Bachelor of Arts in Theology

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The Mission Renews the Church
(Tangaza University College, 1999-02) Francesco, Pierli
When I realise especially through prayer and a deepened reflection that we are the Church of Christ, the Church which is a gift, grace, and chance. We will easy realise also that we have to take care for the Church in order to make her more and more the community living for Christ and for others. The expression given above enlightens us that to be the Church of Christ is also a task which must be fulfilled. A logic consequence of its acceptance will be a reflection over the mystery of the Church missions. Our task is to take care of the Church we belong to and make it a community of joy. We must discover the Christian enthusiasm in our spiritual life, enthusiasm in giving witness. Our task is the co-operation with the grace of the Holy Spirit who leads the Church and makes her always new and holy. Our task is to do that the Bride Christ that is our Church be always beautiful and Christ could find her constant delight. We live in a time when the Pastor of the Universal Church, John Paul II, points out for us the tasks of a new evangelization. He calls us to the renewal of the Spirit, what will allow us to show again to the world the unchangeable truth of the Gospel as the only truth about God and people. The renewal which is always needed in the Church has one of its sources in its mission calls and task. Our openness for those who are not aware of the greatness of the gift given to the human race, which is the Church, is finally turned towards ourselves, makes new our Christianity and strengthens us in faith which opens our hearts for sisters and brothers. And it is why I chose this topic. I was born and grew up in Poland, I know the reality of Polish Church, but now I'm in Africa and I see many challenges, not only for myself but for the whole Universal Church. In this paper I would like to present the brief history of Polish missionary activity, participation of Poles in the evanngelization. Polish Church is a part of the Global Church, a part of the mission which is the continuation of the mission of Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit. I will try to support this with the teaching of the Church and suggest some ideas that our mission would be effective, and may renew the Church.
Spiritan Methods of Evangelization In Moshi Diocese-Tanzania Comparatively With Their Counterpart Lutherans
(Tangaza University College, 1999-02) Tarimo, Justi
The Spiritans arrived in Moshi in 1890. They worked in the then Vicariate of Kilimanjaro, which was later divided into six dioceses namely Dodoma, Mbulu, Tanga, Moshi, Arusha, and Same. My concern in this paper is about what the Spiritans did in the present diocese of Moshi, which was erected as a diocese in 1953. Spiritans as a religious missionary congregation arrived in Zanzibar in 1860s, with the aim of re-habilitating the freed slaves. When this task was over, they decided to move into the interior. With a vision to make the kingdom of God present in the situation of the Chagga people of Moshi, they had to adapt a particular methodology. Therefore, my concern in this paper is about the methodology the Spiritan Missionaries adopted, and how effective this methodology was in meeting the intended objective, that is, to bring the gospel message to the daily life of the Chagga people. On the other hand, there was the Leipzig Mission Society of the Lutheran Church. They arrived in Moshi on September 30th 1893. They worked under the then called the Lutheran Church of East Africa, which later on came to be divided into four dioceses, namely, Kilimanjaro, Arusha, Meru and Pare. My concern in this paper is what they did and how they did what they did in the present diocese of Kilimanjaro which covers the same area as the Catholic diocese of Moshi. This humble beginning was pioneered by four devoted young men: Paster, Muller, Althaus and Zalunann. There are some methods which were used by both societies in the process of evangelization, while others were unique to a particular society. Methods like bush schools, formal education, health services, training of the laity as Catechists or evangelists, and training of the local clergy were used by both societies. The use of vernacular and the early attempt at evangelising the cultures, like the approached used by Bruno Gutmann, were unique to the Leipzig Mission Society. This paper is divided into four chapters. The first chapter deals with the historical background of both the Spiritans and the Leipzig Mission Society, with the historical and religious background of the Chagga people. The second chapter deals with the historical development of the Christian mission as an attempt in gradual inculturation. In this chapter, I try to show that the origin of mission is God's love to humanity, hence mission is Missio Del. This chapter also explores the development of Christian mission from Jerusalem to the "gentile" world, up to the time of the second Vatican council II. All this is seen as a gradual attempt at the evangelization of cultures. The third chapter deals with the Spiritan missionary activities in Moshi, covering the period from 1890 till early 1960s. It is here that I analyse how the Spiritans employed different methods in order to contextualize the gospel message in the life of the people. The fourth chapter is divided into two parts. The first part deals with the missionary activities of the Leipzig Mission Society. In this part, I do not repeat the same methods which are common to the two societies, but I focus mainly on the two unique methods used by Leipzig Society namely, Gutmann's approach and the use of vernacular. In the second part, I deal with the theological criteria for analysing the effectiveness of the methods used In the conclusion, I show that in spite of the much success which has been achieved, it is not a reason to sit back and rejoice, for the future poses a lot of challenges. Hence, it is the time to reflect on the past; and to see the present with a critical eye as a background to plan for the future.
Reconciliation as a Model of Mission In Contemporary Africa.
(Tangaza University College, 1999-02) Chinedu, Ojiekwe Ephraim
It is God's wish to establish a community where brothers and sisters live in unity, through His Son, Jesus Christ.' In this community or society there will be no exploitation and oppression, no more war, hunger and thirst. There will be no more division. Hence, it will be a community of happy and prosperous people. Today, the reverse has been the case. In Africa, there are wars and violence of one kind or another. Poverty and the trauma of the displaced has been the African experience. The words "love", "hospitality", and "peace" which have been important words in the African vocabulary of life have lost their meaning. There appears to be nobody brave enough to accept responsibility for the situation. I believe that the task of building a peaceful, loving and caring African society can only be achieved if individuals and the community as a whole could go into themselves and discover, why they have problems, what they are and what the reasons for them are. Moreover, being able to enter into dialogue and to admit responsibility where it is necessary. This is because, "a civilization that cannot solve the problems it has caused is a decadent civilization'. Hence, the selfexamining, soul - searching and provocative questions which are valid for Africans today are: Why has Africa remained such a shameless beggar in the world of independent men and women? Why is the continent the laughing stock and dumping ground of the civilized world? What has been the nature of the African Church's mission? Has it been quite successful? What model of mission is suitable for Africa today? It is in the line of these questions that I was inspired to write this long essay under the topic: "Reconciliation as a model of mission in contemporary Africa". I am doing so with feelings of eagerness, longing and great desire to see African continent restored to her normal status. It is also my conviction that by taking Jesus as the "focal point" of our mission, we can break all barriers and engage in dialogue with ourselves and other people. Thus, we can build a humanized society where every member experiences the freedom and solidarity of the people of God. In the light of the goal and methodology of the project therefore, I would like to formulate the outline of the project into three chapters thus: CHAPTER 1. SEE: The need for reconciliation in contemporary Africa - What are those areas of life that need to be restored to harmony? CHAPTER 2. JUDGE: The church as mission - Has the Church been a reconciling community in the faces of these conflicts and divisions? CHAPTER 3. ACT: Reconciliation as a model of mission for contemporary Africa - What does God want? In chapter 1, after giving a general view of the African society, I will analyze the present political, socio - economic, and religious conditions experienced by the people. Moreover, I will illustrate more concretely these points with Nigeria and Senegal. In the second chapter, I will try to deliberate on the notion: "The Church as Mission". I shall look at the church's role in this situation. Is their approach to the situation very successful? Lastly, in the third chapter, I will take on what I would call the core of this project namely: in the light of the situation of the contemporary Africa and in the light of our evaluation from a missiological perspective, what line of action are we to adopt? What are to constitute our strategies in addressing the issue? With a general conclusion, I close my long essay.
Prophetic Commitment to the Word of God
(Tangaza University College, 1999-02-12) Mulenga, Augustine
I have always been fascinated by and marvelled at the courage of Israel's classical prophets. This admiration lies especially in their ability to articulate the situation 'as it is' and 'as it can be'. For instance, when self-satisfied leaders oppressed the poor, prophetic voices named the brokenness of the covenanted community, and when every aspect of Israel's life was subject to painful experience, prophetic voices imaged a new life for a people whose spirits were broken and crushed. Although they differ vastly from one another, Israel's classical prophets show a strong conviction that their vocation together with their mission originates from the Holy One of Israel. In this connection and according to the Old Testament, their messages are often prefaced by the formula: 'Thus says the Lord' or concluded by the phrase: 'It is the Lord who speaks'. Properly speaking, it was the word of God that moved Israel's great prophets into an open confrontation with their audience, denouncing sin and proposing a new future. This essay explores the commitment of Israel's great prophets to the word of God so as to highlight the challenges which this commitment poses to the ministry of the church in Zambia* today. We do not intend to undertake a painstaking study on each one of the classical prophets vis-à-vis the word of God, but to select some specific elements, especially from the prophets Amos, Hosea, Micah, Isaiah of Jerusalem, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Deutero- Isaiah, which can help us arrive at a better understanding of what prophetic commitment entails.The first two chapters investigate the implications of the commitment of Israel's great prophets: chapter one presents the call of the prophets as starting point of the prophetic commitment, and chapter two surveys the twofold dimension of the prophetic mission. The third chapter elaborates the challenge that the great prophets pose to the ministry of the church in Zambia, especially in the situation where the majority of the people have apparently no strength to think about the future because they have nothing to feed on today. Within the vision of faith, we hold that authentic Christian praxis that leads to social transformation through the works of justice and love emanates from a closer analysis of human reality in the light of the word of God. With a view to shed the light of God's word upon the human reality in Zambia today, our approach in this paper seeks and draws from the Bible the nourishment that is capable to inspire the local church in her task of sustaining God's people in their struggles and in their hopes for a better life. As far as possible, we shall develop our theme in a chronological manner.
Mission Through Communication
(Tangaza University College, 1999-02) Mohr, Verna
Saint Paul used to preach in many places and one of them, was the Areopagus which represented the cultural centre of the learned people. Saint Paul went to the Areopagus and preached the Gospel in the language that was appropriate and understandable to all. In our days, this Areopagus can be used to represent the different sectors in which the Gospel has to be preached. The Areopagus that is very strong today is the means of social communication, which is influencing the whole society. This has become a challenge for the missionary, who, instead of fighting against it, is encouraged to use it for the benefit of the mission and of the people. First, when we went to the mission during the long holidays, we noticed that the missionaries working in that area, that is Wamba in the Diocese of Marsabit, after many years working with the Samburu People still use Swahili as the main language to communicate with them instead of using Samburu language. Hence, we started wondering about the effectiveness of the missionary work among the Samburu People as much as how Evangelization could take roots through a language that is not considered part of that people. Second, going through the courses of Public Speaking and Homiletics and seeing the importance of a well done speech in order to get a message across. Much more, we think, is needed in order to achieve a better result in our missions. Lastly, looking around, we can see that the Mass Media has brought to us many forms on how to reach out to the people starting from the young up to the old in order to sell many ideologies as well as to have certain control over a nation. From this we found ourselves challenged as our means of communicating to the people still remains far behind of catching up as they lack a much broader variety. In order to understand the relation between mission and communication, we did a thorough research on both aspects. By presenting this essay in an organized manner, we followed the methodology: See, Judge and Act. This is the methodology that will be utilized for the three chapters developed in this essay. We will begin the first chapter by seeing the facts about mission and communication. Next we will examine the meaning of mission and communication in the secular and religious sphere. Finally, we will deal with the historical background. In these three parts of the first chapter we want to see how mission and communication are understood and how they are developed through history. Judging mission through communication, we present the vision of the church on mission and communication in the second chapter. We will start with the Vatican Council II documents and then deal with the Code of Canon Law, presenting the norms, views and exhortations on mission and communication. Lastly, but not least, action, we add some suggestions that could be taken into consideration for improving mission through communication in the third chapter. In order to approach this theory we will discuss the vision of the Consolata Missionaries on how they are dealing with mission through communication. At the end of the essay there is a conclusion about the findings and highlights we encountered while writing this essay.
Tourism and Mission With Particular Reference to Kenya
(Tangaza University College, 1998-02) Sambua, Sosthenes Aloyce
On March 25, 1980, the SCC issued a document entitled "Norms Jim the cooperation among the local Churches and Jim better distribution of the clergy". In No.1 the document emphasises that the aim of cooperation is to fulfill the mandate of Christ: "Go to the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature" iMK 15:15). This is the task for the whole Church; bishops, priests, Religious, clergy and laity. Attention is drawn to the local Churches and the need to re-structure so as to meet the challenges of the 'signs of the times'. This is because there are new phenomena that require specialised attention. Some of these are: Trans-migration into industrial regions, Urbanisation and Tourism' A lot of reflection and work has been done on migration and urbanisation already, but hardly has tourism been reflected upon. It is the task of theologians to articulate the areas in tourism that require Church and/or missionary attention. The aim of this paper is to contribute, though modestly, to that articulation by showing that modern tourism is economically very beneficial to many countries and individuals. At the same time tourism cannot be confined to private enterprise. Our argument is that tourism is an international as opposed to personal enterprise, involving multi-nationals hence it is related to international political system and economic order which can be a strong force of exploitation, oppression and as a consequence very destructive to traditional economic, social and cultural systems, hence destruction of families and human dignity. However, we will not treat the question of origin and development of tourism, neither will we talk about what is called 'theological fourism"2. Instead we will look at how modern tourism affects individuals, communities and countries and see the challenges it offers to Christian mission. A further question may be asked as to what has tourism to do with Christian? Or mission? Our first answer is the words of Cardinal Lavigerie: "Every human cause is a missionary cause". We may add that every missionary cause is a Christians business. In other words, whatever affects human life and dignity affects missionaries and Christians at large. Tourism does exactly that. In his encyclical Redemptoris Mission, Pope John Paul II affirmed strongly the validity of the missionary activity of the Church today. It is the primary service the Church can offer to humanity. He continues: "But what moves me even more strongly to proclaim the urgency of tnissionary evangelisation is the fact that it is the primary service which the Church can render to every individual and to all humanity in the modem world"(RM 2c). The second answer is that Christianity is a sustained effort to reflect and discover the situations affecting individuals, scrutinise these with the word of God and come up with ways of liberating them. This is what we attempt to do in this paper. The first part then discusses definitions, concepts, trends in tourism and its effects. The second part looks at the challenge posed to mission by the effects of tourism and how tourism can be used for evangelisation, while the third part outlines some structures and spirituality for missionary tourism. My main source of information and material is CONTOURS'.
The Personality of Jesus as it Affected His Mission in Luke
(Tangaza University College, 1998-02) Blay, Joseph
One characteristic of final year students is that they like discussing topics of their "Long Essays". Having heard my topic, a friend retorted: "So you are one of those examining the mind of Jesus?" I do not dispute the fact that "Personality" is one of the major branches of Psychology, yet I believe "Personality" encompasses more than the mind of a person. It is the whole components of what makes a person who he/she is — his/her convictions, beliefs, principles, his/her words and actions. We perceive who a person is through the way he/she projects him/herself — words and deeds, silence and utterances — towards others, in fact, his/her being in the world. The purpose of this work is to discover what really is the motivating factor for the mission of Jesus. There is the temptation, after a cursory skim through this work, to think that Jesus is a humanist or a mere philanthropist. The fact is that one cannot be a good Christian without being human. The difference is that whereas the humanist acknowledges and tries to absolutise the human worth, Jesus gives priority to the human person as the means for serving God. The principle for Jesus' unique personality in Luke is that we cannot reach God except through the ladder of humanity. Thus, humanity becomes a necessary means to God but never an absolute end in itself. No other gospel could have helped us in our research than that of Luke. He excels in placing the human person as the focal point of the gospel. In Luke, the inaugural message is not the Beatitudes but a discourse on liberation and restoration of human dignity. Luke shows no discrimination among people of different nations. People from north, south, east and west sit with Abraham in the Kingdom of God (13:29). Samaria is not out of the mission map (9:1-4; 10:1-12; cf.Mt. 10:5); nor does Jesus call Gentiles dogs. In chapter one we survey the broad-base programme of Jesus to discover what it entails. Chapter two breaks it down for us to see how Jesus carries this out in his own practical life situation. In chapter three, Jesus reinforces the witness of his life with his teaching, still emphasising the point that one cannot see God any more than he fails to see the image of God in his or her neighbour. Our approach throughout this paper is to give some exegetical expositions; we further show Jesus' attitude in contravention to the status quo, and offer some comparisons with parallel passages from the gospels of Mark and Matthew. The last part of each chapter is a reflection on mission activity today vis-à-vis the challenges Jesus' personality poses to us.

Bachelor of Arts in Theology

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