Does theology need to be decolonized - and if so, how? This question was addressed in the webinar of the "Mission-Colonialism Revisited" series at the beginning of September 2025. Yes, it urgently needs to be decolonized, explained the two experts, Thandi Gamedze from South Africa and Scotty J. Williams from the Netherlands. The recording of the webinar is available on our website.
At a time when even the government policies of many countries are blatantly promoting division and dehumanization, repentance and prophetic theology are needed. Because the "divorce certificate has not yet been signed" - as Thandi Gamedze puts it metaphorically - in order to separate from colonial theology, which for centuries has justified the profit of some at the expense of others.
Thandi Gamedze is a senior researcher at the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice in South Africa. In her doctoral thesis, she investigated the role churches play in maintaining and challenging dominant power relations in relation to ethnicity, gender and class. Scotty J. Williams, senior pastor at the American Protestant Church of The Hague in the Netherlands, has also looked at the issue of power relations and says it is about unlearning the "pious paternalism" with which "Western" churches and theologies treat others.
Democratized pedagogy and a changed image of God
In their presentations, Thandi Gamedze and Scotty Williams report on both scientific research and personal experiences. To overcome paternalism, it is helpful to actively learn from the powerless and minorities. The current deep crisis in particular may open up theological possibilities. This includes a democratized pedagogy (such as that of Paulo Freire), which takes all people seriously as competent teachers; and it includes a contextual reading of the Bible.
However, political partisanship (such as that of the South African Kairos Document of 1985) and, last but not least, a different image of God are also important: namely a God who is among the oppressed. In the poem "God is getting tired", which Thandi Gamedze recited at the end of her contribution, this image of God became visible. It expressed what decolonial theology can mean.
The recording of the webinar with the presentations by Thandi Gamedze and Scotty Williams as well as discussions is available on our website here in the original English version and with a German translation. The two presentations are also available for reading.
