Download or read book Contextualizing Theology in the South Pacific written by Randall G. Prior and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2019-07-10 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book engages with a widespread contemporary dilemma—how do we do theology in a context where the cultures of the people are oral and not literate? The nations of the South Pacific, from their missionary beginnings, inherited an approach to theology that was dominated by Western cultural categories. The global movement of contextualization began to impact upon Pacific churches in the 1960s, and challenged this inherited approach. Significant changes have resulted, but the dilemma has remained. The dominant approach is still one that is defined by and better suited to literate cultures. The consequence is that theology remains an alien enterprise, distant from the life of the local churches, and distant from the hearts and minds of the indigenous people. In facing the dilemma, this book exposes the fundamental differences between primary oral cultures and primary literate cultures, and identifies the key factors that lie at the heart of the theological problem. By addressing each of these in turn, the author then paves the way ahead. He offers a methodology for theology that is rooted within the oral cultural context of the South Pacific . . . and potentially in any context where oral cultures are the norm. The consequences for theology and for theological education are profound.

Download or read book The Pacific Journal of Theology written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book God Is Samoan written by Matt Tomlinson and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2020-03-31 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christian theologians in the Pacific Islands see culture as the grounds on which one understands God. In this pathbreaking book, Matt Tomlinson engages in an anthropological conversation with the work of “contextual theologians,” exploring how the combination of Pacific Islands culture and Christianity shapes theological dialogues. Employing both scholarly research and ethnographic fieldwork, the author addresses a range of topics: from radical criticisms of biblical stories as inappropriate for Pacific audiences to celebrations of traditional gods such as Tagaloa as inherently Christian figures. This book presents a symphony of voices—engaged, critical, prophetic—from the contemporary Pacific’s leading religious thinkers and suggests how their work articulates with broad social transformations in the region. Each chapter in this book focuses on a distinct type of culturally driven theological dialogue. One type is between readers and texts, in which biblical scholars suggest new ways of reading, and even rewriting, the Bible so it becomes more meaningful in local terms. A second kind concerns the state of the church and society. For example, feminist theologians and those calling for “prophetic” action on social problems propose new conversations about how people in Oceania should navigate difficult times. A third kind of discussion revolves around identity, emphasizing what makes Oceania unique and culturally coherent. A fourth addresses the problems of climate change and environmental degradation to sacred lands by encouraging “eco-theological” awareness and interconnection. Finally, many contextual theologians engage with the work of other disciplines— prominently, anthropology—as they develop new discourse on God, people, and the future of Oceania. Contextual theology allows people in Oceania to speak with God and fellow humans through the idiom of culture in a distinctly Pacific way. Tomlinson concludes, however, that the most fruitful topic of dialogue might not be culture, but rather the nature of dialogue itself. Written in an accessible, engaging style and presenting innovative findings, this book will interest students and scholars of anthropology, world religion, theology, globalization, and Pacific studies.

Download or read book Emerging Theologies from the Global South written by Mitri Raheb and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2023-03-29 with total page 545 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent decades there has been a seismic shift in world Christianity. Whereas formerly Christianity existed as a Caucasian Euro-American phenomenon, the majority of Christians today reside in the Southern Hemisphere, or the Global South. And what is true for the demographics of Christianity has followed lockstep for its theological developments. The era of German theologians setting the tone for global church are gone. Today, some of the loudest and most creative voices in theology speak from the emerging contingencies of the Global South, for example, promoting Latinx, Black, Caribbean, and Asian theologies and their influence often influences the conversation in the United States and Europe. In addition, just as the center of Christianity has moved geographically from north to south, so with theological seminaries in the west, which have declined as training centers for clergy. These events coincide with new theological centers are opening in Asia, Africa, Oceania, and Latin America. The bottom line is—contemporary Christianity today looks significantly different than it did a century ago, and publications have been slow to acknowledge, let alone describe and elaborate upon, this major shift to the largest religion in the world. These shifts guide our intentions in this book. Such a reference book, which could also be used as a textbook, therefore is very much needed. In fact, there is nothing like the contents of this single-volume book in the publishing market which allows for high-quality, interdisciplinary, and international dialogue.

Download or read book Cultural Afterlives of Jesus written by Gregory C. Jenks and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2023-06-20 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of essays explores the impact of Jesus within and beyond Christianity, including his many afterlives in literature and the arts, social just and world religions during the past two thousand years and especially in the present global context. This third volume focuses on the diverse afterlives of Jesus within contemporary culture and the arts. Moving beyond the explicitly religious afterlives traced in the first two volumes, this set of essay traces selected afterlives of Jesus within Indigenous cultures around the Pacific, as well as in the arts and in the contested fields of gender and sexuality. The contributors include religion scholars from diverse cultural contexts, as well as faith practitioners reflecting on Jesus within their own particular context. While the essays are all grounded in critical scholarship, reflective practice, or both, they are expressed in nontechnical language that is accessible to interested nonspecialists.

Download or read book Theologies from the Pacific written by Jione Havea and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-07-16 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers engagements with topics in mainline theology that concern the lifelines in and of the Pacific (Pasifika). The essays are grouped into three clusters. The first, Roots, explores the many roots from which theologies in and of Pasifika grow – sea and (is)land, Christian teachings and scriptures, native traditions and island ways. The second, Reads, presents theologies informed and inspired by readings of written and oral texts, missionary traps and propaganda, and teachings and practices of local churches. The final cluster, Routes, places Pasifika theologies upon the waters so that they may navigate and voyage. The ‘amanaki (hope) of this work is in keeping talanoa (dialogue) going, in pushing back tendencies to wedge the theologies in and of Pasifika, and in putting native wisdom upon the waters. As these Christian and native theologies voyage, they chart Pasifika’s sea of theologies.

Download or read book Reweaving the Relational Mat written by Joan Filemoni-Tofaeono and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-06-16 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reweaving the Relational Mat is an integrative response to the problem of violence against women which grounds theological and sociological analysis in the praxis of Oceanian Christian women's experiences of violence. It focuses on the collusion of the church in the problem of violence against women by critiquing the ways in which its theology and practices have contributed to 'power-over' ways of relating. Employing the Oceanian metaphor of weaving the mat, the analysis 'unravels' the 'patriarchal relational mat,' paving the way for a constructive 'reweaving' of a Christocentric 'egalitarian relational mat.' The study begins by unravelling the correlation between violence and the ideology of patriarchy. It then highlights the various strands of violence against women, and examines the complex mosaic of socio-cultural sources and manifestations of violence against women in Oceania. This leads to an analysis of the interwoven strands of religion and violence, focusing particularly on the church's captivity to patriarchy. The ensuing explication of problematic theological and biblical interpretations and church practices ends with a critique of male clergy power, particularly as it functions in the Oceanian context. This leads to an examination of the relationship between flawed theological education and violence against women. Case studies of violence against women in the Oceanian theological education setting are analysed. The subsequent 'reweaving of the relational mat' issues forth in specific challenges to church leaders, theological educators and church women.

Download or read book Religions of Melanesia written by Garry Trompf and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2006-09-30 with total page 721 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Melansia boasts over one-quarter of the world's distinct religions and presents the most complex religious panorama on earth. The region is famous for its unusual new religious movements that have adapted traditional beliefs to modernity in surprising ways. As the first bibliographical survey to comprehensively cover the entire region, Religions of Melanesia is an invaluable research aid for anyone interested in this growing field. Trompf's work is a complete listing of scholarly publications and provides readable and concise descriptions that will clearly guide the researcher toward the most relevant sources. This survey covers 2188 entries organized topically and regionally. Trompf covers such subjects as traditional and modern belief systems and the emergent indigenous Christianity that has taken root. Regional coverage includes Irian Jaya, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Fiji.

Download or read book Public Theology in the Secular State written by Rudolf von Sinner and published by LIT Verlag Münster. This book was released on with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book gives a persuasive answer to the need for public theology today. Rudolf von Sinner can draw from a rich basis of scholarship and experience related to the topic of public theology. His clear awareness of the contextuality of public theology is the reason for his repeated assurance in this book that we cannot speak about "public theology" but always only of "a" public theology. At the same time it is very clear for him that there is also an "intercontextuality". One of the great strengths of this book is its embeddedness into an international discourse on public theology, with a special emphasis on the South-South exchange. It is a contribution to public theology scholarship in its best sense. I proudly welcome its publication in our series. (Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, Evangelical Church in Germany}

Download or read book God Is Samoan written by Matt Tomlinson and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2020-03-31 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christian theologians in the Pacific Islands see culture as the grounds on which one understands God. In this pathbreaking book, Matt Tomlinson engages in an anthropological conversation with the work of “contextual theologians,” exploring how the combination of Pacific Islands culture and Christianity shapes theological dialogues. Employing both scholarly research and ethnographic fieldwork, the author addresses a range of topics: from radical criticisms of biblical stories as inappropriate for Pacific audiences to celebrations of traditional gods such as Tagaloa as inherently Christian figures. This book presents a symphony of voices—engaged, critical, prophetic—from the contemporary Pacific’s leading religious thinkers and suggests how their work articulates with broad social transformations in the region. Each chapter in this book focuses on a distinct type of culturally driven theological dialogue. One type is between readers and texts, in which biblical scholars suggest new ways of reading, and even rewriting, the Bible so it becomes more meaningful in local terms. A second kind concerns the state of the church and society. For example, feminist theologians and those calling for “prophetic” action on social problems propose new conversations about how people in Oceania should navigate difficult times. A third kind of discussion revolves around identity, emphasizing what makes Oceania unique and culturally coherent. A fourth addresses the problems of climate change and environmental degradation to sacred lands by encouraging “eco-theological” awareness and interconnection. Finally, many contextual theologians engage with the work of other disciplines— prominently, anthropology—as they develop new discourse on God, people, and the future of Oceania. Contextual theology allows people in Oceania to speak with God and fellow humans through the idiom of culture in a distinctly Pacific way. Tomlinson concludes, however, that the most fruitful topic of dialogue might not be culture, but rather the nature of dialogue itself. Written in an accessible, engaging style and presenting innovative findings, this book will interest students and scholars of anthropology, world religion, theology, globalization, and Pacific studies.

Download or read book Vanua written by Ilaitia S. Tuwere and published by [email protected]. This book was released on 2002 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A theological reflection on the links between the Fijian vanua and theology.

Download or read book International Christian Literature Documentation Project Author editor index corporate name index written by and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 912 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Living in the Family of Jesus written by William Longgar and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2016 with total page 422 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With its myriad people groups, Melanesia has much to teach the rest of the world about what happens when Christ encounters local culture. This collection begins with a look at specific case studies of the Gospel's encounter with local culture in Melanesia itself, before turning to broader themes particularly raised by the Melanesian context. Case studies from Asia and the wider Pacific then throw further light on the incarnational process of encounter, demonstrating that there is much for the rest of the world to learn from the Melanesian experience. The book concludes with some penetrating analyses of the dynamics at work when the Gospel encounters human cultures for the first time. The process of critical contextualization of the Gospel is never complete, and is inevitably the product of conversation and experimentation. As such it is a communal process. This set of essays models one such conversation while at the same time enabling the rest of the church to listen in on important insights.

Download or read book Christianity Reborn written by Donald M. Lewis and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2004 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christianity Reborn provides the first transnational in-depth analysis of the global expansion of evangelical Protestantism during the past century. While the growth of evangelical Christianity in the non-Western world has already been documented, the significance of this book lies in its scholarly treatment of that phenomenon. Written by prominent historians of religion, these chapters explore the expansion of evangelical (including charismatic) Christianity in non-English-speaking lands, with special reference to dynamic indigenous responses. The range of locations covered includes western and southern Africa, eastern and southern Asia, Latin America, and Oceania. The concluding essay provides a sociological account of evangelicalism's success, highlighting its ability to create a multiplicity of faith communities suited to very different ethnic, racial, and geographical regions. At a time of great interest in the growth of Christianity in the non-Western world, this volume makes an important contribution to our understanding of what may be another turning point in the historical development of evangelical faith. Contributors: Marthinus L. Daneel Allan K. Davidson Paul Freston Robert Eric Frykenberg Jehu J. Hanciles Philip Yuen-sang Leung Donald M. Lewis David Martin Mark A. Noll Brian Stanley W. R. Ward

Download or read book Before Nature written by H. Paul Santmire and published by Augsburg Fortress Publishers. This book was released on 2014 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Before Nature caps a set of themes first brought to the fore in Santmires previous work. Santmire continues the pursuit of a theology bound up with nature and its condition, especially the fragility and fervent expectation of natures redemption. Santmire invites readers on a theological and spiritual journey to a prayerful and contemplative knowledge of the Triune God, in which practitioners are inducted into a bountiful relationship with the cosmic and universal ministry of Christ and the Spirit.

Download or read book Vision and Reality in Pacific Religion written by Phyllis Herda and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If religion exists at the heart of every human culture, then this is especially the case in the Pacifi c Islands. Vision and Reality skilfully explores the religious history of the Pacific Islands, examining the indigenisation of Christianity and other faiths. Contributors include many of the regions top historians providing well referenced insights balanced by field research.

Download or read book How Would we Know what God is up to written by Ernst M. Conradie and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2023-06-22 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Academic (finite) co-travellers who will dare to accept are invited in the ecotheological 'Anthropocene period' to journey together (without a roadmap), exploring the probing and unnerving question, 'What is God up to?' This question is exploringly posed and rigorously pursued in the book. The reader will find themselves enraptured by the breadth, depth, and height of a methodological approach to the uncharted landscape of the mystery of an (infinite) God, as well as sense-making narratives of our world--contextually and receptively and constructively, as well as sensitively." --Prof. Danie Veldsman, Department Systematic and Historical Theology, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa "Since we live on a 'planet in peril', this proposed ecotheology summa is both timely and significant. This book and the series as a whole engage the perennial themes of systematic Christian theology from the perspective of the multiple strands of ecological reflection. I look forward to reading all the volumes of the 'An Earthed Faith: Telling the Story amid the "Anthropocene book series." --Prof. Susan Rakoczy, St. Joseph's Theological Institute, Cedara, South Africa