Neo-Prophetism, Gender and ‘Anointed Condoms’: Towards a Missio Spiritus of Just-Sex in the African Context of HIV and AIDS

Until recently, African pentecostalism was recognized for its militant advancement of conformist norms and corrective measures in relation to sex and sexuality of congregants. However, the continuous threat of HIV, which has claimed more lives in the context of heterosexual Sub-Saharan Africa than any part of world, is forcing some neo-prophets to become more open and often explicit on issues of sex and sexuality. One such daring voice is Pastor Paul Sanyangore of VictoryWorld International Ministries in Harare, Zimbabwe, who ‘anoints condoms’ as a response to issues of gender and sexuality in the Zimbabwean context of HIV. This article engages Sanyangore’s theology of safe sex from Pneumatological missiological perspectives. It concludes with some proposals for mission practice for engaging issues of sex and sexuality

Ishita – Atemporality in Bemba Eco-existentialism

This article delineates Bemba eco-existentialism of atemporality. It demonstrates inshita as lived which is deeply entrenched in the quest to become Lesa (God). Bemba atemporality is never conceived in terms of the past or the future. Rather, as the locus of intercourse, a critical site of spiritual interaction, transaction, and exchange aimed at actualizing equilibrium of all vital relationships that make up the cosmos. In this way, inshita is lived and a manifestation of meaningful actions that promote flourishing-becoming of all things

‘A Western Missionary Cooked in an African Pot’: Religion, Gender and History in Zambia – Essays in Honour of Father Hugo F. Hinfelaar

The concept of ‘Cooked in African Pot’ is inspired by Klaus Fiedler, Paul Gundani and Hilary Mijoga (1998) who argued that clay pots represent African cosmic views, traditions, anthropology and epistemology. It is these ingredients that would form and sharpen Father Hugo Hinfelaar’s reinterpretation of Christian faith for Zambia. And it is this inspiring and honourable work and legacy that necessitated these two special issues dedicated to one of the distinguished missionary scholars of religion in Zambia. In what follows, we argue that Hinfelaar dedicated himself to what could be described as a soul search to deconstruct and recapture Christianity for the Zambian people on the margins

Religio-cultural heritage of libation, memory and Obang cultural history, Northwest Cameroon

This article argues that libation, often associated with the ancestors, artefacts, images and pre-Christian religious devotions, constitutes sources for articulating authentic African cultural history of Obang community in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. It highlights that among traditional memory carriers, the ritual of libation remains trust worthy and pervasive, even among communities challenged by globalisation and colonising effects of Christianity. The article demonstrates the immense potentials of libation as an epitome and stabiliser of cultural memory, and a maxim in cultural resilience in contemporary Africa. Thus, the article calls for revisiting this ancient ritual to expose its potentials as a veritable memory repertoire in cultural–historical studies, especially at a time when social change and modernism continue to challenge the memories of traditional societies

Re-envisioning Tangintebu Theological College in the context of climate change: An emerging model of coconut theological education and ministerial formation

This article engages through an interdisciplinary approach to re-envision Tangintebu Theological College’s (TTC) model of theological education in the context of climate change in Kiribati. It utilises the anthropological theory of symbolic interactionism within missiological, cultural and, theological studies of climate change. It argues for the coconut tree as an appropriate cultural conceptual metaphorical idiom for translating and understanding Christian faith and shaping a theological pedagogy within the Kiribati context of climate change. The coconut image is an indigenous, holistic way of knowing and learning informed by Kiribati cosmology embedded within people’s experiences and understanding of the coconut tree. Its life-centeredness has the potential to contextualise the theological curriculum and teaching methodology to assist in equipping theological students with climate change-sensitive approaches. The qualitative method was utilised to allow participants to reflect on their experiences of climate change in relation to the mission of the church. The data that informs this article was generated through unstructured interviews and focus group discussions with members of the Kiribati Uniting Church (KUC). The data was analysed using symbolic interactionism. The results suggest that the Kiribati people symbolically interact with God through their understanding of the coconut tree, which is conceived as the embodiment of God’s presence. It became clear that while this world view informs the faith of members of the KUC, the TTC curriculum has sidelined it, resulting in miseducation of pastors because this omission means they are not equipped to engage with the challenge of climate change. The participants argued that there is an urgent need to understand theological education and ministerial formation within the indigenous framework of Kiribati coconut imagination that is embedded in the promotion of justice and equitable society not only for human beings but for all of God’s creation through symbolic interaction with the presence of God in the coconut

Reconstituting Ndembu traditional eco-masculinities: An African theodecolonial perspective

This article engages with the notion of Ndembu traditional eco-masculinities which was conceptualised in a framework of sacrifice as ground for manliness. I utilised this view as hermeneutical point of departure for reconceptualising African Christian masculinities that are ecologically sensitive. Framed within theodecolonial imagination, the article suggests a reinterpretation of the notion of Christian sacrifice in dialogue with Ndembu notion as a theological model for constructing African Christian eco-masculinities for promoting gender and nature justice.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: African men have been accused of being ecologically impotent by some African ecofeminist theologians. This article investigates how through colonialism Ndembu men were alienated from nature. The article brings into dialogue various perspectives from anthropology, ecological, decoloniality, African religion and African theological approaches.</p

The need for leadership in gender justice: Advancing a missiological agenda for the church in Swaziland

Underpinned by missiological thinking, the article argues that, in a context searching for gender justice, the mission of God should begin with making sensitive the consciousness of Swazi church leaders who, in turn, would act as agents for transforming social consciousness.In this process, the leaders become critically aware that they are called to act as prophetic example by adopting a gender-sensibility posture and calling the local church to account forits reluctance and slothfulness in teaching and practicing gender-justice values and ideals as one of the key social organs of the country. In addition, the leaders should become conscious of the fact that they have a wider prophetic missiological task to subversively challenge and wisely remind the State about its social responsibility to advance the socially shared agenda of radically promoting the rights, humanity and dignity of women in its domain

The Day of Prayer and Its Potential for Engendering Public Ecclesiology Ecumenism in Zambia

This article argues that while the National Day of Prayer in Zambia has its inception in political context, it has obligated the institutional churches to break out of their religiously fixed spaces, forcing them to suspend their official doctrinal positions for that specific day, and embrace each other in enacting what could be classified as &#8220;public ecclesiology ecumenism&#8222;. The article defines public ecclesiology ecumenism as the manifestation of institutionally-defined churches in public spaces to celebrate a common liturgical life in Christ through prayer, songs, preaching, and promotion of unified prophetic witness in the public. However, being a political initiative makes the Day of Prayer a potentially dangerous neo-colonial space for advancing a dominant political ideology which perpetuates corruption and exploitation of the masses. Thus, one of the core tasks of the churches is to liberate, reclaim, and reconstitute the Day of Prayer into a prophetic site of struggle against political corruption and poor governance by seeking to produce alternative public and political cultures