The problem of African women's hospitality has not been well handled in most churches in Africa. Although many churches seem to attach great value to African women's hospitality, there are still a lot of situations related to African women's hospitality that have been dehumanising and oppressive to African women both in the church and in the society. Issues such as the HIV/AIDS pandemic, economic hardship and sexuality have all affected African women's practice of hospitality. The fact that problems related with African women's hospitality surface within the church goes to show that this kind of hospitality needs to be re-examined by the Church if it has to be free and liberative to African women. Despite all these effects, African women themselves have valued and accepted hospitality as part of their calling in their service to God. The aim of this thesis is to discuss African women's hospitality from an African woman theologian's perspective. Writing as an African woman theologian, the researcher was able to bring out some of the effects of African hospitality to African women. Apart from hospitality being an African way of life and a virtue that needs to be embraced by both African culture and Christianity, hospitality is also viewed as a' command from God to all the Jews and Christians. On the other hand it is also important to mention that hospitality is a gift from God in that there are people who are gifted in extending their acts of hospitality to others. Hospitality as a concept, which has been practiced mainly by women in most African societies has impacted many dimensions of life especially in the Christian faith where African women's hospitality has been viewed as God's command to God's people. Although there is some literature produced on hospitality, the researcher noted with special interest that not much literature has been covered from the theological side on the issue of African women's hospitality and HIV/AIDS. The study was undertaken in the United Church of Zambia with the Mothers' Union group of St. Margaret Church of Kitwe. Among many others, the study reviewed the need for enculturation and contextualization of the African culture and the gospel. Chapter one is the introduction to the study. This includes the background to and motivation for the study, statement of the problem, the methodology used to collect data and the literature review. Chapter two brings out the historical background of hospitality both from the Biblical and African concept. The chapter shows African women's practice of hospitality in all these aspects and how their practises impacted the communities and people who lived at that time. Chapter three looks at different ways African women express their acts of hospitality. The effects of this expression of hospitality are also discussed. The other issues that have been covered are the response of African women theologians' to African women's practise of hospitality. Chapter four examines how HIV/AIDS has affected the practise of African women's hospitality and how these women who continue to offer hospitality under HIV/AIDS conditions cope with the risks involved in the practice. Chapter five analyses the research findings using cultural hermeneutics of Kanyoro 2000 as the frame of reference. Chapter six concludes African women's understanding of hospitality. This chapter states that African women's hospitality is a gift from God and women who are involved in this practice should be encouraged to do so. However, there is need for the church and community to re-examine the practice and look out for oppressive structures that are destructive to the African women's practice of hospitality. The chapter has also called on the church to be supportive to African women in their practise of hospitality. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

This thesis examines the development the cult of St Margaret at Dunfermline as a royal cult from 1070, the moment when St Margaret married King Malcolm III at Dunfermline, to 1420, the year of the burial of Robert duke of Albany who was the last royal member to be buried at Dunfermline. Scholars have focused on the life of St Margaret and her reputation or achievement from the biographical, institutional and hagiographical point of view. Although recent historians have considered St Margaret as a royal saint and Dunfermline as a royal mausoleum, they have approached this subject with relatively simple patterns, compared to the studies of the cults of European royal saints and their centres, in particular, those of English and French Kingdoms which influenced Scottish royalty. Just as other European royal cults such as the cults at Westminster and St-Denis have been researched from the point of view of several aspects, so the royal cult at Dunfermline can be approached in many ways. Therefore, this thesis will examine the development of Dunfermline Abbey as a royal cult centre through studying the abbey and the cult of St Margaret from the point of view of miracles and pilgrimage, lay patronage, and liturgical and devotional space. The examination of St Margaret’s miracles stories and pilgrimage to Dunfermline contribute to understanding these stories in the context of the development of the cult. The study of lay patronage explains the significance of royal favour and non-royal patrons in relation to the development of the cult, and how and why the royal cult developed and declined, and how the monks of Dunfermline promoted or sustained the cult of the saint. Lastly, the research of the liturgical and devotional space provides an explanation of the change of liturgical space from the point of view of the development of the cult.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2004. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 378-404).

No description available.

The study investigated Zimbabwean Christian and Muslim women who had experienced domestic violence with a view to finding out the extent to which these women used provisions of the Domestic Violence Act of 2006. The study was conducted in urban Masvingo and its surroundings. The methodology applied to the empirical investigation was qualitative and was informed by the phenomenological, feminist and pragmatic theoretical frameworks. Data was collected, by means of in-depth semi-structured interviews, from 30 participants, 22 Christian and 8 Muslim, who were selected using purposive sampling and snowball sampling techniques. In investigating the women’s experiences, some questions guided the study. These include: Where and to what extent does a select group of Christian and Muslim women who fall victim to domestic violence normally seek help? How do religious and cultural beliefs and practices influence the response to domestic violence by the abused as well as those to whom they report? To what extent do religious communities prevent selected victims of domestic violence from seeking legal assistance? Data was analysed by coding responses according to themes. The study revealed that the participants perceived domestic violence as having diverse causes and most of them saw their religion as crucial in addressing their plight. It emerged that a majority of the participants sought help from their religious communities as well as relatives and friends. Mixed responses emanated from these sources of help. The most common response, based largely on religious and cultural beliefs, was to encourage participants to avoid reporting to authorities. It also emerged that most of the participants were not willing to seek help from the police, courts or legal practitioners to seek redress because of the advice they received as well as their own internalised beliefs. Religious, social, and economic factors prevented most participants from appealing to provisions of the Domestic Violence Act.It was concluded that the Zimbabwean Domestic Violence Act had limited usefulness for participants because of religious, social and economic factors. It was recommended that if relevant stakeholders could jointly work together, domestic violence would be alleviated. Recommendations for further research were also made. / Religious Studies & Arabic / D. Litt. et Phil. (Religious Studies)

The reclamation and analysis of women's experiences within three Nonconformist denominations is the focus of this thesis. The first chapter places each denomination in its social and theological context, and describes its governing structures. The bulk of the thesis is devoted to situating women within this context and examining the ways in which women sought representation within male-dominated governing structures. Chapter two examines the conflict between Friends' egalitarian theology and women's lack of governing power. Although women Friends gained access to the governing body of the Society, the issue of equality remained problematic. The chapter finishes with a discussion of the Society's split over women's suffrage. The Baptist Zenana Mission is the focus of the third chapter. Zenana missionaries claimed spiritual and imperial authority over "native" women and used the languages of separate spheres to carve out a vocation for single women in keeping with denominational norms. In so doing, they marginalised the work done by missionary wives. The fourth chapter begins with an examination of the life and theology of Catherine Booth, whose contribution to the Salvation Army is often neglected. Catherine advocated women's ministry in terms that validated both "women's work for women" and public preaching. This chapter looks at the appeal of officership for women, especially the empowering experiences of salvation and holiness, and charts the growth of the Women's Social Work. Despite the Army's egalitarian theology, conflict was felt by women officers who struggled to combine corps and family duties. The final chapter briefly examines idealised representations of women to conclude that their defining power, while significant, was by no means hegemonic.

The study investigated Zimbabwean Christian and Muslim women who had experienced domestic violence with a view to finding out the extent to which these women used provisions of the Domestic Violence Act of 2006. The study was conducted in urban Masvingo and its surroundings. The methodology applied to the empirical investigation was qualitative and was informed by the phenomenological, feminist and pragmatic theoretical frameworks. Data was collected, by means of in-depth semi-structured interviews, from 30 participants, 22 Christian and 8 Muslim, who were selected using purposive sampling and snowball sampling techniques. In investigating the women’s experiences, some questions guided the study. These include: Where and to what extent does a select group of Christian and Muslim women who fall victim to domestic violence normally seek help? How do religious and cultural beliefs and practices influence the response to domestic violence by the abused as well as those to whom they report? To what extent do religious communities prevent selected victims of domestic violence from seeking legal assistance? Data was analysed by coding responses according to themes. The study revealed that the participants perceived domestic violence as having diverse causes and most of them saw their religion as crucial in addressing their plight. It emerged that a majority of the participants sought help from their religious communities as well as relatives and friends. Mixed responses emanated from these sources of help. The most common response, based largely on religious and cultural beliefs, was to encourage participants to avoid reporting to authorities. It also emerged that most of the participants were not willing to seek help from the police, courts or legal practitioners to seek redress because of the advice they received as well as their own internalised beliefs. Religious, social, and economic factors prevented most participants from appealing to provisions of the Domestic Violence Act.It was concluded that the Zimbabwean Domestic Violence Act had limited usefulness for participants because of religious, social and economic factors. It was recommended that if relevant stakeholders could jointly work together, domestic violence would be alleviated. Recommendations for further research were also made. / Religious Studies and Arabic / D. Litt. et Phil. (Religious Studies)

In this thesis I argue that Jordan of Saxony (d. 1237), Master of the Order of Preachers, fostered a culture of openness toward the participation of women in the religious life of the Dominican order. This is demonstrated, in part, through the study of the nature of Jordan's support for Diana d'Andalò (d. 1236) and her convent of Sant'Agnese and his presentation of female pastoral care in the Libellus, his history of the order. The argument is also developed by means of a chronologically-informed reading of Jordan's letters, which explores his use of familial language, his employment of the topoi of spiritual friendship, and the significance he attributes to the role of religious women's prayer in the order's evangelical mission. Jordan's friendship with Diana d'Andalò and her convent of Sant'Agnese is well-known, if not necessarily well-explored. It is usually treated as a case apart from the order's increasing hostility to the pastoral care of religious and devout women, which gained momentum over the course of Jordan's tenure. This thesis seeks to break down this compartmentalized view by articulating not only the close parallels between Jordan's perception of friars and nuns within the order, but also the way in which he extended bonds of mutual religious commitment to religious women outside the order. As such, this study also intends to contribute to a growing historiography that explores the various ways in which medieval men and women participated together in religious life.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The division of labor in households is an important topic in marital relationships. Families are not static; they are in a constant state of change. Employment, individual family members’ schedules, and religious beliefs can impact how couples divide household tasks. This particular study draws on in-depth interviews of four married couples from American Baptist churches to explore how couples within this type of church divide household tasks. The interviews focused on the management of second- and third-shift household tasks, as well as childcare. The purpose of obtaining this information was to see if the way American Baptist couples handle second-, third-shift duties, and childcare is more consistent with general population couples or more consistent with Evangelical/Conservative couples. Husbands and wives were interviewed separately to obtain individual thoughts and opinions. The interviews revealed that when it comes to second-shift tasks and child care, American Baptist couples are more in line with general population couples. As far as third-shift duties, Evangelical, general population, and American Baptist couples are all currently handling in very similar ways with the female performing the majority of third-shift tasks.

Le présent travail enrichit la thématologie à un double niveau, à la fois par une réflexion méthodologique sur les différents modes de manifestation du thème, et par une meilleure connaissance d'un "mythe" littéraire précis, celui de sainte Marie-Madeleine, dont la vitalité ne laisse aucun doute, tant dans la fréquence de l'utilisation du personnage depuis deux mille ans, que dans l'originalité des interprétations, malgré d'inévitables redites et banalités. <p>Sur la base d'une analyse minutieuse des différentes composantes du thème magdaléen dans la littérature franco-belge d'expression française après 1814, et des incarnations féminines qui s'en dégagent, cette thèse définit les contours du visage de la Madeleine de ces deux derniers siècles, et démontre la raison fondamentale de la permanence de la figure évangélique à travers les siècles :sa rencontre immédiate, et constante, avec le motif de la Femme dans la civilisation judéo-chrétienne. / Doctorat en philosophie et lettres, Orientation langue et littérature / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished