5 research outputs found
A theology of child rearing for Nigerian fathers : a socio-rhetorical reading of Ephesians 6:4
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT: Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study.One of the major causes of juvenile delinquency almost anywhere in the world, including
Nigeria, is abusive conditions in the homes. The abusive condition in the Nigerian situation is
exacerbated by the authoritarian concept of the home. Children are usually seen as mere objects
who are to obey their parents, especially the father who has an absolute power over his children.
Christian parents too are guilty of being authoritarian and their favourite clichĆ© is āchildren,
obey your parentsā. This article aims at developing a theological guideline that would assist
fathers in rearing their children from the biblical perspective via a socio-rhetorical study of
Ephesians 6:4. It examines the rearing of children in the 1st century among the Jews and the
Graeco-Romans ā the original recipients. Then, it compares the social condition of Nigeria with
that of the 1st century Graeco-Roman. It concludes by stating that the key to understanding the
verse is the phrase Ī¼Ī·Ģ ĻĪ±ĻĪæĻĪ³Ī¹ĢĪ¶ĪµĻĪµ, a combination of Ī¼Ī·Ģ and a present active imperative, which is
used to prohibit actions already in progress. Thus, the verse becomes an appeal to fathers to
stop exasperating their children. To achieve this, fathers should see their children as full-fledged human beings with a right to their opinions and decisions about their lives.
Contribution: This article holds that rather than being treated as obedient objects to fathers in
all things, children must be seen as human beings created with will, mind and intelligence and
therefore be given a say in issues that concerns them and be disciplined in love and not harshly.http://www.hts.org.zaNew Testament Studie
Domestic workers in Nigerian Christian families : a socio-rhetorical reading of Ephesians 6:5ā9
The erosion of traditional work roles which had been male biased has led to the increase of women in the workplace. Although a welcomed development, it has an attendant problem ā a vacuum in the homestead. Consequently, families are filling this vacuum by employing various hands (houseboys and girls, maids and nannies) to handle the house chores in the absence of parents. Being part of the society and mostly affected by female personnel (as Islamic conservativeness is reducing female personnel), many Christian parents are now faced with the issue of relating properly with their āservantsā and vice versa. In fact, there are many cases of maltreatment of these helps and pampering their own children while the helps are overstretched, on the one hand, and cases of outrageous and negative behaviours on the part of the āservantsā. This article is aimed at giving a biblical guideline on domestic workers and masters relationship via a socio-rhetorical reading of Ephesians 6:5ā9. It examines the Graeco-Roman household codes between servants and masters and provides a comparative analysis of these ethical codes with the Nigerian situation to emphasise the contemporary relevance of the passage.
CONTRIBUTION: The article holds that rather than being treated as domestic workers, these servants should be treated as part of the family. They should be sent to school, properly clothed, and fed and treated equally with the children of the home. They are human beings created and loved by God before whom we are all equals.http://www.hts.org.zaNew Testament Studie
Formulating a biblical teaching on sex for Nigerian Christian couples : a study of 1 Corinthians 7:1ā5
The issue of sexual relations between spouses is a major cause of broken homes in Nigeria and Christian couples are not an exception. People believe that a large percentage of broken homes have the root of their problem traced to sex. The preponderance of broken homes (and homes under tension of crises) notwithstanding, most studies in this area have been from the socio-scientific and medical cum psychological point of view and many more have focused on teenagers and young people to the exclusion of married couples that need healing in this regard. This article is aimed at bringing out biblical instruction concerning the issue of sex that could help to restore peace to many homes at the verge of breaking down. The focal passage is 1 Corinthians 7:1ā5, which was Paulās instructions to the Corinthian church when they faced a similar problem. This article is an exegetical analysis of the passage and is read rhetorically (rhetorical analysis examines how a text persuades readers of its point of view) with the Nigerian situation in mind. It concludes that sex must be enjoyed within the ambits of marriage and within this ambit, the only reason for abstinence is mutual agreement for the purpose of prayer.
CONTRIBUTION: The article upholds gender equality in initiating and enjoying sex and rejects looking down on women who request sex. It also calls for the eradication of female genital mutilation, a tradition based on making women not enjoy sex.http://www.hts.org.zaNew Testament Studie
Narratological reading of poverty-related parables (Lk 12:13ā21; 14:15ā24; 16:19ā31)
Nigeria is an example of developing countries characterised by mass poverty in the midst of
plenty. Coincidentally, the Nigerian church is stupendously rich. Pastor Emmanuel, a former
National Coordinator of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Germany, notes that the
annual revenue of the Nigeria church in 2014 is over ā¦3 trillion while surprisingly, the national
budget is ā¦4.69tn for the year. Gigantic buildings, exotic cars and private jets are the hallmarks
of the churchās wealth. Some pastors acquire jets ranging from ā¦2.3 to ā¦6.4 billion with
additional ā¦8.4bn for maintenance and salaries annually. Surrounded by this āaffluenceā are
thousands of poor, unemployed and barely surviving church members. This calls for the need
to examine what Lukan Jesus would have wanted the church to do with her wealth. This
article examines Lukan parables on the rich and the poor using narratological method. Thus,
the parablesā context, the characterisation and the plot is analysed, including lexical-syntactical
relationships. Finally, the lessons derived is used via socio-scientific reading of the Nigerian
situation to arrive at a theology of social action for the poor. Most parables are open-ended, a
literary device that ensures the readers take a decision, therefore the message focuses on the
church rather than individual Christians.
CONTRIBUTION : The article recommends that church-owned institutions should make education
accessible to the poor, rise against socio-economic policies that will impoverish people while
seeking economic independence of the poor. Finally, the church should also integrate the
differently-abled into the church.Special Collection: Africa Platform for NT Scholars, sub-edited by Ernest van Eck (UP).http://www.hts.org.zaam2022New Testament Studie
Barnabas : a leadership model for the Nigerian society
It has usually been accepted that the success of any organisation or nation depends on the
ability of its leader to govern and manage its affairs. The failure of most developing countries,
especially Nigeria, has often been blamed on bad leadership. Most Nigerians are of the opinion
that the leadership problem in Nigeria has been the major impediment in the nationās
development. Most people also agree that corruption and bad governance, which are prevalent
in Nigeria today, are the results of leadership failure. The consensus among scholars, critics
and observers of the Nigerian state is that the current situation of the nation is the result of lack
of good and purposeful leadership. It is because of leadership failure in the country that
Nigerians today clamor for good and purposeful leadership. This paper is a contribution to the
search for the long-awaited leader. This paper examines Barnabasā character using the narrative
method.
CONTRIBUTION : This article reveals that Barnabas was a bridge-builder, team player, nondiscriminatory
and not power or position drunk and these are the traits that should be used as
a model in selecting or electing leaders within ecclesiastical and secular circles.This study is part of the
research project āAfrica
Platform for NT Scholarsā,
directed by Prof. Dr Ernest
van Eck, Department of
New Testament Studies and
Related Literature, Faculty
of Theology and Religion,
University of Pretoria.Special Collection: Africa Platform for NT Scholars, sub-edited by Ernest van Eck (University of Pretoria).http://www.hts.org.zaam2022New Testament Studie