Blog

By Januarius Asongu, PhD

Christian theology has long maintained that original sin wounds not only the human will but also the intellect. We remain capable of knowing truth, yet our relationship with truth is vulnerable to ignorance, self-deception, disordered desire, and distortion. Critical Synthetic Realism (CSR) proposes the concept of Epistemic Fracture as a contemporary framework for understanding these noetic effects of humanity's fallen condition.

Epistemic Fracture, however, is not a...

By Januarius J. Asongu, PhD

This morning, at the 10:30 Mass at St. Joseph Parish in Middletown, Delaware, I witnessed something both ordinary and profound. A young family brought their infant daughter forward for baptism.

I was deeply moved.

At a time when church attendance is declining across much of the United States, churches are consolidating or closing, monasteries face diminishing vocations, and growing numbers of young people identify with no religious tradition, here was a young family...

By Januarius Asongu, PhD

I generally avoid the politics of French Cameroun. My principal concern has long been the emancipation of the former British Southern Cameroons, today commonly called Ambazonia. Yet, given what I regard as the annexation of Ambazonia by La République du Cameroun, developments in Yaoundé cannot simply be ignored. Political change there will inevitably affect Ambazonia, just as the unresolved Ambazonian question will continue to shape Cameroun’s future.

President Paul...

By Prof. Januarius Asongu

Religious institutions speak about truth with an authority few other institutions claim. The Catholic Church, in particular, understands itself as entrusted with divine revelation and guided by the Holy Spirit in preserving and teaching the truths necessary for salvation. Yet the history of Christianity also contains uncomfortable moments when the Church has had to acknowledge that Christians—including theologians, bishops, ecclesiastical institutions, and even popes—...

By Januarius Asongu, PhD

Every August 15, Catholics celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, one of the most beautiful feasts of the liturgical year. The doctrine holds that, at the completion of her earthly life, Mary was taken body and soul into heavenly glory. Theologically, the teaching is rich. It connects Mary with the resurrection of Christ, affirms the dignity of the human body, and presents her as an anticipation of humanity's ultimate destiny. Yet the...

By Januarius Asongu, PhD

Critical Synthetic Realism (CSR) has developed as a philosophical framework concerned with reality, knowledge, personhood, freedom, and human flourishing. Yet one dimension deserves more systematic attention: moral psychology. If CSR asks how human beings know reality and flourish within it, moral psychology asks a closely related question: How do human beings perceive, desire, judge, choose, fail, change, and ultimately become morally mature persons?

A CSR moral...

Prof. Januarius Asongu

The recent passing of the Fon of Kom has brought renewed attention to one of the Kingdom's most distinctive royal mourning rites. Images of women mourning with uncovered chests have circulated widely, provoking admiration, discomfort, criticism, and vigorous debate. In response, Professor Paul Nkwi and other defenders of the tradition have explained that the rite is neither an act of indecency nor degradation. Rather, within the symbolic universe of Kom culture, it...

By Prof. Januarius Asongu, PhD

"Well done, good and faithful servant... Enter into the joy of your Lord." (Matthew 25:23)

Today, with profound sorrow, I learned of the passing of the Right Reverend Bishop Francis Teke Lysinge, S.T.L., D.H.L. (Hon.), who entered into eternal rest in Mamfe. The Church in Cameroon has lost one of her gentlest shepherds, and I have lost a cherished spiritual father.

There are some lives that proclaim the Gospel more eloquently than many sermons. Bishop Francis...

By Januarius Asongu, PhD

Education is frequently heralded as the cornerstone of personal success, economic development, and social progress. Governments around the world invest billions of dollars in schools and universities, while educational institutions continuously revise their curricula, adopt new technologies, and develop innovative teaching methods. Yet despite these considerable efforts, many societies continue to struggle with persistent challenges: the spread of misinformation,...

A Reflection at the Convalidation of the Marriage of Dr. Anselm Tintinu and Fiona Bebongchu

Prof. Januarius Asongu, PhD

Let me begin by expressing my heartfelt gratitude to my younger brother, Dr. Anselm Tintinu, and his beloved wife, Fiona Bebongchu, for inviting me to share a few reflections on this joyful occasion. Anselm was the very first of our siblings to stay with us here in the United States, and we’re very proud of who he has become. I also thank every one of you for honouring their...

By George Nchumbonga Lekelefac, PhD.c. B.Phil. (Mexico); S.T.B. (Rome); J.C.L./M.C.L. (Ottawa); Doctorandus, University of Münster, Germany; International Advocate for the Oppressed, Voice of the Voiceless, Defender of Fundamental Human Rights, Canon Lawyer/Jurist, Friend to the Vulnerable, and Enemy of Every Oppressor/Tyrant

Motto: “Not merely to recount what has been, but to share in molding what should be.” — Prof. Dr. Bernard Nsokika Fonlon, Editor of the Cameroon Cultural Review, Abbia...

By Nchumbonga George Lekelefac, PhD.c. B.Phil. (Mexico); S.T.B. (Rome); J.C.L./M.C.L. (Ottawa); Doctorandus, University of Münster, Germany; International Advocate for the Oppressed, Voice of the Voiceless, Defender of Fundamental Human Rights, Canon Lawyer/Jurist, Friend to the Vulnerable, and Enemy of Every Oppressor/Tyrant

Motto: “Not merely to recount what has been, but to share in molding what should be.” — Prof. Dr. Bernard Nsokika Fonlon, Editor of the Cameroon Cultural Review, Abbia...

By Januarius Asongu, PhD

For more than half a century, African philosophy has been preoccupied with a question that, while historically understandable, may no longer be the most important one: What makes philosophy African?

This question emerged in response to colonial-era claims that Africa possessed no genuine philosophy. Early African scholars rightly sought to recover the continent's intellectual dignity by demonstrating the richness of African thought, traditions, languages, and systems of...

Januarius Asongu

Some journeys are measured in miles. Others are measured in conversations. A rare few begin as ordinary commutes and end by enlarging the world.

At 5:20 p.m. today, I boarded the New Mexico Rail Runner at Santa Fe’s South Capitol Station for the hour-long journey to Sandoval County/U.S. 550 in Rio Rancho. I expected nothing more than the familiar rhythm of the train, the evening light over the New Mexican landscape, and perhaps a quiet interval between the demands of work and...

By Januarius Asongu, PhD

Most people know CSR as Corporate Social Responsibility—the idea that businesses should pursue more than profits by considering their social and environmental impact.

For me, however, CSR carries a second meaning: Critical Synthetic Realism, the philosophical framework I developed to explore truth, reality, accountability, and human flourishing. The shared acronym is more than coincidence. It reveals a deeper insight: corporate responsibility cannot endure unless it is...

By Januarius Asongu, PhD

For decades, the behavioral health landscape operated under a fragmented architecture. A person wrestling with severe depression or deep-seated trauma was directed to a mental health clinic. If that same individual utilized alcohol or substances to numb their pain, they were sent to an entirely separate addiction rehabilitation center. This artificial segregation assumed human suffering could be neatly categorized and treated in silos.

The reality of human psychology...

By Januarius Asongu, PhD

Trauma changes people. For many, it leaves lasting emotional, psychological, and even physical scars. Yet trauma does not always have the final word. Modern psychology has increasingly recognized a remarkable phenomenon known as post-traumatic growth (PTG)—the possibility that individuals can emerge from profound adversity not merely healed, but transformed. This transformation does not erase suffering or minimize its effects. Rather, it demonstrates the extraordinary...

By Fr John Okoro Egbulefu CCE, Rome 7/7/2026

The earthly Church of Christ is on mission to proclaim, namely to preach and teach, to all the peoples of all the nations of the planet earth: 1) to preach to the poor the Good News 1a) that God (who - as a punishment to humans that turned their back at Him and separated themselves from Him and wandered away from Him - withdrew/hid from them His face as eternal Light that was shining upon them and for them to enable them see Him and themselves and...

Open Letter of Gratitude and Profound Analysis “A Heart Burning in Fraternity: Analysis and Gratitude for the Pastoral Letter ‘Conscience of Fraternity: The Path to Overcoming Racism in Puerto Rico’” by Archbishop Roberto Octavio González Nieves, O.F.M. June 25, 2026

By Nchumbonga George Lekelefac, PhD.c. B.Phil. (Mexico); S.T.B. (Rome); J.C.L./M.C.L. (Ottawa); Doctorandus, University of Münster, Germany; International Advocate for the Oppressed, Voice of the Voiceless, Defender of Fundamental...

By Prof. Januarius Asongu

Abstract

Belief in curses, hexes, spells, and witchcraft remains a significant feature of religious and social life across much of Africa. George Nkeze's Curses, Hexes, and Spells: How to Be Released from Them (2013) represents an influential example of African deliverance theology that seeks to explain suffering through spiritual causation and prescribe religious remedies for liberation. This article critically engages Nkeze's work through the lens of Critical...