Whole document restricted at the request of the author / Significant changes have occurred in the Catholic practice and theology of mission since the second Vatican Council (1962-65). To appreciate better the extent of these changes, I have charted major shifts in the story of mission of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions, founded in Lyon in 1861. In particular, I have examined the various theologies that informed these shifts. This micro-study of one particular Catholic group offers an entry-point into a consideration of contemporary Catholic theologies of mission and missionary practice. Since Vatican II, there has been a growing awareness of the universal and salvific presence of the Spirit in creation and history. I will seek to show how this has affected Catholic missiological reflection through an examination of the work of selected Catholic theologians. These theologians direct attention to the mission of the Spirit, and to the relation between the Spirit and the Son in the mission of the Triune God. This pneumatological emphasis often has been overlooked in theologies of mission that are more overtly ecclesiological or christological in their orientation. I then examine selected New Testament texts in order to discern the legitimacy of such pneumatological emphases in emerging trinitarian theologies of mission. While New Testament texts indicate that the mission of the Spirit is both antecedent and consequent to the mission of Jesus, the examination of scriptural texts in this research concentrates on the antecedent mission of the Holy Spirit in selected Johannine, Matthean and Lukan texts. My research suggests that an emphasis on the mission of the Spirit permits an understanding of mission that can expand the parameters associated with ecclesiocentric and christocentric models of mission.

In spite of the rapid growth of evangelicalism there is a paucity of reflection on its theological method. The transition from modernity to postmodernity, with the accompanying call for a postfoundationalist rather than a foundationalist method, has provided additional challenges to evangelicalism. Canadian theologian Stanley J. Grenz has proposed a model for evangelical theological construction that utilizes scripture, tradition and culture as the sources for theology, and the Trinity, community and eschatology as its focal motifs. He supplements these with the belief that the Spirit guides the church, and that the community of faith will therefore be pneumatologically guided as it communally attempts to discern truth in a changed context. Grenz believes that his theological method moves beyond foundationalism as it appeals to a trio of interacting sources, rather than to the single source of scripture. In exploring and evaluating Grenz' theological method, this thesis tests the research proposition "that Stanley Grenz' theological method effectively revisions evangelical theology." To ascertain the validity of the proposition, it utilizes four evaluative questions which explore the originality, theological coherence, appropriateness and effectiveness of Grenz'method for evangelical theology. The application of his model in his text, Welcoming but Not Affirming, serves as a test case to determine the implications of his method. Concluding that Grenz' model makes only a modest contribution towards revisioning evangelical theological method, the concluding chapters of the research explore ways to supplement Grenz' model to allow a stronger affirmation of the research proposition. Utilizing Wolterstorff's concept of control beliefs, it proposes that Grenz' model would be more effective if he added a control belief to guide his theological construction, and motivates for adopting the control belief the gospel liberates.ln addition, it argues that Grenz' three focal motifs for theology need to be preceded by the gathering motif of the cross, arguing that if seen outside of this gathering motif, the motifs of Trinity, community and eschatology lack adequate substance. Noting the often acrimonious context in which theological revisioning takes place, the research ends with a plea for the empowerment of imagination in theological construction.

This thesis seeks to interpret Christology from the perspective of tribal people in Mizoram, northeast India, with an objective to help them and their churches to understand Jesus Christ in a way meaningful to them. In this study, historical and socio-theological analysis is used to show that Christology and culture are always related, and that different Christologies have been developed in different cultural contexts. This analysis in turn helps identify the issues that must be addressed in the construction of a contextual Christology for Mizoram context. In this study, Mizo culture and experience are taken into account as essential theological source. The first chapter discusses the need for a contextual Christology and examines the basic issues and methodological approaches surrounding the construction of contextual Christology. In the second chapter, the context of tribal people in Mizoram is analysed. Among the major issues that must be addressed in Christological construction, the thesis identifies the growing disparity between rich and poor within the state and the socio-economic alienation of Mizos from mainland India. The third chapter surveys the Christological tradition in Mizoram from its beginning to the present. It finds that the Christological heritage in Mizoram is largely irrelevant to Mizo people because of its uncritical application of Western theology to this very different historical and cultural context. The idea of Christ introduced into Mizoram is basically individualistic, otherworldly and dualistic. Neither missionaries nor native church leaders have taken the local culture seriously into account in doing Christology. The fourth chapter attempts to recover some major liberating cultural traditions of the Mizos as sources for Christology, including their concepts of pasaltha, humanity, land, God and spiritual beings, and life after death. The study reveals that, despite the Western overlay, there is a significant continuity and influence of traditional culture in Mizo Christianity. On the basis of these findings, the fifth chapter seeks to reinterpret the significance of Jesus Christ in the Mizoram context, using a Mizo conceptual framework. It argues that the idea of the pasaltha incorporates much of the New Testament portrait of the person and work of Christ, Jesus' self-giving life and ministry, incarnation, suffering and death on the cross, can all be seen as manifesting the principle of tlawmngaihna, which is an essential characteristic of the pasaltha. Jesus' resurrection and exaltation can be seen as God's response to Jesus' person and work precisely as pasaltha-tlawmngai. Similarly, the kingdom of God, which defined and summed up Jesus' message and mission, can be perceived in the Mizoram context as exhibiting the qualities of a communitarian society.

Whole document restricted at the request of the author / Significant changes have occurred in the Catholic practice and theology of mission since the second Vatican Council (1962-65). To appreciate better the extent of these changes, I have charted major shifts in the story of mission of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions, founded in Lyon in 1861. In particular, I have examined the various theologies that informed these shifts. This micro-study of one particular Catholic group offers an entry-point into a consideration of contemporary Catholic theologies of mission and missionary practice. Since Vatican II, there has been a growing awareness of the universal and salvific presence of the Spirit in creation and history. I will seek to show how this has affected Catholic missiological reflection through an examination of the work of selected Catholic theologians. These theologians direct attention to the mission of the Spirit, and to the relation between the Spirit and the Son in the mission of the Triune God. This pneumatological emphasis often has been overlooked in theologies of mission that are more overtly ecclesiological or christological in their orientation. I then examine selected New Testament texts in order to discern the legitimacy of such pneumatological emphases in emerging trinitarian theologies of mission. While New Testament texts indicate that the mission of the Spirit is both antecedent and consequent to the mission of Jesus, the examination of scriptural texts in this research concentrates on the antecedent mission of the Holy Spirit in selected Johannine, Matthean and Lukan texts. My research suggests that an emphasis on the mission of the Spirit permits an understanding of mission that can expand the parameters associated with ecclesiocentric and christocentric models of mission.

In spite of the rapid growth of evangelicalism there is a paucity of reflection on its theological method. The transition from modernity to postmodernity, with the accompanying call for a postfoundationalist rather than a foundationalist method, has provided additional challenges to evangelicalism. Canadian theologian Stanley J. Grenz has proposed a model for evangelical theological construction that utilizes scripture, tradition and culture as the sources for theology, and the Trinity, community and eschatology as its focal motifs. He supplements these with the belief that the Spirit guides the church, and that the community of faith will therefore be pneumatologically guided as it communally attempts to discern truth in a changed context. Grenz believes that his theological method moves beyond foundationalism as it appeals to a trio of interacting sources, rather than to the single source of scripture. In exploring and evaluating Grenz' theological method, this thesis tests the research proposition "that Stanley Grenz' theological method effectively revisions evangelical theology." To ascertain the validity of the proposition, it utilizes four evaluative questions which explore the originality, theological coherence, appropriateness and effectiveness of Grenz'method for evangelical theology. The application of his model in his text, Welcoming but Not Affirming, serves as a test case to determine the implications of his method. Concluding that Grenz' model makes only a modest contribution towards revisioning evangelical theological method, the concluding chapters of the research explore ways to supplement Grenz' model to allow a stronger affirmation of the research proposition. Utilizing Wolterstorff's concept of control beliefs, it proposes that Grenz' model would be more effective if he added a control belief to guide his theological construction, and motivates for adopting the control belief the gospel liberates.ln addition, it argues that Grenz' three focal motifs for theology need to be preceded by the gathering motif of the cross, arguing that if seen outside of this gathering motif, the motifs of Trinity, community and eschatology lack adequate substance. Noting the often acrimonious context in which theological revisioning takes place, the research ends with a plea for the empowerment of imagination in theological construction.

This thesis seeks to interpret Christology from the perspective of tribal people in Mizoram, northeast India, with an objective to help them and their churches to understand Jesus Christ in a way meaningful to them. In this study, historical and socio-theological analysis is used to show that Christology and culture are always related, and that different Christologies have been developed in different cultural contexts. This analysis in turn helps identify the issues that must be addressed in the construction of a contextual Christology for Mizoram context. In this study, Mizo culture and experience are taken into account as essential theological source. The first chapter discusses the need for a contextual Christology and examines the basic issues and methodological approaches surrounding the construction of contextual Christology. In the second chapter, the context of tribal people in Mizoram is analysed. Among the major issues that must be addressed in Christological construction, the thesis identifies the growing disparity between rich and poor within the state and the socio-economic alienation of Mizos from mainland India. The third chapter surveys the Christological tradition in Mizoram from its beginning to the present. It finds that the Christological heritage in Mizoram is largely irrelevant to Mizo people because of its uncritical application of Western theology to this very different historical and cultural context. The idea of Christ introduced into Mizoram is basically individualistic, otherworldly and dualistic. Neither missionaries nor native church leaders have taken the local culture seriously into account in doing Christology. The fourth chapter attempts to recover some major liberating cultural traditions of the Mizos as sources for Christology, including their concepts of pasaltha, humanity, land, God and spiritual beings, and life after death. The study reveals that, despite the Western overlay, there is a significant continuity and influence of traditional culture in Mizo Christianity. On the basis of these findings, the fifth chapter seeks to reinterpret the significance of Jesus Christ in the Mizoram context, using a Mizo conceptual framework. It argues that the idea of the pasaltha incorporates much of the New Testament portrait of the person and work of Christ, Jesus' self-giving life and ministry, incarnation, suffering and death on the cross, can all be seen as manifesting the principle of tlawmngaihna, which is an essential characteristic of the pasaltha. Jesus' resurrection and exaltation can be seen as God's response to Jesus' person and work precisely as pasaltha-tlawmngai. Similarly, the kingdom of God, which defined and summed up Jesus' message and mission, can be perceived in the Mizoram context as exhibiting the qualities of a communitarian society.

Whole document restricted at the request of the author / Significant changes have occurred in the Catholic practice and theology of mission since the second Vatican Council (1962-65). To appreciate better the extent of these changes, I have charted major shifts in the story of mission of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions, founded in Lyon in 1861. In particular, I have examined the various theologies that informed these shifts. This micro-study of one particular Catholic group offers an entry-point into a consideration of contemporary Catholic theologies of mission and missionary practice. Since Vatican II, there has been a growing awareness of the universal and salvific presence of the Spirit in creation and history. I will seek to show how this has affected Catholic missiological reflection through an examination of the work of selected Catholic theologians. These theologians direct attention to the mission of the Spirit, and to the relation between the Spirit and the Son in the mission of the Triune God. This pneumatological emphasis often has been overlooked in theologies of mission that are more overtly ecclesiological or christological in their orientation. I then examine selected New Testament texts in order to discern the legitimacy of such pneumatological emphases in emerging trinitarian theologies of mission. While New Testament texts indicate that the mission of the Spirit is both antecedent and consequent to the mission of Jesus, the examination of scriptural texts in this research concentrates on the antecedent mission of the Holy Spirit in selected Johannine, Matthean and Lukan texts. My research suggests that an emphasis on the mission of the Spirit permits an understanding of mission that can expand the parameters associated with ecclesiocentric and christocentric models of mission.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T20:21:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Itamar Pereira de Aguiar.pdf: 11533229 bytes, checksum: c4ae92d5e593a94534ab6f2f8b0c9814 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-10-17 / Univesidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia / This thesis deals with the cultural process and religious traditions existent in Vitória da Conquista, a municipality situated in the Southwest of Bahia, an area identified as Sertão da Ressaca, where Botocudos, Pataxós and Mongoiós Indians lived and interacted mainly with Portuguese, Italian, Spanish and African, mostly Congolese and Angolans. For about two centuries, agriculture and cattle farming were the preponderant activities in the Region and the bull appears as an important element in the society life; perhaps because of this, it dwells in the collective imaginary in the condition of a founding myth. Although the City is inserted in a wider context, a peculiar culture was invented in it, one among the Brazilian ways of living and being. From the second half of the 18th century to the penultimate decade of the 19th century, as evidence has it, only the Catholic religion and the afro-indigenous traditions were present in the Region. From 1890 on, the Kardecist Spiritism and the Baptist Church appeared; in the 1930 s, the presence of caboclos well-organized terreiros de Candomblé is detected. Ever since, other religions appeared. It aims at identifying the presence and diversity of religious traditions in the City and how the so called endogamy-organized traditional families were distributed among the different religions. It focuses on the Baptist Church in its relationship to the others, particularly with the people of saint. It approaches the occupation of the Sertão da Ressaca and the local social, political, economic and cultural organization up to the Proclamation of the Republic. Thence, it divides the City history into three periods: a) from 1900 to 1930; b) 1930 to 1970; c) 1970 to 2005. With a board of Intendants and Mayors, and another with temples from the different religions per neighborhood, it makes up a religious map. The followers of the Baptist Church are at first from traditional families . Then the Church loses its family church characteristics and assumes itself as fundamentalist searching for adepts in popular segments. From 1900 to 1930, schisms between this and the Catholic Church occurred, and followers movement among these religions. In the relations between Baptists and people of saint, there was followers shift between the two religions and the use of magic services from the Afro-Brazilian traditions by Baptists / Esta tese trata do processo cultural e das tradições religiosas existentes em Vitória da Conquista, município localizado no Sudoeste da Bahia, área identificada como Sertão da Ressaca e onde viviam os índios Botocudos, Pataxós e Mongoiós que interagiram, destacadamente, com portugueses, italianos, espanhóis e africanos, em sua maioria congoleses e angolanos. Durante aproximadamente dois séculos, a agricultura e a pecuária foram atividades preponderantes na região e o boi aparece como elemento importante na vida da sociedade; talvez por isso, povoe o imaginário coletivo na condição de mito fundador. Não obstante a Cidade estar inserida num contexto mais amplo, criou-se aí uma cultura peculiar, um dentre os modos de viver e ser brasileiro. Da segunda metade do século XVIII até a penúltima década do século XIX, ao que tudo indica, apenas a religião católica e as tradições afro-indígenas se faziam presentes na Região. A partir dos anos 1890, surgiram o espiritismo kardecista e a Igreja Batista; nos anos 1930, detecta-se a presença de terreiros de Candomblé de Caboclos devidamente organizados. Desde então surgiram outras religiões. Objetiva identificar a presença, a diversidade das tradições e como as famílias ditas tradicionais, endogamicamente organizadas, distribuíram-se entre as diversas religiões. Enfoca a Igreja Batista nas suas relações com as demais, especialmente com o povo de santo. Aborda a ocupação do Sertão da Ressaca e a organização social, política, econômica e cultural local, até a Proclamação da República. A partir daí, divide a história da Cidade em três períodos: a) de 1900 até 1930; b) 1930 até 1970; c) 1970 até 2006. Elaborando um quadro dos intendentes e prefeitos, e outro, contendo o número de templos das diversas religiões por bairros, confecciona um mapa religioso. Os fiéis da Igreja Batista, de início, são de famílias tradicionais . Depois, a Igreja perde as características de igreja familiar e se assume como fundamentalista, indo buscar adeptos nos seguimentos populares. Do ano 1900 até 1930, aconteceram conflitos entre esta e a Igreja Católica, e movimentação de fiéis entre estas religiões. Nas relações entre batistas e o povo de santo, deslocaram-se fiéis entre as duas religiões, ocorrendo utilização de serviços mágicos das tradições afro-brasileiras pelos batistas

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T14:56:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Itamar Pereira de Aguiar.pdf: 11533229 bytes, checksum: c4ae92d5e593a94534ab6f2f8b0c9814 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-10-17 / Univesidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia / This thesis deals with the cultural process and religious traditions existent in Vitória da Conquista, a municipality situated in the Southwest of Bahia, an area identified as Sertão da Ressaca, where Botocudos, Pataxós and Mongoiós Indians lived and interacted mainly with Portuguese, Italian, Spanish and African, mostly Congolese and Angolans. For about two centuries, agriculture and cattle farming were the preponderant activities in the Region and the bull appears as an important element in the society life; perhaps because of this, it dwells in the collective imaginary in the condition of a founding myth. Although the City is inserted in a wider context, a peculiar culture was invented in it, one among the Brazilian ways of living and being. From the second half of the 18th century to the penultimate decade of the 19th century, as evidence has it, only the Catholic religion and the afro-indigenous traditions were present in the Region. From 1890 on, the Kardecist Spiritism and the Baptist Church appeared; in the 1930 s, the presence of caboclos well-organized terreiros de Candomblé is detected. Ever since, other religions appeared. It aims at identifying the presence and diversity of religious traditions in the City and how the so called endogamy-organized traditional families were distributed among the different religions. It focuses on the Baptist Church in its relationship to the others, particularly with the people of saint. It approaches the occupation of the Sertão da Ressaca and the local social, political, economic and cultural organization up to the Proclamation of the Republic. Thence, it divides the City history into three periods: a) from 1900 to 1930; b) 1930 to 1970; c) 1970 to 2005. With a board of Intendants and Mayors, and another with temples from the different religions per neighborhood, it makes up a religious map. The followers of the Baptist Church are at first from traditional families . Then the Church loses its family church characteristics and assumes itself as fundamentalist searching for adepts in popular segments. From 1900 to 1930, schisms between this and the Catholic Church occurred, and followers movement among these religions. In the relations between Baptists and people of saint, there was followers shift between the two religions and the use of magic services from the Afro-Brazilian traditions by Baptists / Esta tese trata do processo cultural e das tradições religiosas existentes em Vitória da Conquista, município localizado no Sudoeste da Bahia, área identificada como Sertão da Ressaca e onde viviam os índios Botocudos, Pataxós e Mongoiós que interagiram, destacadamente, com portugueses, italianos, espanhóis e africanos, em sua maioria congoleses e angolanos. Durante aproximadamente dois séculos, a agricultura e a pecuária foram atividades preponderantes na região e o boi aparece como elemento importante na vida da sociedade; talvez por isso, povoe o imaginário coletivo na condição de mito fundador. Não obstante a Cidade estar inserida num contexto mais amplo, criou-se aí uma cultura peculiar, um dentre os modos de viver e ser brasileiro. Da segunda metade do século XVIII até a penúltima década do século XIX, ao que tudo indica, apenas a religião católica e as tradições afro-indígenas se faziam presentes na Região. A partir dos anos 1890, surgiram o espiritismo kardecista e a Igreja Batista; nos anos 1930, detecta-se a presença de terreiros de Candomblé de Caboclos devidamente organizados. Desde então surgiram outras religiões. Objetiva identificar a presença, a diversidade das tradições e como as famílias ditas tradicionais, endogamicamente organizadas, distribuíram-se entre as diversas religiões. Enfoca a Igreja Batista nas suas relações com as demais, especialmente com o povo de santo. Aborda a ocupação do Sertão da Ressaca e a organização social, política, econômica e cultural local, até a Proclamação da República. A partir daí, divide a história da Cidade em três períodos: a) de 1900 até 1930; b) 1930 até 1970; c) 1970 até 2006. Elaborando um quadro dos intendentes e prefeitos, e outro, contendo o número de templos das diversas religiões por bairros, confecciona um mapa religioso. Os fiéis da Igreja Batista, de início, são de famílias tradicionais . Depois, a Igreja perde as características de igreja familiar e se assume como fundamentalista, indo buscar adeptos nos seguimentos populares. Do ano 1900 até 1930, aconteceram conflitos entre esta e a Igreja Católica, e movimentação de fiéis entre estas religiões. Nas relações entre batistas e o povo de santo, deslocaram-se fiéis entre as duas religiões, ocorrendo utilização de serviços mágicos das tradições afro-brasileiras pelos batistas

The Seventh-day Adventist Church, incorporated in the United States in 1863, was driven by the belief that it was God's 'remnant church' with the work of warning the world of the imminent return of Christ. When that mission was finished the second coming would occur. In 1886 following a visit by an elderly layman, John I Tay, the whole population of Pitcairn Island desired to join the SDA church. As a result in 1890 Adventist mission work began in the South Pacific Islands. By 1895 missions had been founded in six island groups. However difficulties, both within and without the mission's control, ensured that membership gains were painfully slow in the first decades of Adventist mission in Polynesia. However before World War II the Solomons became one of the most successful Adventist mission areas in the world. After 1945 Adventism also prospered in such places as Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. Education provided the key to the gaining of accessions in a number of countries, while in others a health-medical emphasis proved important in attracting converts. Since World War II public evangelism and the use of various programmes such as welfare, radio evangelism, and the efforts of lay members contributed to sharp membership gains in most countries of the region. Of no small consequence in hindering Adventist growth was the opposition of other churches who regarded them as pariahs because of their theology and 'proselytizing'. Adventist communities tended to be introverted, esoteric and isolationist. Nevertheless Pacific islanders adapted aspects of the usually uncompromising Adventist culture. Unity of faith, practice and procedure was a valuable Adventist asset which was promoted by a centralized administration. After a century in the Pacific region its membership there has a reputation among other Adventists for its continued numeric growth and for the ferver its committment to Adventism. Nevertheless Adventism in the region faces a number of problems and its aim of finishing the Lord's work remains unfinished. / Subscription resource available via Digital Dissertations