Thesis (doctoral)--Humboldt-Universität, Berlin, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 201-208).

Thesis (doctoral)--Humboldt-Universität, Berlin, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 201-208).

The purpose of the study is to investigate and analyse the role and status of women in the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) holistic ministry. Although since 1973 the EECMY has made some effort to support women’s ministry by passing a number of different policy decisions to authorise women’s involvement in different Church ministries, women are still silenced in various areas in ministry. The study, therefore, thoroughly examines and analyzes where, how and why women are silenced in the EECMY ministry. Findings from my fieldwork suggest a number of areas of ministry where women are silenced and demonstrate substantial reasons for this silencing. The study reveals that women are denied opportunity to participate fully in four key areas of decision-making, evangelism, leadership and ordained ministry for theological and cultural reasons. The investigation shows that women experience exclusion through under-representation and restricted participation in various areas of EECMY’s holistic ministry, but particularly in top leadership roles. Findings show that theological arguments are used to subordinate women with the effect that in the home, church and wider public spheres they are relegated to domestic rather than strategic roles. The study then seeks to respond to these cultural and theological barriers which exclude women from ministry by proposing a theology that is inclusive and liberating. It does this by means of seminal texts and Gospel stories about women. Further, it directly challenges oppressive texts, such as 1 Cor. 14:34-35, 1 Tim. 2:11-15 and Gen. 2, 3, which are used to oppress women in ministry and legitimise men’s authority over women and keep them in submission. By using liberative texts, such as 1 Cor. 11:5, Gal. 3:28 and Gen. 1:27, as lenses through which the other texts may be read, women can find a scriptural basis for their full involvement in the ministry of the Church using the gifts that God has given them. In order to realize this vision, the thesis proposes adoption of a series of principles which emerge from the liberative texts, including conscientization, engendered theological education and partnership. Embracing these principles will lead women in the EECMY to develop and engage in practical strategies to gradually bring about positive change so that the barriers of patriarchy will be dismantled and women will achieve full representation and participation in public, strategic and valued areas of ministry.

This research is based on the contemporary worship life of the South Central Synod (SCS) of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY). The worship life of the SCS congregations has been disrupted since 1991 because of the impact of the charismatic movement on the traditional Lutheran worship of the SCS and related tensions. The EECMY is the church that was founded by the European Lutheran Churches. Therefore, it adheres to the Lutheran theological tradition, which limits religious authority to Scripture and emphasizes the New Testament’s teaching of conversion, new birth, and justification by grace through faith. Lutheran theological tradition does not emphasize the necessity and possibility of the charismatic gifts as part of faith practice. Any tendency to receive and experience charismatic gifts outside of Scripture and sacraments has not been addressed for traditional Lutheran worship. Rather, such experiences were strongly rejected by Lutheran confessional documents (SA III: viii). Being one of the units of the EECMY, SCS was founded on this theological tradition and assumes it for its theology and practice. The SCS traditional worship, therefore, does not recognize charismatic worship and experiences of related manifestations as necessary parts of faith practice. Since 1991 the charismatic movement has introduced the congregations to traditionally neglected charismatic worship and experiences of charismatic gifts such as prophecy, revelations, speaking in tongues, physical healing, discerning spirits and miracle working. The receiving and experiencing of these gifts have become almost a normal part of worship in the congregations. This has impacted the congregations to the extent that they consider their own traditional worship structure as contradictory to devotional worship and deeper spiritual experience. Yet the traditionalists of the congregations reject charismatic worship and related experiences of the manifestations. These distinct views have caused tensions and disruption between the members those who want freedom of worship and changes to the traditional formalism, and those who wish to maintain the traditional form of worship. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore this situation and the history that has brought it about. Having examined this, the research discusses the nature and impact of the charismatic movement and its effects on traditional Lutheran worship in the SCS, together with offering some potential contextually appropriate proposed solutions.

Zugl.: Berlin, Humboldt-Univ., Diss., 2005

Thesis (S.T.M.)--Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio, 1992. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 284-287).

Doctoral diss.--Uppsala, 1996. / Bibliogr. p. 325-341. Index.

Doctoral diss.--Faculty of theology--Uppsala--University, 1997. / Bibliogr. p. 283-300. Index.

The thesis focuses on the problem of Oromo Christianity's lack of indigenous character with special focus on the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY). It examines the methods of mission used by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC) that introduced Christianity to the Oromo people for the first time. It also examines the methods of mission used by three Protestant mission societies who followed the EOC, evangelised the Wollaga Oromo and established the EECMY. These mission bodies were, the Swedish Evangelical Mission (SEM), the United Presbyterian Mission (UPCNAM) and the Hermannsburg Mission (HM). The Study seeks to investigate whether the four above mentioned Christian mission bodies' methods of mission contributed to the Oromo Christianity's lack of indigenous character. Moreover, the study examines whether the apparent language of worship problem within the EECMY has historical root linked to the mission methods. It is the emphasis of the researcher of this study that the Christian mission methods used to evangelise the Wollaga Oromos were generally inadequate due to missionaries' lack of sensitivity to the culture. The study calls the EECMY to revise her traditional methods of mission that she inherited from the missionaries and root her message within the culture of the Oromo people. Christianity must identify with certain norms and values of Oromo culture. This can be done through contextual model of evangelism. Out of different sub models of contextual theology, this study suggests inculturation model as a method for incarnating the Church in the culture of the Oromo people. It is the writer's belief that inculturation model may be answer to the Oromo Christianity's lack of indigenous character and the apparent problem within the EECMY. Also inculturation can be helpful method in reaching out the non-Christian Oromos with the Gospel. Though the study focuses on the Oromo Christianity and the EECMY, the question and the problems concerning Christianity's being foreign to the culture might be similar in many Churches in the entire Ethiopia and also in Africa. Unless otherwise indicated the Scriptural quotations are taken from the GOOD NEWS BIBLE: The Bible in Today's English version, copyright Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1978,1986. Printed in the United States of America. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1999.

<p>This thesis is a contribution to the scholarly debate on how African Independent Churches (AICs) relate to outside partners. It is a case study from the perspective of the periphery of Ethiopia, which explains the origins of the Mekane Yesus Church in Kambata Hadiya</p><p>The diachronic structure of the study with a focus from 1944 to 1975 highlights how a group of Christians reacted to cultural pressure and formed a local independent church, the Kambata Evangelical Church 2 (KEC-2). The KEC-2 established relations with external partners, like a neighbouring mainstream conference of churches, a neighbouring mainstream church, an international organisation, and a mainstream overseas church and its mission. These relations influenced the KEC-2 to develop into a synod of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY). The diachronic approach is augmented by synchronic structural analyses, illustrating how aspects in the independent KEC-2, like polity, worship, doctrine and ethos were changing.</p><p>The study contends that "Ethiopian Evangelical Solidarity" was a crucial factor in the development of the independent KEC-2 into a synod of the EECMY. As this factor helped the Ethiopians to transcend barriers of ethnicity, social status and denominationalism, it is not unreasonable to assume that the study has relevance for a wider African context.</p><p>This thesis builds on material taken mainly from unpublished printed sources in various languages from archives in Ethiopia, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA. These are supplemented by interviews made by the author.</p>