Tutu in memory, Tutu on memory : strategies of remembering

This essay profiles the strategies and (theological) tactics used by Desmond Tutu in the management of painful memory in his own personal life, in his various leadership roles in church and society as well as in his role as chairperson of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. To contextualise Tutu’s work, we refer, amongst others, to the work of Elie Wiesel, Don Mattera and Leonard Cohen. The essay provides a profile of the ways in which Tutu is remembered as well as the approaches Tutu himself uses in his own acts of remembering. The latter include the importance of childhood memories, the anchoring of memory in familial and parental relationships, a keen awareness of the socio-economic conditions, the valorisation of childhood church experiences, the privileging of the Bible, the leveraging of Ubuntu, making forgiveness the main lens through which to look into the past as well as the maintenance of a hermeneutic that suggests that God is historically on the side of the weak.https://missionalia.journals.ac.za/pubpm2020Science of Religion and Missiolog

Of wounded killers and ‘failed men’ : broadening the quest for liberating African masculinities

In order to broaden the search for liberating African masculinities, I engage with key and recent works on masculinity within the African context. I explore some of the reasons why scholarship on masculinity in Africa – especially scholarship within the context of religion and beyond interventionist and advocacy work – remains sparse and inadequate. In this article I advocate for scholarship on masculinities which is situated at the intersection of culture, religion and politics and argue that while it is important to begin this search through examining conventional sacred texts, it is necessary to interrogate modern ‘sacred texts’ in order to broaden this quest. To illustrate our main argument and to highlight key aspects of hegemonic masculinities in Africa, I draw on Thando Mgqolozana’s novel, A man who is not a man.http://epubs.ac.za/index.php/AJGR/indexam2019Science of Religion and Missiolog

Through the past into the future: Jean-François Bill - pastor, activist, theologian 8 July 1934 -12 March 2005

Jean- François Bill was a significant church leader of the second half of the twentieth century. He was born, raised and educated in South Africa, and he lived, worked and died in South Africa. He possessed a multi-cultural identity. He had a rare academic ability but was no academic recluse. His varied and intensive ministry was marked by committed, responsible, constructive engagement. He was a convinced yet reasonable ecumenist with a powerful social conscience who offered a great deal to the field of theological education. He had a vision of a responsible church which was responsible in a practical way by working through the live issues of the day. This would be a church which would strive for authentic unity and be the leaven in the lump of the world.http://www.unisa.ac.za/default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=19577am2017Science of Religion and Missiolog

Through the past into the future : Jean-François Bill - pastor, activist, theologian 8 July 1934 -12 March 2005

Jean- François Bill was a significant church leader of the second half of the twentieth century. He was born, raised and educated in South Africa, and he lived, worked and died in South Africa. He possessed a multi-cultural identity. He had a rare academic ability but was no academic recluse. His varied and intensive ministry was marked by committed, responsible, constructive engagement. He was a convinced yet reasonable ecumenist with a powerful social conscience who offered a great deal to the field of theological education. He had a vision of a responsible church which was responsible in a practical way by working through the live issues of the day. This would be a church which would strive for authentic unity and be the leaven in the lump of the world.http://www.unisa.ac.za/default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=19577am2017Science of Religion and Missiolog

The making of Allan Aubrey Boesak : theologian and political activist

Although no conventional biography of Allan Boesak has been published, either by himself or others, as far as we are aware, we have enough data and information in various places to make small beginnings of the long overdue task. Boesak's phenomenal contribution to political theology, black theology and ecumenism both in South Africa and internationally, deserves deliberate acknowledgement. In this essay, we attempt an appraisal of the contribution of Allan Boesak to politics and theology by focusing on key milestones and reflections in his life. We take our cue from Boesak’s own selfdefinition of being a theologian and a political activist and proceed to explore some of the roots and sources of his theology and political activism.An earlier version of this article was published in the Allan Boesak Festschrift published by Sun Press in 2016. Permission to republish has been obtained.http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_serial&pid=0256-9507&lng=esam2018Science of Religion and Missiolog

Why I am not a public theologian

Insofar as public theology is one of several contextual theologies in the world that is focused on and limited to specific contexts, its raison d’être may be understandable. But we argue that if or since public theology has ambitions to become a totalizing and global theological methodology – a ready-made frame to be adapted to and adopted in various contexts – we shall, in this article, unmask and interrogate the unspoken imperial ambitions of global public theology. We will use Black and African theologies to evaluate it. In this article, we argue that the context in which Black and African theologies are done is too important for them to be buried under generalized and seemingly context-less notions of public theology. To this end, we will sketch a few issues that define the context in which Black and African theologies are being done today. These include doing theology not at the helm but in the shadow of the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution, doing theology in the midst of violence, and doing theology in a manner that does not minimize the painful history of the continent of Africa. In closing, we will propose a theological agenda for Black and African theologies at this time.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/175866232023-06-13hj2022Centre for the Advancement of Scholarshi

Why I Am Not a Public Theologian

Insofar as public theology is one of several contextual theologies in the world that is focused on and limited to specific contexts, its raison d’être may be understandable. But we argue that if or since public theology has ambitions to become a totalizing and global theological methodology – a ready-made frame to be adapted to and adopted in various contexts – we shall, in this article, unmask and interrogate the unspoken imperial ambitions of global public theology. We will use Black and African theologies to evaluate it. In this article, we argue that the context in which Black and African theologies are done is too important for them to be buried under generalized and seemingly context-less notions of public theology. To this end, we will sketch a few issues that define the context in which Black and African theologies are being done today. These include doing theology not at the helm but in the shadow of the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution, doing theology in the midst of violence, and doing theology in a manner that does not minimize the painful history of the continent of Africa. In closing, we will propose a theological agenda for Black and African theologies at this time.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/175866232023-06-13hj2022Centre for the Advancement of Scholarshi

Racism en route : an African perspective

This article argues that in Africa, the nature and advent of racism has to be traced back to the earliest encounters between Africans and Europeans, including the first seven centuries but especially during the slavery and colonial eras. Religion (notably Islam and Christianity), trade, education, culture, and “science” were important incubators and justifiers of racism, in earlier as well as recent times. The paper concludes by proposing some ways in which African theology can stay agile and keep pace with the resilient and adaptive forms of racism in contemporary Africa.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/175866232022-01-21hj2021Science of Religion and Missiolog

Racism en Route

This article argues that in Africa, the nature and advent of racism has to be traced back to the earliest encounters between Africans and Europeans, including the first seven centuries but especially during the slavery and colonial eras. Religion (notably Islam and Christianity), trade, education, culture, and “science” were important incubators and justifiers of racism, in earlier as well as recent times. The paper concludes by proposing some ways in which African theology can stay agile and keep pace with the resilient and adaptive forms of racism in contemporary Africa.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/175866232022-01-21hj2021Science of Religion and Missiolog