The African perfect God and limited God views and making a better world

Abstract In this article, I discuss the inadequacy of the solution to the problem of evil in a God-created world proposed by the African perfect God theists, Kwame Gyekye and Ebunoluwa Oduwole, and highlight the success of the limited God framework of Kwasi Wiredu, J.A.I. Bewaji, and the Chimakonams in accounting for the evil in the world. However, implicit in the limitation thesis is the claim that God did his best at the time he created the world, such that the evil in it cannot be further reduced to allow for a better world. I argue that the limited God view offers a good reason to believe that a limited God can reduce the evil in the world and make it better, once the deity is conceived as a sufficiently powerful, knowledgeable, and good being with the capacity for continuous improvement within the bounds of limitation.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Religious Studies
Published
2026-01-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0034412525101455
Primary Topic
African cultural and philosophical studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

The African perfect God and limited God views and making a better world

Ada Agada
Religious Studies
African cultural and philosophical studies
article

The African perfect God and limited God views and making a better world

Ada Agada
article en

Abstract

Abstract In this article, I discuss the inadequacy of the solution to the problem of evil in a God-created world proposed by the African perfect God theists, Kwame Gyekye and Ebunoluwa Oduwole, and highlight the success of the limited God framework of Kwasi Wiredu, J.A.I. Bewaji, and the Chimakonams in accounting for the evil in the world. However, implicit in the limitation thesis is the claim that God did his best at the time he created the world, such that the evil in it cannot be further reduced to allow for a better world. I argue that the limited God view offers a good reason to believe that a limited God can reduce the evil in the world and make it better, once the deity is conceived as a sufficiently powerful, knowledgeable, and good being with the capacity for continuous improvement within the bounds of limitation.

Religious Studies
Federal University Otuoke (NG)
Peace, Justice and strong institutions
Openalex Percentile: Top 91%
African cultural and philosophical studies
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.