Objectives of the Department of Theology

The department of Theology is committed:
1.    to cultivate and to promote the theological disciplines in order to enable students deepen knowledge of the Christian Revelation and Faith, to enunciate systematically the truths contained therein, in collaboration with other sciences and disciplines;
2.    to provide students with general as well as specialized theological studies through teaching  and research in an African environment;
3.    to prepare academic personnel for the apostolate, especially in major seminaries, universities, colleges, pastoral institutes and other various pastoral ministries;
4.    to community service by being active in confronting and solving the problems of society and cultures, as an organ of the Church in her complex task of evangelisation;
5.    to become a centre of encounter and research where the various branches of theological studies and of other forms of human knowledge continuously make dialogue or interact for their mutual enrichment in the light of the Gospel message;
6.    to provide facilities for continuous education;
7.    to collaborate with other institutions of higher learning, particularly with those located in the African region and elsewhere in the world, for integral development, understanding and for the promotion of the Christian Faith and Cultures;
7.    to be a forum for ecumenical dialogue and collaboration with other Christian denominations and with non-Christian theological and religious studies in the whole of Africa and the world at large;
8.    to conduct examinations for and to grant degrees, diplomas and certificates in Theology.

Theological Vision
The theological vision of the Department of Theology of the SSPP Seminary is made up of the following components: Rationale and Distinctiveness.

Justification
The Deoartment of Theology is an academic  organ  of the Church and a centre for research, teaching, publication and community service meant to enable the Family of God in the Africa to fulfil its mission in the following areas:

1.     To proclaim the salvific Word of God to the People of God and society in a relevant and meaningful manner, particularly through the modern means of communication.
2.     Through serious investigations and teaching, to serve the Church as educators of believers in Jesus Christ and as animators of the ecclesial communities in a view of developing their christian awareness as God's family and their role in evangelisation.
3.     Through organised research and teaching to develop a theology which is relevant, credible and transformative for integral life of the people in Africa as a whole.

Distinctiveness
As a centre of creative thinking, as an educational organ, as a catalyst for research and a forum for dialogue in this region, the Faculty has opted for and is characterized by the following:
a)    Liberative and Transformative  Role: the integral liberation and transformation of the
people in their environment, so that they may acquire a resourceful creative mind and right attitudes to their self-determination and fulfilment in Christ.
b)    Inculturation: although the term Inculturation was recently coined, the process of
inculturation has been going on since creation and redemption  began. Through a clear option for student-and-people-centered education, the Faculty of Theology takes inculturation as one of its priorities. This is expressed thus:
No mission statement of an African seminary, theological college or major seminary could be complete without a commitment to the inculturation of the faith in its various dimensions, spiritual, theological, liturgical, catechetical, pastoral, juridical, political, anthropological and communicational.  Our institutions have been invited by the Fathers of the African Synod to make original and innovative contributions to the inculturation of the faith  and church life.
c)     Evangelical and Pastoral Orientation: this academic exercise is not confined only to the communication of the Gospel's message, but it is also concerned with its content and its relevance to the various situations. The pastoral orientation aims, therefore, at the christian liberation and transformation  of both individuals and societies thus leading to a dynamic understanding and living of faith in Jesus Christ.
d)  Methods of Teaching
1.     The department promotes a favourable climate conducive to an on-going academic dialogue. Therefore, besides lectures,  stress  is put on tutorials, seminars. This is meant to foster dialogue, academic openness, constructive criticism and critical thinking.  In this academic environment students should be able to acquire and to develop an academic methodology, academic self-reliance and academic team-work.
2.     Theology, at best, must respond to the joys, sorrows, hopes and fears of the community of faith which the theologian represents.  The Faculty envisions the student’s primary audience, therefore, to be the community of faith on whose behalf he or she engages in the theological quest.