Summaries in English, Sesotho and Isizulu / The doctrine and practices of ordination in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) were adopted from the Wesleyan Methodist Church in England when the Southern African Conference was constituted in 1882. This replication, together with the influences of colonialism and a Western epistemology, negatively impacted the ministry and mission of the church. In response to the appeals for the decolonisation and Africanisation of the denomination’s practices, aspects relating to both the doctrine and practices of ordination have been adapted from the colonial past to our southern African context. However, many elements remain Western and the food cooking in the African pot lacks the taste of authentic ingredients grown in southern African soil. The study researches whether a decolonised and Africanised model of ordination would be very different from existing understanding and practices and examines the impact that a new model would have on the MCSA. Drawing from literature and interviews with persons in leadership positions in the MCSA, the study determines those aspects of southern African culture and spirituality that would be appropriate to assimilate into the present doctrine and practices. The liturgy of the Service of Ordination forms the basis on which the contributions of southern African culture are applied to the doctrine and practices of ordination. A similar process of evaluation and assimilation follows when applying the data gained from the interviews to the doctrine and practices of ordination in the MCSA. The thesis then concludes by proposing concrete changes to both the doctrinal understanding and practice of ordination in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. / Dithuto le ditlwaelo tsa ho hlomamiswa ha Kereke ya Methodist ya Afrika e Borwa (MCSA) di ile tsa amohelwa ho tswa Kerekeng ya Methodist ya Wesleyan ya Engelane ha Seboka sa Afrika e Borwa se thehwa ka 1882. Ho ikatisa hona, hammoho le ditshusumetso tsa bokolone le theori ya tsebo ya Bophirima, di amme tshebeletso le mosebetsi wa kereke. Ho arabela dillo bakeng sa ho tloswa ha thuto ya bokolone le Ho etsa dintho Seafrika ha ditlwaelo tsa bodumedi, dikarolo tse amanang le thuto le ditlwaelo tsa tlhomamiso ka bobedi di amohetswe ho tswa bokoloneng bo fetileng hofihlela maemong a rona a hona jwale. Leha ho le jwalo, dintho tse ngata di dutse e ntse e le tsa Bophirima, mme dijo tse ntseng di phehwa ka pitseng ya Afrika di haellwa ke tatso ya metswako e lengwang mobung wa Afrika e Borwa. Phuputso e batlisisa hore na mmotlolo o tlositsweng tsebo ya bokolone le o etsang dintho Seafrika wa tlhomamiso o ka fapana le kutlwisiso ya hona jwale le ditlwaelo le tshusumetso eo mmotlolo o motjha o ka bang le ona ho MCSA. Ho tswa ho dingodilweng le dipuisano le batho ba boemong ba boetapele ho MCSA, phuputso e lekanya dikarolo tseo tsa setso sa Afrika e Borwa le bomoya bo ka nepahalang ho utlwisisa ka botlalo thuto le ditlwaelo tsa hona jwale. Borapedi ba Tshebeletso ya Tlhomamiso bo etsa motheo oo ho ona diabo tsa setso sa Afrika e Borwa di sebediswang thutong ya tlhomamiso. Tshebetso e tshwanang ya iv tlhahlobo le kutlwisiso e phethahetseng dia latela ha ho sebediswa lesedi le fumanweng ho tswa dipuisanong ho thuto le ditlwaelo tsa tlhomamiso ho MCSA. Phuputso e phethela ka ho etsa tlhahiso ya diphetoho tse hlakileng kutlwisisong ya thuto le tlwaelong ya tlhomamiso Kerekeng ya Methodist ya Afrika e Borwa ka bobedi / Inqubo kanye nezinkambiso zokugcotshwa kwabefundisi eBandleni lamaWeseli, i-Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) kwathathelwa ebandleni i-Wesleyan Methodist Church eNgilandi ngenkathi kusungulwa i-Southern African Conference ngowe-1882. Ukwamukelwa kwenqubo leyo nezinkambiso, kanye nemithelela yenqubo yobukoloniyali, nokugxila kakhulu olwazini lwaseNtshonalanga, kwaba nomthelela omubi impela emsebenzini webandla wokuhambisa nokusabalalisa ivangeli. Njengomzamo wokusabela ezikhalazweni nezicelo zokuthi kushiywe phansi izinkambiso nezinqubo ezihlobene nenqubo yobukoloniyali futhi ebandleni kusetshenziswe izinkambiso ezisungulwe kwizwekazi lase-Afrika futhi ezihambelana kahle naleli zwekazi, sekuguqulwe izingxenye ezithile ezihlobene nenqubo kanye nezinkambiso zokugcotshwa kwabefundisi zisuswa esimweni sazo esedlule ebesihlobene nenqubo yobukoloniyali, futhi esezakhiwe ngendlela ezozwana futhi ihambelane kahle nesimo samanje esiphila kusona. Kodwa-ke, kusekuningi kakhulu okuphathelene nalezi zinkambiso okusagxile kakhulu ezinqubweni zaseNtshonalanga, futhi lokho-ke kubangela ukuthi ‘isitshulu esiphekwe ebhodweni lase-Afrika sizwakale singenakho ukunambitheka kwezithako ezilinywe emhlabathini waseNingizimu ye-Afrika’. Lolu cwaningo luzama ukuthola ukuthi inqubo yokugcoba abefundisi engalandeli izinkambiso zobukoloniyali zamazwe aseNtshonalanga futhi okuyinqubo egxile ezinkambisweni zase-Afrika ingaba nawo yini umehluko omkhulu kulokhu kuqonda okukhona njengamanje kanye nezinkambiso ezilandelwayo esikhathini samanje, futhi luzama ukubheka nomthelela ebingaba nawo inqubo entsha ebandleni i-MCSA. Ngokususela emibhalweni efundiwe kanye nezingxoxo ezibanjwe nabantu abasezikhundleni zobuholi ebandleni i-MCSA, ucwaningo luhlonza lezo zingxenye zosiko-mpilo kanye nezinkolelo ezingokomoya zaseNingizimu ye-Afrika ezingakulungela ukulunjaniswa nofakwa ngaphansi kwenqubo nezinkambiso ezilandelwa esikhathini samanje. Izinqubonkambiso kanye nemidanti yeNkonzo Yokugcotshwa Kwabefundisi kwakha isisekelo okusetshenziselwa phezu kwaso izinqubo ezithile, ezithathwe kusiko-mpilo lweNingizimu ye-Afrika, enqubweni yokugcotshwa kwabefundisi. Inqubo efanayo yokuhlola nokulumbanisa iyalandela ngenkathi kusetshenziswa idatha etholakale ezingxoxweni ezibanjwe nababambiqhaza bocwaningo mayelana nenqubo kanye nezinkambiso zokugcotshwa kwabefundisi ebandleni i-MCSA. Lo mbhalo wocwaningo uphetha ngokuthi uphakamise izinguquko eziphathekayo futhi ezinohlonze ezingenziwa kukho kokubili inqubo-kuqonda kanye nenkambiso yokugcotshwa kwabefundisi ebandleni i-Methodist Church of Southern Africa. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / PhD. (Systematic Theology)

The Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) of South Africa was established in 1908 and is regarded as the source from which Zionist and Apostolic Churches sprang. A study of archival records and secondary sources leads to a conclusion that the black Section of the AFM was, for many decades since its inception, almost indistinguishable from these churches in their beliefs, practices and appearance. The processes to rid the AFM of Zionism, which began in 1929, and were intensified from the 1940s, led to black Pentecostalism shedding most of its Zionist-like beliefs and practices to become an evangelical Pentecostal movement oddly aligned to white interests and expectations. These changes took place at the expense of black agency which Zionist-like Pentecostalism represented and was a testimony thereof. Central to the idea of agency is possession of an interest or idea and power to pursue this interest or realise one's idea. The loss of agency by black Pentecostals is lamentable; this study calls for a reawakening that will mobilise among others, black Pentecostals' cultural resources in theologising and expressing the gospel mandate in a reawakening Africa. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Church History)

The status, roles, and interactions of three dominant African ethnic groups and their descendants in Cuba significantly influenced the island’s cubanidad (national identity): the Lucumís (Yoruba), the Congos (Bantú speakers from Central West Africa), and the Carabalís (from the region of Calabar). These three groups, enslaved on the island, coexisted, each group confronting obstacles that threatened their way of life and cultural identities. Through covert resistance, cultural appropriation, and accommodation, all three, but especially the Lucumís, laid deep roots in the nineteenth century that came to fruition in the twentieth. During the early 1900s, Cuba confronted numerous pressures, internal and external. Under the pretense of a quest for national identity and modernity, Afro-Cubans and African cultures and religion came under political, social, and intellectual attack. Race was an undeniable element in these conflicts. While all three groups were oppressed equally, only the Lucumís fought back, contesting accusations of backwardness, human sacrifice, cannibalism, and brujería (witchcraft), exaggerated by the sensationalistic media, often with the police’s and legal system’s complicity. Unlike the covert character of earlier epochs’ responses to oppression, in the twentieth century Lucumí resistance was overt and outspoken, publically refuting the accusations levied against African religions. Although these struggles had unintended consequences for the Lucumís, they gave birth to cubanidad’s African component. With the help of Fernando Ortiz, the Lucumí were situated at the pinnacle of a hierarchical pyramid, stratifying African religious complexes based on civilizational advancement, but at a costly price. Social ascent denigrated Lucumí religion to the status of folklore, depriving it of its status as a bona fide religious complex. To the present, Lucumí religious descendants, in Cuba and, after 1959, in many other areas of the world, are still contesting this contradiction in terms: an elevated downgrade.