Bachelor of Arts in Theology

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    Incarnation of Christ is the Foundation for Inculturating the Gospel
    (Tangaza University College, 2006) Malugao, Dioscop
    Missionaries, messengers of God's Words are often exposed to different cultures. The main aim of their presence in the mission areas is to implant the Gospel message in the heart of the people. How to do it? Is it possible to insert the Gospel message without considering the mentality of the people which is very much influenced with the existing culture? Indeed, inculturation is one of the essential tasks among missionaries. Inculturation in mission is challenging because we are dealing here with cultures which origin is as complex as the origin of humanity. Out of its complexity, some missionaries have somehow overlooked its importance. Others might have tried to work on it in their respective parishes but their approaches have remained questionable. Certainly, a lot of things have to be improved in this area. What are the approaches which can be of help to respect the existing cultures without neglecting or overlooking the Gospel message? We consider here the rich experience I had with the Basukuma people. It is an ethnic group in Tanzania which is unique and culturally known for their richness. Many books have been written about them out of love and interest. Besides my experience with them, I have also read some of these books. This is how the seed of love and interest towards the Basukuma vegetated with the desire to deepen my knowledge and understanding of their culture. In general, if we take into consideration the Basukuma culture, this paper would not be able to contain adequately the broadness of this culture. The focus here is mainly to look at a certain practice; the incorporation of the newly born child into the clan. We do some social, cultural and religious analysis but it is not enough to exhaust the beauty of it. Anyhow, the practice of the incorporation of the newly born child into the clan is still important among this people and it has still a great influence on their mentality. Moreover, this practice contains a lot of values that would help us to enlighten our approach in the field of inculturation. To strengthen the pillars of this study, let us also acknowledge some theological insights which have contributed to the development in the field of inculturation. We shall focus on some views of inculturation among the first Christian Missionaries, inculturation in Africa and the modern day understanding of inculturation according to some theologians. However, it is inadequate to talk about inculturation without considering its Christological Foundation. In addition, we shall include the Incarnation of Christ, focusing on "self-emptying" with its Biblical interpretation, some hints of Church's Fathers view and the Incarnation in Vatican In the application, we shall see how we can appreciate the traditional values in the light of the Christian values and how does it affect my missionary approach in the field of inculturation. Focusing on one practice serves only as an example but the approaches and applications will remain essential.
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    A Retreat Conference on the Gospel Message to the Youth
    (Tangaza University College, 2007) Kidus, Weldegiorgis
    This retreat on the Gospel message is for the youth aged approximately between 17-25 years. The youth are not a separated group of people but they are a group that forms part of the church, as the people of God. As a matter of fact, the youth are challenged by the present world's situation and not being committed to Jesus in the Church. Yes, the youth are the future leaders of the Church and the society at large but something hinders them not to accept this fact and see forward. Some youth are incapable of realizing their good talents in them. At timcs they appreciate the Church less; to the extend of being pessimistic. Many Christians rather Catholic youth take Christian life just for granted. They think to be a Christian, the most important thing is just to be baptized, and that is all. And they forget to take seriously their responsibility of following Jesus in whom they are baptized as Christians. Those who don't have strong faith, try to move from one church to another. At last they even lose their little faith they have in God. Therefore, it is everybody's responsibility to understand them and give quick solutions to their challenges; and also to accept them as they are.
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    Paul's Movement in the Direction of Inculturation and Inculturating the Gospel among the Mbala in the Democratic Republic Of Congo
    (Tangaza University College, 2001-02) Akaba Didier Delanote, Kimupipa
    In reading the life of Paul, we know that Paul was left to determine whether salvation lay in Christ, or meticulous observance of the law. We shall see that Paul has to adapt his Jewish traditional heritage to his new Christian message. Paul brought therefore Christian modifications to his Jewish traditional beliefs. Hence, Paul's dilemma is more or less the same as that of Mbala. The Mbala must integrate Christianity and ancestral belief. Christianity for them is worn like a coat. In times of crisis, it is taken off. Given this understanding, our reflection is an attempt to discover Christ from the perspective of Mbala culture. We wish to show therefore how Christianity can be inculturated into our African cultures today, after the example of Paul. We are considering the Mbala culture. The Mbala are people living in the western part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since our topic includes the movement in Paul's life from his pre-Christian life to his Christian life, and the direction of inculturation, we will undertake a critical investigation of events, developments, and experiences. We propose an analytical-comparative method. We need, therefore, biblical texts and sources about Paul to support our arguments. Our topic is addressed in three chapters. In our first chapter, we will try to present Paul as a fanatical defender of the pharisaic tradition, his face turned backwards to the past. Paul clings to his strong faith in the Mosaic tradition, which is salvation in meticulous observance of the law. In the second chapter, we will be concerned with the change that occurs in the life and thought of Paul to demonstrate his movement in the direction of inculturation. Hence, we shall see that Paul never intended to replace the Law as means of salvation and justification for Jews, but only to add Christ as a means of salvation for ethnic Gentiles. Thus, salvation is no longer meticulous observance of the law, but adherence to Christ Jesus. We shall discover this when we discuss Paul's encounter with Christ, that is, his conversion. In the third chapter, we will attempt to discover Christ's presence among the Mbala in the western part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Here, we will deal with the inculturation of Christianity among the Mbala after, Paul's example. Finally, in the conclusion, we will summarize briefly our discussion of Paul's mission and inculturation.
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    Prayer for the Modern Person in the Gospel Of Luke
    (Tangaza University College, 2000-02) Wojciech, Lukawski
    There are many Christians in this world who are preoccupied with the worries of this present life. If we look at the lives of some particular persons we will notice that there are many problems with which the people have to cope. In this essay we will call all of the people "busy", in spite of the diversity of their problems. At the beginning we can try to define the word "busy" and find out what it means in our present situation. First of all there are people who are "busy" in the literal sense of this term. People who live in the world, people who have their families and have to provide for them, people who work in the factories or some other places. "Busy" people are those who live a "normal" life full of worries, uncertainties, difficulties, tragic moments, as well as those who can manage to find joy and happiness in such a situation (or lifestyle). They are happy to live with their families, sacrifice themselves for them, provide for them, sacrificing their strength and free time, giving others the best part of themselves. "Busy" people are those who are very often overburdened by their work, business, difficult family situations, sickness, or even the death of someone dear to them. We can also call them "average people
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    Luke's Teaching on Poverty in his Gospel and Acts.
    (Tangaza University College, 1999-02-12) Stybor, Marek
    The intention of my work is to demonstrate that the disciples' obligation to help the materially poor is based on God's care for them expressed through Jesus' attitude according to the Luke's Gospel, and the commitment of the Early Christian Community according to Acts of the Apostles. 1 intend to follow the exegetical approach. First of all, I have to tried to familiarize myself with the texts of Luke-Acts pertaining to my topic by referring to various commentaries and relevant authors. And then, I have developed the material in three parts. In the first part, I have outlined God's attitude to the poor as revealed through the person of Jesus. Here, there is a message to the world which God wants to communicate through the presence of the poor, I have emphasized this. I have referred to the various passages from the Gospel of Saint Luke and the heart of this chapter is the Year of Favor (Lk. 4:18), where Jesus announces his mission as that of proclaiming the good news to the poor. This part of my work develops the theme of God's attitude towards the poor, as revealed in the person of Jesus. In the second chapter I talk about the disciples' fulfillment of the obligation to help the poor. Here, I have analyzed the lifestyle of the Early Christian Community vis a vis the poor, according to the Acts of the Apostles. The lifestyle of the Early Christian Community, according to Luke-Acts, will help us to understand the obligation of disciples to help the materially poor. Their concern for the needy brother and sister reflects the divine concern for the poor. The present day application is contained in the third chapter of my work. My concern in this final part is the challenge which the poor give to the religious who are to be today's disciples of Jesus in a special way. How are we going to face the challenges given to us as people consecrated to God by those who are oppressed, persecuted and suffering because of hunger and other-itijuitices? This is the burden of this chapter. The main guiding question of my work is: What message does Luke-Acts communicate to the Christian disciples concerning their attitude toward the poor? I hope my work answers this question as we go through the text of Luke-Acts from the perspective of the situation of the materially poor in relation to God, and the Early Christian Community's attitude towards them.