Degree of Baccalaureate in Theology

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The Concept of The Will of God (Mpango Wa Mungu) Among the Sukuma Of Tanzania)
(Tangaza University College, 2011) Fijolek, Adam
While having my pastoral stage in Tanzania, mainly in the dioceses of Mwanza and Shinyanga, among the Sukuma people I had a great opportunity to observe many marvelous things. Together with some shorter periods of time in Usukuma which amounts to a bit over a year in total I was often surprised by people's simplicity of life, their approach to their "joy and hope, the grief and anguish" (GS, 1). During my time in Tanzania I made a great effort to learn the Swahili language and the Sukuma culture. Only when I was able to speak some of it, I began to understand the people's mentality more and more. I liked most of the things about the Sukuma, but as I made more significant progress in the knowledge of Swahili I began to discover that there is something wrong with their understanding of God and his salvific will for us. I noticed that there is a certain expression that comes about in people's conversations quite frequently and I realized that it was like a cliché of some sort. The saying was, "Mpango wa Mungu". It literally means: Plan of God or God's Will. Perhaps I would not have paid much attention to it, if not for some particular events. I found myself in some sad situations within a range of two days connected to the death of two innocent infants. Their death was not much a surprise to me, because the death rate of infants in Tanzania is one of the highest in Africa. What upset me and eventually made me reflect deeply on the issue was the approach of people responsible for the maintenance and the medical care of those two children, that is their parents and the 2 medical personnel at hospital. Let us now explain the background against which this saying is so commonly used. In the case of the first infant, the parents docilely came to terms with the death of their one and a half month old baby girl by saying that it must have been Mpango wa Mungu. They ignored the fact that the child was dismissed from hospital because the doctors claimed that everything was all right. The girl died on the way home from hospital! The latter was a one year old boy who was refused attendance by a nurse at a hospital. She claimed that if it dies, it will be Mpango wa Mungu. The child after an intervention was attended but died a few days later. These two events, as well as many more of lesser gravity, made me reflect on the issue of the will of God among the Sukuma. They were the source of my motivation and inspiration to write this essay. To my understanding it smacked of fatalism. I then decided to delve into the problem more deeply and see what would be the possible reasons of such a conception of God among the Sukuma. The fathers of the Second Vatican Council reassure us that, "At all times the Church carries the responsibility of reading the signs of the times and interpreting them in the light of the Gospel, if it is to carry out its task" (GS, 4). The Sukuma's apparently fatalistic conception of the will of God seems to me to be one of the signs of the times emerging in the Sukuma church. Whether the problem stems from the traditional Sukuma understanding of God or whether something has gone slightly wrong in the process of the evangelization of this wonderful people will be the focal point of our investigation. We shall try to identify whether the Christian mission had any influence on the Sukuma's vision of God. The fact of the matter is that as Christians we cannot agree with such an understanding of the God who is love. To change the fatalistic thinking about God among the Sukuma remains a pastoral challenge for all who work among the Sukuma people. The aim of this essay 3 remains ultimately pastoral. Our research was not conducted in Usukuma. In this research I relied mainly on the books of some other researchers of the Sukuma, on a few members of the Sukuma tribe living with me in the community and, as I mentioned above, on my personal experience and observation. We shall attempt to clarify the issue at stake in three main chapters. In the first chapter we will describe briefly the history, geography and some cultural, social, political background of the Sukuma people. We will also present a brief history of the Christian presence in Usukuma. That will help us understand better the mentality of this fascinating people. In chapter two we shall examine the understanding of the will of God among the Sukuma. In order to do that we will first look at the beliefs of the Sukuma, in particular their belief in the Supreme Being and the role of the ancestors in their daily life. Secondly, we shall explain the problem of fatalism which seems to be permeating the Sukuma attitude towards life. We shall also look at God's role in the daily living of the Sukuma. In chapter three we will attempt to present the Sukuma's concept of God's will as a challenge to our Christian mission. In that we shall turn to the pages of the Holy Scriptures. We shall reflect on our topic in the light of Christ Jesus who is the icon of the loving Father. Lastly, we shall give some practical suggestions for a positive development and change of the seemingly biased thinking of the Sukuma. It is worthwhile mentioning that our study will be focused and based on the Catholic understanding of God's will.
The Church's Response to People Living With Hiv/Aids in Kenya As A New Phenomenon of Biblical "Leprosy
(Tangaza University College, 2011) Antuo, Ziem Albert
In some books of the Bible terms such as leprosy and leper are used in the text of the book. This is evident in both the Old Testament and the New Testament but then they are used extensively especially in the Old Testament with specific reference to the book of Leviticus. Lepers in the Bible are among the many sick people mentioned in the Bible but what is unique about this group of sick people is the attitude of the faith community towards these lepers. In the Bible lepers are often treated as social outcasts in the community because of the prejudice attached to their condition of infirmity. Regardless of the exact symptoms, and diagnosis of these various ailments, becoming "unclean" is the primary concern that all biblical sufferers of leprosy share.' The common prejudice associated with this ailment was that it renders the person unclean and this deprives the individual of an authentic human relationship with the rest of the community. Leprosy in the Bible was a disease for which there was then no cure but sometimes some people did recover from this disease.2 It was a disease which caused fear and revulsion among the people.3 Leprosy was not always seen as punishment, and lepers were not necessarily sinful people but before Jesus there was no suggestion that lepers should be cared for.4 Instead, because they were considered a danger to the community, they were banished until a priest certified that they were cured of the leprous condition (cf. Lev 13:9f0.5 Lepers could not mix with other members of society since this would result in pollution as this was the common conception. Lepers suffered exclusion with all its effects. In our time the prejudice against lepers may no longer prevail as it was during the biblical period. The attitudes toward lepers might have changed in our world today and the leprosy of our time is curable. By using the term leprosy our time I do not mean to say that it is the same as the "leprosy" of biblical period but we cannot also rule out the possibility that it was prevalent at that time. In today's world there exists another form of "leprosy" which threatens the lives of many people. It is feared by many, no cure has been discovered for it yet, and its victims are to a large extent treated as social outcast. Many are prejudiced about them and will not like to associate with them. HIV/AIDS and people living with HIV/AIDS to some extent can be seen as the "leprosy" and lepers of our time respectively. HIV/AIDS is a disease affecting many people in our world today regardless of age, class, religion and even geography. There are many Christians in the Church who are affected and afflicted by HIV/AIDS. Fr. Abraham Hailu a Comboni missionary priest in his article published in the New People magazine challenges us to see people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS as part of the body of Christ undergoing suffering and in need of our attention.6 He calls on all Christians to respond in the spirit of Evangelical charity. A response inspired and motivated by the teachings of Christ in the Gospels.
That They May Be One, As We Are One", John 17:1lb:
(Tangaza University College, 2011) Luke, Muhindo
I developed an interest in writing about the Unity of Christians communio Ecclesiology when I attended an Ecumenical Symposium that took place at St. Paul's National major Seminary in Fort Portal western Uganda. The participants at the symposium were the Uganda Catholic Theology professors and priests, Orthodox Theologians, an Anglican bishop and priests, Seventh day Adventist pastors, some pastors from some Evangelical Churches from around Fort Portal, and some lay representatives from these Churches. The host was the Catholic Theology Seminary as they were celebrating the year of St. Paul. At the end of the symposium, there was an Ecumenical prayer service that was presided over by the Anglican bishop as he was being assisted by some Roman Catholic priests, an Orthodox priest and some Catholic deacons. My interest in Christian unity was further enhanced by my experience of hundreds of Christian ecclesial communities, and Sects within Nairobi city where I got an opportunity to interact through interviews with some members during my Theology research coursework on "African Independent Churches in February 2010. All these are working tirelessly day and night preaching, at times overshadowing different Radio and Television stations everyday.
Self-Knowledge: An Essential Key To Efficient Ministry
(Tangaza University College, 2011) Philippe, M'boua Bogui Degni
The self is a concept which defines what is most personal and unique about an individual. The self includes the body, mind, and spirit; abilities and limitations; and repressed and remembered experience both positive and negative, bodily experience, relational experience, cultural experience, religious experience. I think there is a great need to know and to accept ourselves just as we are. Those of us with power and social standing have subtle ways of hiding our inner handicaps, our difficulties in relationships, our inner darkness and violence, our depression and lack of self-confidence. When all is well we may fall into conceit or pride; when there are difficulties or failures, we can fall into self-depreciation and depression. How difficult it is to accept our limitations and our handicaps as well as our gifts and capacities. We feel that if others see us as we really are they might reject us. So we cover over our weaknesses. I have experienced my own limits at certain moments, when I realized there was great anger and violence rising up in me with respects to certain members of my family. That truth was first revealed to me by my novice master. He called me one day during my Spiritual year and told me that he could perceive that I was carrying a deep sense of anger. He could see it, he said, in my actions and behaviors. He said that this problem was affecting my relationship with the other members of the community. He told me that I was aggressive. Of course I did not agree with him. I told him I have always been a quiet man and very focused. He asked me just to think about what he had just told me. Since then, I have never been at peace with myself. Deep inside me, I started feeling the need to know why my novice master mentioned to me that I was carrying anger in my mind. What could be the origin of this anger? Some years later, I talked to a counselor about my troubled mind. He helped me discover things I never suspected in my life. I have discovered that my actions were motivated by a sense of winning approvals, acceptance, and love. I was searching ways to affirm myself, to demonstrate that I was capable, that I was somebody. And to achieve my goal, I have developed an ability to 'sacrifice' my emotions and feelings, and anything that I loved. I ended up loosing my sense of self-appreciation. Unless someone else appreciated me or my actions, I was not able to be pleased. My counselling sessions helped me on one hand to understand that the root of this problem was to be found in my early age, through my family background and in the other hand I discovered that I do not have to live my present life with the motive to prove to others, especially some family members, or myself that I was somebody. I learned that I do not have to compete with other people, but that I could work hand in hand with them to have a better result. I have often come head-to-head with my own handicaps, limitations, and inner poverty. I did not always find it easy, especially when my failure was evident to others. But then I began to realize that in order to accept other people's disabilities and to help them to grow, it was fundamental for me to accept my own. I have, after all, learned something of my own character. I am gradually learning to accept my own shadow areas and to work with them in order to diminish their power over me. How many people, just like me, are more or less governed by instincts and drives that originate in the beautiful and painful experiences of childhood? How many people still believe that to be a success and to be admired, means that we be competent in what we do? But for most of us, it is not enough just to be good at something. True success, we feel, comes from the recognition of others. This desire for success and admiration can be a good thing, for it encourages us to work well and hard; however, such a desire for success can draw us away from acting justly and serving others. It is true that everyone needs approval and recognition, but if the lack of these causes intense anxiety and anguish with a feeling of being unworthy and unloved, then something is wrong with the person's self concept. I believe that the development of a healthy personality brings a person closer to God and others.
"Saved In Hope": Investigation Into The Meaning Of Salvation
(Tangaza University College, 2011) Missangia, Missawo, Julius
Are Catholics saved? This is the most vital question, I suppose, to many Catholics or other Christians. It certainly crosses denominational lines. The inspiration to take up this research resulted from a significant incident I encountered during my pastoral experience from June to August 2009 in Tonga Parish in Western Kenya. As a young Passionist religious, interested in having an enriching pastoral ministry. I had an opportunity of meeting various people in the Small Christian Communities. One of the main questions that came up very often in such meetings was: Are Catholics saved? People were looking at me for an answer. The concern of people in these Small Christian Communities is raised by Christians of other denominations who look down to the Catholic in the area. They refer to the Catholic Church as gunda (Luo term), which means a place that was once inhabited, but now is abandoned and un-inhabited. The common phrase used by the members of these religious groups when introducing themselves is, "I am so and so and I am saved-. This is a provocation for some Catholics, who are tempted to do the same. Provoked by this situation, I feel motivated to engage myself in a systematic research on the Catholic concept of salvation. The study is divided in three chapters. Chapter one investigates on the biblical meaning of salvation. Particular attention will be paid to the soteriology of St. Paul, certainly the most mature doctrinal stage in the New Testament. Chapter two in a more historical perspective examines the main post-biblical soteriological ideas employed by the Church; mainly focused on Christ's salvific work as described in St. Paul. We shall present the thought of the Church Fathers, the Middle Ages, and the Reformers in particular Martin Luther. Chapter three in a more systematic manner offers a comprehensive response to the issues discussed in the previous two chapters. This will be elaborated in the light of Second Vatican Council, post-Vatican II theology and the reflections of the twenty first century theologies.
Remembering the Creator Spirit in the State of Ecological Crisis
(Tangaza University College, 2011) Kiianesh, 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.
Radio, A Medium For Fostering Positive Values Among Youth Negatively Influenced By Rock Music
(Tangaza University College, 2011) Mengo, Charles
This study is Focused on the effects rock and roll music on the project title "Radio as a medium for fostering positive values among the youth negatively influenced by Rock and Roll music that has emerged as one of the popular genres embraced by most youth. We investigated why the majority of the African youth are aping western culture through the adoption of culture behaviors disseminated through the Western Rock genre of music. Instead of countering this culture, it should be used to the advantage of the youth. The first chapter is a scholarly view of the negative effects of Rock and Roll music, its history and development, the reasons foi its popularity and its negative effects. The second chapter contains the research findings on the use and influence of rock in Langata area. The third chapter is an assessment of the findings in the light of uses and gratification theory and proposed recommendations on how radio can be used as the agent for social learning. We have finally come with our implementation strategies for the recommendations.
Marital Bliss or Doom
(Tangaza University College, 2011) Wambui, Eva
Marriage is one of the rite of passage that a person experiences in a later time in his or her life. Marriage is taken as a sacred institution where there is fusion of two imperfect people come together to be joined as one. This act of marriage changes the personal and social status of the individuals who enter into it. Its values, beliefs were held on to and strictly abided to in order to avoid consequences that were stipulated by the community elders. Cases of divorce, infidelity, marital conflicts were minimal and minor. These are problems that were solved by the parties involved and the elders. In today's marriage, most young people are confused about marriage: its value, role and meaning. Question of whether marriage is still a good idea, more so in today's more 'enlightened' and 'liberated' culture remains unclear to most young people. Concepts such as honor, trust, faithfulness, commitment seem to be challenges that face most marriages today. This problem is further being instigated by the everyday books, magazines, newspapers, soap operas and movies that bombard us with images of cheating spouses. Media is a powerful tool of communication and hence a powerful agenda setter. Television images are conveyed and displayed in a strategic manner. These images are meant to represent or show the reality that dwells in the society. By repeating an issue and bringing the images out constantly, public mentality or mind is influenced by the images to adopt, believe or even develop a habit or culture as portrayed in the media.The evolvement of the media has further led to some cultural practices and beliefs being faced out, moral responsibility being demoralized and changed by the media. Marriage is often taken as a sacred and holistic front, but this aspect of marriage is now been commercialized. Values of marriage being put at a compromise, the public tends to naturalize some aspects of trust, faithfulness hence deeming it as a usual concept that is found in all marriages. This as a result causes rift to the married couples who have to deal with such challenges in their marriage.
Living Dangerously
(Tangaza University College, 2011) Gachau, Wanjiru E.
The topic "Living Dangerously" is relevant and sensible because the video clearly depicts the horrid dirty conditions that people are living in, and with the diseases that are transmitted by dirt, it is safe to say that it is a ticking bomb hence people are living dangerously.
Jesus Christ, the Sacrament of God: Source, Inspiration and Model of Inculturation Today
(2011) Awogya, Alfred W.
The Second Vatican Council (1962-5) was very conscious of the enormous task that still besets the Church in the twenty-first century. The Council thus "sought to renew the Church's life and activity in the light of the needs of the contemporary world" (RM, 1) so that it may more meaningfiffly speak to the hearts of modem man and woman. It affirmed the Church's "missionary nature," called continuously to proclaim the Good News of Christ to all peoples (AG, 1), in obedience to the command of her founder, Jesus Christ (cf. Mk 16: 15). It is this mission, "the Mission of Christ the Redeemer entrusted to the Church," Pope John Paul II says, that "is still very far from completion" (RM, 1, cf. AG, 10). The Church, which "exists in order to evangelize" (EN, 14) must ask herself how she must carry on her evangelizing mission today (cf EA, 46). She is called to respond to modem man and woman in the concrete cultural situations of their lives, in their joy and hope, grief and anguish (cf. GS, 1) so that she may continue to be the "sacrament of salvation" to the nations (cf. AG, 1). If the Church will succeed in this enormous task, which, according to Pope John Paul II, is only starting, inculturation, the process whereby the power of the Gospel is brought into the very heart of culture and cultures (GDC, 109), becomes not just an option but an urgent necessity (cf. RM, 52; EA, 59). Has the message of Christ in all its richness (cf. Col 3:16) penetrated the deepest strata of human society and persons? Has Christ gone into the very centre of every culture so that every person may authentically respond to Jesus' fundamental question, "Who do you say that I am?" (Mt 15:16). In the face of such tough challenge to contemporary mission, Pope John Paul II recognizes that though the need for inculturation has marked the Church's pilgrimage throughout her history, it remains a particularly urgent priority today (cf. RM, 52). If not inculturated, Christianity runs the risk of remaining a "strange religion," not touching the deepest reality of people's lives. Indeed "just as 'the Word became flesh and dwelt among us' (Jn 1:14), so too the Good News, the Word of Jesus Christ proclaimed to the nations, must take root in the life-situation of the hearers of the Word" (EA, 60).

Degree of Baccalaureate in Theology

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