Apologetics in Africa

ELIZABETH MBURU was the first woman to gain a PhD from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, North Carolina, USA. She is an associate professor of New Testament and Greek at International Leadership University, Africa International University and Pan-Africa Christian University in Nairobi, Kenya. Dr Mburu is on the board of the Africa Bible Commentary and is the editorial coordinator and New Testament editor for its revision, as well as the Anglophone Africa Regional Coordinator for Langham Literature. Professor Mburu is also the author of Qumran and the Origins of Johannine Language and Symbolism (T&T Clark, 2010).

ROBERT FALCONER holds degrees in architecture and theology. After practicing architecture in Scotland and South Africa, he and his wife were called to Kenya as missionaries, where he served as principal of a discipleship training school. Dr. Falconer currently works at South African Theological Seminary as the coordinator of student research. He lives in St. Francis Bay, South Africa, together with his wife and two sons.

MIHRETU GUTA, PhD (Ethiopia / USA) teaches philosophy at Biola University, Azusa Pacific University, and Addis Ababa University. Dr. Guta completed his Ph.D. in Philosophy at Durham University, UK under the supervision of Professor E. J. Lowe and Professor Sophie Gibb. Dr. Guta subsequently worked as a postdoctoral research fellow within the Durham Emergence Project (funded by the John Templeton Foundation), where he researched the nature of the emergence of consciousness from the standpoint of metaphysics, philosophy of mind, neuroscience, and quantum physics. In the past, Dr. Guta served as an assistant to the academic dean and lecturer at the Evangelical Theological College in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Dr. Guta is a member of a Preaching Team at the Redeemer Church in La Mirada, California, USA.

JOSEPH OKELLO, PhD (Kenya / US) is professor of philosophy of Christian religion. Dr. Okello received a Th.B. from Scott Theological College (Ke nya), 1994; a M.Div. (1999) and M.A. in church music (2000) at Asbury Seminary; and a M.A. (2004) and Ph.D. (2007) in philosophy at the University of Kentucky. While he was a student at Asbury Seminary, he earned the Frank Bateman Stanger award for excellence in preaching and the Philosophy and Christian apologetics award. Dr. Okello has served as a pastor and choral director at Africa Inland Church. He has published several articles and books, including Revisiting God: A Commonsense Approach to Theism (Xulon Press, 2008).

SAMUEL WAJE KUNHIYOP, PhD (Nigeria) is professor of Theology and Ethics at Jos ECWA Theological Seminary (JETS), where he previously served as Provost. Prior to that, he served as head of the Postgraduate School, South African Theological Seminary. He holds a BA (JETS), MAET (Western Seminary, Portland, Oregon), and PhD (Trinity International University, Illinois) He is an ordained minister with the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA).

KYAMA MUGAMBI, PhD (Kenya / USA) is assistant professor of World Christianity at Yale Divinity School, New Haven, Connecticut. He was previously at Africa International University, where he has been serving as a senior researcher and faculty member at the university’s Centre for World Christianity. He specializes in ecclesial, social, cultural, theological, and epistemological themes within African urban Christianity. His 2020 book, A Spirit of Revitalization: Urban Pentecostalism in Kenya, which traces the history of Pentecostalism in Kenya, has been hailed as a singular contribution to the fields of mission studies, world Christianity, and intercultural theology. He also served as the editorial manager of African Theological Network Press, an initiative advancing theological discourse among academics and church workers. He is a member of the editorial boards of the Dictionary of African Christian Biography [www.dacb.org] and Missio Africanus. He remains connected to the local church having served as a pastor for more than 20 years.

SEYRAM AMENYEDZI, PhD (Ghana) holds an MSc in Christian Education from the Life Christian University, USA and PhD Missiology (disability research) from Stellenbosch University (2016) where she also pursued several courses in research methodology at the African Doctoral Academy. She is an ordained minister and has been in ministry for over twenty-three years. Seyram is currently a postgraduate supervisor at the South African Theological Seminary where she was a fulltime Senior lecturer for over five years. She is a research fellow with the International Research Training Group, Transformative religion: Religion as situated knowledge in processes of social transformation, funded by the South African National Research Foundation (NRF) and the German Research Foundation (DFG), and is stationed at the University of Western Cape. She has developed a number of research methodologies for doing Afrocentric Research.

JOSEPH BYAMUKAMA (Uganda) is the founder and team leader at Veracity Fount, a ministry in Uganda that aims at researching and resourcing for church renewal. He is a PhD New Testament Candidate at Ridley College, Melbourne under Dr. Brian Rosner. His research focuses on the “Witness” language in the Acts of the Apostles on the backdrop of YHWH’s contest against the gods of the nations in Isaiah. Joseph is married to Daphne, and together they have a son – Abaho.

DANIËL MARITZ, PhD (South Africa) After school, Daniël pursued his studies in theology at the North West University in Potchefstroom. In 2015 he started his master’s degree on the New Age movement’s infiltration of the church and consequently enrolled for a Ph.D. in theology which he completed in 2020. He is a pastor at the Reformed Church Brooklyn in Pretoria and on the leadership of a church plant group called Dialogue. He established the Ratio Christi chapter at the University of Pretoria in 2018. Daniël married Ansie, who is a lecturer in linguistics, in 2015. They currently live in Pretoria.

RODGERS ATWEBEMBEIRE, REV. (Uganda) is a PhD candidate, NorthWest University. He serves as the East Africa Director of the Africa Centre for Apologetics Research (ACFAR) and pastor of New City Community Church in Kampala, Uganda. Rodgers is much in demand as a conference speaker on apologetics, cults, and related topics, and his teaching ministry includes radio and television programs and a podcast. He is also a frequent contributor to The Gospel Coalition – Africa.

JUDY WANJIRU WANG’OMBE did her MDiv (Biblical Studies) and MTh (Missions) with Africa International University, Kenya. She is currently a doctoral candidate of Inter-Religious Studies in the same university. She has a keen interest in understanding the lived experiences of Muslims, especially those pertaining to the world of spirits. She has served in various Muslim locations and interacted with Muslims from different cultural settings.