Bachelor of Arts in Theology

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An Encounter with the Spirit of God in African Religion
(Tangaza University College, 2002-02) Mrosso, Bartholomew
On 1996, my superiors appointed me to Ghana for two years of pastoral training. From 1996 to 1998 I was doing my pastoral formation among the Sisaala people of the Upper West region of Ghana. The Sisaala people are mainly traditionalists. By this I mean the majority of them if not all are followers of African Traditional Religion. Any one who approaches any village easily notices the predominance of the African Religion among the Sisaala. As you enter in any village the first thing to see is a shrine. Each extended family has a shrine. Among the Sisaala each extended family forms a compound. Then a number of compounds form a village. So the number of compounds in the village determines the number of shrines in it. Coming from East Africa where the phenomenon of shrines is not very dominant, I was very much fascinated by it. I was curious to know what are those shrines for. I was told that those are places of prayer and sacrifice. I witnessed that, if the day of prayers in the shrine, happened to be on Sunday, very few people would attend mass on that Sunday. This experience made me think that prayers in the shrines seem to be more meaningful to the people than our Christian prayers. I thought it was my task as a young missionary to make our Christian prayers more meaningful and appealing to these people so as they could abandon their traditional beliefs and embrace Christian faith. My plan as a future missionary was to convert these traditional believers into Christianity. I never thought of a possibility of dialogue with the African Traditional believers. Another fascinating phenomenon was, the Sisaala firm belief in the presence of the Spirits. For them everything has its spiritual dimension. Every living and non-living creature has a spirit. My first attitude towards the phenomenon of spirits was very negative. To me these traditional believers were simply superstitious. But slowly I started changing my attitude from negative one to a positive approach. I started asking myself about the possibility of God communicating something to us Christians through the traditional believers. In 1998 I left Ghana with a positive view of the traditional believers. It was in that same year I started my theological studies. From the beginning of my theological formation, I thought it is necessary for modern theologians to search for a theological foundation that can sustain a positive approach towards African Traditional Religion. During the course of my theological studies, I had an opportunity to take an elective on Christian theology of other faiths. This course has helped me to re examine my attitude towards African Traditional Religion. It has also opened my theological mind to see the possibility of dialogue between African Religion and Christianity. So it is out of my past experiences with the traditional African believers in Ghana that I chose this topic for my long essay. I am aware that my essay is limited in several ways; first, African religion has not yet been recognized as one of the world religion. Nevertheless it is in the process of being recognized and a world religion. Second there is only now a fully recognized Christian theology of other faiths. Despite positive attitude of the church fathers towards non- Christian religions', it had taken some times to develop a Christian theology of other faiths. Third limitation of my essay is that it is very hypothetical. When I propose an encounter with the Spirit of God in African Religion what I have in mind is the possibility of meeting or experiencing the presence of God in the lives of the Traditional Africans. God is a mystery and so his Spirit is also a mysterious phenomenon. Even after the revelation brought by Christ God still remains a mystery. Having said that, an encounter with the Spirit of God in African Religion is just a theological hypothesis. This hypothesis is aimed at helping to change negative attitudes towards African Religion. I have divided this essay into four chapters. Chapter one is on the understanding of African Religion. The aim of this chapter is to help us conceive African Religion as one of the authentic religious traditions of humanity. In this chapter we will examine common fundamental beliefs in African Traditional Religion. These fundamental beliefs will help us to see African Religion as one religion expressed in different ways. My aim is to alter any negative attitude towards African Religion. That is why Chapter two will trace the origin of the negative attitude towards African Religion. This attitude can be traced back to the early encounter between Christianity and African Religion that will be examined in chapter two. Chapter three is on the Spirit in the Bible. Our aim in this chapter is build a biblical foundation for encountering the Spirit of God in African Religion. Once we are able to affirm the possibility of the presence of the Spirit of God in African Religion, then it would be easy for us to change our negative attitude towards it. Therefore in chapter three we will examine the understanding of the Spirit in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. Chapter four is on the presence of the Holy Spirit in African Religion. In this chapter we will attempt to show that all the religious and social good values in African Religion could be attributed to the work of the Spirit of God. We will end with a general conclusion by proposing some required attitudes for dialogue between Christianity and African Religion.
Mission among the Pastoralists of West-Pokot
(Tangaza University College, 2001-02-07) Armada, Rafael
I have been living for four years in this country, having come as a Comboni Missionary and student of theology. During this period of time I had the great opportunity of twice briefly visiting Pokot land. Since then I became interested in knowing a different culture, accepting the challenge of crossing boundaries and reflecting upon the missionary activity among the Pokot. Staying there I discovered a very interesting land and people. Their environment, although harsh, appeared to me as beautiful and containing a serene harmony. The vitality, endurance and strength of the Pokot, as well as their sense of their own dignity fascinated me. On the other hand, I encountered an extremely isolated and difficult area, very distant from the rest of the country in most of aspects of life. Their social and economic standards were very much below the levels of the rest of Kenya. The process of evangelization and establishment of the Church, although quite steady, is also at its beginnings. Therefore challenges lie ahead in many aspects. The experience of entering into a different culture and people becomes, thus, a very enriching one. It involves looking at the reality with others' eyes, bringing the novelty of Christ, with its religious and social implications, into a different understanding of life and accepting being enriched by it. The first chapter of this work is devoted to the understanding of the Pokot people, starting from the environment and history that shape their way of living and beliefs. The second chapter deals with the process of acculturation and the journey of incarnation made by the missionaries in their evangelization, including an evaluation of the main social and religious activities. In the last chapter, I will attempt to bring into concrete reality a methodology of mission based on the principle of incarnation, when faced with a situation of change, both in general in Africa and in Pokot, in particular. Lastly, I will hint at some possible suggestions for new missionary activities or confirmation of the work done so far.
Towards An African Language of Grace A Christian Anthropological Approach to Inculturation
(Tangaza University College, 2000-02-10) Ipasu, Mukuyambel Gabriel
Beyond this ordinary and technical understanding, language constitutes the great expression and patrimony which is at the same time impregnated with the religious, philosophical, traditional and cultural meanings and identity of people who use it. It is only through language that one can enter other people's universe of meanings and actions, because language is the key tool par excellence for any kind of communication and its dynamics. Today, the meaning of inculturation and its urgency in the Church, particularly the Church in Africa, should consider language right at the heart of all its efforts for the new evangelisation. This work would like to be a contribution on these lines. Inculturation, as an African language for a proper evangelisation and communication of God's grace to Africans, is the particular option we have taken up in this small dissertation. To find a relevant language, in which God's grace -ilk in Christ- can be redly revealed to Africans, is the core and global preoccupation of today's evangelization portrayed as inculturation. In this general introduction, we would like to look briefly at the definitions and meanings of terms like Grace, Tradition, culture and inculturation. The first chapter, from the developed historical and traditional perspective, will look at some models of encounter and evangelisation of cultures and the implications of languages. The second chapter, which is the focal point, will take us to some proposed meanings and paths judged very fundamental for the inculturation of the Gospel in Africa. The third chapter, emphasising some practical and current realities, looks at the implications and applications with respect to the first two chapters. The conclusion, on the same lines, will sum up our work and lay down challenges for the future.
The Place of Popular Religion in the System of Worship among the Creoles of Mauritius
(Tangaza University College, 2000-02) Manique, Daniel David
It is quite evident that popular religion or belief holds an important place in the life of any Mauritian or in the texture of the Mauritian society. Why do Mauritians think that popular religion is an answer to the ultimate problem of life? Religion plays an important role in shaping the character of a person within the milieu of the multi-racial and pluri-cultural set up of the Mauritian society. As regards the religious worldview, Mauritius offers a diversity of belief systems which is a mosaic made up of Muslim, Christian and Hindu faiths. Harmony and crossbreeding are two characteristics of religion in Mauritius. Indeed, we have to talk about popular religion, for it is an ubiquitous reality among the Mauritians. No one can bypass this reality, neither the Catholic Church, nor the other churches. The main questions in this essay are: should the Church support popular religious beliefs and superstitions and make tolerate what represents the display of popular sentiment? Or should she refuse to recognise the basic inadequacy of such beliefs and offerings? How can the church inculturate the good news of Jesus Christ who alone can provide genuine comfort, assurance and hope in such a context? The other questions that form the main focus of to this paper are as follows: Why do baptised Catholics, particularly the Creoles, who have received proper catechesis, take recourse to popular religion when faced with a problem that goes beyond their control? What makes the Creoles unsatisfied with the established institutional religion, namely, the Christian faith? Nothing has been said or written in an official way before about this, but for a very good reason, the Diocese of Port-Louis in Mauritius in 1993 conducted an anthropological study of the religious attitudes of Catholics among the Creole community.' The fundamental intention of this anthropological research by the diocese is expressed by the Bishop of Port-Louis, "...first to have a deep and better understanding of popular religion as it presents itself among the Creoles in Mauritius so as to give a basic meaning of pastoral initiation of adults into their Christian faith. It is also to understand better the popular milieu in order to love them, and to be able to communicate to them. -2 For those born in a `Creole' family, daily life is coloured by all kinds of beliefs, superstitions, rituals and practices. Features of popular religion include a pattern of the belief in and practice of magic and superstitions. These things are very often mixed with the Catholic faith. This paper strives to provide a reflection on religion among the popular Creole masses through an analysis of what has already been done by some researchers. To situate popular religion in its real cultural context, the perspective taken here is mainly from the author's own experience as member of the Creole community. In this paper, we will give a brief overview of the formation of the population of Mauritius with regard to its genesis as well as the existing religious environment, which has shaped the beliefs and practices of the Creoles. Then, we shall attempt to define popular religion and to show how it presents itself in the Creole socio-cultural context, and how people of this community consider it to be a response to their quest for happiness, as well as for a successful life. We shall give a brief introduction to religion, including rites or rituals, and finally give an account of the different practices that prevail in this community. After that, we will conclude by presenting the pastoral approach to this phenomenon, examine what ought to be the response of the Church and finally we shall provide a concluding reflection.
Single Mothers In Nairobi a Church Response
(Tangaza University College, 2000) Olomi, Gregory Raphael
Single motherhood was not a common phenomenon in Kenya and Africa at large. However, this does not mean that the problems never existed in African traditional societies at all. Single mothers mostly widows were there but they were taken care of by the extended family. In African traditional set up, each community had ways and means of dealing with this problem within its own community structures. Today, single mothers are no longer taken care of by our society. Nowadays they have to take care of themselves and their children. This is a real challenge that the Church has to face and address as we move towards the new millennium. In our research, we are going to divide our work into four chapters and each chapter will deal with some specific aspects of single motherhood. Each chapter will also have its introduction and summary. In chapter one, we will discuss about who are single mothers. It is in this chapter that we will try to identify different types of single mothers in our modem society. However, in the same chapter, we will concentrate more on analyzing different categories of single mothers and their causes. After identifying as well as analyzing who are single mothers, the next step will lead us to the second chapter. In this chapter, we will point out some facts and realities of single mothers. In addition to this, we will also try to highlight some factors that seem to be the causes of single mothers in our society today. In chapter three, our study will deal more with the Church and single mothers. In connection to this, the following aspects will be highlighted more in this presentation: the Church's understanding of family, the Church's response to single mothers and the current pastoral response to single mothers. However, in our case study, we will present a concrete survey that will be conducted in one of the parish in Nairobi in order to establish how far the Church has reached out to support single mothers' group. In fourth chapter, we will examine and evaluate what has been done by the Church at the pastoral level in order to empower single mothers to become efficient agents of family values. Then we will give our recommendations that we think may help our priests, religious men and women and those who are in pastoral fields so that they may have more understanding and positive attitudes towards single mothers.
Voodoo Religion and Evangelism in Southern Benin
(Tangaza University College, 2000-02) Goumadje, Eustache Codjo
The mission of the Church has remained for many centuries the "Mission to the Nations" bearing as her main objectives the expansion of the Church and the proclamation of the gospel, the Good News of the Kingdom of God. In the contemporary society, the mission of the Church in the world and in Africa and especially after the African Synod, has been "Ad Cultures", that is, the 'Mission to the Cultures". It is in this regard that much research has been done on the African religions and many universities have come to include courses on African Traditional Religion (AIR) in their religious study Programmes. Furthermore, both native African scholars' and non-Africans2 have conducted studies on the topic of Voodoo Religion. However, lithe has been done to date to consider Voodoo Religion as a great challenge to the Christian Missions in many West African countries, particularly in Benin. It is important to study Voodoo religion because although it is an "Indigenous African Religion which is also widely spread in Latin American countriesta, it is still considered by Western scholars as a mere system of beliefs and superstitions and not as a religion as such. The religious beliefs in voodoo have also been felt within the social as well as political spheres in Latin America. In Benin, 'Voodoo Religion has almost 58% adepts, while the Christians (all denominations included) am about 24% of the populationcl. Voodoo religion is, therefore, a great challenge for the Church. This challenge is facilitated by the strong organisation within Voodoo Religion, the attitude of the Christians towards Voodoo practitioners and most probably the favour received by the religion during the seventeen years of 'Marxist Leninism' regime of 1972-1989. In the independent Benin (formerly Dahomey), the president was required to take his oath 'before God and the ancestors and official ceremonies were accompanied by libations and offerings to ancestors and the Voodoo gods. All politicians tried to get support of the Voodoo priests who had considerable political influence. In the Revolutionary National Assembly, the religious bodies were to be represented by three Traditionalists, one Muslim, one Catholic and one Protestant. The new government became more and more repressive against the Catholic Church."5 This favour from the politicians to the Voodoo religion is still growing. in 1996 President Nicephore So& of Benin instituted a 'National Voodoo day', on the tenth of January. The Benin National assembly supported this. It has given Voodoo Religion an official recognition like other faiths, while maintaining its independence from political regimes. That is why Voodoo Religion remains a great challenge for the Church missions in Benin. The main focus of this essay is to answer the following question: Shall we continue keeping the attitude of rejection towards Voodoo Religion or shall we look into the matter as a new challenge to the Church's mission and see how to face it? We strongly believe that the more we continue to keep a distance or an attitude of rejection against Voodoo Religion and its adherents, the wider the gap between Christianity and Voodoo Religion, a situation, which will open more way for syncretism within Voodoo worship in Benin. We are aware that one of the challenges of the African Synod is the 'urgent need for inculturation". As stated in the final exhortation of Pope John Paul II, on the synod, "Inculturation includes two dimensions; on the one hand, it is the ultimate transformation of authentic cultural values through their integration in Christianity, and on the other hand, the insertion of Christianity in the various human cultures"7. To achieve this objective, we need to have some basic knowledge of the authentic religious values hidden in most African Cultures. This essay thus, presents an anthropological and theological evaluation of Voodoo Religion, in order to suggest a new missionary methodology of evangelisation in the Voodoo areas of southern Benin. This essay is based on personal observations of Voodoo practices as practised and lived by some members of the author's family and friends. Although, the author has never been initiated into Voodoo Religion, this work is based on the evidence of direct non-participant observation. Other data for this essay was collected through in-depth interviews, which were done with some contemporary Voodoo practitioners and some converts to Christianity,(See Appendix no.4). This method was used to provide reliable data to support the discussions in this essay. Secondary data was obtained from library research. This work is divided into four chapters. The first chapter gives some background information on the social, political, and religious context of southern Benin. The last section of this chapter is dedicated to the scope of the influence of Voodoo Religion in West Africa particularly in Benin in comparison to the case of Haiti. The second chapter presents the nature of Voodoo Religion. Here we give an operational definition of the term "religion", before defining and examining the evolution of Voodoo religion. In the same section some conventional descriptions of ATR will be examined. The main emphasis of the chapter two is on the organisation, the rituals, and the system of beliefs in Voodoo religion. The third chapter is about the interaction between Voodoo religion and Christianity. The emphasis is put on the attitude of Christians towards Voodoo and its adherents. The problem of syncretism within Voodoo religion and its influence on the Christian Missions are also evaluated. The last chapter presents the summary, conclusion and some recommendations. Here some analysis is made on whether Voodoo Religion is a myth or a reality. We also present some problems, which the new Christian converts from Voodoo face with regard to the conflicts between their beliefs in Voodoo and the newly embraced Christian faith. In the last section of Chapter four, we examine some values implicit in Voodoo religion and show how these values can be used for successful inculturation in Benin. In this sense, we attempt to provide a model for a shift from the Voodoo concept of God and gods to the revealed God as manifested in Jesus Christ. In the conclusion, we suggest a new methodology of evangelisation in Southern Benin. We acknowledge the fact that this essay is not exhaustive. This is an explorative presentation to provide some basic information on the relevance of Voodoo to the inculturation process in Southern Benin. This essay is highly relevant to anthropologists, missiologists, missionaries and pastoral agents, who are interested in the social and spiritual development in Benin and other parts of the world, such as Haiti, Cuba, Brazil and Trinidad, where African Traditional Religion still has an influence.
Liberating Africa: A Missionary Challenge
(Tangaza University College, 2000) Alegbemi, Martin Kehinde
Standing on the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, panning round, one sees a continent in distress. Looking north, south, cast and west, one sees and hears of hunger, war, famine, starvation, killings, domestic violence, unemployment and chains of other social evils. Although Africa is in pain, she is also a continent with hope, one blessed with lots of natural and human resources. Africa has survived very hard and difficult times and longs for a better tomorrow. With Christ's ever redeeming presence continually shining on her, she can hope for a brighter future. Seeing in Christ's mission the liberation of the human race, we can say that Christianity essentially seeks to liberate and bring about a day of salvation. The question is what role can Christianity play in the teligious, socio-political and economic distress facing this continent? This poses a challenge to the missionary nature of the Church. The challenge is that of relevance. Christianity has to wake up to the day to day life of the people in its mission as well as in its theology. It is the aim of this paper to present a response to this challenge. The overall objective is an arrival at a necessary theological foundation that empowers one to face the challenge of a preferential option for the poor within an African context. As such, we need a theology that is people-centred and one that will empower us to face this challenge. It should be a theology that calls God's people into 'being- for —freedom' in the world. We hope to arrive at an African liberating and missionary theology, which will be of great relevance to the people's situation, as well as being an essential tool for future missionaries. The tenets arrived at, should as much as possible be relevant to situations that need an option br the poor even outside Africa. One of the common approaches is to take Africa as a small entity with basically the same problem. This approach is both right and wrong. Basically, Africa is a suffering continent. We shall get as much as possible relevant inputs from any of the countries. It is hoped that whatever conclusions we arrive at might in one way or another be applicable to various African countries. As a launch of our response, chapter one of the work will be on 'Liberation Theology: A new way of doing theology'. Since the approach of this work is to see the Christian liberating rol- in the complex situation of Africa, such a role ought to be based on a theology. Our choice of Liberation theology is not because it is a recent theology in its systematic form, but as a theology that is down to earth in that, it focuses on the daily life of the people. We shall examine its content, development, and its methodology, its missionary dimension and how it can be a paradigm of African liberation. Accepting liberation theology from our first chapter, chapter two will examine the faces of Africa. I lere, we shall examine the situation of Africa by applying the 'see' as the first of the trilogy of liberating praxis. This will involve a search into the religious situation, sustainable development, and the political situation. We shall end this chapter by posing the need for 'judge' to unravel the root cause of African degradation. Chapter three as the application of 'judge', the second of the trilogy will begin with a social analysis and theological reflection. With those two considerations, we shall posit the structure of sin as the root cause of African degradation. Upon that will follow an attempt at identifying the various areas of the challenges so as to be able to act concretely. The identification will range from theology and inculturation to issues of gender and development. The areas identified will form the ground for our missionary response in the next chapter. Providing concrete solutions from a missionary perspective which, is also the application of 'act', the last of the trilogy of liberating praxis is what this last chapter hopes to arrive at. Our response will be a positing that. the solution to African problems is far beyond the numerous international conferences, political systems, economic policies, international organisation and numerous 1\1(i0s. An integral and full emancipation is possible with the uprooting of the structure of sin. The uprooting will be possible through recourse to Jesus as the master liberator and a positing of various ideas and channels. The conclusion will be an attempt at laying a foundation for an African liberating and missionary theology.
"IMAGO DEI" and the Problem Of Dominion
(Tangaza College, 2009) Wangechi, Samson, Mbugu
The future of mankind and of the planet Earth is in peril and despite warnings on this, the environmental situation continues ever more to deteriorate. Humanity should, therefore, be aware that it is suffering from a malaise caused by man's impaired relationship with the environment and by deteriorating social bonds. There is a great need to understand that it is necessary to overcome resignation and fatalism and react by planning an alternative future which would be realizable and desirable. In order for this to be, there is an urgent need to change our present orientation regarding our dominion and exploitation of Mother Earth, (an orientation characterized by man's relationships with nature and that of men among themselves) and must be substituted by an attitude of sharing, respect and brotherhood among all creatures. It is sad to note that the Judeo-Christian doctrine on the creation of the universe has been accused of creating the numerous problems we have experienced, especially regarding our understanding of the role of man as a care-taker of God's creation. Man is undoubtedly a superior creature among God's creation. The same Judeo-Christian doctrine emphasizes the idea of Man created in the image of God. "imago dei", a fact which gives him the power of "dominion over other creatures.

Bachelor of Arts in Theology

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