Theses and Dissertation

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://192.168.4.170:4000/handle/20.500.12342/3

Welcome to Theses and Dissertation community

Browse

Subject: search.filters.subject.Christian

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    A Participative Formation for Authentic Christian Discipleship at Chemchemi Ya Uzima Institute, Nairobi County, Kenya
    (Tangaza University College, 2019) Solas, Elsa
    This study examined a participative formation for the authentic discipleship of the novices in the Inter-Novitiate Formation Programme of Chemchemi Ya Uzima Institute of Nairobi, Kenya. The objectives of the research included the following: To examine how a participative approach to formation could facilitate growth in listening to God’s word and putting it into practice; to explore how a participative approach could orient novices towards fraternal charity; to determine how a participative approach could enhance the spirit of detachment, self-sacrifice and endurance in long suffering. It further tried to discover other strategies for enhancing a participative approach to formation. The study was guided by Fowler’s Stages of Faith Development (1995) and adopted a convergent parallel mixed method research design using questionnaires to gather data. The target population (N) was 236, which included novices, formators and formation teams of various congregations at Chemchemi Ya Uzima Institute, Nairobi County, Kenya. The sample size (n) was 146, which was 62% of the target population. The quantitative data from the questionnaires was coded, tabulated and presented according to frequencies and percentages. The qualitative data was analyzed and thematized according to the research objectives and was presented in narrative form. The findings of the study revealed that a participative formation brings about a deeper transformation in novices, resulting into them becoming authentic disciples of Jesus Christ, seen in their ability to listen to God’s word, live in fraternal charity, spirit of detachment, self–sacrifice and endurance in long suffering. The results showed that the witness of formators and the formation team are of primary importance and they have to be persons who are able to transmit the joy and beauty of the following of Christ by their own examples. This points to the significance of the good choice of formators and the formation team to be placed in the novitiate by major superiors. The accompaniment of formators is an essential element in formation. Formators have to sharpen their accompaniment skills and employ effective methods and established models. The study highlighted the need for a formative environment which encourages freedom, responsibility and participation of novices to foster their growth in authentic Christian discipleship. Provisions for forums, sessions and other community structures which promote active involvement of novices in the life of the community are highly encouraged. It is also important for superiors to consider putting in place a formation team in the novitiate, having seen the benefits of a participative formation towards effecting authentic Christian discipleship.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    “My Dead Son”: God’s Compassion, According To Luke 15:11-32 And Its Application to Christians Today
    (Tangaza University College, 2016) Onwukwe, Francis Chukwuma
    Luke’s Jesus is full of compassion and tender-loving kindness, always having concern for the poor, orphan, sinners and the outcasts. He is full of sensitivity. God is compassion and love. However, where is the compassion in our communities, homes, politics, schools, legal system, traditions and many others? Luke was not only trying to demonstrate Jesus’ messiahship; he was also trying to capture the character and attitude of Jesus so that the reader could come to believe in him. The evangelist, therefore, showed that Jesus associated himself with all kinds of people, rich and poor, socially accepted people and socially outcasts, religious people and sinners. It is evident that Luke’s Jesus, however, favours the poor and those people on the fringes of the society. There is no doubt that, this characteristic of Jesus gives hope, reassurance and life to the down trodden, those who have useless their lives, to those who feel that they have lost contact with society, to those who are racked by guilt, and useful to all Christians in general. If we are truly images of God, there is need for us to change our thoughts. I think that compassion does not necessarily need rationalization. It is a call, a vocation to all.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Integrating African Spiritual Formation Values with Christian Values in the Religious Formation of African Men and Women in Nairobi - Kenya
    (Tangaza University College/Saint Mary university of Minnesota(Nairobi Campus), 2015-05) Mutesh, Petronilla Lumati
    The study explores whether there has been any integration of African spiritual formation values with Christian values in the religious formation of African men and women in the many religious houses in Nairobi. This comes out of the call from the African Synod of Bishops on inculturation in 1994. The task of exploring this out was done among congregations of men and women; thus the indigenous and the international congregations. The focus was on how much is being done to embrace some of these African spiritual formation values in the formation of these African men and women so as to enable them to find their own identity within the church in the true spirit of inculturation. The study reveals that the majority of African religious men and women feel uncomfortable to express and fully radiate who they are as African religious. They remain in a state of identity loss, and tend to feel uncomfortable in embracing their core values from African cultures which form part and parcel of who they are. The result of which, as it was found out, is the cause of an identity crisis among African religious men and women. It was ironical and surprising to learn that the integration of African spiritual formation values has not taken root in religious congregations founded within Africa. One would have expected that these congregations would set the pace in the implementation of the integration of African spiritual formation values with Christian values among their members. This shows how the apparent slow integration of African spiritual formation values in formation of African religious men and women cannot be blamed on congregations of foreign origin alone. The study also found out that there are differing interpretations and expressions of African spiritual formation values by Africans and non-African men and women religious; for example, whereas the African value of hospitality is given strong emphasis by Africans, the same is still a value but perceived and expressed differently by non- Africans. Even among Africans, the manner in which the older members understand hospitality is different from the younger ones, requiring more dialogue that may foster a common understanding. In conclusion, the study therefore, points to the need to foster a solid foundation in both initial and on-going formation of African men and women with an integrated and holistic understanding of religious life. This goal can only be achieved through the integration of African spiritual formation values of family built on love, forgiveness and solidarity, spontaneous prayers, self-reliance and hard work, respect for elders and authority, hospitality, other-centeredness and service. Religious men and women in Africa are part of the global church and in order to experience an atmosphere of feeling at home, the call to inculturation cannot be over-emphasized. This call needs to be deepened and nurtured for religious life to take root on the African continent.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Christian Witness as a Tool for Evangelisation amidst Religious Plurality
    (2016) Kabuya Ntumba, Daniel
    One of the successes of Vatican II was that of exciting awareness on the changes that occur in the modern world. The changes affect every area of human life. Realities such as technology, modernity, communication, and religious pluralism make people close to one another. The world has become a global village. People are no longer “isolated” from one another as they were some few years before. This marks a new epoch in the history of the world. Due to these changes, we observe an unbelieving tendency in the modern man. This unbelieving tendency engages man into circumstances where he forgets completely his primordial vocation that is love. On the one hand, we witness to realities of religious wars, violence, and religious hostility in which some Christians act contrary to the law of love: “You must love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself” (Mk 12:30-31; Lk 10:27). On the other hand, others misuse religions to justify their actions against others. What can we say about religious pluralism? Today, none dares to deny the phenomenon of globalisation. enhances the possibility of a community-world. We do not need to travel to China or to India to meet Hinduism, Buddhism, or Judaism. Rather, we live with them and share the neighbourhood together. In fact, we are the next-door neighbours to people of other faiths. Moreover, migration, technology, and even travel contribute largely to the knowledge of various cultures and beliefs. Due to neighbourhood, some people find it difficult to practice freely their faith. In countries such as Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, and India, Christians feel “persecuted” and “denied” of their right of religious freedom. Again, some states do not give way to “religious tolerance”. This gives rise to tendency to embrace fundamentalism and secularization. To that, we add modernisation that offers new values and meanings to man. As noted in Gaudium et Spes, the modern change brings much worries and anxieties to man: “Torn by a welter of anxieties he is compelled to choose between them and repudiate some among them. Worse still, feeble and sinful as he is, he often does the very thing he hates and does not do what he wants” (GS, 10). This situation compels the researcher to assess the divine commission that says, “Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And look, I am with you always; yes, to the end of time” (Mt. 28:19-20). To assess the divine commission is to scrutinize Christian witness effectiveness within the modern world. Christians are invited to reflect upon the methods and ways used in the fulfilment of the command of the Lord. The fulfilment of the divine command is a matter of witness. Christian witness does not consist of proclamation through words only. It is beyond that. Christian witness is rather a combination of words and actions. This means that Christians are instruments through which God brings salvation to people: “Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to bring my name to Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel” (Acts 9:15). We realise that Christian witness uses more the person of the preacher as God’s ways to reach out to people. Thus, to evangelize 3 3 2 and its today is to establish correspondence between words and actions. It is only in this way that Christians may identify themselves as Disciples of Christ: “It is by your love for one another, that everyone will recognise you as my disciples” (Jn 13:35). In this sense, Christian witness becomes effective for evangelisation. The effectiveness of Christian witness lies in reflecting the person of Christ in one’s life. Paul states that, “I have been crucified with Christ, and yet I am alive; yet it is no longer I, but Christ living in me” (Gal. 2:20). Having explored some of the changes of the modern world, the researcher intends to propose Christian witness as a powerful tool for evangelisation. This entails that Christians must not engage themselves in a wrestling with the unbelieving world as far as evangelisation is concerned. Rather, they are called to witness to the person of Jesus through both words and actions and surrender the outcome to God. They are called to, as Barth says, “let God be God”.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Christian Understanding of Jesus Christ In Relation To the Mission of the Church Towards Muslims
    (Tangaza University College, 2014) Jigeesh Baby, Benjamin
    Encounters between people of different religions are part and parcel of the socio-religious context in the world today which is inevitable in any society. The experience that I acquired gave me a deep desire to promote interreligious dialogue among people of different religions, especially in the field of Christian – Muslim relations. Undoubtedly we can say that it is God who inspires one to engage in dialogue through encounter for one finds one’s origin in God. It is said that, “At all times and in every race, anyone who fears God and does what is right has been acceptable to him. He has, however, willed to make men holy and save them, not as individuals without any bond or link between them, but rather to make them into a people who might acknowledge him and serve him in holiness. He therefore chose the Israelites to be his own people and established a covenant with them. He gradually instructed this people…All these things, however, happened as a preparation for and figure of that new and perfect covenant which was to be ratified in Christ…the New Covenant in his blood; he called together a race made up of Jews and Gentiles which would be one, not according to the flesh, but in the Spirit” (Cf. CCC,741). In fact, it is so evident that Jesus had a couple of encounters with gentiles in his public ministry. And those encounters did not just happen by chance but were well planned in the salvific mission for all humanity. These encounters are well immersed into the mission of Jesus including all humanity, regardless of religions, traditions, tribes and gender. Obviously, Jesus had a great concern towards gentiles and the encounters he had created a new dimension of relationship between Jesus and those gentiles. This led eventually to a total transformation. Today the Church is called to carry out the same mission of Jesus Christ towards other religions, especially, with Muslimswith the same spirit of Jesus; a mission that considers encounter as an inevitable element and a threshold to open up dialogue with Muslims as far as the mission of the Church is concerned. It is only through encounter and dialogue that the Church can create a better relationship with Muslims. Jesus in the gospel seemed to have created a good relationship with Gentiles. The encounters he had with them eventually led him to engage in dialogue. Therefore, the aspect of encounter and dialogue isthe principal foundation for evangelization as far as the mission of the Church is concerned towards Muslims. In this long essay, we would like to make a comparative study between the encounters and dialogues of Jesus that are found in John’s Gospel and the encounter and dialogue mission of theChurch today towards Muslim. To see how the encounter of Jesus influenced the mission of Church today towards other religions, especially Muslims, and shaped the perception of the Church by Muslims as far the missionof the Church is concerned. Having had enough encounter and dialogue experience with my Muslims friends during my two years of pastoral period in Northern Ghana, I am prompted to write this long essay on this theme based on that experience in my life. This long essay has helped me to prepare to live an authentic missionary life in relationship with Muslims everywhere in the world, as foreseen by our founder Cardinal Charles Lavigerie and later redefined by the Society of Missionaries of Africa. I am confident that this effort will surely bare sufficient fruits in order to enrich my understanding of relationship with Muslim. And we are sure that this work will enlighten all those who are interested in this area.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Care for Creation a Christian Environmental Ethic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
    (Tangaza University College, 2012) Kamwanga Kibila, Joseph
    Today, more than ever before, the phenomenon of the environmental crisis is presented as the crucial threat to all life-forms on the planet. Forests are cleared, rivers are drying up, rains are becoming short and unpredictable, cancer cases are increasing, and nuclear accidents just as it has happened in Japan on March 22/2011. All these situations have become a cause of great concern for all people living on earth. Innumerable conferences and meetings, from Rio de Janeiro to Pocantico, from Kyoto to Kuala Lumpur, from Copenhagen to Cancun and Durban, have been held by world scientists, economists, and policymakers in the same spirit of great concern about the environmental crisis, as an effort of searching for a global solution for this problem because every creature is suffering from it whether directly or indirectly. Peter Raven, the director of the Missouri Botanical Garden, wrote in the paper titled “We Are Killing Our World” with a similar sense of urgency regarding the destruction of nature. Many theories have been developed about the damage to the earth. Some people have even charged Christians with carelessness and an arrogant attitude towards creation. Others blame human activities through modernisation and technology as the roots of the damage to creation which we are experiencing today. Other people still say that human beings have nothing to do with the environmental crisis because it is mostly natural. They, for instance, mention natural disasters like volcanic eruptions, floods provoked by typhoons or tsunamis, etc. I had an experience during my childhood concerning the environmental crisis. We used to play football in a big green field with many trees, reserved for children’s games. That space does not exist anymore because all the trees have been cut down and houses have been built. This is the case as well for some forests which have completely disappeared in my region. In face of such a situation and being aware through the courses I had in Theology at Tangaza, I have realized that this problem cannot be overlooked anymore. In order to be concrete in my topic, I took the case of my country, DRC, which has become one of the greatest victims of the environmental crisis caused by the careless attitude in using the natural resources which are considered as a ‘scandale géologique’ resources. 2 , in other words, the incommensurable quantity of its natural I believe that in this turmoil, the Church already plays a preponderant role in the environmental crisis as the moral, spiritual teacher and conscience of society. This fits well with DRC where more than half of the population are Christians. I find the Christian approach to environmental ethics very inspiring. It comes across as the best remedy to the suffering we are causing to the earth and to ourselves. Christian ethics on the environment does not only concern the relationships between humans with humans but also humans with creation and humans with God. It says that the root of the problem is interior (selfishness) expressed through the human irrational exploitation of creation forgetting that the human being is part of it. It is this spirit of selfishness and consumerism which destroys and kills our world today. Thomas Berry, viewing that people have become so selfish in excess in the way they relate with the environment; he suggests a “new cosmology in order to value the beauty of nature” This is a good and wise suggestion because once humans destroy the ecosystem, the web of life in creation, everything starts falling apart. Therefore we cause global warming which manifests itself in many different ways like drought, desertification, erosion, extinction of species, air and water pollution, etc. This ‘Copernican revolution’ in the environment crisis grew fast, especially in the domain of science and technology around 1960s; it was initiated a long time ago by E. H. Haeckel 4 in 1873. Many solutions as well have been suggested with regard to the environmental crisis from the secular world and the Christian world as well. From my part, I am going to show how a Christian approach to environmental ethics is essential and important to restore peace and harmony between humans and non-humans. Pope Benedict XVI in his message for the World Day of Peace of January 2010 chose the title ‘If you want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation’. This theme shows that the relevance and necessity of harmony between human and creation and between humans and the Creator is fundamental for our survival. In his conference on new cosmology, Joseph Mitchell quoted Thomas Berry stating that ‘to destroy creation is to destroy humanity’. Therefore, it is of our interest to take care of creation and play our role of co-creators created in the image and likeness of God; to be more responsible for the creation which God himself found good after having created it (Gn. 1:1-25). Sean McDonagh confirms the previous idea saying that if the present trends continue, by the turn of century we will face an environmental catastrophe as irreversible as any nuclear holocaust.