Calvinism and the socioeconomic politics of Botswana's liberal democracy

Peer reviewedBotswana has undergone tremendous socioeconomic and political transformation and, as a result, the country can be said to be a success story and a true model of a liberal democracy on the African continent. Given this remarkable success, it is worth exploring how religion/theology has contributed, in Botswana, to the creation of a liberal democracy. In this article, I shall attempt to show how Christian morality, and the political ethics of Calvinism in particular, support the socioeconomic and political principles of liberal democracies. I shall also attempt to show how Calvinism may have directly or indirectly impacted on Botswana’s political configuration.Research Institute for Theology and Religio

The Bible and Children in Africa

The relationship between the Bible and Children in Africa is a topic of highest relevance. This book is treating it in two main perspectives which often are intertwined: | The exegetical perspective “Children in the Bible” is dealing with the concepts of childhood in biblical texts, asking for example: How are children conceived in different texts. What is their status in family, society and church? What is their relation to God? What is the metaphoric use of childhood in biblical soteriology? What is the function and meaning of calling adult persons “children” (of God, or of the Apostle)? | The contextual perspective “African children of today and the Bible” is dealing with the different life settings African children find themselves in and how the Bible is present in these life settings. Here the questions for example are: What is the status of children in family and society? How are traditional concepts of childhood changing under the conditions of poverty, HIV/AIDS and violence? How are the ideas and ideals of childhood influenced by the Bible? What is the role of the Bible in child-education? Can children’s rights be established with help of the Bible? This volume of BiAS 17 is collecting the papers presented at the 2012 BiAS meeting in Gaborone, Botswana, with some additional contributions