Until 1990, most black and progressive churches in Namibia were proponents of a contextual variant of liberation theology. In it, Black churches and liberationists who were bound together by suffering, oppression, and persecution affirmed the God-given value and dignity of black identity and black people. These churches spoke with a united voice against injustice on behalf of the voiceless and it initiated relief projects for the poor. From 1978-1992, the Council of Churches in Namibia (CCN), the largest, ecumenical para-church organization in the nation, was the most vocal proponent and practitioner of a public theology of liberation for poor and indigenous Namibians. In the post-independence era (1990-present), many formerly liberationist churches and community-service organizations are now espousing more therapeutic, pietistic theologies and philosophies that in practice represent a retreat from the public sphere, public policy, and diminished responsibility to and charitable engagement with poor Namibians. In this dissertation, I argue that, with the exception of the black Lutheran Churchs BIG project, it is poor, indigenous Federation women, not black churches, who are now doing liberation theology by the ways in which they lift up and organize around the God-given dignity of poor, black women. To do this, they are combining womanist, women-centered organizing with elements of black consciousness in order to build one of the most powerful poor peoples organizations in Namibia and in Southern Africa. Federation women are re-conceptualizing private, household problems and organizing nationally to reframe them as public issues with public solutions.

Hindu orientation to society

Degeneration and revitalization

Priniciples of Christian education

Divine transcendence

Diss.--Claremont (Calif.), 2005. / Bibliogr. p. 162-170.

The long-running schism of African Christianity in Late Antiquity and the polemical literature between Donatists and Caecilianists that it produced placed the understanding of bishops and their ministry among the issues at the forefront of the division. Nowhere is this more evident than in the writings of Augustine, who repeatedly and insistently detailed what he perceived to be the theological differences between the two communions. Scholars have long taken this as evidence of genuine differences between the two communions notions of the ministry of their bishops. Investigation of the practices of Caecilianist Christians other than Augustine, however, reveals that their understanding of the bishops and their ministry was remarkably like that of their Donatist rivals. Both continued to be fundamentally shaped by the theory of episcopal ministry articulated by Cyprian of Carthage in the middle of the third century, a theory that emphasized the distinct sanctity and spiritual powers of the bishops over against those of other Christians. Examinations of the rationale for exempting clergy from penance offered by Optatus of Milevis, the reform agenda of the Caecilianist bishops at the Council of Carthage of 390, and the burial and commemoration of bishops at a series of sites across Africa all indicate that Caecilianist Christians continued to look upon their bishops as uniquely holy and bearers of distinct spiritual powers. This was in contrast to the teaching of Augustine, whose theory of episcopal ministry held that the church held such powers in common as the body of Christ and that bishops possessed no distinct sanctity or spiritual powers on the basis of their office. By investigating the practices of Caecilianist Christians and situating them explicitly within the North African theological tradition, this dissertation demonstrates that the traditional African theological understanding of the bishop articulated by Cyprian and commonly associated with the Donatist communion continued to be the operative theology for Caecilianist Christians as well, despite Augustines reinterpretation of the ministry of the bishop.

Mission Churches in the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) denomination generally located in rural areas often acts as a change agent for its members, neighbors, and community. The church should experience growth and change as it community experience growth and change. Often this process requires a drive of resurgence for the church. The case study reviewed the literature on concept, strategies and tactics involved in building alliances within the CME denomination. Additionally, current research on networking and collaboration with religious involvement in community activities, and faith base organization was reviewed. Using case study methodology, this study examined a small dying church in rural North Georgia. This church is located in an area that had private sector economic revitalization plans in place but needed a church that could function as a representative to and for its community. It was the only church located in the planned revitalized area. An identity assessment was conducted for the church and denominational requirements and support were negotiated. Additionally, interviews were conducted with a wide range of collaborative organizations representing diverse revitalization agencies. Research questions addressed in this study examined the motivation for church participation in this collaborative effort and the extent to which church and community members felt their organizational needs were met. Major findings of the study revealed that the church sectors examined had differing organizational capacity, performance, and perceptions of social impact. Results also indicated that participants were committed to similar core beliefs and values that allowed elastic strategies for collaboration to evolve. Outcomes indicated participants recognized the multiple dimensions of social organizations. This study concluded that while much has been written about the benefits to small churches for involvement in community revitalization, little has been written about the experience of a small rural church’s processes of development involving denominational, non-profit, public, and private sectors.

The effect of self-concept on academic achievement of low socio-economic children was investigated. The study was to determine the relationship between the self-concept to the academic achievement of the culturally deprived child in the sixth grade at Carver Elementary School in Terrell County, Georgia. The total sample population consisted of one hundred sixth grade students randomly selected from the school free lunch program. They were selected on the basis of their low socioeconomic background and low academic achievement in mathematics. Sixty-two girls and thirty-eight boys were selected. The one hundred students were administered the Walter W. Hudson Children's Self-Concept Scale and the Iowa Basic Skills Test in Mathematics. The underlying primese that there was a correlation between self-concept and academic achievement received support from the findings.

No description available.