How to Go with the Kimbanguist Theology

   Etymologically, theology comes from two words: Theo meaning God and logo, meaning speech, study. Theology is, therefore, the word God, a study on God. As we perceive God through revelation, theology has as object the revelations. In his study, theology needs a framework and sources. The framework is the field of experience of revelation and sources are the ways and means by which experience is perceived.

However, it is noted those in normative terms. As of science, study, theology has no colors. No church has the monopoly. It produces only standards that regulate the intelligence of faith in a scientific discipline. So theology becomes clearly explained cyclically and becomes as an application (applied in a given situation: a church determined, a particular region, people determined, etc.). It is the case of Catholic theology, Protestant theology, Kimbanguist theology, Western theology, black theology, etc.

In relation to the Kimbanguist theology, it’s better to explain how things work.

Kimbanguist theology has no reason to flee the routed diagram. But it’s mainly based on revelation that illustrate God in the Trinity (father, son and Holy Spirit) this is typically the pole of God while humanity in its journey towards God as the main pole. The Kimbanguist specificity in relation to God lies in the perception of the Holy Spirit, whereas others believe that the Holy Spirit is the energy of God related to the personification of Jesus Christ (Western position) and others are limited to assign personal characteristics (Eastern Position), but the Kimbanguist position goes way further in its consideration. Because apart from the manifestation of the Holy Spirit energy, which is supported everywhere, the Kimbanguist Theology also supports a Hypostatic demonstration i.e., believes in the possibility of the Holy Spirit to be made flesh in Papa Simon Kimbangu. Hence the affirmation Simon Kimbangu is the Holy Spirit.

    From the Kimbanguist theology, the Kimbanguist community faith is based on its framework. Because it is the only community that proves its experience on this faith. As an example, four sources are selected:

      1º we all know that the Bible as Word of God.
But referring on father Diangienda Kuntima, the father of the Kimbanguist (*) theology, who confirmed that the bible is still incomplete. Because, if the Holy Spirit is God, and lives among us, the Bible as the word of God must also mark the traces of the holy spirit containing his work. In the meantime, this gets nothing in the Bible as a source. Because it is from the interpretation of passages contained therein that Simon Kimbangu is associated with the Holy Spirit and the message brought by Simon Kimbangu that led us to understand its fullness.

     2º the church Tradition that came up to design the Bible, used books as a tool. However, the revelation of God did not end up to the death of the last apostle. God has inspired and continues to inspire from one day to the next. Now, where is the importance of the tradition; yes, in the Church course dotted with examples of lives of faith. The Kimbanguism occurring at the confluence of the Christian tradition and the Kongo tradition, here is another reason more than one highlighted the importance of the tradition. Otherwise, for example, the Kimbanguist theology cannot be justified before the importance of the figure of mother Kimpa Vita in the Church, the exhumation of mother Muilu or our craze to Kulumbimbi.

    3º the Magisterium of the Church:
In the Kimbanguist Church, the spiritual leader is infallible and his words, his writings are a source of authority. This is why they are the Magisterium and as such, source of the Kimbanguist theology.

     4º songs inspired:
In the Kimbanguist Church, songs are not composed but instead captured. Due to this nature of inspiration of hymnology Kimbanguist, inspired songs are a source of its theology.

So, from these tools those Kimbanguist theologians are well enough informed and instructed spiritually as father Diangienda Kuntima confirmed, these spiritual tools provide answers to various questions that humanity charge in his daily. That requires a depth in the faith on their part.

Pastor Kalemba Manzo Constantino,

Kimbanguist theologian