The history of African Independent Churches (AICs) in Southern Africa goes back for more than a hundred years. They have proliferated geographically and demographically in Africa more than the mainline churches could ever have imagined. They have grown to be as widespread and as influential as the African mainline churches. The reason for this growth is that the AICs are the churches of African indigenous people. They are launched by Africans from a background of an African traditional and cultural frame of reference. The most significant reason is that the founders of these churches are not Westerners, but Africans. Western missionaries find it difficult to understand the AICs from their perspective. Thus the Western churches describe the AICs as sectarian, separatist, syncretist, nativitist, and so on. Nevertheless, some scholars are attempting to view the AICs in positive ways. The fact that these two different churches have never acknowledged each other as true churches is a big challenge for Christian missions in Namibia. Each group has been viewing and judging the other party through suspicious eyes from their own perspective, each driving the other to block the channel of reconciliation before the presence of God. With the aim of solving this problem, this thesis attempts to answer the following questions about the AICs in Namibia: • What are the reasons that the AICs in Namibia have been seceded from mission churches? • What are the activities in civil society in which the AICs in Namibia are currently involved? • Do the AICs engage in any activities which go against the Word of God? • What causes other churches to be suspicious of the AICs? • What level of enculturation is inherent to the AICs in Namibia? In other words, what is the relationship between the liturgies of the AIC and African traditional religion and African culture? • What makes the AICs in Namibia regard themselves as a church? Would it be possible for the AICs and the mainline churches in Namibia to cooperate in Christian missionary work? • What is a possible Korean missionary perspective on this particular situation? This will be dealt throughout this thesis from a Korean missionary missional perspective. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Science of Religion and Missiology / PhD / Unrestricted

In this dissertation I shall give a brief historical survey of Black Theology and the African Independent Churches (AI Cs). The study focuses mainly to the developments of the two trends in South Africa. This was done after realising that Black Theologians often ignored the history of Black people, including that of the AI Cs which has in the end stymied their efforts. The immediate effects were negative in that little results were produced. ATCs and Black Theology have interesting histories which complement each another. I will present the current state of affairs and give some guidelines on how the future debate can be carried out. The two theological trends have weaknesses and strengths which are clearly identifiable. In chapter four I give guidelines for future debates and possible new developments. This study is also carried out to expand the scope of dialogue and constructive debate among the two. / Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

In this dissertation I shall give a brief historical survey of Black Theology and the African Independent Churches (AI Cs). The study focuses mainly to the developments of the two trends in South Africa. This was done after realising that Black Theologians often ignored the history of Black people, including that of the AI Cs which has in the end stymied their efforts. The immediate effects were negative in that little results were produced. ATCs and Black Theology have interesting histories which complement each another. I will present the current state of affairs and give some guidelines on how the future debate can be carried out. The two theological trends have weaknesses and strengths which are clearly identifiable. In chapter four I give guidelines for future debates and possible new developments. This study is also carried out to expand the scope of dialogue and constructive debate among the two. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

Dress plays an important role in Christian worship. The aim of this study is to describe the importance of dress in the South African Christian context. particularly within the Black Christian society. Two main ideas are covered: firstly. the emphasis on the use of unifonn as a factor influencing worship attendance and secondly, how a uniform affects the quality of worship. Personal investigations into various church groups in the Eastern Cape, particularly the St Anna Sodality, have indicated that specific uniforms are an essential sign of belonging to a particular church. Dress or uniforms also serve as a reminder of people's commitment to their faith. For some groups, a uniform develops a sense of identity, security and fellowship which may have been lost through past political policies. Most importantly the relationship between worship and dress can bring a transformative assertion of the self before God and fellow human beings / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

This study tries to investigate the extent of inculturation in African Churches in general and in Zimbabwe in particular. Some mission churches, like the Catholic, the Anglican and the Methodist Churches were selected for the study. The main areas of investigation are baptism, the Eucharist:, marriage, burial and healing. The study discovered that there is some inculturation going on in all the churches under discussion, especially in the celebration of the Eucharist. On the other hand, it was also discovered that the African Independent Churches, such as Vapostori and the Aladura, churches are much more at home with the implementation of inculturation especially in the area of healing. We concluded that Christianity is not yet deeply rooted in African soil, in particular in Zimbabwe. This is because not much inculturation has taken place in the mission churches. Some recommendations are made to help facilitate the implementation of inculturation and to enable Christianity to take flesh in Africa so as to become an authentic African Christianity. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Systematic Theology)

Text in English / The membership of the African Independent Churches is growing day by day. Research into the growth ohhis phenomenon is being conducted by various scholars. G.C. Oosthuizen studied the African Independent Churches in general, and the Shembe Church, in particular. This study examines Oosthuizen' s research of the African Independent Churches by analysing the three books that he devoted specifically to the Shembe Church. A set of five criteria is developed to evaluate Oosthuizen as a researcher. The study finds that his background and formation affected the research he conducted and contributed to the type of picture he portrayed of the Shembe Church. Oosthuizen, as a scholar of religion, sometimes allowed his theological interests to influence his research. As an empirical researcher Oosthuizen attempted to let the AICs "speak for themselves" but his theological interests caused him to make value judgements which influenced his research findings. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

Many African Independent Churches emerged during the colonial era in central Kenya and western Nigeria. At times they were opposed by government officials and missionaries. Most scholars have limited the field of enquiry to the flash-points of this encounter, thereby emphasizing the relationship at its most severe. This study questions current assumptions about the encounter which have derived from these studies, arguing that both government and missionary officials in Kenya and Nigeria exhibited a broader range of perspectives and responses to African Independent Churches. To characterize them as mainly hostile to African Independent Churches is inaccurate. This study also explores the various encounters between African Independent Churches and African politicians, clergymen, and local citizens. While some scholars have discussed the positive role of Africans in encouraging the growth of independent Christianity, this study will discuss the history in greater depth and complexity. The investigation will show the importance of understanding the encounter on both a local and national level, and the relationships between the two. It is taken for granted that European officials had authority over African leaders, but in regard to this topic many Africans possessed a largely unrecognized ability to influence and shape European perceptions of new religious movements. Finally, this thesis will discuss how African Independent Churches sometimes provoked negative responses from others through confrontational missionary methods, caustic rhetoric, intimidation and even violence. These three themes resurface throughout the history of the encounter and illustrate how current assumptions can be reinterpreted. This thesis suggests the necessity of expanding the primary scholarly focuses, as well as altering the language and basic assumptions of the previous histories of the encounter.

Dress plays an important role in Christian worship. The aim of this study is to describe the importance of dress in the South African Christian context. particularly within the Black Christian society. Two main ideas are covered: firstly. the emphasis on the use of unifonn as a factor influencing worship attendance and secondly, how a uniform affects the quality of worship. Personal investigations into various church groups in the Eastern Cape, particularly the St Anna Sodality, have indicated that specific uniforms are an essential sign of belonging to a particular church. Dress or uniforms also serve as a reminder of people's commitment to their faith. For some groups, a uniform develops a sense of identity, security and fellowship which may have been lost through past political policies. Most importantly the relationship between worship and dress can bring a transformative assertion of the self before God and fellow human beings / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

This study tries to investigate the extent of inculturation in African Churches in general and in Zimbabwe in particular. Some mission churches, like the Catholic, the Anglican and the Methodist Churches were selected for the study. The main areas of investigation are baptism, the Eucharist:, marriage, burial and healing. The study discovered that there is some inculturation going on in all the churches under discussion, especially in the celebration of the Eucharist. On the other hand, it was also discovered that the African Independent Churches, such as Vapostori and the Aladura, churches are much more at home with the implementation of inculturation especially in the area of healing. We concluded that Christianity is not yet deeply rooted in African soil, in particular in Zimbabwe. This is because not much inculturation has taken place in the mission churches. Some recommendations are made to help facilitate the implementation of inculturation and to enable Christianity to take flesh in Africa so as to become an authentic African Christianity. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Systematic Theology)

Text in English / The membership of the African Independent Churches is growing day by day. Research into the growth ohhis phenomenon is being conducted by various scholars. G.C. Oosthuizen studied the African Independent Churches in general, and the Shembe Church, in particular. This study examines Oosthuizen' s research of the African Independent Churches by analysing the three books that he devoted specifically to the Shembe Church. A set of five criteria is developed to evaluate Oosthuizen as a researcher. The study finds that his background and formation affected the research he conducted and contributed to the type of picture he portrayed of the Shembe Church. Oosthuizen, as a scholar of religion, sometimes allowed his theological interests to influence his research. As an empirical researcher Oosthuizen attempted to let the AICs "speak for themselves" but his theological interests caused him to make value judgements which influenced his research findings. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)