Thesis(MTH)

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    The concept of power or authority in Jeremiah 22:1-9, 13-23 with implications for Africa
    (2014-05-09) Katho, Bungishabaku
    God alone is the perfect ruler and his power is dependent upon none. Human beings who possess power can rightly exercise it only if they acknowledge that their power is delegated. God made it clear to the Israelites, even before they asked for a king, what such a king should be and how he should lead his people. Deuteronomy 17:14-20 sets forth a number of limitations placed upon the monarchy. The motive behind these limitations was to ensure that the Israelite king will not behave like the kings of the other nations, but that he will follow the will of God and maintain a society which is right with itself and right with God. 1 Samuel 8 warns the people of Israel against the potential danger of the establishment of kingship. More than a warning, 1 Samuel 8 can also be seen as another guideline which could hel\') the kings of Israel to realize the temptations and dangers they were going to face in the exercise of their authority. From the text of Jeremiah 22, we chose two kings of Judah: Josiah and Jehoiakim as case studies of the use of power or authority in the Israelite monarchy. Josiah understood his task as a king in terms of complying with the standard set in Deuteronomy and 1 Samuel. As a result, it went well for him and for the nation. But Jehoiakim was condemned for his failure to comply with God's standard. Because of the failure of Jehoiakim and many other kings like him, Israel was destroyed and the people ~re) of Judah were taken to exile. This means that the moral, social, economic, and religious conditions of any nation or society depend, in large part, on the kind of leadership of those in power. In the political sphere, the church in Africa has two responsibilities: (1) to teach the nation and their rulers the proper use of power and (2) to help the citizens to understand that they are responsible for the kind of government in power because their destiny is linked to the kind of leadership they have accepted to rule over them.
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    The Concept of Sin in African worldview :with Special Reference to the Lugbara People of the Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC)
    (2014-05-09) Anguandia, Enosh Adia Edre
    In this ethnographic case study I have explored the religious and cultural understanding of sin in African worldview in general and the Lugbara view of sin in particular in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I engaged in this ethnographic fieldwork because I agreed with Luzbetak (1988,284): ''The worldview of a people is really the only medium through which a society is able to understand anything, including the Gospel message and anything else that the Church may wish to communicate." A close examination of the Lugbara worldview, its systems and structures, as far as the concept of sin is concerned, has revealed the following: Firstly, the Lugbara society, as most of African societies, is well aware of the real existence of evil in the world. This reality is demonstrated by the terms used to describe evil. In the study the main terms for evil found in Lugbara nomenclature are dra, onzi and ezata. The first of these three is used generally for epidemics, natural calamities and disasters, but specifically it means death of sickness. The most common Lugbara term for evil is ezata. This is evil committed by a member of the community against the ancestral ghosts or against senior kinsmen or kinswomen. Such evil is "bad" (onzi) because it spoils relationships within the lineage and between the living and the ancestors. Secondly, Lugbara people, as most African people, categorise sins. There are the worst of all offences, that is, incest with and murder of a close kinswoman/kinsman. There are serious offences and minor offences as well. Serious offences call for sacrifices to appease the ancestral ghosts (on) and restore broken ties as well as harmony within the community. Minor offences are not so much accounted for in Lugbara society. Thirdly, sin is dealt with promptly, especially for serious offences and the worst of evils. The choice means of dealing with sin is through animal sacrifices as far as the Lugbara traditional society is concerned. Sacrifices are meant to appease angry ancestors and other divinities and restore harmony within the lineage and between the world of the ancestors and that of the living. Fourthly, sin is dealt with promptly because there is no idea of punishing an offender after he or she has died. This means that the Lugbara cosmology has no concept of an eternity in heaven or in hell. The concept of salvation in the, biblical sense is therefore new to Lugbara cosmology. Fifthly, evil or sin is understood in terms of offences committed to human beings or ancestral ghosts. This understanding takes into account the actions, and deeds, even thoughts and attitudes of people in their relationship and interaction with the world of the ancestors and the living community. Sixthly, the idea that man by his nature is evil (sinful) does not appear to be supported throughout Lugbara society, apart from the claims of the Scriptures. That is why Lugbara people I interviewed, whether in secular setting or in the church, seemed to believe that some people are good and others are evildoers. The findings of this fieldwork raised several implications for missions in African churches and theological educations in African context, for which appropriate recommendations have been made.
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    Women preachers and leaders :examination of New Testament teaching with focus on 1 Timothy 2:11-15
    (2014-05-07) Makau, Agnes
    The Thesis discusses women preachers and leaders by examining the New Testament teaching with a focus on 1Timothy 2: 11-15. This is presented in five chapters. Chapter One is mainly introduction encompassing the statement problem, the hypotheses (major and minor), the significance of the study, the purpose of the study, assumptions, limitations and delimitations of the study, plan and method and literature review. Chapter Two deals with the examination of 1 Timothy 2: 11-15 emphasizing 1 Timothy 2: 12. This includes The Author, Recipient and Purpose of 1 Timothy, The Religious Situation at Ephesus, The Exegesis of the Text within the Context and, finally, A Synthesis of the Findings. 1 Timothy 2: 12 cannot be used to answer the question as to whether or not women can be preachers and leaders in the Church today. It must be understood within the context of the Ephesian situation. We would be reading into the text if we use it to decide the outcome of women as preachers and leaders in the Church today. Chapter Three is the examination of selected passages relating to women. These are Romans 16: 1-7, 1 Corinthians 11:5, 1 Corinthians 14:34- 35; 2 Timothy 2:2. They are the texts which are more clear on what women can do. A look at these passages yields findings that do not deter a woman from being a preacher or leader in today's church. Romans 16:1-7 talks of Phoebe who was a deacon in a church and includes others that were fellow workers with Paul. 1 Corinthians 11:5 allows a woman to pray and prophesy in public. 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 is in the context of the order of worship and is not related to the concept of women as preachers and leaders today. 2 Timothy 2:2 addresses the issue of criteria for those who would be entrusted with the word of God or the responsibility of teaching the word of God. This text includes women which is evident upon application of correct interpretation. Chapter Four discusses the relation of 1 Timothy 2: 11-15 to Romans 16:1-7, 1 Corinthians 11:5, 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, 2 Timothy 2:2. In relating the findings of Selected Women-Related Passages in Chapter Three to the teaching of 1Timothy 2:11-15, we determine that Paul cannot be saying women may not be preachers and leaders. If we insist that the teaching of 1Timothy 2: 11-15 is a universal prohibition of women as preachers and leaders in the church, then we must also conclude that the Bible contradicts itself. Chapter Five is the Conclusion. It also outlines the relevance of this thesis to the church in Africa today. A careful look at the passages under study reveals that women can be preachers and leaders in the church and should be accepted as such. As a matter of course, the gift must be polished by education to produce respected leaders such as we see in Phoebe and qualified preachers/teachers as exemplified by Priscilla.
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    A Biblical Solution to Kongo Witchcraft
    (2014-04-28) Hukema, Lammert
    Various traditional beliefs and practices, especially those related to kindoki (Kongo magic and witchcraft), still exist among the Bakongo in the Lower Zaire, and form an obstacle to the spiritual growth of the Kongo Christians. The second chapter, after the introduction, describes the traditional Kongo world view, while the third chapter describes the traditional role and place of kindoki in Kongo society. This chapter also compares Kongo and European witchcraft, discusses the danger of demonic influence through involvement in occult activities, and finally explains what the Bible teaches on witchcraft in general. The fourth chapter discusses various proposed solutions to the problems among the Kongo people, created by kindoki beliefs and practices. Since witchcraft is fundamentally a spiritual problem, only the ,Bible offers a complete solution. This biblical solution forms the last part of the chapter.
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    A critique of Canaan Banana's theology
    (2014-04-10) Gahamya, Emmanuel
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    Moltmann's theology of creation : its relevance for African context with reference to the ecological crisis
    (2014-04-10) Olan'g, Harrison Gudu
    The Environmental crisis is becoming a more serious life-threatening phenomenon in Africa. The Physical environment is deteriorating, thus affecting the socioeconomic life of the people. The continent's ecosystems have been upset. As the result of this change of weather patterns, desertification, soil erosion, deforestation, water po11ution and many other environmental issues have increased to an alarming degree. As a reaction to these strange environmental developments, Governmental a number of secular institutions including as well as Non-governmental bodies have responded with ideas and programmes which are meant to bring solution to the problem. While all those bodies are working for a change, the fundamental question is, what kind of change will bring about the desired results? Is it a change of environment or a change of man who causes the environmental crisis that is important? The writer of this thesis agrees with Moltmann that the environmental crisis we are experiencing in our society today has a religious dimension which can only be handled by the Church. By developing the right theology to deal with problem, the Church will help man to know also his the Creator, his relationship with the Creator, and relationship with the rest of creation. Spiritual change is essential for man to realize what he Development". Thus the first two chapters deal theology calls "Sustainable of conservation developed by Moltmann.degree of theological relationship to the African with Then the situation is explored, resulting in the action needed by the Christian Church in Africa to solve these problems rather than anthropocentric stand point.
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    The Power of Witchcraft among the Kenyan Akamba.
    (2014-04-07) Mwalw'a, Matthews Kalola
    This thesis looks at the power of witchcraft among the Kenyan Akamba. I have taken time to explain the Akamba worldview as the basis upon which the thinking of the Akamba is drawn. Much space is given to this aspect in the paper due to the nature of the subject itself. The literature review undertook to bring together those who have gone before into the Akamba worldview. Such names as Lindblom, Jacobs, and Gehman have prominently featured. In order to establish a background to the subject, interviews were conducted. These included practicing witchdoctors and those who have observed witchcraft in their environment. Because the concern in this thesis is to look at the Kenyan setting, and how the Church is affected by witchcraft, the Africa Inland Church served as a case study. Three Churches were key in the research: The Africa Inland Church, Plainsview in Nairobi city, the Africa Inland Church, Kibera near the Kibera slums, and the Africa Inland Church, Misewani in Mwala division of Wamunyu in Machakos District. Areas mined include consultation with witchcraft, medicine man, herbalist, palm reading, star reading, and other related areas. I discovered that there were still a small, but significant minority of churched people who are sympathetic, and some who consult in these areas, therefore sharing their energy and resources with the world, and not fully committed to the Church. This raises the need for the leadership of the church to strengthen teaching and discipleship.
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    Biblical submission and authority in marriage with special interest in the New Testament: implications for the Iteso evangelical Christians of Uganda. Biblical
    (2014-04-03) Ebulu, Peter Okaalet
    Correct practice can only flow out of correct theory. It is upon this premise that I set out to investigate the meaning of submission and authority in marriage in the relevant New Testament texts. Chapter one is introductory. Chapter 2 includes an exegetical study of Genesis 1-3 and the social backgrounds of Peter and Paul - how women and marriage were perceived in the Roman, Greek, and Jewish settings. The views and teachings of Jesus concerning Women and marriage are also included in this chapter. In chapter 3, I have exegetically discussed what one would call the "primary marriage texts", namely, Ephesians 5:21-33; Colossians 3: 18-20; and I Peter 3: 1-7. Here, the Apostles Paul and Peter clearly spell out imperatives for husbands and wives in marriage. I have also included other related Pauline texts in this chapter, because they, too, have to with man/woman and/or husband and wife relationship. These are: 1 Corinthians] 1:2-16; 14:33b-35; 1 Timothy 2:8-] 5; and Galatians 3:28. To seek to apply theological principles to the African context is in keeping with the declared purpose of the Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (N.E.G.S.T.) namely, "To develop an authentic African understanding and expression of the universal gospel of Jesus Christ, and an effective cross-cultural communication of the same." This is the content of chapter 4, where I discuss marital practices of the Teso, a Nilo-hamitic people of North-eastern Uganda. In a closing chapter, I discuss a restatement of the issue, a summary, and recommendations for further research. Please note that all biblical quotations are from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, 1988 edition, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Africa International University (c) 2013