Christian identity and justice in a globalized world from a Southern African perspective

By CLF Publishers

In this global village there are strong tendencies towards uniformity. In every major city in the world you can step into a global fast-food chain or a Chinese restaurant. Preachers from other countries share their message on TV and have a following among our congregations. Contrary to this unifying force, there is also a tendency toward that which is authentic and locally embedded; like home grown food and traditionally made products, or a theology that appreciates African traditions. Globalization raises questions about our identity. Who are we, as Christians in Southern Africa? Is Christianity the same all over the world, or are there many Christianities? Should we hold fast to the fundamentals of our faith or try to find new answers for a new time? And who decides? Who is leading and who is following? Support from international organizations can help in the fight for social justice - but what if this help comes with strings attached? What do we do with these themes within our theological institutions and in the education of ministers for the 21st century?

• Language: English
• Publisher: CLF Publishers
• Release date: Aug 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781868044993

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Christian identity and justice

in a globalized world from a Southern African perspective

Editor: Hermen Kroesbergen

Association of Theological Institutions in Southern and Central Africa (ATISCA)

Word & Context Journal,

Justo Mwale Theological University College, Lusaka, Zambia

©Christian Literature Fund

Private Bag x19

Wellington

7654

[e-mail]

021 873 6964

www.clf.co.za

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form nor any means, electronically, mechanically, photocopying recording or otherwise without prior permission from the author and publisher.

This publication was made possible by a financial contribution of

Partners in Mission (Dutch Reformed Church Free State) and the valuable assistance of

Christian Literature Fund (www.clf.co.za).

A variety of Bible translations have been consulted and quoted.

Cover design and layout: Amanda Carstens

First print 2014

Second print 2015

ISBN: 978-1-86804-499-3

Table of Contents

Preface

Christian identity in a globalized world

John S. Pobee

I. Global Identity?

General

Speaking as a Christian without borders: A globalized identity in a localised world

Hermen Kroesbergen

An Old Testament perspective

Edwin Zulu

Case studies

African spirituality and identity. Spiritual significance of land in African-authored Zimbabwean post-2000 fiction writings in English: an African-centred critical analysis.

Ruby Magosvongwe

Popular conceptions of Christianity in Zimbabwe as reflected in selected literary texts

Josephine Muganiwa

Christian identity amid African Religion: Buganu ceremony and the construction of multiple religious identities in Swaziland

Hebron L. Ndlovu

Consequences for training ministers

Challenges and opportunities for theological education in Zambia

Nelly Mwale and Joseph Chita

Training of ministers in a globalized world

Victor Chilenje

Consequences in politics

Christian faith and the public sphere: An analysis of Zambia as a Christian nation

Lukas Soko

Religion and politics in a flat world: Implications for religious and political actors

DT Banda

Accusations of Satanism in the public sphere

Johanneke Kroesbergen-Kamps

II. Global Justice?

General

Social justice in the global village: An imperative call to break the shackles of the past

Francois Nsengiyumva

Christianity and social justice in Swaziland:

A contextual investigation

Eliot Tofa

Poverty

Blaming the victim and not the perpetrator: An African Pentecostal interpretation of Psalms 37:25 in the light of the global North-South relations

Obvious Vengeyi

Let justice flow like rivers…! : A critique of the role of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe in the light of Amos 5:24

Nyasha Madzokere and Francis Machingura

Ecology

Voice of the ‘silent creatures’:

An advocacy for Christian ecological justice in an era of consumerism

Lameck Banda

Gender

Same-sex relationships in Zimbabwe: challenges in the study of the phenomenon

Kudzai Biri & Molly Manyonganise

African socio-religious ethics and the empowerment of women in Zimbabwe: a critique

Kudzai Biri

Disability

Possibilities and constraints of introducing disability discourse in theological schools in Southern Africa: a case for Zambia

Edwin Zulu

Disability discourse: Imago Dei, teaching theology from a disability perspective

James N. Amanze

List of Authors

Preface

How does globalization influence the identity of a Christian in Southern Africa? How does it influence his or her struggle for justice? Theologians and other researchers in Christianity from Southern Africa investigate these acute questions in this book.

We live in an ever-changing world. In the past decades the pace of this change has quickened. Mass-media and the Internet bring the whole world into our offices and living rooms. Travelling to other countries and even other continents has become easier and more attainable. Many of us have family members who live abroad. As the saying goes: the world becomes a global village.

In this global village there are strong tendencies towards uniformity. In every major city in the world you can step into a Kentucky Fried Chicken or a Chinese restaurant. Preachers from other countries share their message on TV and have a following among our congregations. Contrary to this unifying force, there is also a tendency toward that which is authentic and locally embedded; like home grown food and traditionally made products, or a theology that appreciates African traditions.

Globalization raises questions about our identity. Who are we, as Christians in Southern Africa? Is Christianity the same all over the world, or are there many Christianities? Should we hold fast to the fundamentals of our faith or try to find new answers for a new time? And who decides? Who is leading and who is following? Support from international organizations can help in the fight for social justice – but what if this help comes with strings attached? What do we do with these themes within our theological institutions and in the education of ministers for the 21st century?

What does the globalized world that we live in mean for our Christian identity and for our struggle for social justice? That is the central question that is addressed in this book from a wide array of angles by members of the Association of Theological Institutions of Southern and Central Africa (ATISCA) and Justo Mwale Theological University College (Lusaka, Zambia).

The book starts out with a general introduction of the theme by the renowned Ghanaian theologian John S. Pobee, who now lives in South Africa. Being one of the founding fathers of the ATISCA, Pobee reflects upon how intimately the original goal of this association – contextualization – resonates with the theme that is addressed here almost thirty years later: our Christian identity in a globalized world. Of crucial importance in this respect is to recognize the need for ethics and justice. Pobee illustrates this by discussing economics, gender and pluralism, concluding that the theme of this book goes to the heart of the theological agenda: carrying on a critical and engaging conversation between the Word of God and the identity, symbolism and existence of Africans in their pluriformity and globalized world.

The first part of the book focuses on the influence of globalization on the identity of Christians in Southern Africa. Is it possible to speak as a truly globalized Christian without borders? Hermen Kroesbergen concludes that the task is to get beyond going back and forth between Africanization and globalization, both in research and in ordinary language of faith. When someone says for example For us Africans, this should not be to exclude non-Africans or to withdraw from the global conversation, but it should be a starting point, an invitation to journey together as Christians without borders. Edwin Zulu continues by presenting an Old Testament perspective on Christian identity in a globalized world. In the Old Testament we see that identity formation has always happened within interaction with different cultures. However, currently, some new challenges present themselves to the churches in Southern Africa: membership is becoming segmented and less committed, there are challenges with finances, and conflicts. From the Old Testament we learn that identity formation is an ongoing activity that does not cease, the Christian faith needs to recognise and use the changing horizons to minister to various people without any limitation.

Three case studies of the interactions between identity formation and global trends are presented next. Ruby Magosvongwe analyses the spiritual significance of land in African-authored Zimbabwean post-2000 fiction. African spirituality and identity are so closely related that dispossessing Africans of their traditional lands as happened during colonialism implied denying Africans their African heritage, identity and the right to life. Magosvongwe describes how this is explored in Brian Chikwava’s novel Harare North. Josephine Muganiwa continues with two other fictional works from Zimbabwe, Wellingtone Kusema’s Lazaruses and Divases and Kawengo Samachai’s The Incubus. She analyses popular conceptions of Christianity in Zimbabwe as reflected in these literary texts. She recognizes shortcomings and strengths of various forms of Christianity, and concludes that a continual engagement with the gospel in the context of globalization as well as specific cultural traits is thus necessary to keep it relevant. Quite a different case study is presented by Hebron L. Ndlovu who discusses the Buganu ceremony and the construction of multiple religious identities in Swaziland as an example of Christian identity amid African Religion. He shows that in the Buganu festival Swazi Religion and Christianity do not simply co-exist and tolerate each other, but learn to appreciate each other through, among other things, singing and dancing to songs composed by followers of both religions.

Subsequently the consequences of globalization and the resulting developments in Christian identity for training ministers are discussed. What should pastoral training look like in 21st century Southern Africa? Nelly Mwale and Joseph Chita investigate the challenges and opportunities for theological education in Zambia using the United Church of Zambia Theological College as a case study. Theological education, so they conclude, should strike a balance between embracing values of sustainable development and responding to the needs of the society on the one hand, and borrowing too much from competing educational approaches which may result in spiritual compromise on the other hand. Victor Chilenje continues the discussion of the training of ministers in a globalized world. Starting with a historical survey of globalization he analyses aspects that constitute globalization. Focusing on the negative impact of globalization on African Christianity, Chilenje challenges theological institutions to adapt their curricula to meet the challenges of globalization in the training of ministers in the 21st century.

The consequences of a globalized identity in politics are discussed in very different ways by Lukas Soko, DT Banda and Johanneke Kroesbergen-Kamps. Lukas Soko takes a local perspective by investigating the declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation. What does this tell us about the interaction of Christian faith and the public sphere? Placing the declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation within the context of Zambia’s history and analysing the constitutive elements of the public sphere, Soko argues for what he calls ‘a doing Christian identity’ in a globalized world, since we see in Zambia that the declaration of a Christian nation without its prescriptive elements on the Christian values and norms is working so well. DT Banda takes a more international perspective discussing the implications of the fact that religion and politics now operate within a flat world for religious and political actors. Using the United States, Egypt and Zambia as test cases, Banda asks whether our Christian identity is threatened by politics, either by becoming linked too closely or by a too sharp distinction between the two spheres? He argues that religion and politics should be in a relationship characterized by a constructive hermeneutic of suspicion where each has an eye on the other. Johanneke Kroesbergen-Kamps examines accusations of Satanism that leave marks in the public realm: recorded testimonies, newspaper articles and discussions on internet forums. These accusations of Satanism turn out to be a way to strengthen group identity by creating an imaginary Other, inspiring social acts that have consequences in the public realm. People or organizations within the community are targeted, usually in a context of competition or jealousy. Kroesbergen-Kamps concludes that accusations of Satanism can be seen as political acts inspired by the confrontation with the forces of globalization.

The second part of this book discusses the impact of globalization on the struggle for social justice in Southern African Christianity. Francois Nsengiyumva issues an imperative call to break the shackles of the past. From a historical point of view he discusses the great injustice of dragging the Africans into a capitalistic economic system. Emphasizing social justice as the unchanging will of God for the global village Nsengiyumva urges the rich nations to stand with the poor and accept that an equal distribution of rights, equity and opportunities. Eliot Tofa presents a contextual investigation into Christianity and social justice in Swaziland. After an investigation of the context of Swaziland, he discusses the role that the churches play in the quest for social justice in this Southern African kingdom. He concludes that the belief that Jesus’ central message about the Kingdom of God is rooted in the spiritual, social and physical emancipation of the poor has really shaped these churches’ concern for the disadvantaged.

Poverty as a specific problem for the Christian mission in Southern Africa is dealt with by the next authors. Obvious Vengeyi argues that a common African Pentecostal interpretation of Psalms 37:25 is in fact blaming the victims of poverty, rather than the perpetrators. The text I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread is used to blame poverty on the sinfulness of the poor. Vengeyi traces this tradition back into the Old Testament-texts itself, however, given the existential realities of both ancient Israel and the global South, he suggests that the verse should read: ‘I have never seen the evil being forsaken and their children begging for bread’. Nyasha Madzokere and Francis Machingura discuss another text in the light of poverty: Amos 5:24, Let justice flow like rivers…! They present us a critique of the role of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe. Comparing the context of Amos with current Zimbabwe, they applaud the role being played by the CCJP in fostering justice and peace in dire circumstances as true heirs of Amos.

Lameck Banda brings to our attention the issue of ecology. In an advocacy for Christian ecological justice in an era of consumerism he attempts to represent the voice of the ‘silent creatures’. He argues that Christians are particularly identified by a God-given mandate to be responsible stewards of non-human creatures. After delineating the landscape of globalization he explores the case of charcoal burning in Zambia and sums up Christian theological tenets for ecological justice. Finally he advocates a Christian theological projection of God which enhances mutual community relationship and co-existence between human beings and the non-human creatures.

The following texts discuss gender as topic of attention in the struggle for social justice. Kudzai Biri and Molly Manyonganise analyze the several challenges that scholars face in the academic study of same sex relationships in Zimbabwe and subsequently the whole of Africa, such as the perceived ‘un-Africanness’ of homosexuality. They argue that these challenges are heightened by the socio-cultural, political and economic factors that confront the African continent. Biri and Manyonganise call for a patient, critical and systematic study of same-sex relationships which is supported by both political and religious leaders. In the next text Kudzai Biri presents a critique of African socio-religious ethics and the empowerment of women in Zimbabwe. She praises and criticizes the contributions to gender equity of educational institutions and other organisations in Africa. The quest for empowerment often only scratches the surface of society since the underlying traditional socio-religious ethics is not touched. Women need a sustainable and enabling environment that allows them to enter the public domain confidently. To achieve this Biri appeals to the positive dimensions within African ethics.

Finally Edwin Zulu and James N. Amanze discuss the cross-cutting issue of the place of people living with disabilities in Southern Africa. Edwin Zulu starts out by outlining some perceptions on disabilities in Zambian communities, following with a brief overview of perspectives in the Bible on disabilities. After summing up some constraints and possibilities for introducing a disability discourse in theological schools in Southern Africa, Zulu concludes by expressing his astonishment that, whereas the church and its theologians have been very proactive and outspoken on various vices in the church and society such as gender based violence, and the stigma against HIV and Aids, there is a conspicuous silence on the issue of discrimination against and misconceptions about people living with disabilities. James N. Amanze investigates teaching theology from a disability perspective against the background of the idea of human beings as Imago Dei. Through interviews with young theologians from all over Africa he traces the conception of disabilities in African traditional societies. He outlines the theological basis for integrating disability studies in theological education, and argues for the need to teach theology from disability perspective. In conclusion, Amanze suggests that the method of infusion rather than creating a whole set of new courses is the best way of moving forward to deal with this important issue in the struggle for social justice in Southern African Christianity within our current context of globalization.

As you can see, this book presents a wide array of insights into how

globalization influences the identity of a Christian in Southern Africa, and how it influences his struggle for justice. Most of the articles in this book were presented as papers at the conference of the Association of Theological Institutions of Southern and Central Africa (ATISCA) in July 2013 at Justo Mwale Theological University College (JMTUC), in Lusaka, Zambia. This compiling of this book is a joint enterprise of ATISCA and Word and Context, the journal of JMTUC.

To conclude, I want to express my gratitude to Johanneke Kroesbergen-Kamps for the many hours spent editing and proofreading the text of this book, and to Edwin Zulu, Rector of Justo Mwale Theological University College, to James N. Amanze, General Secretary of the ATISCA, and to Gideon van der Watt, Editor for the publisher, CLF, for their contributions to make this book possible.

Hermen Kroesbergen

Editor

Christian identity in a globalized world

John S. Pobee

Blessing, Honour, Praise and Power

Be to our God, the Alpha and the Omega

Who holds all creation, my life included,

In the palm of the hand

Amen

George Santayana (1803-1952) wrote in his Life of Reason that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. Without memory of our history and experiences which constitute our memory and identity, we run the risk of shipwreck and going astray. When you talk of memory, we are revisiting our identity, a key word in the theme of this book. The articles you find here may not be just intellectual gymnastics but, more importantly, an engagement with our history, our story, our memory of experiences we have made, individually, severally and corporately.

The articles presented here are written by members of the Association of Theological Institutions in Southern and Central Africa: ATISCA. I was one of the founding fathers of this institution. Why did we find it necessary to form ATISCA? There are two particular reasons that I must single out. Before the emergence of ATISCA, most of Southern Africa was in A.S.A.T.I. i.e. Association of South African Theological Institutions. As you know, the logic of the apartheid ideology meant institutions in these parts were addenda to the show which was played out in South Africa. Worse still, the ban imposed by Organization of African Unity on relations with South Africa made it difficult to be an association based in apartheid South Africa. So I took it up with Dr Ambrose Moyo of the Department of Religious Studies, University of Zimbabwe and enabled him to do the foot-work.

But there was a deeper issue as well. The mantra of Theological Education Fund which metamorphosed as Programme on Theological Education and later Programme on Ecumenical Theological Education was CONTEXTUALIZATION. Context- Contextualization fit well with such phrases as ‘theory of relativity’, ‘scientific method’, ‘situational ethics’ ‘statistical probabilities’. Contextualization is a very modern word with a very modern emphasis. Burtness (1973:10) writes:

Context is a key to a very modern awareness of the interpenetration of subject and object. It is a word which points to the demise of absolutes and the embracing of relativities, whether in physics or theology or politics. It is a reminder that the inductive method, whether in the chemistry laboratory or in a Bible Study group, yields probabilities rather than necessities. It signals an eagerness to live with specifics rather than generalities, with particulars rather than universals.

Probability, specifics, particulars, all one way or other, lead back to identity. Is ATISCA still ensouled and guided by this vision?

Context and Contextuality then are codes for your respective identity (identities) in Southern and Central Africa. The theme for this book, in its own way, is returning to the code word of context and contextuality.

There is another element I must bring out. By virtue of our missionary and colonial origins, we had inherited the artefacts of Western Europe, namely the enlightenment culture and ideology; the Christendom ideology, the denominationalism, the three-tier educational structure – primary, secondary and tertiary etc. The ideology of contextualization is a challenge to reconsider whether we can continue to remint those foreign artefacts which make us clones of North Atlantic and hold us in North Atlantic captivity. These inheritances affect our identity.

One more thing before I strike out into the deep. At the time of founding of the theological associations, African theological institutions were lonely institutions, few and far between. There was paucity of qualified African theological educators and inadequate resources. So part of the vision in forming theological Association was to create an umbrella organization within the region for mutual support, an agency for creating the spirit of fraternal charity.

Elsewhere I (Pobee 2010:342) have written: In a way there were attempts to model the spirit of the icon of St. Andrew … and St. Peter that ‘theological dialogue only bears fruit when carried in the spirit of fraternal charity’. In such institutions attempts were made to engage differences with honesty and integrity as well as in the spirit of fraternal charity.

The Association was designed as an ecumenical approach. And so, Seminaries and Departments for the Study of Religions, various religions and denominations are under one roof to do business together. The above cited article (Pobee 2010:342) goes on: The ecumenical imperative requires engagement with sore-points, prejudices, engaging points of excitability and irritation. Without such engagements, renewal and transformation are impossible. Courage, forethought, imagination and insight are essential ingredients of the canopy of ecumenism to move away from age-old securities. This book with its chosen theme of Christian identity is in continuity with that, discussing the theme with honesty and integrity.

1. Identity

Identity derives from the French identité, signalling the condition of being the same or exactly alike. There are several identities – individual, personal, racial, group/corporate. In the one person and institution, there can be several and diverse identities. The diverse identities come under the generic human beings and institutions. In our institution there can be several identities – denominational identities, gender, academic traditions etc.

Behind all the diverse identities there is a common human or communal or institutional identity. That, is the bottom-line issue. We should be committed to seeing religions not first as doctrines and dogmas but more, as human beings in God’s image and likeness. The discussion must be one of plural identities in a globalized world; no identity may be squeezed out. Allow me to signal some avenues of the probe.

To appreciate our identity (identities), we must bless our origins. That is why I earlier quoted George Santayana. If you do not know whence you come, you neither know whither you go.

In the exploration we build on the achievements of our forebears. The African disease of denouncing and destroying the contributions and achievements of forbears is not healthy and conducive to creative work and healthy development. You do not affirm yourself by denouncing and denying the other person and identity.

Identity has to be nurtured. It is a measure of endeavouring to be who and what you are. To assume another’s identity is to lose your identity and to be inauthentic.

However, the quest is made complex by the phenomenon of crises that face the world - crises of identity in our nations, tribes, churches; crisis in world-wide ecumenism; economic and political crisis. These crises represent challenges and questions the world is putting to our inherited identities and constructs. The rise of the vibrant African Initiatives in Christianity represents such attempt to rise up to the challenge to our identities.

University Departments, Seminaries, Bible Schools: each of these streams has its own identity. As such, ATISCA like a tertiary institution represents a real crossroads of identity for those who dawn the corridors of the institutions. So there is or are real questions regarding their identity. Do I retain the identity I received in my home at the hands of my parents? And second, how has the education at a tertiary institution, which whatever we say, has formed us in the elitist society, transformed us into something different from what our homes made us?

1.1 Christian identity

The word ‘identity’ in the title of this book has the epithet ‘Christian’. Familiar as the epithet is, it is a very involved word. At the bottom line a Christian is a follower and imitator of the way of Jesus of Nazareth, Christ and Lord (Acts 9:2; 18:25-26; 19:23; John 14:6). Beyond that the clarity of Christian identity gets more fuzzy and various because of the core message of the Incarnation (John 1:1-14; Gal 4:3ff) and also, because culture is the solvent of religion and therefore, there are many and several Christian identities. And so, we have had Semitic, Greek, Latin, Celtic, Slavic and English etc. Christian models.

As if that were not enough, though the Creed affirms Una Sancta i.e. one holy, catholic and apostolic church, the unity has been sundered, for example by the Great Schism of AD 1054 between the Church of the West and the Church of the East; and the further sundering of the Latin Church in the fifteenth and sixteenth century (cf. Meyendorff 1989; Preston 2009; King 1961).

The very language of Latin and Greek churches signals that Christian identity is plural, not even limited to the Latin and Greek fabrications but many others, including African identities. In any case, even within the one identity there are several distinct identities e.g. women and men. But all such different identities meet in the one country, one city, one church, one theological association. These must be brought together in some effective, creative and enriching co-operation, which demands dialogue i.e. talking things through with no bars holding us apart. Dialogue demands vulnerability and faith. It demands using all energies for concentrated effort of projecting, making – name for ourselves. Sustaining different identities demands nurturing, growing, taking care of, to live and to dwell together in peace and harmony. But the same activity can issue in break-up of uniformity and dispersion (cf. Genesis 11).

The colonial churches were nurtured on the ‘strategy of Aid’ which emphasizes charity and perpetuated a dependency syndrome. The Cameroonian theologian Ela (1988:98) has argued for ethic of transgression, to free us to break from foreign categories, thought and foreign institutions to expose the authentic African identity and authenticity. Our theological watchwords are integrity, authenticity and creativity.

2. Globalized world

If specific identities constitute one side of the picture, there is another side – thanks to the unprecedented communications revolution of our time, the vast world has been shrunk into a globalized village and world with consequent challenges and issues.

2.1 Theology at the gate

The usual reading of Babel pinpoints confusion. But Babel more accurately means gate i.e. gate of God, the only way in or out i.e. to go out to share one’s being (identity) and strengths with others.

Theology stands at the gate between the various identities. The gate represents an-in-between position – between the cosmological and eschatological realities, between narrow vision and wider plural vision on reality. Theology’s role is to mediate between the two. The mediation must be dialogical. Even the eschatological must be in dialogue with the cosmological, the present worldly realities.

At the gate theology should ensure that there are no graven images (Ex 20:4), no worship at anything in creation – only God is to be adored. For the God of Scripture is impassioned (jealous) God, no apathetic God. Being at the gate is to hold the line between zeal for the Sovereign Lord and luke-warmness to God, to force decision either for God or for Baal. (1 Kings 18:39-40). To use another imagery, the theologian is a champion for the jealous God who is Lord of the Cosmos and the eschaton. The cross is at the gate; it is like the blood which was marked on the gates of the Hebrews, so that the angel of the Lord would pass over (Ex 12).

I am unapologetically a Christian theologian. Theology is not just learning; it is, perhaps more importantly, living spirituality and endeavouring to live in the image and likeness of God. The fathers have been consistent and insistent that a theologian is one who truly prays. And one who truly prays is a theologian, as the noted preacher of Constantinople Evagrius Ponticus (348-399) put it. Similarly, Metropolitan John Chrysostom (AD 398-404) was insightful that Christians worship at two altars, one in the sanctuary, the other in the Market-Place. Social, economic-political issues are as