Dissertation submitted as part of the partial fulfillment of the Master of Theology degree (Theology and Development) at the Faculty of Human and Management Sciences. This dissertation shows the ongoing struggle and search for appropriate instruments to understand AIDS widows in light of God's promise of fullness of life for all. Pastoral care, which includes home and hospital visits, became minimal for church members who had AIDS-related illnesses.
Discrimination against widows and HIV/AIDS are related in two ways: HIV/AIDS adds significantly to the burden of the already inferior status of widows. Interestingly, one of the widows in this text is (is) from Kisumu where my work is located. We can see this in the Old and New Testament teachings of the Bible about caring for widows in Leviticus, Deuteronomy, the Gospels, Acts, Galatians and I Timothy.
Thesis Overview
As required by the Research Code, the researcher undertakes this study with transparency, respect and accountability to all who conform to the discipline. The researcher acknowledges any assistance; any work sourced from and adheres to the confidentiality code when required. The researcher holds ethical responsibility towards the people he works with in this research.
It begins by exploring widows in the Old and New Testaments, but places much emphasis on Jesus' liberating work for the marginalized in society. Chapter five becomes the epicenter of this thesis as it surveys AIDS widows in Kisumu. It also involves church leadership, medical and government personnel as it tries to link them together in widow care intervention through their institutions and organizations.
THE BACKGROUND OF THE LUO IN KENYA
Luo Social Structure
It further shows the impact of the pandemic in the economic, social and psychological life of the family. HIV/AIDS has been called one of the greatest disasters to ever hit humanity. This has resulted in the introduction of home-based care (HBC) as part of national health policy.
Due to the long-term nature of the syndrome, a prolonged depletion of family resources can result. Regardless of who in the family becomes ill, the impact of HIV/AIDS on the socio-economic status of the household is keenly felt. This segment attempts to provide an overview of the Luo culture in relation to its conceptions of illness and its implications for HIV/AIDS.
Conclusion
In general, we are aware that the HIV/AIDS grip is greater on women than men because of their status in society. It is this masculinity and patriarchal culture that causes women to suffer losses that must be addressed immediately. Considering the situation of HIV/AIDS in Kisumu and how it affects the homes and families, it would be wise to examine the biblical widowhood to relate to the situation of widows in Kisumu in subsequent chapters.
It is important because we will explore how God of the Bible dealt with widows who are usually seen as vulnerable and poor in society. This will help us criticize and adopt a system that is humane for everyone in society. This chapter explores the experiences of widows as described in the Bible and the early period of Christianity.
It seeks to establish the lifestyle of widows in different periods, thus covering socio-economic, socio-political and socio-religious aspects. In that respect, the Old and New Testament mechanisms of caring for widows are examined with a great emphasis on the way in which Jesus dominated the theology, tradition and practice of the day and an alternative theology and practice of deliverance, life-giving and brought about salvation, which included all in the commonwealth and household of society and God. The Christology that prophesied against all evils and unjust orders that make women in general, and widows in particular, second-class citizens, is of great importance in this section.
The advocacy and prophecy of the Old Testament prophets are also emphasized, as God used them to condemn the unjust treatment of widows. In the same sense, another word for widow is qualified by the Greek term translated as forsaken, "left alone", which indicates that there is no one to rally around such a woman, and has similar implications as. Almattu.111 In this case it would be said that the widow has no men responsible for her maintenance.
It is also important to point out that Bible scholars have indicated that places personified in the Bible could be described as widows (Is Lam. 1:1), as explained in Eerdmans Bible Dictionary this way.
Old Testament Teaching
- Devouring the widows' houses
The discussion of widows in the Old Testament largely refers to the issue of remarriage. The inconsistency in the culture of continuing the line of the deceased, something that also occurs in Ruth's story. The Law of Moses recorded in the OT has a clear call for fair and just treatment of the powerless, the poor, the stranger, the widow and the orphan.
God was their deliverer and warrior in the time of oppression, and this is compared to the condition of the Israelites in Egypt and their exodus in the wilderness. Referring to the Old Testament, Jesus becomes the ideal Jew in the time of the New Testament. That a pious woman could have lived in the women's yard of the temple probably set a precedent for the order of widows in the early church.
Njoroge (eds.), Groaning in Faith: African Women in the Household of God (Nairobi: Acton Pulishers, 19%), p. Apparently the Hellenistic widows in the church did not receive the same care as those of Palestine. That order was the most prominent group of women in the first three centuries of the church.
It is noted that some of the bishops stood with the widows and exemplified excellent examples for the church. In the patriarchal culture of the Israelites, where levirate union was placed as a safety net for the widow, it became the subjection of the widows. In the early church we realized that the church was still real to Christ's teaching and practice.
A letter from the Director of Theology and Development at the University of Natal School of Theology played a major role in this introductory part of the study.
The Study Area
- Voice of the Gospel
- Voice of Believers
In any case, the selected households show a typical pattern of the distribution of widows in the region. In the course of the study, the researcher realized that Kisumu had a great pull on AIDS widows. Perhaps one of the church's biggest points of criticism is that the worship community has been so separated from action.
According to Bright, love and charity with your neighbor is of vital importance in the church or Christian faith. It was also evident that the church, which had been seen as a great liberating agent, has not done much in the widows' affairs. In this regard, the Church needs to address various issues that affect women in the event of illness and the death of their husbands.
Considering the condition of widows, it would be wise to examine them in the light of the Church and development so that their problems are properly approached and addressed. The capabilities of the church combined with the assets and capabilities of the widows are intertwined to create a healthy life for the widows. In the power of the Holy Spirit, the church seeks to proclaim the whole gospel to the whole person in the whole world, Luke.
Hearing the concerns of the church's talented lay people therefore forces the church to engage more in development. In this way, the church will speak for the voice of the voiceless in society. The Church must develop support systems that make a lasting contribution in light of this crisis.
It presented that the church must join hands with God in the work of continued creation and transformation of the world towards the completion of all creation. The chapter has underlined that pastoral guidance and care are indispensable in the process because they enable the Church to listen to the throbbing pain of those affected. In this way we ask what the church can do in the situation of AIDS widows.
Creating an alternative Theology
In other words, the church needs to re-evaluate, re-read and re-interpret the Bible. Then the question would arise, why would the church let this very life perish. Church members have a responsibility to reach out to those suffering from AIDS and its effects with compassion and understanding.
The crisis demands from the church a clear presentation of its moral teaching on human sexuality. The prophetic ministry of the Church should cut through the despair of the people and provide symbols sufficient to lift the situation of hopelessness. The church and society have neither directly dealt with the inequalities between men and women in Kenya and Africa in general.
Despite the extent of the complexity of the problems, the church can give an effective healing witness to those affected by HTV/AIDS. The HTV/AIDS pandemic therefore presents the church with both enormous challenges and unprecedented opportunities to offer hope even in the midst of suffering and death. Whiteside (ed.), The Socio-Economic impact in Southern Africa. eds.), AIDS in Kenya: Socio-Economic Impact and Policy Implications.
34;Gender Violence and HTV/AIDS: A Deadly Silence in the Church", in Journal for Theology in Southern Africa. 34;In Search of a Participatory and Inclusive Society", in Koegelenberg, R , (red.) The Reconstruction and Development Program: Die Rol van die Kerk, Burgerlike Samelewing en NRO's. 34;The Christian Widow in African Culture", in Oduyoye, MA en Musimbi RA Kanyoro, (reds.) The Will to Arise: Women, Tradtion, and the Church in Africa.
Women in the Household of God, (Nairobi: Acton Publishers, 1996), s. eds), The Church and AIDS in Africa: A Case study Nairobi City.
