TRINITARIAN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES

In African Christian theology, the image of the Cross represents the fundamental primacy of peace, agape, reconciliation, and shalom through the suffering of Christ without resorting to violence against His oppressors and enemies. However, the question of whether the "Gun" (resistance movements, defense forces, and collaborations with political power) is an unavoidable necessity has remained unresolved throughout the history of Africa’s struggles from decolonization to Boko Haram. The paper considers the issue of theological debate regarding African, especially Nigerian, Christianity throughout its history. Analyzing biblical traditions, African concepts such as ubuntu, and empirical research of the church’s response to violence, it proves the significance of peace as the primacy in African Christian ethics yet acknowledges some complex arguments about pacifism and spirituality. This paper used methodological approach is employed in this research:Textual analysis of the biblical and theological texts Contextual theology using African inculturation methodologies.Qualitative analysis of empirical studies of Boko HaramIt is guided by the inculturation theory and decolonial hermeneutic approaches, which recognize the validity of the African categories within theological discourse (Tarus, 2016). Ubuntu provides the theoretical perspective through which this study seeks to examine the issues surrounding Boko Haram (Gathogo, 2022; Lowery, 2025). By consulting African theologians such as Mbiti, Bediako, and Oduyoye, as well as current scholarship on Boko Haram, the study proves that the African church has focused on peace-building, forgiveness, and missional proclamation even when persecuted, while rejecting the theological justification of violence. The study concludes that the Cross, not the gun, is the true Christian calling in Africa

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