A Christian Response to Religious Revisionism in Uganda: A Case of Faith of Unity Religion in Bunyoro Sub-region

Abstract

The thesis examines a Christian apologetic response to religious revisionism in Uganda: a case of the Faith of Unity Religion in Bunyoro sub-region. Religious revisionism involves reinterpreting or redefining established doctrines and poses a significant and growing challenge to orthodox Christianity worldwide, especially evident in Uganda's lively and diverse religious scene. This the-sis highlights a critical gap in region-specific Christian apologetic responses to such revisionism, focusing on the rapidly expanding Faith of Unity Religion (FOUR) in the Bunyoro Sub-region, a movement whose founder claims divinity. While the Church of Uganda (COU) has traditionally used presuppositional apologetics to counter theological errors, its continued effectiveness against new religions like FOUR, which deny core Christian essentials such as biblical authority, the deity of Christ, and the Trinity, needs reevaluation. The rise of such groups calls for a more straightfor-ward and evidence-based approach. The main goal of this study was to explore how Christian apologetics can serve as an effective response to religious revisionism in Uganda, with a focus on FOUR. To do this, the research examined the widespread religious revisionism throughout Ugan-da, thoroughly analyzed FOUR's unique doctrines and practices, and studied their specific disrup-tive impact on COU ministry within the Diocese of Bunyoro Kitara. Using a qualitative theological-critical method, the study investigated FOUR's core revisionist claims by examining its foundational doctrines and comparing them to orthodox Christian theology and Scripture. Based on Evi-dential Apologetics and using Edward John Carnell’s truth-verification standards, the research builds a strong, context-sensitive Christian response. The findings detail FOUR's significant devia-tions from traditional Christian beliefs, identifying key areas like Christology, Bibliology, and the nature of God, and showing how they disturb local Christian communities. The study shows that a carefully developed evidentialist apologetic, which utilizes historical, logical, and experiential arguments, can effectively counter these revisionist claims. This research offers a practical, contextually tailored framework for engaging with new religions in an African setting, providing valuable, actionable insights for the COU's pastoral and evangelistic efforts, and enriching the broader scholarly discussion on religious change and Christian apologetics in modern Africa.