The emergence of the African church as an early expression of Edward Wilmot Blyden's religious philosophy : case of the gold coast (Ghana)‎

الملخص EN

Recently many studies have been conducted to examine Edward Wilmot Blyden's philosophy.

Yet, these studies neglected the contributory role Blyden had on giving shape and substance to the religious wellbeing of the African.

Blyden, through systematic tours in Sierra Leone, Nigeria and the Gold Coast, articulated a thorough understanding of the malicious impact of European Christianity and its derogatory role in picturing God in Western terms.

He envisioned a future of religious excellence where the African religious world did not interject with his environment but found in everything African an asset to his future progress.

The present study thus examines Blyden's religious philosophy and its impact on the emergence of the African Church in the Gold Coast.

The study further concludes that Gold Coasters, like other West Africans, saw in Blyden's religious philosophy an outlet to form purely African churches.

These churches imparted a metamorphosis change to how an African Christian conceived his religious world uncontaminated by Western influences and eager to resurrect African religious philosophy that had long been damaged by European presence.