This study falls within the area of the Bible in African Christianity, particularly ordinary readers' appropriation of and interpretation of the Bible. It seeks to explore, firstly, the processes of the encounter between the Bible and the indigenous people of Tanzania, specifically the Gogo in central region. Secondly, this thesis seeks to identify some interpretative resources and emerging interpretative practices that have continued into the present of ordinary readers of the Bible. This exploration is done by tracing the mission activities of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) in Tanzania, which began in 1844. The work of the Universities Mission to Central Africa (UMCA) is also examined, particularly the role it has played in making the Book "open" to the indigenous, through translation. Although there is continuity between past and present readings, this thesis demonstrates that ordinary readings are not static, they are dynamic; and over the years neo-indigenous interpretative moves have emerged which are a combination of both missionary and indigenous interpretative resources and methods. This reality is evident in the contemporary phenomenon of women and youths' songs in central Tanzania. These songs are creative interpretations of the Bible from an ordinary readers' perspective. There is a challenge to trained readers of the Bible to realise that biblical interpretation is not the preserve of the "professionals"; ordinary readers in the parishes, in cities, towns and villages, do interpret the Bible as well. To be relevant to the Tanzanian context, academic interpreters have to consciously take into account the resources and strategies of ordinary readers, which are demonstrated in their vernacular languages, oral narratives, religious experience, songs, proverbs and wise sayings. This will mean deeply understanding the local languages, Cigogo and others, listening to ordinary interpretations of the Bible, listening to the music and tunes of ordinary readers, as well as reading the vernacular Bible. Lastly, this study offers some suggestions for further research which, I hope, will bring refr study falls within the area of the Bible in African Christianity, particularly ordinary readers' appropriation of and interpretation of the Bible. It seeks to explore, firstly, the processes of the encounter between the Bible and the indigenous people of Tanzania, specifically the Gogo in central region. Secondly, this thesis seeks to identify some interpretative resources and emerging interpretative practices that have continued into the present of ordinary readers of the Bible. This exploration is done by tracing the mission activities of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) in Tanzania, which began in 1844. The work of the Universities Mission to Central Africa (UMCA) is also examined, particularly the role it has played in making the Book "open" to the indigenous, through translation. Although there is continuity between past and present readings, this thesis demonstrates that ordinary readings are not static, they are dynamic; and over the years neo-indigenous interpretative moves have emerged which are a combination of both missionary and indigenous interpretative resources and methods. This reality is evident in the contemporary phenomenon of women and youths' songs in central Tanzania. These songs are creative interpretations of the Bible from an ordinary readers' perspective. There is a challenge to trained readers of the Bible to realise that biblical interpretation is not the preserve of the "professionals"; ordinary readers in the parishes, in cities, towns and villages, do interpret the Bible as well. To be relevant to the Tanzanian context, academic interpreters have to consciously take into account the resources and strategies of ordinary readers, which are demonstrated in their vernacular languages, oral narratives, religious experience, songs, proverbs and wise sayings. This will mean deeply understanding the local languages, Cigogo and others, listening to ordinary interpretations of the Bible, listening to the music and tunes of ordinary readers, as well as reading the vernacular Bible. Lastly, this study offers some suggestions for further research which, I hope, will bring refreshment and renewal to Tanzanian African biblical and theological scholarship. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

This thesis is an historical analysis of nineteenth century Protestant Christian mission in New Zealand, with a particular focus on religion and theology, and their role in shaping the perceptions of Church Missionary Society missionaries as they observed and related to Maori people and their culture between 1830 and 1860. It showcases theology as the primary paradigm in which missionaries understood and commented upon Maori, as opposed to other culturally received frameworks. It argues that historians have given too little attention to this theological paradigm and have therefore failed to grasp its significance for accurately portraying the missionary perspective on Maori culture. The significance of religious worldview is highlighted by an examination of the meaning and role of the Christianity-Civilization nexus in missionary thinking. The following pages explore the relationship between the two terms: why and how they were linked, both in general, and in a New Zealand-specific context. The arguments of this thesis are put forward through a close examination of CMS missionary documents, particularly letters and journals, as well as published source materials. This study highlights the moral and religious basis of CMS missionary notions of civilization, and emphasises their theological outlook as the most powerful factor that impacted on missionary ‘civilizing’ activities in New Zealand. It underscores the reality that missionaries were religious people and often viewed the world around them in a religious way. The implications of this fact mean that historians must give significant attention to the missionaries’ religious worldview in order to portray missionary perceptions of Christian mission, Maori people, culture and civilization in an accurate light. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1375331 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of History and Politics, 2009

This thesis is an historical analysis of nineteenth century Protestant Christian mission in New Zealand, with a particular focus on religion and theology, and their role in shaping the perceptions of Church Missionary Society missionaries as they observed and related to Maori people and their culture between 1830 and 1860. It showcases theology as the primary paradigm in which missionaries understood and commented upon Maori, as opposed to other culturally received frameworks. It argues that historians have given too little attention to this theological paradigm and have therefore failed to grasp its significance for accurately portraying the missionary perspective on Maori culture. The significance of religious worldview is highlighted by an examination of the meaning and role of the Christianity-Civilization nexus in missionary thinking. The following pages explore the relationship between the two terms: why and how they were linked, both in general, and in a New Zealand-specific context. The arguments of this thesis are put forward through a close examination of CMS missionary documents, particularly letters and journals, as well as published source materials. This study highlights the moral and religious basis of CMS missionary notions of civilization, and emphasises their theological outlook as the most powerful factor that impacted on missionary ‘civilizing’ activities in New Zealand. It underscores the reality that missionaries were religious people and often viewed the world around them in a religious way. The implications of this fact mean that historians must give significant attention to the missionaries’ religious worldview in order to portray missionary perceptions of Christian mission, Maori people, culture and civilization in an accurate light. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1375331 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of History and Politics, 2009

Thesis (M.A.)--Victoria University of Wellington, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:35:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2949.pdf: 6936728 bytes, checksum: 49db82cdd194a90eb6bd9e622f8a15ba (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-03-11 / The survey, whose object throve institutional relations of church and society mediated by education, aimed to examine the remains of catechesis and education materialized in the Franciscan parish schools established in Goias in the first half of the twentieth century. These institutions intregraram Franciscan missionary project of two American religious orders: the Friars Minor (1944) and the Sisters of Allegany (1946). The theoretical assumptions of cultural studies and historical research located in the field of educational institutions guided search fundamentals. The research methodology documentation, which was essentially the basis for the analysis of empirical data. The specific object of catechesis, education and society, had the contribution of sociological theory and historical interpretation for the variables of social and economic context in which they entered the missionary and educational analyzed. Among the findings from the route and analysis, remains indicated that the Catechesis and Education Taught at the altar and in the classroom, they would have supported the project of evangelization and sacralization, strengthening the movement for renewal of the Roman Church and the new Christianity in Brazil . Uniquely, the consolidation of the Franciscan missionary work led to the syncretism of religious practices and the likely eclecticism of pedagogical practices and school strongly marked by active methods, in contrast to the structure and format of traditional religious order. The originality with the Franciscans not only spread their missionary project also defined as agreements and mediations with local realities, through the educational and catechetical work, resulted in the demarcation of spaces and competitors alike and the coexistence of the diverse. / A pesquisa, cujo objeto vicejou as relações institucionais da igreja e sociedade mediadas pela educação, teve por objetivo analisar os vestígios da catequese e da educação franciscanas materializadas nas escolas paroquiais criadas em Goiás na primeira metade do século XX. Estas instituições intregraram o projeto missionário franciscano de duas ordens religiosas americanas: os Frades Menores (1944) e as Irmãs de Allegany (1946). Os pressupostos teóricos dos estudos culturais e da pesquisa histórica situada no campo das instituições escolares orientaram os fundamentos da pesquisa. A metodologia da pesquisa documental foi, essencialmente, a base para o levantamento dos dados empíricos. As especificidades do objeto catequese-educação-sociedade, tiveram o aporte da teoria sociológica e histórica para a interpretação das variáveis do contexto social e econômico no qual se inseriu a obra missionária e educativa analisada. Dentre os achados resultantes do percurso e das análises, os vestígios indicaram que a Catequese e a Educação ministradas no altar e na sala de aula, teriam sustentado o projeto de evangelização e sacralização, fortalecendo o movimento de renovação da Igreja romana e da nova cristandade no Brasil. De modo singular, a consolidação da obra missionária franciscana levou ao sincretismo das práticas religiosas e no provável ecletismo de práticas pedagógicas e escolares fortemente marcadas por métodos ativos, contrastando com a estrutura e o formato tradicional da ordem religiosa. A originalidade com que os franciscanos não apenas disseminaram o seu projeto missionário como também definiram acordos e mediações com a realidade local, por meio das ações educativas e catequéticas, resultaram na demarcação de espaços concorrentes e similares e na coexistência do diverso.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-03T12:19:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Marco Aurelio.pdf: 675456 bytes, checksum: 1ffb9619c48d6085c8ca32198ddbfc93 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-19 / The concept of Mission on John R. W. Stott and C. René Padilla is a research that analyses the relation between the proclamation of the word and the social action as contextualized in the Gospel. This thesis, developed towards the granting of the Master s Degree in Sciences of Religion, belongs to the Religion, Society and Culture research field. The bibliography revision was the methodology used for the data collection. The question that guided the research was: what is the concept of world mission in J. Stott and integral mission in R. Padilla? Among the answers it was possible to compare the theology of J. Stott and R. Padilla. In the first chapter, the concept of world mission in the theology of J. Stott was presented. In the second chapter, the concept of integral mission in the theology of R. Padilla was presented as well. In the third chapter, through a comparison it has been demonstrated that J. Stott emphasizes the proclamation of the word by the church, leaving the social service action as a second matter, because his priority is the need of salvation of the sinner, through repentance and the acceptance of Jesus Christ as the savior. On the other hand, R. Padilla sets the proclamation of the word and the service through social action in a joint way and making them inseparable in order to achieve the announcement of the Kingdom of God in society. / No presente estudo sobre o tema Conceito de Missão em John R. W. Stott e C. René Padilla procurei analisar a relação entre proclamação da palavra e ação social contextualizada no Evangelho. Esta dissertação desenvolvida no Programa da Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Religião, pertence à linha de pesquisa Religião, Sociedade e Cultura . A metodologia adotada na coleta de dados foi de uma revisão bibliográfica. O questionamento que norteou a pesquisa foi: qual o conceito de missão mundial em J. Stott e de missão integral em R. Padilla? Com as respostas obtidas, foi realizado um comparativo entre a teologia de ambos. No primeiro capítulo foi apresentado o conceito de missão mundial na teologia de J. Stott. No segundo capítulo, foi apresentado o conceito de missão integral na teologia de R. Padilla. Já no capítulo três, foi realizado um comparativo no qual ficou demonstrado que J. Stott em sua teologia da missão mundial prioriza a proclamação da palavra pela igreja, deixando o serviço de ação social para segundo plano, ao priorizar a necessidade da salvação da alma do pecador que se arrepende, mediante a aceitação Jesus Cristo como seu salvador. Em contrapartida, R. Padilla em sua teologia da missão integral coloca a proclamação da palavra e a prestação de serviço mediante a ação social de forma conjunta e indissociável para concretizar o anúncio do Reino de Deus na sociedade.

Text in Afrikaans / Hoe kan die kerk, spesifiek ook die NG Kerk in Namibie, gestruktureer word om werklik relevant te wees in 'n samelewing waarin soveel veranderinge plaasvind? Eers word gekyk na die Praktiese Teologie as navorsing random die kommunikatiewe handelinge in diens van die evangelie; 'n definisie wat werk met 'n bepaalde verhouding tussen kerk en wereld. Daarna word die groot sosiale, staatkundige en godsdienstige veranderinge in die samelewing bespreek waarin die kerk hom bevind. As antwoord op die vraag: "watter kommunikatiewe handelinge in diens van die evangelie kan van die kerk 'n wesenlike faktor vir die evangelie in die wereld laat wees?", bespreek hoof stuk 3 dan die moontlikhede wat die model van die kerk as dienskneg inhou vir die kerk se invloed en rol in die samelewing. Die laaste hoofstuk wys veral op die belangrike rol van lidmate en kleingroepe in die strukturering van die kerk om so 'n dienskneg-kerk te wees. / How can the church, particularly the Dutch Reformed Church in Namibia, be structured to be truly relevant in a society where so many changes occur? Chapter 1 concerns Practical Theology researching communicative acts in the service of the gospel; defining a specific relationship between the church and the outside world. This is followed in Chapter 2 by a discussion of the churches' role regarding the enormous social, political and religious changes in society. In reply to the question: "which actions of communication in service of the gospel can assist the church to be a substantial factor to promote the gospel in the world?", chapter 3 looks at the possibilities that the model of the church as servant has for the influence of the church in the society. The last chapter refers particularly to the important role of laity and small groups in the structuring of the church to serve the community. / Practical Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology)

This study describes and analyses lay training programmes at Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation (MEF) with emphasis on: Women's Training; Conference, Research and Development; and Youth Leadership. Mindolo is seen as an expression of the church's presence in society and a symbol of hope, peace and reconciliation. Lay training programmes at Mindolo aim at equipping Christians to act as 'leaven', salt and 'light' in society. The values and morals of the African people could be the basis of such teaching. The study discusses how the term 'laity' has negative implications such as regarding the laity as non-competent or specialist because they are not priests or theologians. It illustrates that although the majority of Christians are women, leadership in the church is dominated by men. The study illustrates how critical it is for Mindolo to evaluate its original vision in light of current challenges and promises. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / MA (Religious Studies)

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.

Depuis 2002, la « décroissance » s’est imposée dans le débat sur l’écologie, l’économie et notre futur. Le présent travail interroge la théologie protestante à travers l’une des principales plumes de cette pensée hétérodoxe : Serge Latouche. Cet économiste français athée effectue une critique culturaliste de la société de croissance. Il en instruit un triple procès et appelle à la décolonisation créatrice de notre imaginaire partagé, afin de cheminer vers des sociétés d’abondance frugale autonomes, conviviales et heureuses. Cette position mène la théologie à s’interroger en premier lieu sur le croître. Au vu des données bibliques, il est constaté que l’imagerie chrétienne de la croissance augmente et contredit l’imaginaire dominant croissanciste. Partant, deux contributions sont apportées à une théologie du croître : l’une sur l’enrichissement commandé au disciple et à l’Église, où cette croissance est subvertie, l’autre sur la pousse des plantes et les proliférations d’animaux, où ces croissances sont réhabilitées. / Since 2002, “degrowth” has made its way into the debate on ecology, economics, and our future. The present work questions Protestant theology through one of the main writers of this heterodox thinking: Serge Latouche. This French atheist economist makes a culturalist critique of the society of growth. He puts it on a threefold trial and calls for the creative decolonization of our shared imaginary, so as to move towards autonomous, convivial, and happy societies of frugal abundance. This position first of all leads theology to question growth. Based on biblical data, it is noticed that the Christian imaginary of growth enriches and contradicts the dominant growthist imaginary. Hence, two contributions to a theology of growth are provided: one about the command to get rich addressed to the disciple and to the church, where this kind of growth is subverted, another about plant growth and animal proliferation, where these kinds of growth are restored to favor.