AbstractTo collect, preserve, and make freely accessible biographical accounts and church histories – from oral and written sources – integral to a scholarly understanding of African Christianity.

AbstractWhy are many churches in Africa inaccessible to persons with disability? This question has informed missiological qualitative research on the accessibility for persons with disability in churches in Ghana. Swinton (2002:29) coins the phrase the “‘forgotten dimension’ of spirituality”, which depicts the way persons with disability have been neglected in the ministry of many churches. Research in Ghana has proven that accessibility for persons with disability in churches is an afterthought reflecting exclusion from youth ministry as well. This article proposes to address the issue of inclusion/exclusion from a missio Dei perspective, challenging youth ministries to take deliberate steps to include persons with disability in their praxis.

Abstract"Divided into four major sections, this textbook provides an in-depth exploration of the biblical, philosophical, cultural, and practical concerns facing African Christians as they proclaim and defend the gospel in Africa. Written by a diverse group of pastors and scholars, it provides a much needed interdisciplinary and contextualized approach to apologetics. It also seeks to bridge the gap between academic research and ministry practice, touching on such topics as hermeneutics, biblical criticism, church history, the nature of evil, religious inclusivism, Muslim-Christian engagement, eldership rites, domestic violence, cults, and the digital age. Biblically robust, contextually relevant, ministry-oriented, and accessible, this is a remarkable resource for enriching the life and ministry of Christians in Africa and beyond." -- Provided by publisher

AbstractEven though the digital church has been in existence for some time, it was mainly a transmission of onsite church services and programmes in the online space. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and its demands for a global shutdown to mitigate and contain the disease moved almost all social activities including church services to the online space. It is evident that persons with disability experience extreme exclusion from the church’s theology, praxes, and ethos. Unfortunately, this phenomenon is replicated in the virtual space. Research proves that persons with disability were not considered in the migration of churches to the virtual space; hence, digital accessibility is minimal or non-existent during and after the COVID-19 era. Contribution:  This article explores the various transformational stages of both the church and media while further exploring possible ways by which the virtual church may grant accessibility to persons with disability.

AbstractENGLISH ABSTRACT: Persons with disability in Ghana experience stigmatization, marginalization and exclusion from society; this accounts for their lack of participation in society, equitable access to the Christian life and theological education. By means of a qualitative approach, this study sought to investigate equity and access for persons with disability [blind persons, Deaf persons and persons with physical disability] in theological education in Ghana. The aim was to explore and realistically evaluate the cultural dimension of the stigmatization and exclusion they experience. In my endeavour to do so, a missiological approach to culture from a social constructionist perspective was employed to explore and to some extent realistically evaluate [context-mechanism-outcome (CMO) configurations] the social and theological factors that influence equal accessibility to theological education for persons with disability. The use of stigmatization and inculturation theology as a conceptual framework showed that the Ghanaian culture and traditional belief system has indeed influenced the interpretations and constructions of disability in the Ghanaian Christian context. The dialogue between the Ghanaian culture/traditional belief system and Christianity is a reflection of sociological-anthropological inculturation theology, which is an aspect of contextualization. The stigmatization and exclusion of persons with disability from theological education in Ghana was explored from a perspective that takes into account perceptions (worldview and meanings) of disability in the Ghanaian culture and also considers how these influence equal accessibility for persons with disability in theological education. Hence, contextualization is a relevant and appropriate way of making sense of the disability situation in Ghanaian Christianity and theological education. It was found that Ghanaian Christians construct disability as a curse and as being unacceptable in a similar manner as it is constructed in the Ghanaian culture itself. Consequently, constant pressure is exerted on persons with disability to be healed by means of exorcism, or through faith healing. However, if healing does not occur, the person is accused of lacking faith and the situation is compounded even further. It was therefore established that the churches and theological institutions need to realistically engage in dialogue from a disability theology and a theological hermeneutic of disability (Reynolds, 2008:34-35) perspective in order to integrate, include and embody persons with disability in their ministries and activities. The Ghanaian culture and Bible were thus proposed as two interventions, among others, for equal accessibility for persons with disability in theological education. Although the Ghanaian culture has negatively influenced stigmatization and the exclusion of persons with disability from society at large, and theological education in particular, I suggest that the same culture can also be viewed as an intervening resource. In the final chapter, I list a number of recommendations as ways forward to resolve/address this issue. In addition, I propose that Ghanaian churches and theological institutions as instruments involved in God’s mission have the task of ensuring equal accessibility for persons with disability in theological education. To conclude, from a missio Dei dimension, Ghanaian churches and theological institutions as instruments involved in the mission of God need to be all-inclusive in all their ministries and activities without any form of discrimination, stigmatization or exclusion. Hence, it is only when persons with disability are ensured equal access to churches and theological institutions in Ghana, that they can reflect their true involvement in the missio Dei.

AbstractWhen the first missionaries came to Africa, they described it as the Dark Continent: a continent whose people were steeped in savagery and superstition. These descriptions were unjustifiable, yet not altogether unreasonable. The Western Christian missionaries were responding to a “difference” they could not readily comprehend. They found themselves in a context incredibly different from their own. But rather than look for answers that would help them understand their missiological context and environment, they judged all that was not European as pagan, superstitious, and primitive. However, the situation has dramatically changed, mainly as the result of the rapid social-economic and political developments that Africa is experiencing. These developments, both positive and negative, have far-reaching implications for missiology and mission. They require critical analysis and understanding, particularly for those who would be involved in mission. This paper describes some of the results of the rapid change that Africa is experiencing, results that in one way or another affect missiology and the missiological context in Africa. There is socio-economic development, yet there are still alarming levels of poverty leading to the development of other challenging situations and teachings. These include the mushrooming of prosperity gospel churches and movements, human trafficking and modern-day slavery, and information and communication technologies. Further, the paper seeks to describe how these developments enhance or hinder the involvement of African women in mission. Since mission of necessity requires an understanding and appreciation of the context of mission or the mission field, the paper suggests that relevant theological education of African women is of paramount importance if they are to be effectively involved in mission. Finally, the paper does not seek to provide answers to the challenges described. This is because mission and missiology are of necessity very context specific. Thus would-be missionaries need to understand the issues and respond to them in context-appropriate ways without compromising the integrity of the message of the gospel.

AbstractTheology, in both the academy and the church, is in need of being engendered. Haddad (1997:1) defined the project of engendering theology as "a need to ensure that all voices are heard - particularly the whispering and silent voices." This article seeks to amplify the voice of Mina Tembeka Soga (1893-1989), a South African woman who contributed tremendously in the diverse areas of education, social work, and the church over an' extended period of time.

AbstractAfrican Initiated Churches have grown rapidly during the twentieth century throughout the African continent, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. In South Africa alone an estimated 6,000 AICs represent between 30 and 40 percent of the total black population and close to 50 percent of Black Christianity. The Zion Christian Church of Bishop Lekganyane, with its headquarters at Pietersburg, grows faster today than any other church in the country.

AbstractThe volume is significant in bringing together voices of African women theologians and their allies on the urgent topic of ecology. First, it decisively intervenes into scholarly discourses on ecofeminism by highlighting the reflections of African women scholars and African women as subjects. This function of the volume is very important both at local and global levels. Second, it contributes to contextualizing of scriptural interpretation around the issue of ecology. Biblical reflection occurs throughout the volume and is put into dialogue with African traditions, with ecofeminism, with Africa-based mission projects, and with the current crisis of sustainability and African women’s roles in protecting the earth. Third, the volume includes several concrete case studies based on interviews and grassroots qualitative research, as well as especially original articles that integrate biblical exegesis of Genesis with reflections on patriarchal legal systems in Botswana, and an original take on “male headship” in relation to ecofeminism. – Professor Dana L. Robert, Boston University, USA

AbstractTo collect, preserve, and make freely accessible biographical accounts and church histories – from oral and written sources – integral to a scholarly understanding of African Christianity.

AbstractTo collect, preserve, and make freely accessible biographical accounts and church histories – from oral and written sources – integral to a scholarly understanding of African Christianity.

AbstractNarratives around the contributions made by women in the proliferation of Christianity in Africa have supplanted the roles played by women, perhaps for familiar reasons. The widespread religion would have been practically impossible without the active contributions of the women who took it upon themselves to spread it across various African groups and ultimately retained it in their homes, where they were the primary agents of socialization. This oversight has, therefore, necessitated the examination of the significance of women in the retention of Christianity religion in Africa. To integrate African women into the fold, women missionaries were needed, and for a European culture that disallowed active participation of women in their region, European women missionaries made themselves available in the ecumenical business in Africa, and they met a group of women who banked on their cultural flexibility to participate in the engagement actively and productively. This work, therefore, provides the conditions, circumstances, and realities surrounding the promotion of Christianity in Africa by these women (European women missionaries and their African women counterparts). Colonialism affected the spread, but they nonetheless offered ineluctable contributions that entirely changed the outlook of religion in the continent. This work concludes by highlighting the various dimensions of experiences of the people and how they weathered the storm to remain dominant and participatory in the course of its spread in the African continent.

AbstractAt least since Mia Brandel-Syrier memorably descriptionbed the female prayer unions or manyanos as ""the oldest, largest and most enduring and cohesive"" of all African organisations in South Africa, the group zeal of African Christian women, right across the various denominations, has increasingly been recognised as a significant indigenous spiritual initiative of long standing.

AbstractThis chapter focuses on the role of Western women in the evangelization of women in sub-Saharan Africa from the early 1800s through the end of formal colonialism in the 1960s. It highlights key shifts in women’s missionary work and the influence that Western notions of race, culture, and gender had on the work. The chapter emphasizes the interwar period as the apex of foreign women’s influence, as Africans embraced education for girls and as many Western women served as headmistresses and teachers in girls’ schools. Missionary women invested in building relationships with African women and girls, and although these relationships were fraught by power differentials, cross-cultural friendships developed. Missionary women had to rely on African women as “culture brokers” to interpret Christianity within their communities, and these African women were critical to the indigenization of Christianity in Africa.

AbstractTo collect, preserve, and make freely accessible biographical accounts and church histories – from oral and written sources – integral to a scholarly understanding of African Christianity.

AbstractThis article postulates that Transforming Discipleship is vital in the lives of Christians. This article demonstrates how transformative discipleship does not happen in a vacuum but in the lived reality and experiences of women and men. Using African feminist missiology, this article further explicates how lived realities in an African context need more than just the spiritual for adequate transformation to take place.

Abstract"This remarkable collection of essays explores the role of African Christianity in God's mission around the world. Featuring the contributions of African scholars and mission practitioners from throughout sub-Saharan Africa and the diaspora - including both men and women, veteran scholars, and fresh new voices - this volume provides a diverse perspective on missiology as understood and practised by African Christians. Engaging such wide-ranging topics as gender violence, globalization, Westernization, peacebuilding, development, Pentecostalism, urban missiology, theological education, and African Christianity in Europe, this volume ambitiously bridges the gap between academic and practitioner perspectives, engaging both theological discourse and the hands-on reality of how God's mission is taking shape in Africa and beyond. This book offers an empowering look at the work God is accomplishing in and through the African church." -- Provided by publisher

AbstractWhen HIV/AIDS first appeared, Christians linked it mainly to personal sin. In one community, HIV/AIDS spreads because of traditional customs. The church critiques custom, while offering support and compassion to those affected by the virus.

AbstractThe aim of my current research is to narrate from a woman's perspective the emergence of two churches and one ministry founded by two Malawian women. I will discuss how they understand themselves in the context of African Christianity and highlight their significant contribution to missions in Malawi. I will also compare their different approaches to ministry and African practices that affect women

AbstractIn this article, I will discuss the widespread occurrence of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in African society and will then present a candid look at the prevalence of FGM in the African Church and its responses to FGM in the past. The health implications of FGM are grave and have given rise to widespread eradication campaigns in secular society. However, the church in Africa is still slow in responding properly to this situation. I propose that FGM is a violation of the God-given female body and should be eradicated in the Christian Church by forming ‘pledge associations,’ using appropriate education and alternative initiations rites.

AbstractTo collect, preserve, and make freely accessible biographical accounts and church histories – from oral and written sources – integral to a scholarly understanding of African Christianity.

AbstractEditor's note: The following is an adaptation of the second chapter — "Foundation of Religious Institutes and Impact of Technology Innovation on Sisters in Africa: A Sociocultural Approach" — of the new book, Voices of Courage: Historical, Sociocultural and Educational Journeys Of Women Religi

AbstractSisters in Cameroon are caught in the middle of a conflict between two factions. During an incident in June at a hospital operated by my congregation, a soldier came towards me with a gun, and said, "I can shoot you."

AbstractIl volume raccoglie gli Atti del convegno internazionale “Il cammino della missione. A cinquant’anni dalla promulgazione del decreto conciliare Ad gentes”, organizzato dalla Pontificia Università Urbaniana (21-23 aprile 2015). Protagonisti della vita missionaria e studiosi di fama internazionale hanno esplorato – ciascuno a partire dalla propria prospettiva scientifica e di esperienza – il significato del Decreto Ad gentes e del cambiamento missionario da esso originato, tracciando un percorso che si articola nei seguenti, principali ambiti storico-missiologici: il Concilio come nuova primavera della Chiesa e della missione; l’istanza del Concilio nella missione; la ricezione di Ad gentes nei territori di missione; i cinquant’anni del divenire della missione; i protagonisti del cammino missionario; il panorama missionario attuale: per una nuova missione ad gentes.

AbstractAfrican religious women are invited to assume an important mission in the formation of a new African culture that does not call for a retrospective journey to traditional culture or its complete abandonment, but rather for a critical reading and assessment of the past, an objective analysis of the p