{"title":"That all may live! : essays in honour of Nyambura J. Njoroge","authors":"","doi":"10.20378/irb-50019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20378/irb-50019","url":null,"abstract":"This volume of BiAS/ ERA is a Festschrift honouring Nyambura J. Njoroge. She is an outstanding woman theologian whose work straddles diverse fields and disciplines. Inspired by her rich and impressive œuvre, in this volume friends and colleagues of her (among them celebrities like Musa Dube, Gerald West, Fulata Moyo, Ezra Chitando, and others) explore how religion and theology in diverse contexts can become more life giving. Contributors from many countries and different continents explore themes such as African women’s leadership, theological education, HIV/ AIDS, lament, the Bible and liberation, adolescents and young women, sexual diversity and others. Collectively, the volume expresses Nyambura’s consistent commitment to the full liberation of all human beings, in fulfilment of the gospel’s promise that all may have life and have it to the full (John 10:10)","PeriodicalId":143163,"journal":{"name":"Bible in Africa Studies","volume":"49 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130986159","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"COVID-19 : African women and the will to survive","authors":"","doi":"10.20378/irb-51639","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20378/irb-51639","url":null,"abstract":"COVID-19 has, like other crises, thrown into relief social injustices and gendered inequalities. BiAS 31/ ERA 8 offers theological responses to and reflections on the COVID-19 outbreak and pandemic. All are by African scholars and authors; some are academic, some experiential, and others creative or impressionistic in tone. Reflecting the ethos and commitment of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians (“The Circle”) to nurture and promote the publications by and about African women and men committed to social justice and positive change, this issue contains the writings of some established but, predominantly, of emerging theologians. For some contributors, this is their first publication in an international series.","PeriodicalId":143163,"journal":{"name":"Bible in Africa Studies","volume":"51 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129228823","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Paul’s Ethics of Reconciliation in Dialogue with Ndebele and Shona Ethnic Cohesion","authors":"I. S. Gusha","doi":"10.20378/irb-54882","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20378/irb-54882","url":null,"abstract":"The tension between the Ndebele and Shona people dates back to the pre-colonial era and this has been one of the major threats to Zimbabwe’s peace. Ethnic tensions have resulted in the loss of thousands of lives since the country’s independence in 1980, especially during the Entumbane clashes and Gukurahundi massacres. The government has in several ways tried to bring social cohesion between the two ethnic groups but with limited success. Four examples are: the initiatives done through the 1980 reconciliation pronouncement by Prime Minster Robert Mugabe, 1987 Unity Accord between PF ZAPU and ZANU PF, the Government of National Unity, and the Commission on National Healing and Reconciliation of 2008. The failures are mainly attributed to amnesia and the unwillingness to repent from past evils by the perpetrators. Seemingly, the major problem may be attributed to the fact that interested parties often played the mediatory role; and one cannot objectively be both player and referee. In addition, over the years, the church through her ecumenical bodies has tried to build bridges between the two ethnic groups but all the efforts were also fruitless due to the unwillingness by the government to take recommendations from the church and civic organisations. The thesis proposes Pauline ethics regarding reconciliation in the Corinthian correspondence as inspiration for social cohesion between the Ndebele and Shona tribes. As hermeneutical tools, Paul’s key symbols such as Christ, the Cross of Christ, Ambassador, New Creation, and Baptism shall be deployed as epistemological lenses in promoting identity tags that go beyond ethnicity. I propose that, for these symbols to be effective, the following recommendations should be taken seriously; setting up of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), refraining from using ethnic offensive language, introduction of Ndebele and Shona languages in primary and secondary schools in the provinces dominated by these two ethnic groups, substituting ethnic provincial names with neutral ones, substituting ethnic registration system of people with a neutral one, and the devolution of power.","PeriodicalId":143163,"journal":{"name":"Bible in Africa Studies","volume":"29 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123288329","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Religion and Development in Africa","authors":"S. Ellis, G. Haar","doi":"10.20378/irb-47759","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20378/irb-47759","url":null,"abstract":"The modern idea of developing Africa essentially dates to the years after 1945. From the start, ideas about development generally overlooked the role of religion, or assumed that religion would be relegated to a matter of private belief in Africa as secular states gained strength and confidence, or even saw religion as an obstacle to development. Yet it is now apparent that religion is a growing force in public life in Africa, as in many other parts of the world. In all parts of Africa, mosques, churches and other religious sites are multiplying, and religious rituals are often to be seen in public space. Moreover, there are heads of state or other senior politicians who make extravagant public proclamations or gestures of their religious allegiance. We have described and analysed these phenomena at length in a book, Worlds of Power: Religious Thought and Political Practice in Africa, published by C. Hurst and Co., London, in 2004.","PeriodicalId":143163,"journal":{"name":"Bible in Africa Studies","volume":"38 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122143267","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An Anglican “Quest For Belonging”? : A Critical Historical Evaluation of the Anglican Diocese of Harare’s Decade of Turmoil, 2002-2012","authors":"F. Mutamiri","doi":"10.20378/irb-55722","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20378/irb-55722","url":null,"abstract":"2002-2012, the Anglican Diocese of Harare went through a decade of turmoil caused by Bishop Kunonga’s break-off from the Church of the Province of Central Africa (CPCA). The ‘doctrinal’ reason for forming his own province called the Anglican Province of Zimbabwe (APZ) was CPCA’s condoning homosexuality, which drew the ire of the state. Although Kunonga justified his actions in an anti-Western pattern, as an Anglican “quest for belonging”, the fierce fighting between the two provinces (with the state forces supporting APZ) was more about property and politics. In 2012, Zimbabwe’s Supreme Court brought the matter to its finality when it declared that Bishop Kunonga had no right to claim CPCA properties.","PeriodicalId":143163,"journal":{"name":"Bible in Africa Studies","volume":"36 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124340993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Material Possessions in Luke 12 and in Nigerian Christians’ Practise","authors":"K. I. Uwaegbute","doi":"10.20378/irb-55730","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20378/irb-55730","url":null,"abstract":"BiAS 34 is a study of material possessions in the Gospel according to Luke, relating their implications for Christians in Nigeria whose excessive quest for material wealth has become a problem. Adopting the Historical-Critical Method of exegesis and complementing it with the Social- Scientific Criticism, the book focuses on the parable of the Rich Fool in Lk 12:13-21 and the related teaching in Lk 12:22-30. It is argued that a thorough understanding of material possession in Luke’s gospel should take into account the background of severe social tensions among Christians in Luke’s community. The hermeneutics of the study shows that contemporary Christianity in Nigeria is marred by an excessive materialism which is against the teachings of the Lukan pericopes – especially, if prosperity is not shared with the poor. Kingsley Ikechukwu Uwaegbute holds a doctorate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he also teaches New Testament Studies at the Department of Religion and Cultural Studies. He has published articles in reputable international journals. His research interest covers contextual and social-scientific interpretations of the New Testament, Christianity’s interaction with Igbo culture, and the intersection of religion and society.","PeriodicalId":143163,"journal":{"name":"Bible in Africa Studies","volume":"9 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121156225","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mother Earth, Mother Africa and Biblical Studies : Interpretations in the Context of Climate Change","authors":"P. Leshota, E. S. Dunbar, M. Dube, M. Kgalemang","doi":"10.20378/irb-49839","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20378/irb-49839","url":null,"abstract":"Climate change and its global impact on all people, especially the marginalized communities, is widely recognized as the biggest crisis of our time. It is a context that invites all subjects and disciplines to bring their resources in diagnosing the problem and seeking the healing of the Earth. The African continent, especially its women, constitute the subalterns of global climate crisis. Can they speak? If they speak, can they be heard? Both the Earth and the Africa have been identified with the adjective “Mother.” This gender identity tells tales in patriarchal and imperial worlds that use the female gender to signal legitimation of oppression and exploitation. In this volume, African women theologians and their female-identifying colleagues, struggle with reading and interpreting religious texts in the context of environmental crisis that are threatening life on Earth. The chapters interrogate how biblical texts and African cultural resources imagine the Earth and our relationship with the Earth: Do these texts offer readers windows of hope for re-imagining liberating relationship with the Earth? How do they intersect with gender, race, empire, ethnicity, sexuality among others? Beginning with Genesis, journeying through Exodus, Ruth, Ecclesiastes and the Gospel of John, the authors seek to read in solidarity with the Earth, for the healing of the whole Earth community.","PeriodicalId":143163,"journal":{"name":"Bible in Africa Studies","volume":"200 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121857946","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Daring Patriarchy? A Biblical Engagement with Gender Discourses on Political Participation in Post-colonial Zimbabwe","authors":"M. Manyonganise","doi":"10.20378/irb-57154","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20378/irb-57154","url":null,"abstract":"This volume (coming out from a Humboldt Research-Fellowship) critically engages with gender discourses on political participation in Zimbabwe, focusing on how the Bible has been used to deny women political offices in the land. The study’s reference to political office needs to be understood broadly, that is, to include women participating in decision-making in their homes, religious institutions, local government, political parties to mention but a few. Dominant religio-cultural discourses on political participation have deployed biblical texts in ways that have shaped Zimbabwe’s political terrain to be gendered space. The study uses gender as a category of analyzing political participation in Zimbabwe. The study argues that the challenges women face in their endeavor to participate fully in politics in Zimbabwe are not only embedded in culture, but have also been reinforced by the way biblical interpretation pertaining to women’s public roles has been done. It is against this background that this volume seeks to examine the utilisation of the Bible by church leaders who find support from male politicians in a bid to safeguard the space from women perceived as ‘dangerous’. In other words, the study endeavours to examine how the Bible has been deployed to control gender discourses on political participation in Zimbabwe. To a large extent, this study shows the centrality as well as the influence of the Bible in shaping gender relations, even in those areas that have to a large extent been perceived as non-religious. This volume, therefore, seeks to open up more political space for women by examining how the everyday is suffused with politics, that is, politics as affecting interactions between individuals and groups thereby facilitating women’s participation in politics at all levels. It is envisioned that such a study would contribute greatly to social transformation. Molly Manyonganise holds a PhD in Biblical and Religious Studies from the University of Pretoria. She is a senior lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies and Philosophy at the Zimbabwe Open University. She is a research associate of the Department of Religion Studies, Faculty of Theology and Religion of the University of Pretoria. 2020-2023 she was a Georg Forster Postdoctoral research fellow, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany. Her research interests comprise religion and politics, gender and religion, religion and sexuality, African Indigenous Religion(s) as well as African Christianity.","PeriodicalId":143163,"journal":{"name":"Bible in Africa Studies","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129912601","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}