Who is the Christ? leadership and conflict in Luke 9:18-22 : a social scientific- and narratological analysis from an African perspective

“Who is the Christ?” The question of Jesus’ identity, as depicted in the New Testament, was crucial in the early church. In Luke, it is linked with leadership and the various conflicts that he faced with the “systems” of Luke’s gospel, namely; the Roman elite, the Jewish elite and the Jewish peasantry. From an etic viewpoint, the context of Luke’s gospel indicates that Jesus’ leadership was that of conflict, rejection and opposition. Therefore, three basic issues showcase the content of this study: leadership, conflict and identity, with specific reference to the micro narrative in Luke 9:18-22. Nowadays, leaders are sometimes opposed because of many reasons: inequality of resources, incompatible interests, ideology, inefficiency, the leader’s identity and the inability or inexperience in handling conflict and opposition. Jesus was not exempted from this. The failure to understand him in terms of his identity and mission was the stimuli for the conflict he encountered. Unfortunately previous studies in Luke have only fairly established a link between Jesus’ identity, his leadership and conflict. Even when they do, it is not approached from a social scientific perspective, that is, a reading that takes the social dynamics of first-century Palestine seriously. Also, none of such studies have been applied to the African context. This study aims at filling these gaps, by applying the results from some conflict and leadership theories to the African context. The application of these models helps to diagnose, explain, interpret and narrow the chasm between leadership and conflict within the African society. It enables leaders not to dread conflict, but to use conflict when it occurs as a positive ingredient to societal change and innovation. Three conclusions emerge from the question of Jesus’ identity in the dialogue of Luke 9:18-22. From an emic perspective, the Christ is an enigmatic figure in Luke’s gospel. From an etic reading, he is the Christ of reform and social transformation. From an African standpoint, he is the Christ of empowerment and development. The examination of some African models for the understanding of Jesus’ identity reveals that Jesus has been refashioned according to African understanding. This approach has definitely made Jesus African-like. There is need for relevant Christology to be conscious that the definition of Jesus as the Christ of God does not become a barrier of separation between individuals of differing contexts. Jesus’ identity is contained in the connection between his person and his suffering, rejection, death and eventual resurrection (Lk 9:22). The dialogue in Luke 9:18-22 further proposes two ways in understanding Jesus’ leadership, his identity and conflict in the Gospel – spontaneous and community participatory theology. Leadership is risk, conflict and opposition by definition. Conversely, poor leadership is scaring, aggressive and destructive. Hence, effective leadership entails mutual acceptance, perseverance and a better management and appreciation of conflict and opposition. In response to the current stalemate of misery and despair, this study postulates that a proper definition, understanding and interpretation of Jesus as the Christ is a solution to contemporary problems of leadership crisis in Africa and the world.Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010.New Testament Studiesunrestricte

New environmental governance interventions in the Global South: fishery improvement projects in the African context

The eco-certification movement has gained significant momentum is some developing country industries, products, and markets, but the certification of wild-caught seafood production in developing country contexts is limited. In wild-capture fisheries, eco-certification has been relatively limited in Africa since the growth of certification programs expanded rapidly in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Few African fisheries have attained certification to standards set by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), the most prominent voluntary third-party certifier for wild-captured fisheries partly because certification to the MSC requires relatively significant resources and capacity. In response, proponents of eco-certification such as the World Wildlife Fund, the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership and the Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions, initiated and developed multi-stakeholder Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) in the 2010s to help fisheries make improvements and meet sustainability indicators. Few researchers have examined FIPs within an African context, however, and little is known about how FIPs have been implemented in the African context. Drawing on literature review and key informant interviews with stakeholders involved in FIPs in the African context, this research examines the motivation and role of different actors and organizations within FIPs and the interactions among these actors and organizations. The findings suggest that international actors play significant roles in FIPs in early African cases, with significant international efforts to support capacity-building including fisheries management capacity. Local governments are often portrayed by actors and organizations involved in FIPs as weak and lacking enthusiasm. Producers, such as small-scale fishers, are generally not meaningfully integrated into formal FIP processes. These findings suggest that FIPs are shaped by complex and contested political economies of transnational governance with power differences influencing the motivation and interaction of participants. The political economy of FIPs includes complex and challenging opportunities and barriers to inclusion and participation and a general ambiguity of social development questions

Contextualising biblical exegesis : what is the African biblical hermeneutic approach?

This article responded to the question about the right methodology needed for the reconstruction of a viable African Christian theology. It equally contributed an answer to earlier concerns by Appiah-Kubi, Stinton and Nyiawung, who had grappled with an African response to the question of Jesus’ identity: ‘Who do you say I am?’ (Lk 9:20). It also attended to Aben’s remark that Africans contribute minimally to biblical theology especially in the domain of biblical exegesis. Finally, it proposed an African biblical hermeneutic approach, a shift of paradigm from the text, its author as well as its context to the context of the subject of exegesis as a contextual approach of biblical criticism. Three main conclusions emerged from the article, namely, (1) the African context contains enormous potentials that can enhance the understanding and interpretation of biblical texts; (2) from the perspective of biblical interpretation, there is no superior context or culture; and (3) the African biblical hermeneutic approach is a possible route to the development of an authentic African Christian theology.This article is an extensive reworking of an article published in the nonaccredited Journal of the Presbyterian Theological Seminary Kumba, Voices from Kumba, 2013, Volume 4, 144−168.http://www.hts.org.zaam201

An African hermeneutic reading of Luke 9:18–22 in relation to conflict and leadership in pastoral ministry: the Cameroonian context

This article is an abstract from Rev. Dr Mbengu D. Nyiawung’s PhD thesis ‘Who is the Christ? Leadership and conflict in Luke 9:18–22: A social scientific and narratological analysis from an African perspective’, submitted and defended in 2010 in the Department of New Testament Studies, Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria, with Prof. Dr Ernest van Eck as supervisor. Some parts of the article have also been published in the Journal of the Presbyterian Theological Seminary Kumba, Voices from Kumba, as ‘An African hermeneutic reading of Luke 9:18–22 in relation to conflict and leadership’, 2010, Volume, 3, 69−85.The practice of ministry is an intricate issue which involves the combination of individual efforts from diverse backgrounds. This diversity has been a breeding ground for conflict between the clergy and all the stakeholders involved in parish administration. This article attempted to highlight some of these conflicts, using the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon as a case study. The approach employed is an African hermeneutic reading of Luke 9:18–22 in which the clergy’s leadership has been likened to that of Jesus. The presence of many distracting agents did not perturb Jesus’ ministry instead, he remained focused. Conclusively, it is observed that the clergy often face conflict within the ministry because they ignore the fact that (1) they are expected to know their mission better than anyone else; (2) the diverse backgrounds of their followers are potential causes of conflict; and (3) there are several distracting agents within the ministry. In short, Jesus’ model of conflict management is recommended to the clergy for an effective pastoral ministry.http://www.hts.org.zaam2013mn201

Characters and ambivalence in Luke : an emic reading of Luke's gospel, focusing on the Jewish peasantry

This article is based on the PhD thesis, ‘Who is the Christ? Leadership and conflict in Luke 9:18–22: A social scientific- and narratological analysis from an African perspective’, submitted in 2010 in the Department of New Testament Studies, Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria, with Prof. Dr Ernest van Eck as supervisor.The Jewish peasantry as a character group in the Gospel of Luke has, thus far, not really attracted much attention in Lukan scholarship. In cases where it has been studied, scholars have often treated οχλος [crowd] and λαος [people] as synonymous characters. But the question of Jesus' identity, as depicted in the New Testament, was crucial to the early church and it is this exact question that animates the relationship between Jesus and the various 'systems' functioning as part of Luke's Gospel. From an etic viewpoint, the context of Luke's Gospel indicates that Jesus' leadership was characterised by conflict, opposition and rejection. Therefore, this article attempted, through an emic reading of Luke, to differentiate between (and describe) the role played by each of these character groups in Luke's narrative, focusing on the relationship between Jesus and the Jewish peasantry - with special reference to the ambivalent attitude of the latter. It was argued that each Lukan character group has to be read and understood in terms of their attitude, as well as in the broader context of Luke's intention with their inclusion and specific description. Therefore the various terminologies used when referring to the Jewish peasantry were also discussed; for any analysis of a biblical character group should begin with a reading of the Greek text, because working only with translations can lead to a misappropriation of the text. In order to attain the goals as set out above, this study used a character group which seemed ambivalent and hypocritical in their attitude to analyse Jesus' leadership approach.http://www.hts.org.zahttp://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-10232010-192059/nf201

The interactions of a Chinese MNE with local institutions in sub-Sahara Africa and the implications for workforce management in the subsidiary

The unique nature of China’s interactions with Africa has been professed to respond better to the continent’s developmental and labor needs than the colonial and post-colonial engagements with Western countries. This has also been an impetus to the calls for more research on the implications for the institutional environments and management approaches of Chinese companies in Africa. This paper examines how a Chinese state-owned MNE interacted with the evolving and complex institutional context in Cameroon to manage its workforce. Evidence from the case study showed that the Chinese MNE actively disrupted the “rules of the game” as it championed the adoption of local work and employment practices and promoted newly-defined government priorities. In so doing, the Chinese MNE garnered a reputation of being a good employer and actively engaged in the maintenance and creation of new institutions of the country’s labor market. This research contributes to revealing the linkage between the underpinnings of the Chinese state investment motives and the contextual exigencies that shape, and in turn are influenced by, HRM policies and practices within their MNEs in Africa

The interactions of a Chinese MNE with local institutions in sub-Sahara Africa and the implications for workforce management in the subsidiary

The unique nature of China’s interactions with Africa has been professed to respond better to the continent’s developmental and labor needs than the colonial and post-colonial engagements with Western countries. This has also been an impetus to the calls for more research on the implications for the institutional environments and management approaches of Chinese companies in Africa. This paper examines how a Chinese state-owned MNE interacted with the evolving and complex institutional context in Cameroon to manage its workforce. Evidence from the case study showed that the Chinese MNE actively disrupted the “rules of the game” as it championed the adoption of local work and employment practices and promoted newly-defined government priorities. In so doing, the Chinese MNE garnered a reputation of being a good employer and actively engaged in the maintenance and creation of new institutions of the country’s labor market. This research contributes to revealing the linkage between the underpinnings of the Chinese state investment motives and the contextual exigencies that shape, and in turn are influenced by, HRM policies and practices within their MNEs in Africa

The interactions of a Chinese MNE with local institutions in sub-Sahara Africa and the implications for workforce management in the subsidiary

The unique nature of China’s interactions with Africa has been professed to respond better to the continent’s developmental and labor needs than the colonial and post-colonial engagements with Western countries. This has also been an impetus to the calls for more research on the implications for the institutional environments and management approaches of Chinese companies in Africa. This paper examines how a Chinese state-owned MNE interacted with the evolving and complex institutional context in Cameroon to manage its workforce. Evidence from the case study showed that the Chinese MNE actively disrupted the “rules of the game” as it championed the adoption of local work and employment practices and promoted newly-defined government priorities. In so doing, the Chinese MNE garnered a reputation of being a good employer and actively engaged in the maintenance and creation of new institutions of the country’s labor market. This research contributes to revealing the linkage between the underpinnings of the Chinese state investment motives and the contextual exigencies that shape, and in turn are influenced by, HRM policies and practices within their MNEs in Africa

In search of a Samaritan : the risk-taking motif in Luke 10:30–35 as a paradigm for African socio-economic development

This article relates Luke 10:30–35 to the situation of Africa in her drive from a state of underdevelopment to a state of development. From the perspective of African Biblical Interpretation, the model of risk-bearing or risk-taking is used to illustrate and interpret Africa’s present state of misery. The article suggests that two important requirements are needed for Africa to relocate herself on her initial trajectory and thus complete her journey: the need for a “risk-taking Samaritan” (or simply, a “risk-taking” or “good Sama”) and the need to ask the right questions. The article concludes that African success greatly depends on the question “To whom am I a neighbour?”This article forms part of a research project run by the University of Pretoria, titled “The Bible and its social-cultural world.”http://ntwsa.co.za/neotestamentica.html2020-12-01New Testament Studie