Undergraduate Projects/Long Essays

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    Social Justice As A Focus For Christian muslim Dialogue
    (Tangaza University College, 2003) Kagua, Patrick Njau
    Our world today has become a global village whereby you can communicate with another person who is far away as if he is next to you. This is due to advancement in science and technology. We can call this advancement a 'relationship' in which we relate to each other easily. We are relational being and therefore in spite of all our differences in colour, race, language, tnbe, culture or religion, we remain relational and united, in front of our Creator. For this reason, being relational does not come from ourselves but as a gift from God and hence, it is unavoidable. Being relational is our way of life, our vocation. Being relational is one of the characteristics of God towards us. By God creating us in His own image. He shows us a beginning of a particular relationship. God speaks to His people and His people respond to Him. This relationship can be called 'vertical relationship. There is also a 'horizontal relationship whereby, being created in God's image, we take God's character of communion thus become relational being to each other. We actually become social human beings. We end up in a society, building social institution. which helps us to be relational. These societies differ from one place to another depending on demands of the environment. Such societies or institutions may have some conflicts and even wars, which may be psychological or physical. From this point of view, dialogue is encouraged to ease these tensions and therefore to continue living together in a way that God want us to live. Human beings are also different but it is through dialogue that they are able to live together and to respond to God's call, which is being in communion with Him. Without dialogue human beings cannot achieve anything. We are called for a dialogue with each other, firstly between God and ourselves, secondly between ourselves, so that all may' be one people as God is One On 17:21). Considering the above fact, my essay will be based on the social justice as a focus for Christian Muslim dialogue. There are many sections that can be dealt with and thus I chose social justice because it affects the whole of our daily lives in the society. My pastoral experience brought me into direct contact with Muslims in Senegal and Mauritania. This experience has kept challenging me day after day and hence I saw it better to know more about Islamic religion in depth.
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    The SMA Mission in Egypt; Proclamation of The Gospel Of Christ Or Dialogue
    (Tangaza University College, 2002-02) Domfe, Joseph
    In this thesis I shall try to present my views on the mission of the Society of African Missions, (the SMA) in Egypt, and ask whether it is the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ or dialogue with the non-Christians in Egypt. A number of Post-Vatican II Catholic theologians hold that non- Christian can be saved by acting in accordance with their own religious beliefs. However, these non-Christians, according to the theologians, have a much better chance of salvation within the boundaries of the church. The Catholic church, recognises that religions such as Hinduism, Judaism, Islam etc., possess at least rays of divine light, and therefore their members are not lacking the grace for salvation.' Again in the Apostolic Exhortation "Evangelii Nuntiandi" of Pope Paul VI we are told that the first proclamation of the Gospel should be addressed to non-Christians. This is simply because they carry within them the echo of thousands of years of searching for God, a quest which is incomplete but often made with great sincerity and righteousness of heart. The Pope still reminds us that these non-Christians possess an impressive patrimony of deeply religious texts in which they have taught generations of people how to pray.2 But then the questions which arise are, if these religions provide genuine ways to salvation for their followers, is the Mission of the church to the nations still relevant? Is there a need for dialogue and proclamation, and if so why? For my own society, the SMA, specifically founded for the evangelisation of the non- Christians, these questions are not merely of academic interest. They touch upon the very raison d'etre of our existence. I chose this topic purposely to show the need and the novelty of the Christians' Mission to other religions especially Islam. In this work, I shall try to outline my views on the S.M.A Mission, specifically in Egypt where 90% of the people are Muslims, and ask whether it is the proclamation of the message of Christ or dialogue with non- Christians. To begin with, I shall try to base my presentation on my pastoral experience in Egypt. In the first chapter, I intend to give a brief presentation on Egypt. Here I shall discuss briefly the history of Egypt, some relevant social facts about Egypt, some relevant economic affairs in the country, and some aspects of religious practice there. In the second chapter I will endeavour to talk briefly about the presence of the S.M.A. in Egypt. This will be about the history of the S.M.A. there, and the methodology of its Mission. I shall also evaluate what the Christian Mission is all about, taking into account the biblical foundation of Mission, and the recent view of the Magisterium on Mission. I will evaluate the pastoral challenges of the SMA Mission in Egypt in the third chapter. Then the fourth and final chapter will cover the theological reflections and some insights into the S.M.A. Mission in Egypt, and I shall evaluate whether it is the proclamation of the Gospel or dialogue. The SMA Mission in Egypt, generally speaking, is not well accepted by many people. Most of our SMA members are not in favour of our Mission in Egypt. simply because they do not see any fruit from the labours of the past hundred years. So I chose this topic for my thesis just to try and give some insights into our Mission in Egypt. I tried to put into words all my pastoral experience and knowledge as well as good ideas I acquired in Egypt in 1997-98. Hopefully, by reading this reflection, many people will see something or be enlightened even in a small way about the importance of our Mission in Egypt.
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    Interfaith Dialogue and Unity in a Pluralistic Context
    (Tangaza University College, 2006-12) Mwenda, Bonaventura
    Facounters hem een people or different religions are part of the sock)- religious context in the world today. a world that is characterized by an increasing globalization and religious pluralism. The people of Mogondoutchl i (Niger) also experience this reality. Their milieu is culturally and religiously mixed with people from different ethnic groups (1 lausa. Fulani, Tuareg). nationalities (Beninese, Togolese, Nigerians). and religions (African ancestral cult, Islam and Christianity). It is to this milieu that the Sock iv of the Missionaries of Africa appointed me to do two years (2001-2003) of pastoral experience. I stayed in a Christian community that lives the apostolate of neighbourliness with Muslims. The experience that I acquired gave me a deep desire to promote interfaith dialogue among people of different religions, especially in the field of Christian Muslim relations. 'Hie experience I had in Dogondoutchi left me with some unanswered questions with regard to the sociological and theological foundations of religious encounter. Should we consider religious encounters to be opportunities, obstacles, or challenges in our desire to bring peace among different religions? Most of the time, we experience some tensions between openness to others and the emphasis on one's own identity. Can we reach a level where we can say that both of these two desires are beneficial as long as the right balance is maintained between them? 13asic to any progress in the mission of interfaith dialogue is the common awareness that all of us are created by the One Supreme Being and that continuous encounters are inevitable in any pluralistic context Riese encounters may be planned or unplanned, friendly or antagonistic. However, if we all strive for a deliberate and genuine interfaith encounter, we may manage to create a just and peaceful society. As John Paul II affirms: Society cannot bring citizens the happiness that they expect from it unless society itself is built upon dialogue. Dialogue in turn is built upon trust, and presupposes not only justice but also mercy L.] Justice by itself is not enough: The equality brought by justice is limited to the realms of objective and extrinsic goods, while love and mercy bring it about that people meet one another in that value which is man himself, with the dignity that is proper to him. The search for universal human values such as peace, justice, trust and love, urges us to commit ourselves to promote interfaith dialogue and unity in pluralistic societies, such as that of Dogondoutchi. Despite the difficulties we meet in dealing with religious pluralism. God still invite us to strive for unity and harmony among different religious believers.
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    African Death Rite Of Passage, Dialogue And Inculturation
    (Tangaza University College, 2000-02) Obbo, Stephen Benedict
    One of the objectives of this paper is to lead to a deeper understanding of the mystery of death and the rituals surrounding it. The term "death" is commonly understood as "end of life" - and human experience seems to echo this. From the African context, death is looked at as a moment of passing from the earthly life to another realm of life. It is a rite of passage like birth, Initiation into adulthood and marriage. Philosophically, death is defined as a separation of the intertwine aspects of the human person. That is, the body and the soul. From the christian perspective, death is a mystery which can be answered only by another mystery, the death of Jesus Christ. From the clinical or biological definition, death is the point when the brain's functioning stops. Because of the complexity and depth of the African death rites, only a few ethnic groupings have been considered in this paper for the sake of clarity and particularity. These are: The Luo and Abaluyia of Kenya; The lteso, Baganda, Jopadhola and Bakonzo of Uganda, The chagga, Hehe and Bena of Tanzania; and the Ndebele of Zimbabwe. An attempt has, however, been made to discern some similarities and differences between the Christian and African Traditional concepts of death. The conclusion proposes the need for dialogue and inculturation of the compatible African death rites with Christianity. During the course of research, I used certain methods. This includes interviewing aided by a tape recorder. The informants are mainly from Uganda and Kenya and are from different walks of life. I also used questionnaire and library work.
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    The Mission Renews the Church
    (Tangaza University College, 1999-02) Francesco, Pierli
    When I realise especially through prayer and a deepened reflection that we are the Church of Christ, the Church which is a gift, grace, and chance. We will easy realise also that we have to take care for the Church in order to make her more and more the community living for Christ and for others. The expression given above enlightens us that to be the Church of Christ is also a task which must be fulfilled. A logic consequence of its acceptance will be a reflection over the mystery of the Church missions. Our task is to take care of the Church we belong to and make it a community of joy. We must discover the Christian enthusiasm in our spiritual life, enthusiasm in giving witness. Our task is the co-operation with the grace of the Holy Spirit who leads the Church and makes her always new and holy. Our task is to do that the Bride Christ that is our Church be always beautiful and Christ could find her constant delight. We live in a time when the Pastor of the Universal Church, John Paul II, points out for us the tasks of a new evangelization. He calls us to the renewal of the Spirit, what will allow us to show again to the world the unchangeable truth of the Gospel as the only truth about God and people. The renewal which is always needed in the Church has one of its sources in its mission calls and task. Our openness for those who are not aware of the greatness of the gift given to the human race, which is the Church, is finally turned towards ourselves, makes new our Christianity and strengthens us in faith which opens our hearts for sisters and brothers. And it is why I chose this topic. I was born and grew up in Poland, I know the reality of Polish Church, but now I'm in Africa and I see many challenges, not only for myself but for the whole Universal Church. In this paper I would like to present the brief history of Polish missionary activity, participation of Poles in the evanngelization. Polish Church is a part of the Global Church, a part of the mission which is the continuation of the mission of Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit. I will try to support this with the teaching of the Church and suggest some ideas that our mission would be effective, and may renew the Church.
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    Reconciliation as a Model of Mission In Contemporary Africa.
    (Tangaza University College, 1999-02) Chinedu, Ojiekwe Ephraim
    It is God's wish to establish a community where brothers and sisters live in unity, through His Son, Jesus Christ.' In this community or society there will be no exploitation and oppression, no more war, hunger and thirst. There will be no more division. Hence, it will be a community of happy and prosperous people. Today, the reverse has been the case. In Africa, there are wars and violence of one kind or another. Poverty and the trauma of the displaced has been the African experience. The words "love", "hospitality", and "peace" which have been important words in the African vocabulary of life have lost their meaning. There appears to be nobody brave enough to accept responsibility for the situation. I believe that the task of building a peaceful, loving and caring African society can only be achieved if individuals and the community as a whole could go into themselves and discover, why they have problems, what they are and what the reasons for them are. Moreover, being able to enter into dialogue and to admit responsibility where it is necessary. This is because, "a civilization that cannot solve the problems it has caused is a decadent civilization'. Hence, the selfexamining, soul - searching and provocative questions which are valid for Africans today are: Why has Africa remained such a shameless beggar in the world of independent men and women? Why is the continent the laughing stock and dumping ground of the civilized world? What has been the nature of the African Church's mission? Has it been quite successful? What model of mission is suitable for Africa today? It is in the line of these questions that I was inspired to write this long essay under the topic: "Reconciliation as a model of mission in contemporary Africa". I am doing so with feelings of eagerness, longing and great desire to see African continent restored to her normal status. It is also my conviction that by taking Jesus as the "focal point" of our mission, we can break all barriers and engage in dialogue with ourselves and other people. Thus, we can build a humanized society where every member experiences the freedom and solidarity of the people of God. In the light of the goal and methodology of the project therefore, I would like to formulate the outline of the project into three chapters thus: CHAPTER 1. SEE: The need for reconciliation in contemporary Africa - What are those areas of life that need to be restored to harmony? CHAPTER 2. JUDGE: The church as mission - Has the Church been a reconciling community in the faces of these conflicts and divisions? CHAPTER 3. ACT: Reconciliation as a model of mission for contemporary Africa - What does God want? In chapter 1, after giving a general view of the African society, I will analyze the present political, socio - economic, and religious conditions experienced by the people. Moreover, I will illustrate more concretely these points with Nigeria and Senegal. In the second chapter, I will try to deliberate on the notion: "The Church as Mission". I shall look at the church's role in this situation. Is their approach to the situation very successful? Lastly, in the third chapter, I will take on what I would call the core of this project namely: in the light of the situation of the contemporary Africa and in the light of our evaluation from a missiological perspective, what line of action are we to adopt? What are to constitute our strategies in addressing the issue? With a general conclusion, I close my long essay.