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This dissertation focuses on the involvement ofthe Lutheran Church in poverty alleviation in Makete, Tanzania. My view is that the level of poverty is escalating at an alarming rate contrary to many people's expectation that it would decrease. The causes for this poverty increase are many but the obvious ones are the imbalance between population growth and production, mismanagement of land, illiteracy, misappropriation of funds and ecological deterioration. The study looks at what the church there ought to do as an agent for development. I believe that its mandate comes from God. It was demonstrated in the creation narratives and later in the life and work ofthe Jesus of history in Galilee. The mission of God aims at the comprehensive wellbeing of humanity, that is, shalom. In this light, there is no way the church in Makete can become a living church without being involved in the process of combating poverty. A number of suggestions are made in regard to this task. These suggestions range from the church taking sides with the poor and becoming their spokesperson to the state, to creating jobs and giving financial assistance to those people who do everything in their power to fight poverty. Finally, we look at the success and failure of the -Ujamaa policy implementation in Tanzania. The author is of the opinion that the Ujamaa policy was and is a useful strategy for economic development of all the people but there are many obstructions on its way to success. It was expected that the Ujamaa policy would reduce the gap behveen the affluent and the poor in the country. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of Natal, Pietermartizburg, 1999.

No description available.

The spread of HIV/AIDS in South Africa has evoked many responses from the national government, Non-Governmental Organizations and the church. There are many reasons why the church should respond to this challenge of HIV/AIDS and join hands with the worldwide effort to provide care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS in our society. As the epidemic increases, many people in South Africa are falling sick, suffering physically, emotionally and spiritually and many are abandoned and desolate. Men, women, young people and children are dying; families and communities are severely affected socially and economically. This thesis examines the response of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (ELCSA) to AIDS and suggests a more adequate strategy to deal with HIV/AIDS. First, it examines the incidence and· impact of HIV/AIDS, noting the emotional, physical and socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS. Secondly, this thesis develops a theological response to AIDS. The involvement of ELCSA is examined via research into six parishes in the Umgeni circuit of the South Eastern Diocese (Kwa-Zulu Natal). It argues that a seven-fold framework best describes the sort of strategy needed to fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS. This seven-fold framework includes the following: AIDS education, AIDS counseling, Livelihood support for people living with HIV/AIDS, Advocacy for the people living with HIV/AIDS,Pastoral and practical care for people living with HIV/AIDS, Helping the bereaved families during funeral arrangements and providing grief counseling, and Support systems for AIDS orphans. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 337-440).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 337-440).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Erskine Theological Seminary, 2008. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 196-200).

Thesis (M.A. (Religious Studies))--University of South Africa, 2002.

This study examines the issue of ethnocentrism that has become so detrimental to Christian unity within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cameroon, as it is pulling apart Christians of different ethnic groups. The study puts forward the indigenous practice of Mang-Djala as a possible indigenous resource that can be used as an added value not only in enhancing the Christian understanding of unity, but also in advocating for peace, justice and reconciliation in ordinary social life. In this regard, the study investigates the possibility of Mang-Djala functioning in the secular sense as social contract and in a religious sense as covenant. The study argues that the rejection of African cultures by the colonisers and the first missionaries was a big mistake, and that the Gospel needs to be incarnated in every culture and context. Contextualization therefore needs to be used to integrate African cultures and the Gospel. Hence, the study posits that Mang-Djala is a preparation for the Gospel, which can be defined as anything within a culture that can become an entry point, facilitating the transmission, clarifying the understanding of the Gospel and allowing the openness of the local people to that Gospel. The basic research question of the study is: in view of the challenges being presented to church and society by ethnic diversity in Cameroon is there a possibility that the indigenous concept of Mang-Djala may act as a reconciling or unifying agent? The study suggests that the concept of Mang-Djala should be introduced into the church at different levels via its structures in order to popularise it and integrate it into the church‘s theology and practice. In this way, the ethnic groups that are not accustomed to the concept will come to understand and appropriate it, as a new paradigm of understanding and living the Gospel of unity. The problem of ethnicity and the possibility of using Mang-Djala as a possible antidote needs to be introduced as part of the training of the clergy. Other institutions in the church where it could be introduced are The Women for Christ Fellowship and the Christian youth organisation. It should also be introduced at synodical level. More importantly, the study suggests that the Church should create and insert in its constitution a clause that should declare ethnocentrism a sin against which every Christian should stand because it promotes discrimination which is against God‘s commandment of love. The study also acknowledges, however, that Mang-Djala should not be considered as an ultimate solution to the problems posed by ethnocentrism. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.

This dissertation is an ethnographic description of how pastors (and other ministers) in the Northern Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania understand and carry out their ministry: How they reflect, mediate, and influence local Christian practice and identities; how theology and theologizing forms an integral part of their social worlds; and how navigating and maintaining relationships with Christian mission partnerships (including “short-term mission”) becomes an important part of their ministry. Drawing from fieldwork conducted between June 2014 and September 2015, I present an account of Christianity that adds to anthropological scholarship by emphasizing the role of theology as a grounded social practice, and considers the increasingly divergent character of Christian mission and its role in modern Tanzanian Christianity. Additionally, I offer a contribution to existing scholarship on Christianity by focusing on pastors as a central mediating figure in Christianity, showing how, in their work, Christian practice, theology, and mission are experienced in social relationships. I demonstrate how theology and theologizing directly address local negotiations of Christian identity and practice, I examine the articulation between theological debates and Tanzanian experiences of mission, and I describe how mission in Tanzania has been and continues to be contextually understood with reference to the local practice of Christianity.