Orobator, Agbonkhianmeghe E. (2004) Ecclesiology in Crisis: A Contextualised Theological Study of the Church in Africa in the Situation of HIV/AIDS, Refugees and Poverty. PhD thesis, The University of Leeds School of Theology and Religious Studies.
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Abstract
'Church' in Africa enjoys a twofold reputation. First, a phenomenal growth of Christian associations, groups and ecclesial bodies and, second, the increasingly public, vocal and active roles that these' churches' assume. Many disciplines have focused on the church in Africa, mainly from sociological and historical perspectives. Existing orthodox theologies of the church rest on the premise of the applicability of generic ecclesiological models and paradigms to Ecclesia inA frica. and input of the church's social context and experience. This study begins with the simple idea that, as a theological and social reality, the church in Africa is open to its environment, a presupposition validated by the considerable degree of interest it takes in some social issues, specifically IDV / AIDS, refugee flight and poverty. It then advances the thesis that in its contemporary manifestations this trinity of plagues represents an ecclesiological crisis which proffers a unique opportunity, that is, a 'kairos moment', for a creative and innovative contextualised understanding of the function, meaning and theology of the church in Africa. To validate this hypothesis this study undertakes the methodological exigency of finding out where the church is and what the church is doing. It accomplishes this task via an empirical investigation of various patterns of ecclesial activities and responses to the crises ofIDV / AIDS, refugee flight and poverty in East Africa (Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania). Although this method is uncharacteristic of orthodox theologies of the church in Africa, this study establishes a pedigree - within the ongoing debate on the correlation of the social sciences with theological disciplines - for an 'empirically-friendly' study of the church which does not submit to the stifling rigidity of sociological theories, models and systems, but adopts and adapts the best of social science methods in order to generate a more credible and contextualised account of the function, meaning and theology of the church in Africa in the time of crisis. On the basis of its analysis of HIV / AIDS, refugees and poverty from an ecclesiological perspective, this study attempts to demonstrate how the sociological category of 'crisis' correlates with the theological conception of 'kairos' to generate or 'distill' innovative images, symbols and metaphors that embody, accentuate and reflect particular aspects of the church's function, meaning and theology. It proposes an integrated interpretive framework for these themes: while they may appear as 'broken faces' and 'scattered threads' of the church, they combine to form a unique, recognisable 'mosaic' and 'tapestry' of the community called church in the situation of crisis. This capacious mosaic or tapestry not only challenges regnant speculative and dogmatic accounts of the church, but more importantly establishes a workable method of studying the church - using ecclesial experience or context as the point of departure - that affirms the centrality of theological principles, like the incarnation and mission, and facilitates a creative 're-imagination' of the mystery-laden reality called church in its contextualised expression in Africa as universal sacrament and body of Christ.
| Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BL Religion |
| Divisions: | Afro-Christiana |
| Depositing User: | JHI Africa |
| Date Deposited: | 02 Jul 2015 13:08 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Jul 2015 13:08 |
| URI: | http://thesisbank.jhia.ac.ke/id/eprint/254 |
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