Gitari, Retired Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya in deepest appreciation for your belief that I could do well in theological education. Your intrepid participation in the theo-social reconstruction of post-independent Kenya in the 1980s deserves the highest compliment.
INTRODUCTION
- Framing the problem
- Theoretical framework and research design
- Methodology
- Definition of terms 1. Praxis
- The majority-world theologies
- Africans in the Diaspora
- Mugambi's pre-liberation works
- Mugambi's post-liberation works
- The dominant paradigm
- Subordinate paradigm or minor paradigm
- The significance of the study
- A brief summary of the study
First, Mugambi's works serve well as an entry point into the study of reconstruction theology in particular and African theology in general. In particular, it places the concepts of liberation and reconstruction within current trends in 21st century African theology.
Introduction
His family background 1. His naming
- His birth
- Anglican Christianity and his father's influence
- Mugambi's two sets of grandparents and the impact of WW1
Mark's Teachers' College, a public institution sponsored by the Embu Diocese of the Anglican Church in Kenya. As a very responsible person in those days, Timotej was the president of the first coffee cooperative in the area.
His socio-cultural factors
- Culture
- His early school life
His rich and immediate experience of African culture was therefore instrumental in shaping the Jesse Mugambi we know today. 34;pop" dancer despite being a prominent promoter of African cultural dance.
The struggle for Constitutional Independence
- The Mau Mau liberation movement
- The State of Emergency
- Kenya's land tenure system
- The National Declaration of Independence
As the war continued, police brutality was experienced in screening suspects, with the colonial government using torture to determine who was a Mau Mau supporter. I went to school in the middle of the emergency (1954) and spent eight years of my youth in two concentration camps (Kigari and Kirigi in Embu).
The influence of tertiary education
- Studies at Kenyatta College
- Studies in the United Kingdom
While a student at Kenyatta College, the Chairman of the Department of Religious Studies invited the African Secretary of the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF), a Kenyan, to deliver an open lecture at the College.60 In his lecture, he challenged he Mugambi and others became involved in the development of a Christianity that was authentically African. It is important to note that Mugambi published his first book, Traditional Religion of the Embu people, in 1971.
As a member of the Church Panel of Educators (CPE)
From 1968 to 1976, Mugambi and his three fellow Kenyans from the CPE continued to struggle with their fellow panelists, eventually succeeding in integrating the African religious heritage into the Christian religious education syllabus. In other words, he successfully linked Christianity and African religious heritage in his postgraduate studies.
Denominational orientation
This breakthrough was clearly proven by the textbook, which Mugambi co-wrote with Kirima for the “O” Level school certificate course in religious education.67. The brand of Anglicanism to which Mugambi belongs was introduced to Kenya by the CMS, which in turn was strongly influenced by the East African Revival Movement, which entered central and eastern Kenya in 1937.
Mugambi's ecumenical appeal
It is sometimes called the Evangelical wing of the Church of England or the Low Church tradition within Anglicanism.69. Mugambi's interfaith appeal has created a close partnership with scholars from all parts of the world. A close examination of the obstacles to ecumenical cooperation and consultation reveals that in most cases there is no biblical or theological basis for antagonism.
Unity among all churches is necessary for the sake of the church's mission in the world - a mission of reconciliation and liberation from all the forces of greed, selfishness and prejudice that bring hatred and division to the world in which we live (1990a: 26).
Scholarly inspiration
Interestingly, most of the students had individual copies of Mbiti's book, African Religions and Philosophy. By then, many of the African students had already begun to take Mbiti's works seriously. To his surprise, at the end of the course he was summarily awarded a diploma with distinction.
Mugambi's response was that the root of the problem was "meaning in discourse." Based on such a thought-provoking debate, it is no.
A critical evaluation
Regarding Mugambi's ecumenical tutelage, John Gatu, former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, and the first person to call for a moratorium on Western missionaries, became his mentor when they served as the only Kenyan members of the Commission for the WCC Faith and Order, 1974-1984. At the Milwaukee Mission Festival in 1971, Gatho argued, "the continuation of the present Missionary Movement is an obstacle to the very existence of the Church" (Gathogo 2001: 74). During his time on the WCC Commission on Faith and Order, he reminded Mugambi of the need to embed academic theology in the lives of Christians and churches at home and abroad.
Yes, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, or Coretta Scott King (widow of the late Civil Rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr.).
Conclusion
Introduction
What is Africa (n)?
- Diversity
- Homogeneity
The rich diversity of African culture and identity can become the salvation of the human race in the third millennium (2003:112f). In addition to colonial history, African migration patterns from one region to another also contribute to Africa's diversity. Ubuntu was thus originally expressed in the songs, stories, customs and institutions of the African people.
Whatever the argument, Ubuntu best illustrates the African homogeneity that can be exploited for the benefit of the African church in the twenty-first century.
What is theology?
How can one explain the re-emerging negative impact of ethnic nationalism (as once envisioned by Mongosuthu Buthelezi of the Inkatha Freedom Party in the 1990s and the consequent fundamentalist attitude) on the political domain even after its demise? of apartheid. 'neighbor' as part of the extended family, and therefore treats him or her with compassion and understanding - a phenomenon compatible with the hospitality of Christ, as can be demonstrated in the Christian Testament. However, Mugambi does not deny that there are theologians who are more aware of the universality of theology than others.
As in the previous section, the discussion will further help us find Mugambi's place in African theology.
What is African theology (AT)?
- African theology as African Traditional Religion (ATR)
- African theology as African Christian theology (ACT)
This section therefore prepared us to address his thoughts on what African theology is. Does he fit in with the development trends in African theology. a theology that represents the traditional African experience of God and His [sic] relationship with man [sic], of man [sic] and his [sic] relationship with God, of the spiritual Universe of sin, etc. theology as Christian theology done by African Christians or as Christian theology done in Africa.
The second dimension in Mugambi's understanding of African theology is that of viewing African theology as synonymous with African Christian theology.
The genesis and development of African theology
Some evangelical delegates attacked even the mention of African theology as a heresy or anti-Christian. Soon after the Ibadan Conference, some Universities carefully introduced courses titled, "African Theology" or something similar. Only then can we know the way forward regarding the study of African theology in the twenty-first century.
Does the Sources of African Theology help the student locate Mugambi's place as a leading theologian in African theology.
Sources of African theology
- The Bible
- The African cultural and religious heritage
- The Coining of Christianity in the nineteenth century
- African Independent Churches (AICs)
- The Pan-Africanist movement
- The All Africa Conference of Churches
- The Christian tradition
The founding of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians (EATWOT) in 1976 is one indication of this identification (1989b: 59). The study of the AACC as a main source of African theology prepares us to study another source of African theology, the Christian Tradition. As in the previous case, the study of the Christian tradition as a source of African theology helps us to locate Mugambi's place in African theology.
Mugambi builds on the Christian tradition as a source of African theology when he speaks of the triune God.
Liberation and reconstruction: An overview
- Liberation
- Liberation and salvation
- Historical background of the concept of liberation
Mugambi traces the historical background of the concept of liberation from the Exodus narrative in the Hebrew Bible to a paradigm in African theology. It is no wonder that these studies are becoming part of the sources of Reconstructionist theology in Africa. For Mugambi, Mandela was the most prominent symbol of the Exodus metaphor in African Christian theology (Mugambi 1991:35).
How apt is Mugambi's call for a paradigm shift from liberation to reconstruction in twenty-first century African theology.
A critical evaluation
To refer to heaven as "heaven" is a serious distortion and poor reflection on African theology and African Christianity in general. Another example of manipulated works in African theology is the works of Joseph Healey who published a book entitled, A Fifth Gospel (Mary Knoll, New York: Orbis books, 1981). Orbis Books 1977), he clearly wants to suggest that African theology should be designed in the direction of either of these two alternatives - which is misleading.
Must African theology be considered reductionist in nature for it to be reasonably explained.
Conclusion
Introduction
Historical factors behind liberation
- The slave trade
- The Colonial expansion
- The Missionary involvement and Western ethno-centricism
- Racism
Mugambi traces the institutionalization of the slave trade in Africa (especially in East Africa) and claims that it began with the Portuguese in 1400 AD. (1989b: 21ff). Those who survived worked in extreme conditions in the plantations of the sugar colonies in the Americas and the Caribbean islands. The anti-colonial struggles through the Pan-African movement culminated in the launch of the OAU in 1963 (Mugambi 1995:38).
This in itself established an inferior image of the Afrikaner in the missionary.
African Women's Theologies
- Jesus as liberator?
- Jesus as Reconstructionist?
In the next section we would like to discuss the African women's view of Christ as both the liberator and the rebuilder. In addition to looking to Jesus as the model of liberation, African women theologians also see Jesus as the model of reconstruction from which the 21st century African church must seek to learn. This reformist Western feminist vision is closely related to the vision of African women theologians.
African women's theologies will therefore continue to inform and influence the theological perception of the modern African church.
Black theology of South Africa
- A dialogue between African theology and South African Black theology
Black Theology grapples with suffering and oppression; it is a cry to God for the sake of the people. From this we realize that their praxis24 requires the liberation of the poor and the oppressed. He argues that both "African and Black theology provide a sharp critique of the way theology has mostly been done in the North Atlantic World.
Mbiti makes another controversial statement when he says that African theology “arises from our joy in the experience of Christian faith, while black theology arises from the pain of oppression” (Cone 1979: 177).
A critical evaluation
The debate has also illuminated the study on the difficulty with the call for a paradigm shift in African theology, from liberation to reconstruction. If, on the other hand, both are liberating, was the latter unable to liberate its subjects before the arrival of the former? This is evident from the fact that their search for liberation is not sought within the framework of the Exodus motif.
Mary Gray introduces feminist theology as “a critical liberation theology concerned with the reconstruction of theology and religion in the service of a transformational process, in the specificity of the many contexts in which women live.
Conclusion
Through its understanding that African problems can be addressed locally, a Reconstructionist motif as a paradigm, rather than the Exodus motif, seems better placed for its comprehensive approach to addressing the concerns that globalization raises in Africa today (cf. Mugambi.African women's theologies as theologians, especially within the Circle, are grappling with the challenges of the 21st century.The fourth chapter has thus prepared us for an overview of the next chapter on 'J.N.K Mugambi's theology of reconstruction', which will attempt to to critically revise as he proposes.
By doing so, it will be necessary to know the fact that there are other scholars who have stepped in this field.
Introduction
Meaning and the biblical background of reconstruction
This shows that Jeremiah began his ministry during the rise of the Babylonian empire. He will rise up against the house of the wicked, against those who help evildoers. Later, Cyrus replaced the empire of the Medes with that of the Persians (see Farisani 2002: 216).
Because by 550 BC, Cyrus had taken Ecbatana, which was the capital of the Medes.
The levels of reconstruction
- The individual level
- The cultural level
Africa in the twenty-first century CE is in a very similar situation to Judah in the days of Nehemiah. In the same way that Liberation Theology needed revision, so did Reconstruction Theology. In the upcoming subsection, we will attempt to analyze the three main levels of reconstruction according to Mugambi's proposal.
Neither in the church, politics, education, nor in social life, spiritual songs and sacred chants have lost their value in Africa (Gathogo.
