Bachelor of Arts in Theology

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    The Concept Of Original Sin And Crea Tion Among The Luria- Die 1st
    (Tangaza University College, 2004) Barasa, Fwaiaba Evans
    This thesis deals with the concept of original sin and creation stories among the Luhya, Bukusu of Western Kenya. What would one do to have committed a sin? What is the origin of sin? Is the biblical concept of original sin the origin of sin for the Luhya? These are some of the issues, dealt with in this work. In moral theology the human person is called upon to do good and avoid evil. Among the Luhya, to do this good and avoid evil is through observance of traditional teachings and values for example, customs, taboos, proverbs and sayings, which indicate the good, to be done and the evil to be avoided. The first chapter basically deals with the introductory materials for the thesis. In this work, I wish to propose different methods which were used to carry out this research work. These included oral and written materials. For the fieldwork, I made use of questionnaires. The questionnaires were divided in such a manner that they accommodated the views of various groups of people. I made use of written sources available in our libraries of Tangaza College, The Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Hekima College, St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary and the Apostles of Jesus Seminary.
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    A Message of Hope from Paul for Our Christian Journey (Rom 8:18-30) the Impact of Paul's Message on Our Christian Attitude Towards Nature
    (Tangaza University College, 2002-02) Redmond, Timothy
    One of the hot issues in our time that draws the attention of world leaders is the ecological crisis. It is an urgent problem that needs the attention of everyone because the place where we live in common is threatened. If we ignore it we might leave an uncertain future for the coming generation. The widespread extent of the ecological crisis is caused by the barbaric attitude which leads human beings to exploit nature and land resources for their own self-interests. The degradation of land resources and disfigurement of nature at large continue to tell us of the greed and selfishness of human beings and their attitude of being lords over God's creation. This long essay is the result of my own personal motivation to know more about environmental problems, their causes and their consequences. I am aware of the continuing threat to the global village where we live. Paul's message (Rom 8:18- 30) gives me much inspiration and I have come to realize that lam part of the 'large body;' nature, as Michael Dowd describes it in his book Earthspirit. Nature is in great pain and is in a critical situation. As future ministers of the Church we are called to be 'healers and agents' of the Good News to the peoples whom we are going to meet which also extends to the entire cosmos. The same desire motivates me to reflect on Paul's message (Rom 8:18-30) in this long essay. In the first chapter I present the historical background of Paul's use of Jewish teaching and thought to develop his on theology. It is important to know that Paul was very much in the framework of his culture and knew the needs of the people of his own time. In the second chapter, I portray Paul's message of hope (Rom 8:19-30) and show the paradox of Christian life. In Christ and through Christ the whole cosmos is redeemed and yet still waits for future fulfilment. In Christ the whole cosmos holds together and moves to its perfection. Our duty is to involve ourselves in solidarity with the suffering cosmos in order to transform it. It is only in the Christ event that we can grasp fully the meaning of suffering in our present situation and transform it into hope and salvation. In the third chapter I raise the special issue of the ecological crisis in Mozambique as one of the most severe cases among the countries around the world. The birth pangs of creation that Paul portrays in Romans (8:23) are still relevant in our situation today. The natural disasters and the long civil war that affected Mozambique have left the country economically unstable and lacking in the necessary human resources to develop that country. The Church, as a sign of hope and the presence of God's love, has an important role of proclaiming the Good News to all creatures and inspiring every person of good will to become involved in saving the whole cosmos from its destruction. In the last chapter I point out some of the important elements of how Paul's message inspires our Christian life and our mission. The Church is challenged by many aspects of the modern world. One particular challenge is that most of the environmental issues and problems of exploitation are related to political issues. Many times the Church has to face the risk of following the example of Christ's suffering and death. Without losing hope it continues to be a strong pillar through its moral teachings by defending human life and resolving ecological problems. The Church, without ceasing, calls Christians and all people of good will to renew their commitment to be stewards and companions of God's creation. Paul's message opens a new horizon on our Christian journey: we are united with the whole of creation on a journey together towards our redemption. It encourages us to look at nature in a different way. Paul reminds us that nature is not primarily a property to be possessed, but a gift from God to be received with admiration and gratitude.
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    The Groaning Of Creation, Romans 8: 19- 25: A Sympathetic Listening With St. Paul.
    (Tangaza University College, 2001-02-07) Kuupine, Peter
    Nature is the gospel speaking to us of God (cf. Wis. 13: 5). To contemplate creation is to listen to a paradoxical and silent voice; the heavens telling the glory of God and the firmament proclaiming his handiwork (cf. Ps. 19:1-5). "Ever since the creation of the world, God's invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made" (cf. Rom. 1:20). This capacity for contemplation and knowledge, this discovery of a transcendent presence in created things must lead us to discover our kinship with the earth, to which we have been linked since our own creation (cf. Gen. 2:7). In contemporary society, people become indifferent not for lack of wonders but for lack of wonder. St. Paul believes that a right relationship of human beings to God entails a constructive relationship to the world. His popular concept of "Righteousness" carries with it a whole pattern of association concerned with the enhancement and preservation of social order in the context of human relationship with God.' Our Christian hope springs entirely from fidelity of God and from an awareness in faith of his will to bring the world to its proper fulfilment.' Glory is lost and won in relationship to both Creator and creature.' In the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament, it is the divine Wisdom personified that brings forth the universe, carrying out the plan God has in mind (cf. Prov. 8: 22- 31). In Word and Wisdom Paul saw the foretelling of the action of Christ "from whom are all things and for whom we exist" (cf.1 Cor. 8: 6). Becoming more appreciative of creation in my spiritual life as a Franciscan Friar, I have come to the understanding, in my theological studies, that theology is necessarily ecological. Of all the passages in the Bible that refer to the world of nature, none is surely so profound, so relevant to today's ecological crisis as in Paul's letter to the Romans, 8: 19 - 25. This is why I have chosen this Pauline text for my Long Essay research. St. Paul is perhaps the most important and creative figure in the history of the Church. From what I hear and feel about creation today, creation certainly is robbed of the peace and perfection which God intended for it. Creation is groaning! Called to tend and keep the garden of the world (cf. Gen. 2:15), humanity has a specific responsibility towards the living environment, not only for the present but also for the future generations. It is my hope that humanity of the year 2000 and beyond be reconciled with creation and find the ways for harmonious and sustainable development; respecting and appreciating creation. In this Long Essay research work, I will use the text, Romans 8:19-25, as my major pericope. The entire work shall cover four chapters. In the first chapter is a presentation of Pauline teaching in Romans, 8: 19 - 25. I shall delve into the text with much leaning towards Paul's view of creation and our human relationship to creation. Chapter two focuses on St. Paul as an heir of Jewish thought of creation. The third chapter answers the question, "Why bother at all about creation?" It pictures the groaning creation. Chapter four is our Christian theological response to the apparently frustrating ecological situation. Are there some truths that may open up a way of healing our earth and its community of life? Is St. Paul's metaphor of the Body of Christ for the Christian Church (cf. 1Cor 12:12-27) a way out? The conclusion is an exhortation to all that all is not lost. The terms such as "creation", "cosmos", "earth", "nature" and "world" are used interchangeably in this essay unless otherwise indicated.
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    Remembering the Creator Spirit in the State of Ecological Crisis
    (Tangaza University College, 2011) Khanesh, Antony
    The creation accounts of the Book of Genesis presents to us a cosmos that is created out of chaos and presents a picture of it as orderly and balanced (Gen. 1:25). Genesis also shows us that human beings and animals were living in a state of harmony and communion. God assigned the entire living world to the stewardship of humanity and commanded human beings to care for nature (Gen. 1:28).The entrance of sin into the world due to human disobedience to the will of God resulted in the rapture of this communion and brought about disharmony, suffering and death in the world. From then on the power of sin has occupied the central stage of history and human beings have plundered the resources of the earth to satisfy their greed and selfish motives. And the consequence of such selfishness is what we see in our days as the environmental crisis and ecological deterioration. It is the result of humanity's forgetfulness of the Creator Spirit and Its indwelling presence in the cosmos. In this paper my attempt is to point out the relationship that exists between the created world and the Creator Spirit. The first chapter begins with the definition of ecology and the ecosystem. From the basic understanding of these two fundamental terms an analysis of the problem of ecological deterioration follows, and here a proper description of the problem is presented. The second and most important point in the first chapter is the exploration of the causes of the environmental crisis. There are a number of causes that are dealt with in this paper, and they are mainly anthropological, theological and pneumatological. Effort has been made to point out the root of the crisis as spiritual, and in this regard the concern has been to point out that it is the humanity's greed, provoked by the element of sin, that makes it to forget the divine spirit who indwells the 1 cosmos and gives life to all and sustains them in communion. The crisis is because we do not recognize our place in the universe of God's creatures. The second chapter deals with the Holy Spirit in its relation to creation. Attempt has been made to rediscover the role of Spirit in Creation and to identify the Spirit as the Breath of life and as God's active and vital presence in the universe. The divine spirit is presented as the new beginner, the principle of communion, the healer of ecological wounds, the one who heals, sanctifies and restores creation to its original form of harmony.