This research project focuses on conversions from Islam to Christianity in the Sudan. It first gives a biblical and theological understanding of conversion and then introduces the sociological and psychological understanding of such a change in religious affiliation. It discusses conversion as a spiritual decision process and develops a spiritual decision matrix for evaluating conversion processes of Muslims. The heart of the study is an analysis of the conversion processes of six converts with a Northern Sudanese background from different Muslim tribes. The interviews that were conducted with these converts are analysed in terms of five parameters: reasons for conversion; factors that led to conversion; stages in the conversion processes; problems encountered during the conversion processes; and results of the conversion. These parameters are compared with existing data from six studies of Muslims in other geographical areas who also converted to the Christian faith. / Christian Spirituality Church History and Missiology / M.Th. (Missiology)

Text in English / The Muslim population in South Africa has its origins in the 17th Century when they were initially brought in as slaves or political exiles by the Dutch colonisers. Christian-Muslim relations have not always been good and especially the topic of 'conversion' has often caused conflict between the members of the two faiths. Additional problems such as the apartheid era has caused many Christians, especially Africans, to question their faith and turn their back on Christianity by converting to Islam. There are other areas which have caused conflict in the relations such as mistrust, misinformation and discrimination. In South Africa's religiously pluralistic society people convert from Christianity to Islam, and vice versa, from a variety of motives. This study first discusses various Christian missiological debates on understandings of conversion and then surveys psychological approaches to the motivational structures of 'decision-making'. The heart of the study is the presentation and analysis of the conversion narratives of 20 converts (10 from Islam to Christianity and 10 from Christianity to Islam). These narratives are analysed in terms of five key conversion motives, as a result of which various patterns of conversion motives emerge. In church practice and missiology, conversion is often understood only in one direction (towards Christianity) and with only one valid motive, namely a strictly religious one. This study reveals, however, that such a view is inadequate. Conversion should rather be understood as a two-way movement and based on combinations of various motives. This study concludes with the presentation of a holistic missiological understanding of conversion which applies more adequately to the South African context. This new understanding of conversion may help to promote better understanding and respect between faith communities. / Christian Spirituality, Church History & Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)

This research project focuses on conversions from Islam to Christianity in the Sudan. It first gives a biblical and theological understanding of conversion and then introduces the sociological and psychological understanding of such a change in religious affiliation. It discusses conversion as a spiritual decision process and develops a spiritual decision matrix for evaluating conversion processes of Muslims. The heart of the study is an analysis of the conversion processes of six converts with a Northern Sudanese background from different Muslim tribes. The interviews that were conducted with these converts are analysed in terms of five parameters: reasons for conversion; factors that led to conversion; stages in the conversion processes; problems encountered during the conversion processes; and results of the conversion. These parameters are compared with existing data from six studies of Muslims in other geographical areas who also converted to the Christian faith. / Christian Spirituality Church History and Missiology / M.Th. (Missiology)

The Islamic religion has become a challenge to Christianity due to its rapid growth around the world today. Christianity and Islam are both devising strategies on how to reach out to each other with their conflicting messages. Christian missiologists have come up with several approaches of doing Mission to the Muslims. However, because of the Islamic practices and beliefs that vary in different contexts or from place to place, some of the approaches are not effective in some areas. The nature of the cultural context has more often made it progressively difficult for the Christian churches and missionaries to do Mission among the Muslim countries, including those at South Coast of Kenya, the Digo folk Muslims. The call for a suitable understanding of an evangelism approach among the Digo folk Muslims is an essential concept for an effective Mission to them. There is no doubt that in Digoland, there is still a great challenge in evangelising the Digo people. Even though currently there is a good number of un-indigenous churches in this area, the problem remains that the Digo Muslims have not effectively responded to the Gospel of Jesus Christ at large. It is also clear that the evangelism approaches that the Christian churches are using have not been effective. This thesis analytically examines evangelism approaches to Mission among the Digo folk Muslims by seven selected Christian churches from different denominations in the South Coast of Kenya. The study investigates the effectiveness of the evangelism approaches, which these churches are using with the Digo folk Muslims in sharing the gospel. Mostly using data collected from oral interviews, the study finds that Mission involvement to Digo Muslims is slow and not as effective as evidenced by the small number of the Muslim background believers in the selected churches. The churches and the Muslim background believers face challenges that include fear due to threats from the Muslim community as they perceive the Christians as adversaries who are stealing their members. Moreover, the few Muslims are, at times threatened with death. The churches also face challenges from the lack of effective training in Muslim evangelism in context including the financial constraints for Muslim Mission in the area. The research concludes that significantly, there is a need for the selected churches to reexamine and reconsider their evangelism approaches to Digo folk Muslims with a view to improving their ways of engaging in sharing the gospel with them. Finally, the study formulates and proposes a practical biblical model for effective Mission to these Digo Muslims. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology with specialisation in Muslim Evangelism)

Text in English / The Muslim population in South Africa has its origins in the 17th Century when they were initially brought in as slaves or political exiles by the Dutch colonisers. Christian-Muslim relations have not always been good and especially the topic of 'conversion' has often caused conflict between the members of the two faiths. Additional problems such as the apartheid era has caused many Christians, especially Africans, to question their faith and turn their back on Christianity by converting to Islam. There are other areas which have caused conflict in the relations such as mistrust, misinformation and discrimination. In South Africa's religiously pluralistic society people convert from Christianity to Islam, and vice versa, from a variety of motives. This study first discusses various Christian missiological debates on understandings of conversion and then surveys psychological approaches to the motivational structures of 'decision-making'. The heart of the study is the presentation and analysis of the conversion narratives of 20 converts (10 from Islam to Christianity and 10 from Christianity to Islam). These narratives are analysed in terms of five key conversion motives, as a result of which various patterns of conversion motives emerge. In church practice and missiology, conversion is often understood only in one direction (towards Christianity) and with only one valid motive, namely a strictly religious one. This study reveals, however, that such a view is inadequate. Conversion should rather be understood as a two-way movement and based on combinations of various motives. This study concludes with the presentation of a holistic missiological understanding of conversion which applies more adequately to the South African context. This new understanding of conversion may help to promote better understanding and respect between faith communities. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)

Zusammenfassung Das Forschungsprojekt untersucht Bekehrungsmotive von südsudanesischen Migranten, die in einem islamischen Kontext leben. Dazu wird zunächst das biblisch-theologische Bekeh¬rungsverständnis erhoben und im Kontext seiner kirchengeschichtlichen Entwicklung dar¬gestellt. Da jede Bekehrung ein multidimensionaler Prozess ist, der neben theologischen Fragestellungen auch soziologische, anthropologische und religionspsychologische Aspekte enthält, wird ein multidimensionaler Ansatz zur Erforschung von Bekehrungsmotiven konzipiert und ein Forschungswerkzeug erstellt, dass den Kontext südsudanesischer Migranten aufnimmt. Dieses kommt im Rahmen einer Pilotstudie zum Einsatz, die aus fünf Konvertiten-Interviews besteht. Zuerst wird der Inhalt jedes Interviews aus theologischer, soziologischer, religionspsychologischer und anthropologischer Sicht separat erhoben. Danach werden die unterschiedlichen Betrachtungsweisen in einen kritischen Dialog gebracht, um die Bekehrungsmotive zu bestimmen, welche den Kategorien kognitiv-religiös, mystisch-religiös, affektiv, experimentell oder sozial-politisch zugeordnet werden. Zum Schluss wird der Ertrag aller Interviews zu einem Gesamtergebnis verbunden und einer selbstkritischen Evaluierung unterzogen. Summary This dissertation examines conversion motives of Southern Sudanese migrants who live in an Islamic context. First of all a theological view of conversion in scripture and its development in the church history is presented. Since every conversion is a multi-dimensional process containing not only theological problems but also sociological, anthropological and religio¬psychlogical aspects, a multi-dimensional approach and a reseach methodology are designed for above context. This methodology is used for a pilot study of five interviews with converts. Each interview is examined separately from a theological, sociological, religio-psychological and anthropological analysis. After this the different views are brought into a critical dialog in order to identify the motives of conversion which are related to cognitive-religious, mystical¬religious, affective, experimental or social-political categories. The results of all individual interviews are merged in a final analysis and reflected in a self-critical evaluation. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

Text in German / Forschungsgegenstand dieser Arbeit ist Johannes Lepsius' Missiologie. Aufgabe der Untersuchung ist es, die wichtigsten missiologischen Auffassungen und Überzeugungen von Johannes Lepsius aus der Vielzahl seiner veröffentlichten Schriften zu erheben und sie dann erstmals systematisiert in einem Ge¬samtüberblick darzustellen. Die Besonderheit besteht dabei darin, dass sich die Missiologie von Johan¬nes Lepsius nur aus der Zusammenschau von zahlreichen Einzeläußerungen erschließen lässt, die sich zumeist in kleineren Aufsätzen und Zeitschriftenartikeln finden lassen. Somit ist es notwendig, seine einzelnen Schriften in ihrem jeweiligen - auch biographischen - Kontext wahrzunehmen und zu inter¬pretieren. Aus der Aufarbeitung der theologischen Grundlagen von Johannes Lepsius' Missiologie, sei¬ner Ansichten bezüglich der Missionsarbeit unter Muslimen und einiger weiterer spezieller missiologi¬scher Fragestellungen wird deutlich, dass Johannes Lepsius trotz durchaus vorhandener Parallelen zu anderen missiologischen Entwürfen in theologischer und missiologischer Hinsicht als eigenständiger Denker zu betrachten ist. Die Kenntnis der missiologischen Überzeugungen, die hinter Lepsius' so viel¬fältigen missionarischem, theologischem, sozialdiakonischem und politischem Wirken stehen, macht es möglich, seine äußerlich so wechselhafte Biographie besser zu verstehen. Darüber hinaus bietet seine Missiologie - besonders sein Reich Gottes-Verständnis - interessante Impulse für die heutige missiolo¬gische Diskussion, insbesondere was die Frage nach dem Verhältnis von Missionsauftrag und gesell¬schaftlichem Engagement betrifft. SUMMARY The object of this research work is the missiology of Johannes Lepsius. The task of the investigation is to collate the most important missiological opinions and beliefs of Johannes Lepsius from the large number of his published writing and then to present them in a systematic overview for the first time. They are characterised specifically by the fact that the missiology of Johannes Lepsius can only be de¬veloped from an overview summary of numerous individual statements which are generally to be found in smaller papers and journal articles. Therefore it is necessary to appreciate and interpret his individual writings in their specific - and also biographical - contexts. From the reworking of the theological prin¬ciples of Johannes Lepsius' missiology, his views on mission work amongst Muslims and some other special missiological questions, it becomes clear that Johannes Lepsius - despite existing parallels with other missiological models from a theological and missiological point of view - is to be viewed as an independent thinker. The knowledge of the missiological beliefs which underpin Lepsius' very varied missionary, theological, socio-diaconical and political activities makes it possible to have a better un¬derstanding of his biography that from the outside seems so incoherent. His missiology - especially his un¬derstanding of the Kingdom of God - also offers interesting inputs for today's missiological discus¬sions, especially as far as the question of the relationship between missionary work and social commit¬ment is concerned. / The object of this research is the missiology of Johannes Lepsius. The task of the investigation is to collate the most important missiological opinions and beliefs of Johannes Lepsius from the large number of his published writing and then to present them in a systematic overview for the first time. They are characterised specifically by the fact that the missiology of Johannes Lepsius can only be developed from an overview summary of numerous individual statements which are generally to be found in smaller papers and journal articles. Therefore it is neccessary to appreciate and interpret his individual writings in their specific - and also biographical - contexts. From the reworking of the theological principles of Johannes Lepsius' missiology, his views on mission work amongst Muslims and some other special missiological questions, it becomes clear that Johannes Lepsius - despite existing parallels with other missiological models from a theological and missiological point of view - is to be viewed as an independent thinker. The knowledge of the missiological beliefs which underpin Lepsius' very varied missionary, theological, socio-diaconical and political activities makes it possible to have a better understanding of his biography that from the outside seems so incoherent. His missiology - especially his understanding of the Kingdom of God - also offers interesting inputs for today's missiological discussions, especially as far as the question of the relationship between msiionary work and social commitment is concerned. / Christian Spirituality, Church History, Missiology / D.Th.(Missiology)

Text in German / Forschungsgegenstand dieser Arbeit ist Johannes Lepsius' Missiologie. Aufgabe der Untersuchung ist es, die wichtigsten missiologischen Auffassungen und Überzeugungen von Johannes Lepsius aus der Vielzahl seiner veröffentlichten Schriften zu erheben und sie dann erstmals systematisiert in einem Ge¬samtüberblick darzustellen. Die Besonderheit besteht dabei darin, dass sich die Missiologie von Johan¬nes Lepsius nur aus der Zusammenschau von zahlreichen Einzeläußerungen erschließen lässt, die sich zumeist in kleineren Aufsätzen und Zeitschriftenartikeln finden lassen. Somit ist es notwendig, seine einzelnen Schriften in ihrem jeweiligen - auch biographischen - Kontext wahrzunehmen und zu inter¬pretieren. Aus der Aufarbeitung der theologischen Grundlagen von Johannes Lepsius' Missiologie, sei¬ner Ansichten bezüglich der Missionsarbeit unter Muslimen und einiger weiterer spezieller missiologi¬scher Fragestellungen wird deutlich, dass Johannes Lepsius trotz durchaus vorhandener Parallelen zu anderen missiologischen Entwürfen in theologischer und missiologischer Hinsicht als eigenständiger Denker zu betrachten ist. Die Kenntnis der missiologischen Überzeugungen, die hinter Lepsius' so viel¬fältigen missionarischem, theologischem, sozialdiakonischem und politischem Wirken stehen, macht es möglich, seine äußerlich so wechselhafte Biographie besser zu verstehen. Darüber hinaus bietet seine Missiologie - besonders sein Reich Gottes-Verständnis - interessante Impulse für die heutige missiolo¬gische Diskussion, insbesondere was die Frage nach dem Verhältnis von Missionsauftrag und gesell¬schaftlichem Engagement betrifft. SUMMARY The object of this research work is the missiology of Johannes Lepsius. The task of the investigation is to collate the most important missiological opinions and beliefs of Johannes Lepsius from the large number of his published writing and then to present them in a systematic overview for the first time. They are characterised specifically by the fact that the missiology of Johannes Lepsius can only be de¬veloped from an overview summary of numerous individual statements which are generally to be found in smaller papers and journal articles. Therefore it is necessary to appreciate and interpret his individual writings in their specific - and also biographical - contexts. From the reworking of the theological prin¬ciples of Johannes Lepsius' missiology, his views on mission work amongst Muslims and some other special missiological questions, it becomes clear that Johannes Lepsius - despite existing parallels with other missiological models from a theological and missiological point of view - is to be viewed as an independent thinker. The knowledge of the missiological beliefs which underpin Lepsius' very varied missionary, theological, socio-diaconical and political activities makes it possible to have a better un¬derstanding of his biography that from the outside seems so incoherent. His missiology - especially his un¬derstanding of the Kingdom of God - also offers interesting inputs for today's missiological discus¬sions, especially as far as the question of the relationship between missionary work and social commit¬ment is concerned. / The object of this research is the missiology of Johannes Lepsius. The task of the investigation is to collate the most important missiological opinions and beliefs of Johannes Lepsius from the large number of his published writing and then to present them in a systematic overview for the first time. They are characterised specifically by the fact that the missiology of Johannes Lepsius can only be developed from an overview summary of numerous individual statements which are generally to be found in smaller papers and journal articles. Therefore it is neccessary to appreciate and interpret his individual writings in their specific - and also biographical - contexts. From the reworking of the theological principles of Johannes Lepsius' missiology, his views on mission work amongst Muslims and some other special missiological questions, it becomes clear that Johannes Lepsius - despite existing parallels with other missiological models from a theological and missiological point of view - is to be viewed as an independent thinker. The knowledge of the missiological beliefs which underpin Lepsius' very varied missionary, theological, socio-diaconical and political activities makes it possible to have a better understanding of his biography that from the outside seems so incoherent. His missiology - especially his understanding of the Kingdom of God - also offers interesting inputs for today's missiological discussions, especially as far as the question of the relationship between msiionary work and social commitment is concerned. / Christian Spirituality, Church History, Missiology / D.Th.(Missiology)

Zusammenfassung Das Forschungsprojekt untersucht Bekehrungsmotive von südsudanesischen Migranten, die in einem islamischen Kontext leben. Dazu wird zunächst das biblisch-theologische Bekeh¬rungsverständnis erhoben und im Kontext seiner kirchengeschichtlichen Entwicklung dar¬gestellt. Da jede Bekehrung ein multidimensionaler Prozess ist, der neben theologischen Fragestellungen auch soziologische, anthropologische und religionspsychologische Aspekte enthält, wird ein multidimensionaler Ansatz zur Erforschung von Bekehrungsmotiven konzipiert und ein Forschungswerkzeug erstellt, dass den Kontext südsudanesischer Migranten aufnimmt. Dieses kommt im Rahmen einer Pilotstudie zum Einsatz, die aus fünf Konvertiten-Interviews besteht. Zuerst wird der Inhalt jedes Interviews aus theologischer, soziologischer, religionspsychologischer und anthropologischer Sicht separat erhoben. Danach werden die unterschiedlichen Betrachtungsweisen in einen kritischen Dialog gebracht, um die Bekehrungsmotive zu bestimmen, welche den Kategorien kognitiv-religiös, mystisch-religiös, affektiv, experimentell oder sozial-politisch zugeordnet werden. Zum Schluss wird der Ertrag aller Interviews zu einem Gesamtergebnis verbunden und einer selbstkritischen Evaluierung unterzogen. Summary This dissertation examines conversion motives of Southern Sudanese migrants who live in an Islamic context. First of all a theological view of conversion in scripture and its development in the church history is presented. Since every conversion is a multi-dimensional process containing not only theological problems but also sociological, anthropological and religio¬psychlogical aspects, a multi-dimensional approach and a reseach methodology are designed for above context. This methodology is used for a pilot study of five interviews with converts. Each interview is examined separately from a theological, sociological, religio-psychological and anthropological analysis. After this the different views are brought into a critical dialog in order to identify the motives of conversion which are related to cognitive-religious, mystical¬religious, affective, experimental or social-political categories. The results of all individual interviews are merged in a final analysis and reflected in a self-critical evaluation. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)