The purpose of this research is to explore possible ways of making the Eucharistic celebration more meaningful to Catholics in Mutare diocese, Zimbabwe. The reason for this concern is that the Eucharist is the `source and summit' of the Christian life. Since inculturation is a possible means of achieving this aim of a meaningful celebration, it was found necessary in this study to examine how the Eucharist has been taught and inculturated in the Catholic Church over the years. From this It was discovered that inculturation was absent in the writings and catechesis of early Church authors and Fathers during the periods reviewed. Although an observation was made that it was indirectly implied in the Eucharistic prayers of the early Christians, it was only after a new `understanding of culture' emerged, following Vatican II, that permission was given by Rome to use local languages at Eucharistic celebrations. In the course of this study, efforts were made to determine the elements that constitute Eucharistic inculturation in Mutare diocese. These include: symbolic gestures, local languages, proverbs, enthronement, local staple food, invocation of ancestors, and others. In an empirical study to find out the extent of inculturation that has taken place in Mutare diocese, questionnaires were sent to sixteen out of twenty-four parishes in the diocese. Oral interviews were also conducted for this purpose. After analyzing the responses from respondents and those interviewed, it was discovered that some areas of inculturation have been realized, though not fully. Two outstanding areas which have not yet been realized were found to be the use of local staple food and the invocation of ancestors. The conclusion was that inculturation is not fully implemented in Mutare diocese and this impacts negatively on the celebration of the Eucharist. Eucharistic inculturation is an achievable goal in Mutare diocese, however, provided there is intensive catechesis which takes into account Shona-rich cultural values, aided by active involvement of small Christian Communities and the support of the hierarchy. / Systematic Theology and Theological Ethics / M. Th. (Systematic Theology)

The thesis consists of seven chapters with each chapter focusing on a particular aspect of the research topic. Chapter One deals with conventional preliminaries such as aim of study, method of approach, literature overview and other introductory material. Chapter Two is an an overview of the foundations of Bishop Dwane's spirituality and his church's struggle for autonomy. It also covers the origins, the nature and the purpose of Ethiopianism as the central thread in Dwane's theologizing and family history. Chapter Three reflects the attitude of the Anglican Church to African traditional culture as reflected in three historical phases - the era of total onslaught on African culture and religion, the period of accommodation, and the phase of turning a blind eye to these matters for as long as Anglicanism remains intact. Chapter Four contains Dwane's views on various cultural issues culminating in his decision to indigenize his Ethiopian Episcopal Church's liturgy and other forms of worship by incorporating traditional healers into the church and invoking the presence of Qamata and the ancestors in worship. Chapter Five analyses Dwane's prophetic spirituality as evidenced by his advocacy role in fighting for justice and human rights in this country. He relentlessly fought for the rights of those who were victimized by the government of the day, and those who were willfully discriminated against. Chapter Six is on the evolution of an authentic Xhosa spirituality, in particular, and African spirituality in general, in the Ethiopian Episcopal Church. While the main focus of the study is the evolution of Xhosa spirituality, it should be emphasized that the thrust of Dwane's theologizing extended to the evolution of other African spiritualities in the broader church. Chapter Seven is a general conclusion that highlights the main elements of Dwane's spirituality and the heritage he left behind in this regard. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Systematic Theology)

This study identifies a theological trajectory of first generation “believers” – those who allow the biblical text to speak authoritatively into their lives – within the Sindhi community of Pakistan. A passage from a contemporary translation of the New Testament in the Sindhi language – Luke 15:11-32, Jesus’ Parable of the Two Lost Sons – was presented in interview settings to discover how Sindhis express their faith as they consider the message of the parable. Culture texts generated by believers are compared to those generated by “traditional” Muslim Sindhis who do not accept the Bible as authoritative. Twenty–eight people identified as Sindhi believers were interviewed as well as twenty traditional Sindhi Muslims. Similarities and contrasts between the two groups are used to discover how the theological praxis of the believers is being impacted and how they are adjusting their view of God as they engage scripture. The description of theological trajectories that diverge from accepted traditional convictions is referred to as “mapping.” Six themes were identified from the interviews that are important for both groups while demonstrating distinct contrasts and similarities. The themes are (1) God is compassionate/kind/merciful/loving beyond our imagination, (2) God forgives his servants who repent, (3) Concepts of rewards, punishment and the fear of God, (4) The relationship of human beings with God (child versus servant), (5) Issues of justice, honor and status, and (6) The importance of obedience to God. An evaluation of the six themes revealed one overarching trajectory: a shift from a dominant master–servant view of the Divine–human relationship to a father–child paradigm. The research affirms that the shift to a biblically shaped view of God is not disconnected from previous beliefs, but is based on and shaped by a priori assumptions held by members of society. Commitment to the Bible as God’s word speaking authoritatively to believers creates a shift or trajectory of faith so that current perspectives, symbols and metaphors of God are being reformed and reconfirmed through the believers’ interaction with the Sindhi translation of scripture. / Christian Spirituality, Church History & Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)

Implicit in the concepts Incarnation, narrative, Christology, Shona women of Zimbabwe today is the God who acts in human history and in the contemporaneity and particularity of our being. The Incarnation as the embodiment of God in the world entails seizing the kairos opportunity to expand the view and to bear the burdens of responsibility. A theanthropocosmic Christology that captures the Shona holistic world-view is explored. The acme for a relational Christology is the imago Dei/Christi and the baptismal indicative and imperative. God is revealed in various manifestations of creation. Human identity and dignity is the flipside of God's attributes. Theanthropocosmic Christology as pluralistic, differential and radical brings about a dialectic between the whole and its parts, the uniqueness of the individual, communal ontology and epistemology, the local and the universal, orthodoxy and orthopraxis, Christology and soteriology. God mediates in the contingency of particularity. Emphasis is on life-affirmation rather than sex determination of Jesus as indicated by theologies of liberation and inculturation. At the interface gender, ethnicity, class and creed, God transcends human limitedness and artificial boundaries in creating catholic space and advocating all-embracing apostolic action. Difference is appreciated for the richness it brings both to the individual and the community. Hegemonic structures and borderless texts are view with suspicion as totalising grand~narratives and exclusivist by using generic language. The kairos in dialogue with the Incarnation is seizing the moment to expand the view and to share the burdens, joys and responsibility in a community of equal discipleship. In a hermeneutic of engagement and suspicion, prophetic witness is the hallmark of Christian discipleship and of a Christology that culminates in liberative praxis. The Christology that emerges from Shona women highlights a passionate appropriation that involves the head, gut, womb and heart and underlies the circle symbolism. The circle is the acme of Shona hospitality and togetherness in creative dialogue with the Trinitarian koinonia. The Shona Christological designation Muponesi (Deliverer-Midwife) in dialogue with the Paschal Mystery motif captures the God-human-cosmos relationship that gives a Christology caught up in the rhythms, dynamism and drama of life. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D.Th. (Systematic Theology)

Cette recherche vise à élaborer une mariologie sociale en Afrique. Sa problématique tourne autour de trois questions principales : le culte marial est-il vécu comme une pratique libératrice au service de l’engagement pour la justice sociale ? La figure de la Vierge Marie constitue-t-elle une source d’inspiration qui permette aux chrétiens et aux chrétiennes catholiques romains de s’engager au niveau sociopolitique en Afrique ? Les engagements des chrétiens et des chrétiennes, épris de vertus mariales, participent-ils à l’avènement d’une société de justice, de paix et du vivre-ensemble harmonieux ? Ces questions sont posées dans un contexte large, celui de l’Afrique subsaharienne où plusieurs pays font face aux crises multiformes et, dans un cadre plus restreint, celui de la République Démocratique du Congo où quatre mouvements marials, basés à Kinshasa, ont fait objet d’études de terrain. Cette thèse prétend déconstruire et reconstruire la conception et le vécu des pratiques mariales afin que celles-ci deviennent un ferment qui pousse les chrétiens et les chrétiennes catholiques africains en général et congolais en particulier à s’engager dans la résolution des problèmes majeurs de leur société notamment au niveau de la justice, de la paix et de la question des femmes. Cette thèse cherche à dépasser deux types de mariologies produites en Afrique : la mariologie coloniale, qui concerne l’histoire de l’arrivée de la Vierge Marie à travers l’action des missionnaires qui ont évangélisé le continent africain et une certaine mariologie inculturée qui se limite à corréler des catégories culturelles africaines avec des thèmes classiques de mariologie. La réflexion épouse la voie d’une approche de mariologie sociale qui, mise en application par les Africains et les Africaines, peut aider à relever le défi lié aux multiples problèmes au niveau économique, politique, social et culturel que rencontre la majorité de pays africains. La recherche est abordée dans une perspective des théologies africaines de la libération et de la reconstruction à travers une démarche de contextualisation, de décontextualisation et de recontextualisation. La thèse comprend quatre parties. La première partie fait un état des lieux de la mariologie africaine. Elle situe cette dernière dans le parcours historique de la théologie africaine, analyse la dévotion mariale en Afrique à travers l’action missionnaire, étudie la question de l’inculturation de quelques mystères marials et se penche sur le lien entre la mariologie et les problèmes de société en Afrique. La seconde partie examine la question de la mariologie sociale en Amérique Latine. Elle étudie l’aspect sociopolitique de la dévotion mariale, l’anthropologie et l’herméneutique de la réflexion et des apparitions mariales, les dogmes marials dans une perspective sociale et la place occupée par la Vierge Marie et le culte marial dans le combat féministe en Amérique Latine. La troisième partie explore le rapport entre la pratique de la dévotion mariale et l’engagement sociopolitique de quatre mouvements marials (Légion de Marie, Communauté du Magnificat, Groupe de l’Arbre Desséché ou Nzete Ekauka et École de prière Notre-Dame Vierge Puissante) à Kinshasa. Elle jette un regard sur le contexte de naissance et d’évolution des mouvements d’action catholique dans leur ensemble et fait une analyse critique des pratiques mariales et de l’engagement sociopolitique de ces mouvements. La quatrième partie tente une recomposition du discours de mariologie sociale en Afrique à partir d’une lecture du Magnificat. Elle fait une actualisation de ce cantique pour enrichir la pratique du culte marial et présente trois axes sur lesquels peut porter une mariologie sociale en Afrique. / This research aims at developing a social Mariology in Africa. It deals with three main questions: Is Marian devotion lived as a liberating practice in view of a commitment for social justice? Is the figure of the Virgin Mary an inspiration which allows Roman Catholic Christian men and women to involve themselves at the sociopolitical level in Africa? Do the commitments of Christian men and women who love Marian virtues take part in the advent of a society of justice, peace and harmonious coexistence? Those questions are asked in a broad context, that of Sub-Saharan Africa, where many countries are facing multifaceted crises and, in a more limited context, that of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where four marials Movements, based in Kinshasa, were the objects of field studies. This thesis claims to deconstruct and reconstruct the concept and the lived-out experience of Marian practices, so that those practices may become a ferment leading African Catholic Christian men and women in general, and Congolese Catholic Christian men and women in particular, to commit themselves in the resolution of the major problems of their society, particularly in terms of justice, peace and women's issues. This thesis seeks to go beyond two types of Mariology produced in Africa: colonial Mariology, dealing with the history of the arrival of the Virgin Mary through the work of the missionaries who evangelized the African continent, and some kind of an acculturated Mariology, which limits itself to setting a correlation between African cultural categories and some classical themes of Mariology. This reflection takes a stand for a social Mariology, that is, an approach which, implemented by African men and women, can help them meet the challenges created by the many economic, political, social and cultural problems that most of the African countries are faced with. This research work is done in the perspective of the African theologies of liberation and in the perspective of a reconstruction, through a process of contextualization, de-contextualization and re-contextualization. This thesis is made up of four parts. The first part presents an overview of African Mariology. It sees it through the historical journey of African theology, it analyses Marian devotion in Africa through the works of missionaries, it studies the question of acculturation of a few Marian mysteries, and it focuses on the relationship between Mariology and the social problems in Africa. The second part examines the issue of social Mariology in Latin America. It studies the sociopolitical aspect of Marian devotion, the anthropology and the hermeneutics of the Marian reflection and of the Marian apparitions. It studies the Marian dogmas from a social perspective, and the place of the Virgin Mary and of Marian devotion in the feminist struggle in Latin America. The third part explores the relationship between the practice of Marian devotion and the sociopolitical commitment of four Catholic Action Movements that are present in Kinshasa: The Legion of Mary, the Magnificat Community, the Group of "l'Arbre Desséché" (Dried Tree Group) or Nzete Ekauka, and the Prayer School "Notre Dame, Vierge Puissante" (Our Lady, Powerful Virgin). It takes a look at the general context of the birth and evolution of those Catholic Action Movements, and it makes a critical analysis of the Marian practices and of the sociopolitical commitment of those movements. The fourth part attempts a reconstruction of the social discourse of Mariology in Africa, starting from a reading of the Magnificat. It makes an actualized reading of that song in view of enriching the practice of Marian devotion, and it presents three aspects on which social Mariology in Africa can rest.

Summary in German and English / Zusammenfassung Im schleichenden Rückgang gemeindlichen Lebens wird eine anhaltende Inkulturationskrise sichtbar. Der gegenwärtigen Kirche in ihrer milieuverengenden Präsenz gelingt es nicht, in die vielfältigen sozialen Räume der Bundesrepublik vorzudringen. Die vorliegende Arbeit ist ein Diskussionsbeitrag zur gemeinsamen Suche nach einer zukünftigen Sozialgestalt der Kirche in unserer postmodernen Umgebung. Ausgehend von der zentralen Bedeutung des Gottesdienstes als Mitte der Gemeinde, wird zunächst dargelegt, dass eine zukünftige Kirchenentwicklung nur vom Gottesdienst her geschehen kann. Dies gilt vornehmlich dann, wenn er als Aufbau von Gemeinde der Brüder und Schwestern positioniert wird und nicht als Programmm oder Veranstaltung. Der seit Anfang der 1990iger Jahre wahrnehmbare Zweitgottesdienstboom könnte ein missionarisch- strategischer Ansatzpunkt sein, um die soziologisch ausdifferenzierte Bevölkerung zu erreichen. Plurale Gottesdienstkonzepte als Gemeindepflanzungsansätze werden zu Drehund Angelpunkten einer zukünftigen, notwendigerweise multioptionalen, kulturrelevanten Sozialgestalt von Kirche. In einer Kirche mit vielfältigen Gottesdienstkonzepten wird auch die Frage nach der christlichen Einheit neu gestellt und als plurale Ausdrucksform diskutiert. Summary English The gradual deterioration of congregational life is unveiling an ongoing inculturation crisis. With its milieu constricting presence, the church is currently not able to enter into the multifaceted social environments in Germany. This paper represents a contribution to the discussion concerning our joint search of the church's future social form in our post-modern society. Departing from the major significance of the church service as the centre of the congregation, it is argued that future development of the church can only take place from within the church service. This is especially true if it is intended as congregational development by the brothers and sisters, and not as programme or event. The boom of second church services we have been observing since the beginning of the 1990s could become a missionary-strategic starting point in order to reach a sociologically diversified population. Plural church service concepts as a basic approach to church planting become the linchpin of a future, necessarily multioptional and culturally relevant social form of church. In a church with manifold church service concepts, the question of Christian unity is being asked anew and discussed as a plural form of expression. / Christian Spirituality Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

The purpose of this research is to explore possible ways of making the Eucharistic celebration more meaningful to Catholics in Mutare diocese, Zimbabwe. The reason for this concern is that the Eucharist is the `source and summit' of the Christian life. Since inculturation is a possible means of achieving this aim of a meaningful celebration, it was found necessary in this study to examine how the Eucharist has been taught and inculturated in the Catholic Church over the years. From this It was discovered that inculturation was absent in the writings and catechesis of early Church authors and Fathers during the periods reviewed. Although an observation was made that it was indirectly implied in the Eucharistic prayers of the early Christians, it was only after a new `understanding of culture' emerged, following Vatican II, that permission was given by Rome to use local languages at Eucharistic celebrations. In the course of this study, efforts were made to determine the elements that constitute Eucharistic inculturation in Mutare diocese. These include: symbolic gestures, local languages, proverbs, enthronement, local staple food, invocation of ancestors, and others. In an empirical study to find out the extent of inculturation that has taken place in Mutare diocese, questionnaires were sent to sixteen out of twenty-four parishes in the diocese. Oral interviews were also conducted for this purpose. After analyzing the responses from respondents and those interviewed, it was discovered that some areas of inculturation have been realized, though not fully. Two outstanding areas which have not yet been realized were found to be the use of local staple food and the invocation of ancestors. The conclusion was that inculturation is not fully implemented in Mutare diocese and this impacts negatively on the celebration of the Eucharist. Eucharistic inculturation is an achievable goal in Mutare diocese, however, provided there is intensive catechesis which takes into account Shona-rich cultural values, aided by active involvement of small Christian Communities and the support of the hierarchy. / Systematic Theology and Theological Ethics / M. Th. (Systematic Theology)

The thesis consists of seven chapters with each chapter focusing on a particular aspect of the research topic. Chapter One deals with conventional preliminaries such as aim of study, method of approach, literature overview and other introductory material. Chapter Two is an an overview of the foundations of Bishop Dwane's spirituality and his church's struggle for autonomy. It also covers the origins, the nature and the purpose of Ethiopianism as the central thread in Dwane's theologizing and family history. Chapter Three reflects the attitude of the Anglican Church to African traditional culture as reflected in three historical phases - the era of total onslaught on African culture and religion, the period of accommodation, and the phase of turning a blind eye to these matters for as long as Anglicanism remains intact. Chapter Four contains Dwane's views on various cultural issues culminating in his decision to indigenize his Ethiopian Episcopal Church's liturgy and other forms of worship by incorporating traditional healers into the church and invoking the presence of Qamata and the ancestors in worship. Chapter Five analyses Dwane's prophetic spirituality as evidenced by his advocacy role in fighting for justice and human rights in this country. He relentlessly fought for the rights of those who were victimized by the government of the day, and those who were willfully discriminated against. Chapter Six is on the evolution of an authentic Xhosa spirituality, in particular, and African spirituality in general, in the Ethiopian Episcopal Church. While the main focus of the study is the evolution of Xhosa spirituality, it should be emphasized that the thrust of Dwane's theologizing extended to the evolution of other African spiritualities in the broader church. Chapter Seven is a general conclusion that highlights the main elements of Dwane's spirituality and the heritage he left behind in this regard. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Systematic Theology)

Implicit in the concepts Incarnation, narrative, Christology, Shona women of Zimbabwe today is the God who acts in human history and in the contemporaneity and particularity of our being. The Incarnation as the embodiment of God in the world entails seizing the kairos opportunity to expand the view and to bear the burdens of responsibility. A theanthropocosmic Christology that captures the Shona holistic world-view is explored. The acme for a relational Christology is the imago Dei/Christi and the baptismal indicative and imperative. God is revealed in various manifestations of creation. Human identity and dignity is the flipside of God's attributes. Theanthropocosmic Christology as pluralistic, differential and radical brings about a dialectic between the whole and its parts, the uniqueness of the individual, communal ontology and epistemology, the local and the universal, orthodoxy and orthopraxis, Christology and soteriology. God mediates in the contingency of particularity. Emphasis is on life-affirmation rather than sex determination of Jesus as indicated by theologies of liberation and inculturation. At the interface gender, ethnicity, class and creed, God transcends human limitedness and artificial boundaries in creating catholic space and advocating all-embracing apostolic action. Difference is appreciated for the richness it brings both to the individual and the community. Hegemonic structures and borderless texts are view with suspicion as totalising grand~narratives and exclusivist by using generic language. The kairos in dialogue with the Incarnation is seizing the moment to expand the view and to share the burdens, joys and responsibility in a community of equal discipleship. In a hermeneutic of engagement and suspicion, prophetic witness is the hallmark of Christian discipleship and of a Christology that culminates in liberative praxis. The Christology that emerges from Shona women highlights a passionate appropriation that involves the head, gut, womb and heart and underlies the circle symbolism. The circle is the acme of Shona hospitality and togetherness in creative dialogue with the Trinitarian koinonia. The Shona Christological designation Muponesi (Deliverer-Midwife) in dialogue with the Paschal Mystery motif captures the God-human-cosmos relationship that gives a Christology caught up in the rhythms, dynamism and drama of life. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D.Th. (Systematic Theology)

The most important part of the research or the central part of this work is the inculturation which may be understood as the emergence of a local church in a place (Bate 1994, 100). By a local church I mean the manifestation of the one church of Christ as the community of faith in a particular context. Essential for this emergence are two apparently opposed forces whose dialectical resolution motivates the inculturation process. The first of these forces is the unifying, creative and redemptive power of God seeking the oneness of creation and salvation, so that God may be all in all. The second is the incarnational locus of all creation and salvation which moves the Word to take on flesh in a time, place and culture and the Spirit to take the church to the ends of the earth. The resolution of this dialectic may be expressed as the emergence of unity in diversity or as a communion of communities. The papal document emerging from the African Synod, Ecclesia in Africa, describes the resolution of this dialectic as showing respect for two criteria in the inculturation process, namely ‘compatibility with the Christian message and communion with the Universal Church’ (EA62; cf RM 54). These two criteria highlight the importance of unity in the inculturation process. They affirm the relatedness of all Christian consciousness, ethos and mission which is expressed so well by Paul: ‘There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God and the father of all, over all, through all and with all’ (Eph 4: 6). / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)