Secularization in Igboland: Socio-religious Change and Its Challenges to the Church Among the Igbo

Secularization is often presumed to be a phenomenon that is exclusive to the industrialized and technologically advanced countries. After a comprehensive survey of how secularization is understood and evaluated in various fields of knowledge, this study demonstrates that it has since become a feature of Igbo society. While colonialism and missionary activity initiated it, cultural, social, and ideological influences from Europe and North America now foster it. Generally, secularization challenges the Church and Christians to bear qualitative and culturally relevant witness to the gospel. In the Igbo context, this challenge includes the urgent necessity of incarnating the gospel into the people's culture.