Final answer:
Christians used religious teachings and missions as a key approach to convert Africans to Christianity, often incorporating the local culture and beliefs into the practice of the new religion.
Step-by-step explanation:
One approach Christians used to convert Africans to Christianity was D) Religious teachings and missions. In the complex process of spreading Christianity and Islam throughout Africa, missionaries played a critical role. They aimed to assimilate the African population to Christianity not only through religious instruction but also through cultural assimilation. This often involved blending traditional African practices with Christian beliefs, a process sometimes referred to as the 'Africanization' of Christianity.
Priests and ministers from various Christian denominations were sent to establish churches, schools, and other institutions to facilitate conversion. They sought to teach the language of the conquering nation and, in some cases, took in orphaned or abandoned children in an attempt to raise them within the Christian faith and the culture of the colonial power. While these efforts didn't always completely erase traditional beliefs, over time many Africans and African Americans became Christians, with the resulting African Christianity holding onto elements of traditional African beliefs and rituals.