Ancestor worship in Korea and Africa: Social function or religious phenomenon?

Abstract

Ancestor worship is a dilemma for Christian communities� in Korea and Africa, who have difficulty adapting Western theology to their Third World cultures. Allan Culpepper calls� ancestor worship a cultural phenomenon, not a hindrance to the Gospel message, which this article refutes. Ancestor worship is religious rather� than social in function. Common features of ancestor worship in Africa and Korea are 1) conventional� superstition (shamanism in Korea, animism in Africa), 2) belief in immortality, and� 3) ancestor veneration/filial piety. Theological assessment reveals the incompatibility of ancestor worship with Christianity. 1)� Fear of ancestors is replaced by liberation� in Christ. 2) The dead exist in a mode completely different to earthly existence and have no power in the world. 3) Ancestors cannot fulfil the intermediary role reserved for the Holy Spirit. Ancestor worship should� be viewed as idol worship. Contextualisation of kerygma becomes distorted when religious pluralism is tolerated.