Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://dlibrary.aiu.ac.ke/handle/123456789/631
Browse
396 results
Search Results
Item Examination of 1 Corinthians 14:33b–35 in relation to women’s ministry in church(Africa International University, 2021-07-31) Fednarnd Mwamburi PongaThis study examined I Cor 14:33b–35 in its context, to determine its meaning and how it relates to our contemporary context as far as women’s involvement in church ministry is concerned. It has come up with the following findings and conclusions. The first one is that the instructions were given in the context of the disorderly conduct of the Corinthian believers during worship and the prevailing socio-cultural realities. Secondly, they were not forbidding every kind of speech by women in the church but only that kind of speech which was considered to be disruptive to orderly worship and disrespectful to their husbands and the church leaders, hence undermining the biblical expectation of women being in submission. It also refers to speech which was considered as shameful within the norms of the Greco-Roman culture. Therefore, it is the position of this thesis that the instructions in 1 Cor 14:33b– 35 should not be taken across the board to forbid every kind of speaking by women in church or to bar them from active involvement in church ministry. Doing so is to disregard the principles of biblical interpretation by overlooking the literary and socio-cultural context of the passage. It will also imply disregarding the various socio cultural contexts of contemporary churches. So this thesis concludes that in view of what Paul says earlier in this epistle and other relevant NT passages, women are equally gifted by the Holy Spirit and they have a right to exercise these gifts in church even in the presence of men as long as they do so in an orderly manner and they remain submissive and respectful to their husbands and church leaders. Order and communal edification during worship are what should be upheld by believers everywhere because our God is a God of order and not confusion. Hence, we should seek to manifest that character in our worship.Item Music and social justice in the east African church(Africa International University, 2025-07-01) Reuben KigameThere is a troubling contradiction regarding the relationship between music and social justice in the East African Church. On the one hand, music is a dominant part of global Church liturgy, but social justice themes are not common in East Africa’s Church songs. On the other hand, the dominance of biblical Christianity in the East African region contradicts the widespread nature of injustices such as police brutality, genocide, corruption, abductions, terrorism, gender-based-violence, the refugee crisis and high levels of poverty. Alfred Olwa (2015) projected that by 2020 Christians would form 67 per cent of East Africa’s population, which would represent 45 per cent of the Christian community in Africa. , In 2023, Kenya scored 31/100 in Transparency International’s corruption perception index, and Uganda 26 out of 100, indicating high levels of corruption. Tanzania has been accused of police brutality and the torture and killing of government critics. Although South Sudan and the DRC are defined as Christian nations, violence leading to the flight of millions into refugee camps is the order of the day. It is evident that the East African Church has failed in addressing this rampant injustice. One of the clear ways in which this is manifested is the lack of sermons that speak truth to power and the absence of social justice messages in East Africa’s church music. This study is concerned with this lack of social justice music and the need to involve Gospel musicians in reversing the situation. Although nearly all Church gatherings include music, the bulk of it is on evangelism, adoration, God’s love, greatness and power, but hardly on poverty eradication, femicide, gender-based violence, corruption or police brutality, which themes are viewed as secular or political and hence avoided as unchristian. Yet the bible urges believers to fight for justice and defend those who cannot defend themselves (Isaiah 1:17; Amos 5:24; Proverbs 31:8-9; Micah 6:8; James 2 and Romans 12:8-21). There is a dire need to understand this discrepancy and identify successful models to inspire and instruct Church musicians on how to write social justice music. It is our assumption in this study that the writing, performance and distribution of more social justice music can push back the levels of injustice in the region. Therefore, it is our conclusion that the East African Church could improve their social justice witness by learning from these effective models. The main objective of this study is to show how three Christian musicians have successfully use music to promote social justice. To realize this objective, we shall ask three questions: i. How have Garth Hewitt, Mahalia Jackson and Juliani used music to promote social justice? ii. Which factors have contributed to the absence of social justice music in the East African Church? iii. What lessons can East Africa’s Gospel musicians and clergy learn from the Discographies of our case studies? In answering these questions, we have employed ethnography and discourse analysis to analyse the material of our three case studies. It is our hope that this research can provide a new way of understanding the convergence of music and social justice within the African context and lead us to new insights into the use of faith-based sonic activism and technology in the promotion of justice.Item Conflict Mediation for Congregational Church Leaders(Africa International University, 2017-07-31) Joy Kagwiria MbaabuConflict is a normal human experience and the church is neither exempt from it nor from the debilitating effects of unresolved or badly resolved conflict. Congregational churches such as Karen Community Church (KCC) value relationships and fellowship so dearly that they are slow to admit existence of conflict, making them more prune to dangers of conflict avoidance. One transformational leadership essential is the ability to resolve conflict effectively so as to give way to genuine fellowship and a God honoring, growing community of believers. KCC was used as a case study to help establish: 1) the congregational church leader’s understanding and perception about conflict; 2) the causes of conflicts in congregational churches and how are they responded to; 3) the spiritual characteristics required for effective biblical conflict mediation; and lastly 4) what can be done to improve the way conflict is handled in congregational churches. A research advisory team of eight leaders walked alongside the researcher throughout the study and undertook theological reflections around the research subject. Three focus group discussions (FGD) for a total of twenty-three leaders comprising of pastors, church staff and elders, youth, women and children leaders and church missionaries were conducted. Additionally, in-depth key informant interviews (KII) were carried out with nine leaders of the church. Lastly, forty five self-administered questionnaires (SAQ) to church leaders using purposeful sampling. Based on the data collected, the researcher identified major themes which were categorized into four groups: Understanding conflict, Conflicts at KCC, Conflict mediation, Effective conflict mediation for KCC. The key findings of this study include the following: (1) Leaders understand conflict as misunderstanding or disagreement , and not necessarily sinful (2) There are many unaddressed conflict at KCC and these have caused bitterness, strife, pain, tension, mistrust frustrations and wounded hearts and relationships; (3) Many leaders have been socialized to perceive conflict as bad and therefore to avoid admitting that it exists and dealing with it fully (4) Conflict mediation is a cooperative way to address conflict and turn it into opportunity for strengthening relationships. (5) Character formation to develop spiritual, moral and personal, qualities through a spiritual formation process is preferred for developing effective conflict mediators for the church (6) Effective conflict mediation would lead to genuine relations, a God- honoring and growing church. The researcher made recommendations the following key recommendations (1) Creation of forums to deal with all past longstanding unresolved conflicts (2) Conversation platforms to address potentially conflictous issues as they arise (3) Occasional sermon series on conflict and conflict mediation (4) Development of a conflict mediation policy and procedure guideline (5) A spiritual formation processes for church leaders which has conflict mediation modules. The researcher developed an outline for a process of spiritual formation for leaders that would prepare them to effectively mediate conflicts.Item Religious fundamentalism in northern Nigeria: an examination of the impact of Maududi’s political interpretation of Islam on the rise of religious conflicts, and its effect on Christian- Muslim relations.(Africa International University, 2017-07-31) Michael Ezra DikkiThis research examines the role of theological or Islamic interpretation in promoting religious conflicts in northern Nigeria. Specifically, this research examines the impact of Maududi’s political interpretation of Islam on the rise of religious conflicts in northern Nigeria. This research questions the sufficiency of the claim that religious conflicts in northern Nigeria are caused by socio-political and socio-economic factors as postulated by several scholars. Maududi is chosen because of his acknowledged influence, globally and in northern Nigeria specifically, as the father of modern fundamentalism. The research was conducted in the cities of Kano in Kano state and Zaria and Kaduna in Kaduna state of northern Nigeria. These states are considered representational. The research employed the qualitative method and interviewed 159 Muslims assisted by Muslim research assistants. This is in addition to qualitative content analysis of some relevant materials and observations. The findings support the claim that there is a strong relationship between theology and fundamentalism in northern Nigeria. In essence, there is a strong Maududian influence on fundamentalism in northern Nigeria. It is evident that Maududi’s ideology and political interpretation of Islam is a major influence on fundamentalism and interreligious conflicts in northern Nigeria majorly beginning with the Muslim Student Society (MSS) in northern Nigerian univerisities. His ideology radicalized these young Muslim students. These students moved into the society with these fundamentalist ideology and established groups. These groups played a strong role in the Islamic militancy and religious conflicts being experienced today. In addition, it is discovered that there is a strong influence of Maududian ideology on the initial leaders of Boko Haram. There is also evidently a historical link to Maududian fundamentalist ideology through Sudan, Pakistan and Egypt as well as Saudi Arabia and Iran within the political and religious leadership in northern Nigeria. The data also reveal that within majority Muslims interviewed, there is a selective adoption of Maududi’s ideologies. A theory, therefore, emerges that the clash between fundamentalist and orthodox ideologies trigger cognitive dissonance, which through dissonance resolution process leads to selective adoption. This selective adoption produces diversity of Islamic views with consequneces on the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims. The data also supports the theory that fundamentalist ideology creates the propensity for collective violence especially when supported by relational and cultural distance, functional independence and inequality. This happens when an ideology in culture (religion) emphasizes “otherness” and is internalized as an individual or collective system of meaning (Silberman 2005, 535) as well as when it corresponds with the social and psychological needs of a group or people (de la Roche 1996). The application of Synthetic Triangular Approach (STA) in the research, exposes the ordinariness in Muslims including those holding a fundamentalist idea. It revealed that the way Muslims understand, react to or handle conflicts is mostly not different from how other human beings do. These findings have implications for Christian-Mulsim relations in northern Nigeria. In this regard, recommendations are made for the government, Christians and Muslims.Item An investigative study of the Bridge of Hope girls’ school education model in post-conflict Liberia(2017-07-31) Jackson Garpu WeahThis qualitative empirical research used a “case- study” methodology presents the evidence derived from empirical research that the all–girls educational model being implemented at Bridge of Hope Girls’ School is actually producing significant identifiable changes in girls. Some of the factors which were examined to indicate successful change include creation of pathways for disadvantaged girls to access the process of, retention of students in the institution, progression of students to higher grades at appropriate times, and completion of school by the girls. This investigative research sought to provide a comprehensive case study of the Bridge of Hope Girls’ School within the context of all-girls education model for girls. The main focus of this dissertation is to propose new paradigm of doing girls’ education herein referred to as the Bridge of Hope Girls’ Transformational Education (BOHGTE) Model. A Christian transformational education ( girls-only) model provided at BOH that has produced an empirical evidence of a significant measurable positive difference in reducing cultural disparity between boys and girls education, transform negative cultural assumptions and changing social narratives of girls in ways that lead to increased enrollment, retentions and progression of girls in Monrovia informal setting. The study participants included the girls at Bridge of Hope, alumni, administrators, faculty, staff, and trustees. Data was gathered through opened -ended interviews and document analysis. With thorough analysis of all data ( interviews and documents) the following themes surfaced: Environment aids student learning outcomes; Christian worldview and ethical foundation of BOH model ;Organizational systems; Gender differences in how boys and girls learn and behave in educational setting; Emphasis on staff development -qualified teachers and training teachers to do “transformational education; Distractions in co-education; In classes that are separated by gender, male and female students work and learn on the same level as their peers and relevant curriculum.Item A philosophical study on the influence of the intelligent design of the brain to prove God’s existence by theology graduates in CITAM assemblies, Nairobi, Kenya(Africa International University, 2020-07-31) Judith Nyanchama NyarangiThe examination of explicit arguments and prospects to proof the existence or non-existence of God is necessary in these contemporary times, to help bring non-believers and atheists to faith. This conversation and argument frequently springs up in religious forums and especially in theological spaces. The study investigated the influence of the intelligent brain design on theology graduates to prove God’s existence in CITAM churches, Nairobi Kenya. The study focused on the structure, material, and functions of the human brain. The researcher argued that proving the existence or non-existence of God is necessary in these contemporary times, to help bring non-believers and atheists to faith. This is especially critical in Christ is the Answer Ministries, whose mission is “To know God and to make Him known through evangelism and discipleship.” The research objectives include: (1) to establish the influence of the intelligent brain structure in proving God’s existence by theology graduates in CITAM assemblies, Nairobi Kenya; (2) to examine the influence of intelligent brain material in proving God’s existence by graduates of theology in CITAM assemblies, Nairobi Kenya; and, (3) to evaluate the influence of the intelligent function of the brain in proving God’s existence by graduates of theology in CITAM assemblies, Nairobi Kenya. A review of literature established that the existence of an intelligent brain structure, material and functions points to a Supernatural Being, God. It revealed that the brain is the organ that discerns what is real, which means that the brain perceives God, or pure consciousness, to be more real than anything else. The target population for this research included graduates of theological studies from various church institutions in Nairobi area. A qualitative descriptive research was used through standardized open - ended interview questions. To select the appropriate categories of respondents, theoretical-purposive sampling was used for selecting 50 participants. The researcher thematically analysed the responses from the respondents, which provided for an inductive process of the researcher building from the data to broad themes to a generalized model or theory. The study revealed that graduate students of theology are knowledgeable about intelligent brain theories. They perceive the brain structure, material, and function as evidences of God’s existence. They are confident about using the concept of intelligent brain design to defend the existence of God to achieve CITAM’s mission statement of making the one eternal God known through evangelism and discipleship.Item Effects of leadership styles on resource mobilization(Africa International University, 2021-07-30) Serchie Michael KofiResource mobilization is a viable component for strengthening and sustaining the vision and mission of NGO. Local NGOs in Ghana and other developing countries require dynamic personalities, leadership qualities and management aptitude and skills to effectively mobilize resource for their organizations. The study examined three leadership styles: transformational, transactional and laissez faire, of NGO staff working in the Volta region of Ghana that belonged to a network of NGOs in the region with a staff strength of more than ten, have been operating over the past five years. The target population was 490 staff of NGOs in six categories: Agriculture/food security, microfinance, education, health, religion, water and sanitation. Stratified and random sampling techniques were used to get a sample size of 264 subjects. Data was collected using structured questionnaire with Likert scale measurement. Primary data was collected using self-administered questionnaires, emails, whatsApp and Google questionnaires. SPSS version 25 was utilized to process data. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, regression analysis and analysis of variance. The results from the regression analysis showed that transformational leadership, transactional leadership and laissez faire leadership had a significant association with the resource mobilization (R=0.785) with an adjusted R square at 0.610. The study recommended that there should be effective use of more of transformational and transactional leadership styles in order to improve resource mobilization among NGOs. The study recommended further investigation into the other factors that might also contribute to effective resource mobilization.Item Factors affecting the financial performance of deposit-taking microfinance institutions in Nairobi County(2020) Paul M. MwangiThe purpose of this study was to examine the factors affecting Deposit Taking Microfinance Institutions’ financial performance in Nairobi County. Research was guided by the following research objectives: Does technological innovation affect microfinance institutions performance in Nairobi; Does accountability in leadership affect microfinance institutions performance in Nairobi; Does leadership structure affect microfinance institutions performance in Nairobi; Does capital structure affect microfinance institutions performance in Nairobi? The study adopted a quantitative research methodology and a descriptive design. The target population was 132 from which a sample of 132 was to be selected through a census method. A Likert scale type questionnaire was used to collect data from the subjects. This was distributed by the researcher to twelve DTMFIs within Nairobi County with an exclusion of one which requested not to be part of the study. A sample of 103 participants out of the 132 took part in the study. The findings revealed that technological innovation has significant (β=.192, while p = 0.018) relationship with financial performance of DTMFIs in Nairobi County. Further the findings revealed that leadership accountability has no significant (β= -.028, whereas p = .324) relationship with financial performance of DTMFIs in Nairobi County. In addition, the findings revealed that leadership styles has significant (β=.350, while p = 0.002) relationship with financial performance of DTMFIs in Nairobi County. Lastly the findings revealed that resource allocation has a significant (β=.344, while p = 0.002) relationship with financial performance of DTMFIs in Nairobi CountyItem Factors affecting the evangelization of Garre Muslims in Moyale, Ethiopia: a study of Moyale Kale Heywet church and Moyale Yehiwot Berhane church(Africa International University, 2021-12-30) James Bancha KurseboThe Garre community is one of the Ethiopian Somali people who live in Moyale, Ethiopia. Since the gospel reached the area in 1929, the Garre Muslims have not been impacted by it; as a result, the number of Muslims is growing rapidly in the Moyale area. There are about fourteen churches in Moyale, yet they have not effectively influenced the Garre Muslims with the gospel. This study is designed to investigate the factors affecting the evangelization of Garre Muslims in Moyale, Ethiopia. Specifically, the study examines two churches, namely, Moyale Kale Heywet and Yehiwot Berhan church to investigate the affecting factors. The study uses a qualitative research method to come up with appropriate findings. Data was collected using interviews, which were transcribed and analyzed accordingly. The literature review sought to discuss different scholars’ views and ideas on Muslim evangelization issues. The researcher interacted with different materials to examine scholars’ views on the factors that hinder effective Muslim evangelism. The aim of this is to achieve a more in-depth and broader understanding of how various scholars approach the topic and also to identify the knowledge gap that exists on the same. Through the findings of this research, it has been established that the factors affecting the evangelization of Garre Muslims are lack of training, lack of finances, lack of unity of Evangelical churches, violence from Muslims, and a lack of strategical mission, which can help to reach the Garre Muslims. This study also uncovers the missiological implication for the Garre Muslims in the area. The findings also demonstrate that to reach out to the Garre Muslims, it is important to use contextualization, rendering holistic ministries. Churches should boost missionaries’ understanding about Muslim evangelism through giving training and supporting missionaries.Item Syncretism Judges 17(Africa international University, 2020-11-30) Kirui Kiprotich AlbertThis paper analyzes religious elements in Judges 17 that are contrary to the instruction of Yahweh in the Torah. This chapter paints a picture of syncretism where the characters worship Yahweh in the wrong way by incorporating other borrowed forms of religious practices. The pattern of the curse made by the mother of Micah follows the common understanding of cursing among the neighbors of the Israelites. The dedication of silver to make a carved and cast image in the name of worshipping Yahweh violates the ten commandments. The ordination of the non-Levitical priest failed to observe the appointment rules in the Torah. Micah’s confidence in the Levite for prosperity conforms to the pattern outside Levitical laws. These patterns fall outside the Torah but have more in common with practices among the Canaanites, though in some cases there is more clear evidence of syncretism than in others. The implication is that there is the worship of Yahweh in the wrong way.