This dissertation argues that Paul’s apostolic mission to the Gentiles was the definitive expression of his divine vocation as an Israelite, and thus of his Jewish identity. For many of Paul’s Jewish contemporaries, Israel’s divine vocation was to keep and to teach the precepts of the Law of Moses as an exemplary witness to God’s power and wisdom. For Paul, however, Jewish identity was expressed primarily by preaching the gospel of Christ, as the fulfilment of the Law of Moses, to the Gentiles. This is seen most clearly in Paul’s letter to the Romans. In chapter 1, we summarize our methodology: we are seeking to examine Paul’s Jewish identity by reading Paul’s letters (especially Romans), in light of other second-temple Jewish texts, using certain insights from social identity theory. We show that the concept of vocation is an important dimension of Jewish identity, especially in Paul’s letters. We also discuss some prior approaches to the question of Paul’s Jewishness, demonstrating both their value and also their limitations for our purposes. In chapter 2, we survey three key aspects of Paul’s explicit language of Jewish identity in his letters: Jewish distinctiveness, divine revelation and divine vocation. In chapter 3, we demonstrate that Paul deliberately frames his letter to the Romans (Rom 1:1–15, 15:14–33) by presenting his apostolic ministry as the fulfilment of positive scripturally-based eschatological expectations concerning Israel’s divine vocation with respect to the nations. We also compare Paul’s self-presentation in the outer frame of Romans with other first-century expressions of Jewish vocation. In chapter 4, we concentrate on Rom 2:17–29. Contrary to most interpretations which read this passage as a discussion about the nature of (Jewish or Christian) salvation, we argue that Paul deliberately sets this passage in the context of the mainstream Jewish synagogue, in order to contest the nature of Jewish vocation. In chapter 5, we examine Rom 9–11 from the perspective of Jewish vocation. We demonstrate that in Rom 9–11, Paul presents his own apostolic vocation, in various ways, as a contrast to, a fulfilment of, and a means of hope for Israel’s place and role in God’s worldwide purposes.

Depuis une trentaine d’années, des Églises pentecôtistes portées par des communautés en migration ou issues de celles-ci ont fait leur apparition dans la capitale européenne. Leur implantation et leur succès grandissants vont de pair avec l’intensification des flux migratoires de ces trois dernières décennies en provenance d’Afrique sub-saharienne et d’Amérique Latine. Cette thèse entend explorer l’enchevêtrement entre l’expérience religieuse et le parcours migratoire des acteurs pentecôtistes euro-africains et euro-latinoaméricains à Bruxelles. Dans ces espaces, les convertis travaillent collectivement à réaliser la transformation encouragée par le scénario religieux qui consiste à appliquer le « plan parfait de Dieu » dans leur vie. Porteurs d’ambitions missionnaires, les fidèles donnent des contenus inédits à leur posture identitaire en redéfinissant la place qui leur est assignée dans le contexte de la Belgique postcoloniale. L’affiliation religieuse joue comme un marqueur de distinction, processus qui est particulièrement saillant dans le domaine de la sexualité et des rapports de genre entretenus à l’intérieur même des assemblées./During the past thirty years, Pentecostal churches, mostly composed by followers from Subsaharan Africa and Latin America, blossomed in Brussels. Their presence and growing success go hand in hand with the intensification of the migratory flows, the last three decades, from these two continents. This thesis investigates the relationship between the religious experience and the migratory route of the euro-African and euro-Latin-American Pentecostal actors in Brussels. In these meeting spaces, the converts work collectively to realise the transformation process encouraged by the religious scenario which consists in applying the perfect " plan of God " to their life. Carriers of missionary ambitions, the believers give new contents to their identity by redefining the place which is assigned to them in the context of post-colonial Belgium. The religious membership operates as a marker of distinction, a process which is particularly striking in the field of sexuality and gender relation maintained within the assemblies. / Doctorat en Sciences politiques et sociales / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

During the 1890s in the United States, Midwestern YMCA missionaries challenged the nexus of power between Northeastern Protestant denominations, industrialists, politicians, and the Association's International Committee. Under Kansas YMCA secretary George Fisher, this movement shook the Northeastern alliance's underpinnings, eventually establishing the Gospel Missionary Union. The YMCA and the GMU mutually defined foreign and domestic missionary work discursively. Whereas Fisher's pre-millennial movement promoted world conversion generally, the YMCA primarily reached out to college students in the United States and abroad. Moreover, the GMU challenged social and gender roles among Moroccan Berbers. Fisher's movements have not been historically analyzed since 1975. Missionary Millennium is a reanalysis and critical reading of religious fictions about GMU missionaries, following the organization to its current incarnation as Avant Ministries.

After highlighting the events that gave rise to the writing of this dissertation, the writer proceeds with a critical analysis of the structural and leadership dynamics of the Baptist Union of Southern Africa (BUSA) from 1960-2005. Beginning with the formation of BUSA in 1877, he shows how that the South African Baptist Missionary Society (SABMS - the Missions arm of BUSA), established in 1892, developed in a parallel manner alongside of BUSA and questions whether the two bodies were over one. Throughout the dissertation, he pointed out how, up to the late eighties, the structural and leadership dynamics of BUSA tended to favour one culture above the others who, in fact, were in the majority. The writer identifies the key trends within each decade from 1960-2005 with regard to BUSA's structural dynamics and views the following two events as causing a major turnaround resulting in great transformation during the 1990's. They were: <ul> <li> The withdrawal of the Black Baptist Convention from BUSA in 1987 and</li> <li> The turbulent 1989 National Assembly in Kimberley</li> </ul> He also asserts that the "affirmative" appointment of the first multi-cultural BUSA Executive in 1997 actually "saved the day" for BUSA and avoided future splits. The writer proceeds to evaluate BUSA's structural dynamics during the period under review in terms of the essential functions of the church, namely, Kerygma (proclamation), diakonia (diaconal service) and koinonia (fellowship). BUSA was strong in Kerygma but weak in Koinonia. He finally concludes that the "separate development mentality" prevalent within BUSA during its formation and the review period was not as a result of Apartheid but, as his research has revealed, namely (i) British colonialism certainly influenced the formation and initial development of BUSA. The cultural divide between "colonial whites" and "emerging blacks" who were accustomed to a social separation between the two groups was certainly a factor. Likewise, the manner in which Europeans perceived the Bantu in the 1870's (ii) The Mission philosophy prevalent in Europe and America round about 1877 was to form native, indigenous churches that would be "self-governing, self-supporting and self-propagating". The motto of the SABMS was "the evangelisation of the Bantu by Bantu". It was felt the young churches arising out of mission work would be independent and not dependent upon or controlled by mother bodies that helped to establish them. It is thus not surprising that BUSA through the SABMS followed the same policy. (iii) The British Baptist ministers who came to South Africa prior to and following the arrival of the 1820 Settlers came with the express purpose to minister to the British immigrants in the Cape and British Kaffraria. Missions to the Bantu was not necessarily a part of their agenda. As indicated in this dissertation , it was the German Baptists and not the British who were key factors in the establishment of the SABMS. (iv) The new SABMS was based upon the British model which saw the Missions Society as an entirely separate entity from the Union, but in close association with it. The unjust policy of apartheid, which was implemented and enforced by the South African Nationalist Government from 1948 to the early nineties, cemented and added the "cherry on the top" of the separate development and ultimate separation between BUSA and the Baptist Convention. It provided the ideal context for continued British colonial thinking and practice with regard to the Bantu. Hence the exclusion of the latter from the main BUSA Leadership structures for most of the period under review. In the final chapter, the writer offers some guidelines which he trusts will prove helpful to future BUSA Leaders and Executives. / Dissertation (MA(Theology))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

In 1885 Adele Steinwender arrived in South Africa from Germany. Her vocation was that of a teacher, but unlike the majority of white women who moved to the colonies to teach, Steinwender taught the children of the missionaries, as opposed to the local children. During her five years in Bethanie, a Berlin Mission Station in the Orange Free State, she kept a diary recording her observations of day-to-day life. Steinwender’s diary reveals certain aspects that were often neglected in the diary of the male missionaries, namely the domestic side of life. Her commentaries provide one with a unique perspective on missionary activities, not only because she is writing as a woman, but because although she is in the employ of the Berlin Mission Society, she herself, was not a missionary. Thus her reflections are that of an “outsider”. She was an outsider in more senses than one, considering she was an unmarried woman, who was financially independent, and this set her apart from the other woman who lived within this community at the time. Another aspect that made her unique was that she was the most recent arrival from Germany. Although the white residents of Bethanie did attempt to uphold their germanness during their time spent abroad, they had somewhat adapted to a more “colonial lifestyle”. Throughout her diary, Steinwender cites examples of such cultural adaptations amongst the people living there. That having been said, however, the missionaries and their families still held a feeling of superiority over the local population and there was a deeper sense of German nationalism that was prevalent at all times. This study examines the diary alongside nationalism and gender and provides one with an image of what a community was perceived like through the eyes of Steinwender. She proved to be the exception more than the rule, yet there is a perpetual undertone of her wanting to fit within the confines of what was considered to be normal. / Dissertation (MHCS)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Historical and Heritage Studies / unrestricted

Cette thèse porte sur l'implantation missionnaire en République démocratique du Congo sous l'administration coloniale belge vers la fin du XIXe siècle. Nous voulons comprendre le phénomène observé de la dépendance financière de cette Église, en situant ses différentes causes ou facteurs exogènes et endogènes notamment son ancrage dans la politique coloniale. Dès le début, elle a bénéficié des subventions de l’État et d'autres avantages importants, dont de vastes étendues de terres. Depuis sa prise en main par la hiérarchie autochtone, période correspondant à la décolonisation, cette Église n'arrive pas à se prendre en charge, obligée de se tourner constamment vers l'extérieur (tes organismes occidentaux de financement) pour assurer ses différents besoins. Or cette politique d'extraversion financière ne rassure plus, vu le contexte socioculturel occidental actuel (diminution des pratiques religieuses, crises financières mondiales, ...). En définitive, il faut à cette Église congolaise longtemps habituée à l'assistance de repenser une nouvelle logique d'action lui permettant de trouver d'autres possibilités pour assurer son autofinancement en vue de sa survie. L'objectif de ce travail est de montrer que des potentialités existent qu'elle peut exploiter: la mobilisation et la gestion rationnelle des ressources humaines et économiques disponibles, la rentabilisation des structures de productions héritées des missionnaires, mais en comptant sur un environnement sociopolitique et économique national favorable et un changement des mentalités des acteurs en présence. / This thesis focuses the missionary presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo under the Belgian rule towards the end of the Sixth Century. We seek to understand bow this Church came to be financially dependent by looking at the different causes or exogenous and endogenous as well as the roots of this phenomenon within the context of the colonial policy. From the beginning, it has received State subsidies and enjoyed other significant advantages including large tracts of land. Ever since the native hierarchy has taken over, i.e. as from the decolonization, this Church has been unable to support itself and has been obliged constantly seek external aid from western financial bodies in order to meet its needs. But in the light of the current western sociocultural context (decline of religious practices, financial crises worldwide ... ) such a financial extraversion is no longer comforting. Ali things considered, long accustomed as it was to be assisted, this Congolese Church now needs to develop a new course of action through which it will be able to find other means of self-support for its survival. The objective of this work is to show that there is potential at band, namely the mobilization and the rational management of the human and economic resources available, the cost-effectiveness of the production facilities inherited from the missionaries, but resting on a favourable national sociopolitical and economic environment and a change in the attitude of the parties involved.

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In 1840, apostle missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints compiled, printed, and began distributing a hymnbook that eventually would become the basis for all subsequent LDS hymnbooks published in English in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This thesis, as a contribution to the literature of communication, book history, and hymnology, as well as the intellectual and cultural history of the early years of the LDS Church, focuses on analyzing the poetry of the 1840 Mormon Manchester hymnbook. Using qualitative root-metaphor analysis, the author identified and analyzed expressions, supporting an emergent journey root-metaphor. He then divided the expressions into eight categories, each describing important and distinct aspects of the Journey. These categories include the following: 1) the travelers, 2) the activities on the journey, 3) the way, 4) the destination, 5) the guide, 6) the invitation to come, 7) the motivations, and 8) the lost wanderers. This thesis is based on the assumption that cultures and religions can be understood through the stories they tell. The story of the journey as told through the poetry of the 1840 Manchester hymnbook illuminates one aspect of the religious experience of early members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Taken together, the eight aspects of the journey root-metaphor identified in this thesis tell a story about LDS members as travelers on a journey home, who walk on a straight and narrow path, away from a dark and fallen world, through snares, darkness, and other dangers, toward a glorious destination where rest, joy, and other rewards await them. Ultimately the travelers must rise above this world and follow Christ to a place where they may live with God to serve and praise him ever more.

This thesis seeks to answer the question of how Joseph Smith—History found in The Pearl of Great Price developed into a part of the canon of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When the prophet Joseph Smith first dictated the text to his scribes it seems he had not intended for the work to become scripture, but simply to follow the Lord's divine mandate to keep a record. Additionally he provided the purpose in his document to "disabuse the public mind, and put all inquirers after truth in possession of the facts, as they transpired." The format he proposed for the Manuscript History illustrates how it was originally not purposed for scripture. The compiling of that history took the efforts of many men and women and spanned the length of almost twenty years to complete. Joseph Smith had begun the dictation to his scribe George Robinson in 1838, but it was unfinished. Joseph later began the dictation anew to his scribe James Mulholland, first having the man rewrite what he had told to Robinson and then picking up the dictation from there. While the prophet had started and stopped histories before, this particular dictation began the enduring effort. The Manuscript History was developed from the original 59 pages that were scribed by Mulholland. By the efforts of other scribes, but mostly Willard Richards, the history was completed. The official statement of Brigham Young and Orson Pratt upon its completion said nothing of extracting portions for canon. But Mulholland's work seemed destined for a different purpose than the rest of the Manuscript History. It was printed serially in the Times and Seasons, and a few apostles seemed to catch a vision of what the manuscript could do for potential converts and members of the Church. Orson Pratt was especially a proponent of communicating certain key events as illustrated in his missionary tract "Remarkable Visions." A later apostle, Franklin D. Richards, would see the benefit of using the official history to distribute the history of the restoration of the Church to others. He extracted portions from Mulholland's text that covered certain main events in Joseph's life and printed them in his missionary tract The Pearl of Great Price. This pamphlet would eventually be canonized by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1880. Joseph Smith-History's inclusion in the reclamation of revelation that occurred in 1880 was deserved. This is evidenced by examining the process of canonization and the guiding principles of canonization employed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was canonized at the same time as many other revelations and at a General Conference saturated with many important events. Consequently it is difficult to gauge the reaction to its inclusion in canon, except in how it has been used since its canonization. After its inclusion into scripture the text has become a foundational piece of literature for the Church. The impact the text has had can be seen in the culture, missionary work, and doctrine of the Church. The focus of this thesis is to map the text's journey from birth to canonization.