Th.B.); Theology and Ethics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, USA (MATS); and Social Ethics at Boston University, USA (Ph.D.). He was a Research Scholar with the Research Enablement Program sponsored by the PEW Charitable Trusts and administered by the Overseas Ministry Study Center, New Haven, Connecticut, USA and a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at Yale Divinity School, Yale University, USA. He is currently the Regional Director of the International Bible Society Nigeria. He is married to Deborah and they have four children: Nyela, Yimi, Iyakachi and Ladi.

This book is an introduction to the foundations of African traditional religions and worldview. The theological basis of the traditional belief- in (1) gods, (2) divinities and (3) spirits are examined. These beliefs are defined and interpreted in the light of (1) the traditional religious worldview and (2) with some clarifications from the Biblical and Christian theology. The theological implications of these traditional beliefs and worldview are essential for developing and formulating a relevant Biblical and Christian theology in Africa. The traditional theological, philosophical and moral and ethical foundations and the nature and meaning of man are analysed and examined. RELIGION AND SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY

In this book, Professor Yusufu Turaki uses the Holy Scriptures as spade and axe as he digs down to examine the roots of sin. His knowledge of traditional African beliefs and value adds depth to his discussion of the origin, nature, effects and power of sin in our lives. He shows the relevance of each member of the Holy Trinity to our struggle against the root sins of self-centredness and pride, greed and lust, and anxiety and fear.