By virtue of Mercy Amba Oduyoye's birth in 1934 and childhood in Ghana under British
rule, her career has coincided with the tumultuous period of modern African history:
the struggle against colonial domination, political instability after independence, war
and violent religious and ethnic strife, the widening economic gap between the
Northern and Southern hemispheres, famine and ecological disaster, the overthrow
of apartheid, and the tortuous road to democracy. As a feminist theologian and a
leader in the ecumenical movement, Oduyoye has worked tirelessly to ensure that
women's voices and concerns have been heard amid such momentous changes in
African society.

In her several books and more than eighty published articles, Oduyoye has written on
numerous subjects, such as the doctrine of God, the Bible, anthropology, the church,
mission, and spirituality. One of her central concerns has been the ways African
religion and culture shape and influence the experiences of African women. Culture
can provide women their communal identity and sense of belonging, while at the
same time it can be manipulated and used as a tool of domination. She writes,
"African women's theology is developing in the context of global challenges and
situations in Africa's religio-culture that call for transformation." (1) This article
examines one issue that occupies a pivotal position in her writings over the past
several decades: the relation between cultural hermeneutics and Christian theology.

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