scholarly journals Doing African Christian Theology: Some Non-negotiable Essentials

2021 ◽  
pp. 215-228
Author(s):  
Isaac Boaheng
Keyword(s):  
Culturally Sensitive ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Christian Community ◽  
Literature Research ◽  
American Missionaries ◽  
Pan Africanism

Missionary Christianity was introduced into Africa by Western and American missionaries whose theological framework shaped Christianity in Africa. Since theology is contextually informed, missionary theological formulations failed to meet Africa’s needs in many respects. In response, the African church began a quest for an African-brewed theology that is culturally sensitive and contextually relevant. For some time now this quest has engaged many African scholars; yet, no scholarly consensus has been reached regarding the nature and methodology for African Christian theology. This article contributes to the ongoing discourse by examining the emergence and development of African Christian theology and afterward, outlining some essential features that must characterize African Christian theology to make it accessible to and acceptable by the African Christian community. It is a literature research based on critical examination of related publications on African Christian theology. The article offers a model for contemporary Christians who are engaged in or desire to undertake theological research for the benefit of Christianity in Africa. Keywords: Africa, Christian, Pan-Africanism, Theology, Worldview

Hebrew School in Nineteenth-Century Bombay: Protestant Missionaries, Cochin Jews, and the Hebraization of India's Bene Israel Community

2012 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 1764-1808 ◽  
Author(s):  
MITCH NUMARK
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Jewish Community ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
American Missionaries ◽  
Hebrew School ◽  
Hebrew Language ◽  
Bene Israel ◽  
Jewish Liturgy

AbstractThis paper is a study of cultural interaction and diffusion in colonial Bombay. Focusing on Hebrew language instruction, it examines the encounter between India's little-known Bene Israel Jewish community and Protestant missionaries. Whilst eighteenth and nineteenth-century Cochin Jews were responsible for teaching the Bene Israel Jewish liturgy and forms of worship, the Bene Israel acquired Hebrew and Biblical knowledge primarily from nineteenth-century Protestant missionaries. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Bene Israel community was a Konkan jati with limited knowledge of Judaism. However, by the end of the century the community had become an Indian-Jewish community roughly analogous to other Jewish communities. This paper explores how this transformation occurred, detailing the content, motivation, and means by which British and American missionaries and, to a lesser extent, Cochin Jews instructed the Bene Israel in Jewish knowledge. Through a critical examination of neglected English and Marathi sources, it reconstructs the Bene Israel perspective in these encounters and their attitude towards the Christian missionaries who laboured amongst them. It demonstrates that the Bene Israel were active participants and selective consumers in their interaction with the missionaries, taking what they wanted most from the encounter: knowledge of the Old Testament and the Hebrew language. Ultimately, the instruction the Bene Israel received from Protestant missionaries did not convert them to Christianity but strengthened and transformed their Judaism.

scholarly journals De-universalizing the decolonial: between parentheses and falling skies

Gragoatá ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (56) ◽  
pp. 876-911
Author(s):  
Lynn Mario Trindade Menezes de Souza ◽  
Ana Paula Martinez Duboc
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Culturally Sensitive ◽  
The Body ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Language Teacher ◽  
Decolonial Pedagogy

Departing from the premise that decoloniality is growing in popularity within contemporary Brazilian Applied Linguistics studies, this paper claims in favor of a more performative decolonial praxis so as to prevent decoloniality from universality. In doing so, the text begins with some theorizations on decolonial thought with an emphasis on the triad fundamental in any decolonial exercise, that is to Identify-Interrogate-Interrupt coloniality. The paper, then, claims in favor of thinking communication otherwise which, along with the notions of bringing back the body and marking the unmarked, constitute the necessary decolonial strategies if one wishes to interrupt coloniality. A critical examination of The falling Sky: words of a Yanomami shaman, co-authored by Kopenawa and Albert (2013), is brought to the fore as illustrative of a decolonial pedagogy which attempts to help language teacher educators and researchers to become attentive to socially-just-oriented educational agendas that claim to be culturally-sensitive whereas, in fact, they may be serving the purposes of a still prevailing colonial project.

The ecumenical origins of pan-Africanism: Africa and the ‘Southern Negro’ in the International Missionary Council’s global vision of Christian indigenization in the 1920s

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Engel
Keyword(s):  
African Americans ◽  
Us South ◽  
American Missionaries ◽  
Missionary Movement ◽  
Pan Africanism ◽  
The Us ◽  
Global Vision ◽  
Missionary Societies ◽  
Post War ◽  
Definition Of

AbstractThis article explores the attitudes and policies of the International Missionary Council (IMC) concerning Africa and African Americans. It aims to revise historical scholarship that views the ecumenical missionary movement as originating in white Western missions and guided by the goals of post-war internationalism. It argues that the IMC, founded in 1921 as the central institution for coordinating Protestant missions around the world, developed an ecumenical definition of pan-Africanism. This definition cast African Americans from the US south in the role of ‘native’ leaders in the formation of indigenous churches in Africa. With this racialized version of Christian indigenization, the IMC excluded African Christian groups that sought to form their own churches. It promoted, instead, European colonial projects and missionary societies that aimed to use African American missionaries to counter the incendiary ideas of pan-Africanism.

Members of His Body

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Will Stockton
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Body Of Christ ◽  
1 Corinthians ◽  
The Winter's Tale ◽  
Christian Community ◽  
Winter's Tale ◽  
The Merchant Of Venice ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Plural Marriage

Through readings of Shakespeare and Paul, Members of His Body protests the Christian defense of marital monogamy. If the Paul who authors 1 Corinthians would prefer that unmarried believers remain single, the pseudonymous Paul of the epistle to the Ephesians argues that marriage affords the couple membership in the body of Christ. For neither Paul is plural marriage the antithesis of Christian marriage. For the Paul of Ephesians, plural marriage is rather the telos of Christian community. Building on scholarship regarding early modern sexualities, as well as on political-theological conversations about Pauline universalism, Members of His Body argues that marriage functions in The Comedy of Errors, The Merchant of Venice, Othello, and The Winter’s Tale as a contested vehicle of Christian embodiment. Shakespeare’s plays query the extent to which man and wife become “one flesh” through marriage, and the extent to which they share that fleshly identity with other Christians. These plays explore the racial, religious, and gender criteria for marital membership in the body of Christ. Finally, they suggest that marital jealousy and paranoia about adultery result in part from a Christian theology of shared embodiment. In the wake of recent arguments that expanding marriage rights to gay people will open the door to the cultural acceptance and legalization of plural marriage, Shakespeare’s plays remind us that much Christian theology already looks forward to this end.

scholarly journals Untying the knots of thinking: Wittgenstein and the role of philosophy in Christian faith

2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandar S. Santrac
Keyword(s):  
Ludwig Wittgenstein ◽  
Language Game ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Ultimate Truth ◽  
Concrete Application

This article deals with Ludwig Wittgenstein’s philosophy and how it can be properly applied in Christian theology. It provides useful tools for methodology in Christian thinking. According to Wittgenstein, philosophy deals primarily with critical examination, clarification and evaluation of the language we use. Wittgenstein’s ideas − including the concept of mystery beyond linguistic forms, the idea of language game and its possible evolution, the impossibility of the ultimate truth and the concrete application of language − have the potential to play a very significant methodological role in every form of theological doctrinal expression.Wittgenstein en die rol van die filosofie in die Christelike geloof. Hierdie artikel handel oor Ludwig Wittgenstein se filosofie en hoe dit behoorlik toegepas kan word in die Christelike teologie. Dit bied nuttige gereedskap vir metodologie in Christelike denke. Volgens Wittgenstein, handel filosofie hoofsaaklik oor die kritiese ondersoek, verduideliking en evaluering van die taal wat ons gebruik. Wittgenstein se idees − insluitend die konsep van misterie buite taalkundige vorms, die idee van taalspel en die moontlike evolusie, die onmoontlikheid van die uiteindelike waarheid en die konkrete toepassing van taal − het die potensiaal om ’n baie belangrike metodologiese rol te speel in elke vorm teologiese leerstellige uitdrukking.

scholarly journals Exploring the Theology of Selected Hymns: Towards an African Christian Theology of Mission

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Isaac Boaheng
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
African Society ◽  
Christian Community ◽  
Christian Mission ◽  
Theology Of Mission ◽  
Existential Issue ◽  
Theological Message ◽  
The Church

This paper explores the theological message embedded in the hymns: “The incarnate God appeared” and “Come Holy Spirit, come now”. Theological findings from these hymns are used to formulate an African Christian theology of mission based on thematic areas such as the trinitarian dimension of mission, the centrality of the cross in mission, mission as the core mandate of the Church and mission as incarnational agapaō. By this, the paper makes the message of the selected hymns accessible to the global Christian community, promotes the development of hymnody in the African church and at the same time provides a paradigm for Christian mission in the 21st century African society. This is a literature research that uses data from books, theses, journal articles, among others. The findings indicate that hymns constitute a great tool for the missionary enterprise of the church, therefore Christian hymns should be developed and promoted. It is recommended that, for Christian mission in Africa to be meaningful and relevant to Africans, it must endeavor to address the existential issue in African societies. Key Words: Africa, Hymns, Christology, Mission, Pneumatology, Theology

scholarly journals Perbandingan Konsep Teodise John Calvin dan C. S. Lewis serta Relevansinya terhadap Sikap Fatalistik dalam Menghadapi Covid-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-175
Author(s):  
Thio Christian Sulistio ◽  
Esther Gunawan
Keyword(s):  
Free Will ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
John Calvin ◽  
Literature Research ◽  
Making Choices ◽  
God's Word ◽  
The World ◽  
Theological Fatalism ◽  
Human Responsibility ◽  
The Right

Abstract. The world is currently enduring an epidemic of COVID-19 which causes suffering and pain. Facing the COVID-19 pandemic, Indonesian people have shown various responses. One pupular respond is theological fatalism, which believe that God has determined everything so that human efforts and actions are not necessary. In connection to this, the question arouse whether Christian theology, especially Christian theodicy, which was represented in this paper by John Calvin and C. S. Lewis, fell into fatalism? To answer this question, the writer would compare of the two theodicies by using a literature research. Through this research, it was concluded that neither John Calvin's theodicy nor C. S Lewis's had fallen into theological fatalism. Both emphasized free will and human responsibility in making choices and actions. The right attitude is to submit to the authority of God's word which commands us to act by doing good to others who are suffering and sick.Abstrak. Dunia saat ini sedang dilanda wabah penyakit COVID-19 yang menyebabkan penderitaan dan kesakitan. Berhadapan dengan pandemi COVID-19, manusia Indonesia menunjukkan berbagai respon. Salah satu yang umum adalah fatalisme teologis yakni kepercayaan bahwa Allah sudah menetapkan segala sesuatu sehingga usaha dan perbuatan manusia tidak membuat perbedaan dan dampak di dalam sejarah kehidupan. Berkaitan dengan hal tersebut muncul pertanyaan apakah teologi Kristen, khususnya teodise Kristen, yang diwakili di dalam paper ini oleh John Calvin dan C. S. Lewis jatuh ke dalam fatalisme? Untuk menjawab pertanyaan tersebut penulis akan membandingkan kedua teodise tersebut dengan menggunakan studi pustaka. Melalui penelitian tersebut disimpulkan bahwa baik teodise John Calvin maupun C. S Lewis tidak jatuh ke dalam fatalisme teologis. Kedua-duanya sama-sama menekankan kehendak bebas dan tanggung jawab manusia di dalam melakukan pilihan dan tindakan. Sikap yang tepat adalah tunduk kepada otoritas firman Tuhan yang memerintahkan kita untuk bertindak dengan berbuat baik kepada sesama yang menderita dan sakit.

scholarly journals God's Consistency Which Is Promised Through a New-Normal-Era Health Protocol in Order to Preserve The Essence Of Humanity

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 224
Author(s):  
Lister Napitupulu
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Management Guidelines ◽  
New Normal ◽  
Literature Research ◽  
The People ◽  
Normal Health

Health anthropology has experienced a tremendous new revolution, started from last year, 2020. A New-normal Health Protocol formulation was put in place to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak. Natural and social media communities complained about humanity and human rights degradation, raising calls for resistance due to imposed global restrictive regulations. God in Christian theology is a God who promises to His human creation that He will be with and help humans to have a happy and prosperous life. By doing literature research, this paper tries to explore whether the Covid-19 management guidelines are by the consistency of covenant God in restoring the essence of humanity. How is the relation between two paradigms of society, from God’s side and human’s side, through the Health Protocol intervention? The finding is that God, who created perfect human beings, keeps all the processes of his life to become the people of His eternal kingdom. Society and individuals should be able to respond to global regulations as support for faith and perspective to continue to live and fill the days ahead with the maximum quality of life as prime human beings.  ABSTRAK: Antropologi kesehatan mengalami suatu revolusi baru yang dahsyat, dimulai dari tahun lalu, 2020. Sebuah rumusan Protokol Kesehatan New-normal diberlakukan untuk menangani wabah pandemi Covid-19. Masyarakat nyata dan media sosial mengeluhkan perasaan degradasi kemanusiaan dan hak asasi manusia bahkan mencuatkan seruan perlawanan karena peraturan pembatasan global yang dipaksakan. Allah dalam teologi Kristen adalah Allah yang berjanji kepada manusia ciptaan-Nya bahwa Ia akan menyertai dan menolong manusia untuk mendapatkan kehidupan yang sejahtera dan berbahagia. Dengan melakukan sebuah literature-research tulisan ini mencoba menelusuri apakah pedoman tatalaksana Covid-19 ini sesuai dengan konsistensi Allah yang berjanji dalam hal memulihkan esensi kemanusiaan. Bagaimanakah hubungan antara dua paradigma tentang kemanusiaan dari sisi Allah dan manusia melalui intervensi Protokol Kesehatan. Temuan bahwa Allah yang menciptakan manusia yang sempurna menjaga sepanjang proses kehidupannya agar menjadi umat kerajaan kekal-Nya. Seyogyanya masyarakat dan individu dapat menyikapi peraturan global sebagai penopang iman dan cara pandang sehingga tetap dapat menjalani dan mengisi hari-hari ke depan dengan kualitas hidup maksimal sebagai manusia prima.

The Bible and Theology

1976 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-241
Author(s):  
John H. Leith
Keyword(s):  
Christian Theology ◽  
Christian Community ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Relationship

The dependence of Christian theology on the Scriptures cannot be stated in tenus of some one method of using them. But there are features of the relationship which belong to the right and true understanding of them that is faithful to what the Christian community recognized as the decisive revelation of God.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document