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.

The broad field of men and masculinities is increasingly being enriched by the emergent religious discourse on the subject in Africa. At the heart of this religious discourse is an agenda for change and transformation of men which owes largely to the influence of African Women Theologians and their struggle for gender justice. This study was an attempt to do a theological analysis of the writings of three scholars who belong to this trend, within the framework of the theology of gender justice. These are, A. van Klinken, G. West and E. Chitando. The study is interpretive in nature, and sought to re-read and re-present the writings of these scholars in a way that enhances their utilization and appreciation. Thus, using the thematic networks analysis, the study explored firstly, the themes that emerge from the writings of these scholars; secondly, the extent to which these themes contribute to the general discourse on African masculinities and gender justice; and thirdly, the ways in which these writings can further contribute to such discourses. The resultant analysis showed that specific themes (termed the global themes) form the major claim and heart of the writings of each scholar. For Chitando, “men can, should and must change!” West was able to show that given the space and tools such as Contextual Bible Study, men can change and embrace alternative forms of masculinities that are life-promoting. Van Klinken on his part argues for an alternative framework for analyzing masculinities and a different approach to gender justice. Drawing from a critical evaluation of these different positions, it was recommended that their approaches can be enhanced with more attention to the inequality inherent in the gender relations among men themselves. Moreover, religious approaches to the transformation of men also need to emphasize to men the costs of harmful masculinities and what they stand to benefit from proposed alternative masculinities as men. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1975.

This dissertation is a study of the mission of the Women's Manyano in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, beginning from 1907 to 1997. It focuses on the barriers and successes this organisation has experienced during the years of its mission. It also examines the history of the formation and objectives of the organisation especially within the structures of the church. It attempts to analyse the reaction of the hierarchy of the church in order to understand why the organisation had no representation at executive meetings at the national level for a very long time. It will compare similarities and differences between the organisations that are within the church and the influence that it has on other organisations inside and outside the church. The organisation did not agree when the church called for the unification of all the churchwomen's organisations. Manyano saw this as a call to its downfall because they had no real similarities with other women's organisations within the church. Although the Women's Manyano is the largest in the church, her representation at national conferences was still minima. At the same time the church proclaim a message of Priesthood of all believers. Women's Manyano is the backbone of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. Without such an organisation the church could not have grown very fast. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2002.

This thesis explores the cultural and the religious formation of Rev. Samuel Johnson and his response to the changing environment of West Africa, particularly Yorubaland, in the nineteenth century. Divided into two parts, the first part looks at the biography of the man, paying attention to his formative environment and his response to it as a Yoruba evangelist in the service of the Church Missionary Society (CMS). The second part explores the issues that were involved in his response to his changing milieu of ministry—encounter with Yoruba religions and Islam, the search for peace in the Yoruba country, and historical consciousness. The first chapter, which is introductory, sets the pace for the research by looking at the academic use to which the missionary archives have been put, from the 1950s, to unravel Africa’s past. While the approaches of historians and anthropologists have been shaped by broad themes, this chapter makes a case for the study of the past from biographical perspectives. Following the lead that has been provided in recent years on the African evangelists by Adrian Hastings, Bengt Sundkler and Christopher Steed, and John Peel the chapter presents Samuel Johnson, an agent of the CMS in the nineteenth century Yoruba country, as a model worthy of the study of indigenous response to the rapid change that swept through West Africa in the second half of the nineteenth century. Chapter two explores the antecedents to the emergence of Johnson in Sierra Leone and appreciates the nexus of his family history and that of the Yoruba nation in the century of rapid change. The implosion of the Oyo Empire in the second decade of the nineteenth century as a result of internal dissension opened the country to unrestrained violence that boosted the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Sierra Leone offering a safe haven for some of the rescued victims of the trade, “Erugunjimi” Henry Johnson, was rehabilitated under the benevolence of the CMS. At Hastings, where the Basel trained missionary Ulrich Graf exercised a dominant influence, Henry Johnson raised his family until he returned with them to the Yoruba country in 1858 as a scripture reader. The Colony of Sierra Leone, however, was in contrast to the culturally monolithic Yoruba country. Cosmopolitan, with Christianity having the monopoly of legitimacy, the colony gave Samuel and his siblings their early religious and cultural orientations. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

Through a contextual reading of the exodus narrative, this study explores various struggles that Moses faced as he led the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt. During the journey the people complained, not only because of the hardship in the wilderness, but, at a time, they rebelled against Moses' leadership and challenged the institutions he put in place. Moses responded to these rebellions, either by earnest intercession in favor of the community or by letting God's wrath suppress violently the contention. The narrative raises a number of issues related to the exercise of leadership, especially leadership contest that many leaders today still wrestle with. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

"I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John" (Luke 7:28). Thus the author of Luke-Acts expresses his basic assessment of John the Baptist. The present study aims to understand the role of John the Baptist as he is portrayed in Luke-Acts through a reading that combines social description and narrative-theological analysis in order to gain hermeneutical access to the subject of our investigation. This study seeks to achieve this aim in two ways. In the first instance there is an attempt (through recourse to a combination of the stated critical methodologies) to provide a reading of Luke-Acts that interfaces social description and narrative-theological analysis in order to make possible a rhetorical engagement with the text in a way that provides hermeneutical access to John the Baptist as he is portrayed in Luke-Acts. In his portrayal of John the Baptist as a prophet and witness who plays a unique role in the history of salvation, the author of Luke-Acts weaves a spell over his readers that draws them into his narrative world and into his particular theological perspective. In the second instance, this study also aims to show how Luke-Acts preserves a unique dynamic of John the Baptist which has rather been buried in the other Gospel traditions. Through this dynamic, Luke seeks to transmit his own ideal of the authentic prophet and witness in such a way that his audience may be moved to emulate John's example with conviction and imagination both in living out their Christian ideal as well as in proclaiming the good news. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

This thesis concerns African women’s experience of comprehensive vulnerability, and a proposal to develop an African Women’s’ Public Theology to enable the church in Africa to adequately respond to that vulnerability. The research involved a case study of 126 women in the Kenyan district of Meru South undertaken through interviews, focus groups and participant observation, and revealed that women experience vulnerability in eight key areas, namely, Domestic violence, Inheritance, HIV and AIDS, Education, Health, Female Genital Mutilation, Polygamy and a lack of control and access to property. The thesis argues that this constitutes a comprehensive experience of vulnerability that has five fundamental causes, namely, Patriarchal traditions and customs; Poverty; Policies and law; Religion and the church; and Internalisation. The thesis then examines an appropriate response from Christians and the Church to this experience of comprehensive vulnerability. It notes that many of these concerns are voiced by African Women’s’ Theology, but that in order to adequately deal with the experiences and causes of women’s vulnerability identified in the research there is a need to engage the field of public policy, constitution and law making to really make a difference. An engagement with the male theologians, Duncan Forrester, Jesse Mugambi and Charles Villa-Vicencio provides the impetus to develop a public theology, whilst at the same time the thesis offers a gender sensitive critique of these attempts. Any public theology needs a social theory in order to engage the public sphere, and this thesis examines the work of the feminist philosopher and jurist, Martha Nussbaum in promoting the Human Capabilities Approach. We examine her formal proposal of ten fundamental human capabilities that should be supported by states and governments. Her work is affirmed for three important reasons, namely, it deals with the reality of women on the ground as revealed through the field research, it provides a public way of dealing with this vulnerability that is not based on one faith tradition, and yet thirdly, it is congruent with a Biblical faith that promotes Human Dignity, Freedom and Justice. In drawing the research to a close the thesis proposes an African Women’s Public Theology with the following seven characteristics. African Women’s Public Theology (i) is a member of the family of African Women’s Theologies, (ii) is grounded in the reality of the lives of African women, characterized by comprehensive vulnerability; (iii) claims the right for women to do theology in the public arena; (iv) works self-consciously in an inter- disciplinary manner; (v) challenges the church to be more active in seeking social justice, with an emphasis on gender justice; (vi) focuses on women’s capabilities – what they are actually able to be and to do; and (vii) challenges the hitherto male-dominated public theologies to take seriously the concerns, wisdom and passion of women seeking gender justice in Africa. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

This study in Contextual Missiology has been motivated by seeming inadequacies and hazy pictures of the training of lay people for evangelization in Zimbabwe. It therefore seeks to identify ways in which Pastoral Training Centres can train lay leaders to animate local communities, take up lay ministries satisfactorily and move the agenda of the local Church forward. Ways were sought through engaging in a critical hermeneutical method of understanding and interpreting praxis, so that the meeting of praxis with faith leads to new practice in an on-going hermeneutical spiral. The task involved is to listen to those who evangelise and those evangelised to get a deeper understanding of the mission of the Church. This is a method employed by S Bate and F. J. Verstraelen. The research findings were that Pastoral Training Centres were established and started training laypeople over thirty years ago and yet the training seems inadequate and unsatisfactory. People from an African background in Zimbabwe have been converted to Christianity over a century ago and yet they seem to adhere to their traditional religious rituals along side the Christian belief. The Catholic Church in Zimbabwe has accepted small Christian communities as the locus of evangelization and yet on the ground what are operational are prayer groups. Lay leaders have taken up and exercise lay ministries and yet some communities seem not satisfied with the quality of services rendered by some of them. There is collaboration in the parishes between parish priests and laypeople especially in the work done by parish councils and lay associations and yet there seems to be some reluctance in giving laypeople key-decision making posts in the Church. The findings revealed a gap between the lived experiences of people and the critical reflections on those experiences. Narrative Theology was adopted to try to bridge the gap. It was within Narrative Theology that a theological model of training laypeople was developed. It is a proposal to start all pastoral situations, which include, lay leader training courses, seminars, discussions, homilies, catechetical instructions and Bible sharing, from either events experienced, proverbs, sayings or stories. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.