Browsing by Author "Nicholas, Adongo Olonde"

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    A Traditional Luo Elder As A Pastoral Minister in Reference to I Timothy 3:1-7 (Impact on Evangelization in Luo land Kisumu)
    (Tangaza University College, 2005) Nicholas, Adongo Olonde
    Over the centuries, the Luos lived together and managed their socio-political and religious affairs internally. They had their elders who were entrusted with different duties and roles. Among the duties, these elders chaired and maintained the traditional worship. The elders became the light to the community whenever darkness fell over the entire community. The common figure, that is, Ker/Ruoth, had the duty to see to it that the community and its activity progressed smoothly. In fact, Ker/Ruoth was the highest position in the land performing the role of traditional "pastoral" ministry. The Ker had good and valuable qualities that reflected the nature and the culture of the community. In brief, the qualities are such factors as wealth to begin with. In this case, wealth was considered a factor that enabled the elders to support the less privileged. This was used to prove the degree of the person to give, that is, whether he was a cheerful giver or one whose sight did not transcend his family relations. During famine, people turned to the elder for assistance. He had to be a respected man. This respect was earned first by the manner in which the person managed his house. If he had a good wife then his home became a pillar of righteousness among his contemporaries. He had to be brave, a factor that pointed to the idea that he was able to face the invading enemy and rescue his people. Others included calmness, not unmarried, an elder son, and not a witch, a native and one whose mother was not a different tribe. Other qualities would be considered later in this work. For St. Paul in his first letter to Timothy, he outlined the qualities that a person would need to qualify in his case as a minister. These qualities are also applicable to a traditional Luo elder. For Paul, an elder had to be an irreproachable person. This necessitates the spirit of welcoming and straight forwardness. He must be married once. Marriage suffered infidelity during this time Paul wrote the letter and as such, he looked for those who followed the right teaching in marriage. Selfcontrol according to Paul made one to approach different situations with the right attitudes the situation would deserve. Hospitality was also called for in the sense of giving and welcoming, one whose heart bore no grudges. He must be one who managed his household well, not a recent convert, not a lover of money and has a good reputation. One quality considered among the Luos, especially polygamy would be seen as a point of conflict but given the mind of the community, it is as good as monogamy if not better. This was the point of clash between the early missionaries and the Luos. This intercultural clash between the idea of the missionaries and the traditional Luo leadership hastened the spread of Christianity among the Luos of Western Kenya. The traditional elders among the Luos were just as good as the ones Paul wanted to lead. A Christian leader is in some ways considered a pastoral minister, one who attends to the flock of Christ.