Download or read book Ubuntu in a Christian Perspective written by Jacobus Hendrik Smit and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The concept of ubuntu can be regarded as the essence or summary of the "African Renaissance" which all of us are experiencing at the moment in all areas of life in the new South Africa. But, in spite of the fact that nearly everyone knows the word, few people really know what exactly its meaning is. Getting more clarity on the meaning of ubuntu, (traditional) African culture and worldview is the intention of this second study pamphlet of 1999. This study pamphlet, therefore, should not be regarded as the final word on the topic, but as a contribution to the ongoing discussion. It clearly indicates the positive points. It, however, also warns against an uncritical attitude of simply trying to revive traditional African culture. As Christians we always have to be aware of both the strong and weak points of a culture. On the one hand, no culture is or will be perfect, but on the other hand, no culture should be rejected as evil.
Download or read book Ubuntu written by Michael Battle and published by Church Publishing, Inc.. This book was released on 2009-05-01 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For Christians, practicing Ubuntu means entering deeply into the compassionate, forgiving love of Gospel. As defined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed. The African spiritual principle of Ubuntu offers believers a new and radical way of reading the Gospel and understanding the heart of the Christian faith, and this new book explores the meaning and utility of Ubuntu as applied to Western philosophies, faith, and lifestyles. Ubuntu is an African way of seeing self-identity formed -through community. This is a difficult worldview for many Western people, who understand self as over, against, or in competition with others. In the Western viewpoint, Ubuntu becomes something to avoid—a kind of co-dependency. As a Christian leader who understands the need, intricacies, and delicate workings of global interdependency, Battle offers here both a refreshing worldview and a new perspective of self-identity for people across cultures, and of all faiths.
Download or read book A Discourse on African Philosophy written by Christian B. N. Gade and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2017-04-18 with total page 121 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many have argued that ubuntu was a formative influence on the post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), South Africa’s famous transitional justice mechanism. A Discourse on African Philosophy: A New Perspective on Ubuntu and Transitional Justice in South Africa challenges and contextualizes this view in a way that not only provides new findings and reflections on ubuntu and the TRC, but also contributes to the field of African philosophy. One of Christian B. N. Gade’s key findings, founded on qualitative interviews in South Africa, is that some former TRC commissioners and committee members question the importance of ubuntu in the TRC process. Another is that there are several differing and historically developing interpretations of ubuntu, some of which have evident political implications and reflect non-factual and creative uses of history. Thus ubuntu is not a shared cultural heritage, in the ethnophilosophical sense of a static property characterizing a group. In fact, throughout this book Gade argues that the ethnophilosophical approach to African philosophy as a static group property is highly problematic. Gade’s research presents an alternative collective discourse on African philosophy (“collective” in the sense that it does not focus on any single individual in particular) that takes differences, historical developments, and social contexts seriously. This book will be of interest to scholars in African philosophy, transitional justice, politics and cultural heritage, and law in South Africa.
Download or read book Ubuntu written by Michael Battle and published by Church Publishing, Inc.. This book was released on 2009-05 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For Christians, practicing Ubuntu means entering deeply into the compassionate, forgiving love of Gospel. As defined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed. The African spiritual principle of Ubuntu offers believers a new and radical way of reading the Gospel and understanding the heart of the Christian faith, and this new book explores the meaning and utility of Ubuntu as applied to Western philosophies, faith, and lifestyles. Ubuntu is an African way of seeing self-identity formed -through community. This is a difficult worldview for many Western people, who understand self as over, against, or in competition with others. In the Western viewpoint, Ubuntu becomes something to avoid—a kind of co-dependency. As a Christian leader who understands the need, intricacies, and delicate workings of global interdependency, Battle offers here both a refreshing worldview and a new perspective of self-identity for people across cultures, and of all faiths.
Download or read book Understanding Ubuntu for Enhancing Intercultural Communications written by Mukuni, Joseph and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2021-05-28 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Given the importance of cross-cultural competence, it is important that scholars from different parts of the world describe the conceptual frameworks underlying their cultures to provide people with knowledge helpful for understanding and navigating cultural barriers and promoting harmony and productivity in places of work. The literature is replete with reference points for understanding Eurocentric worldviews. Little has been written about non-Eurocentric worldviews with respect to the subject of socio-cultural harmony and interpersonal relations such as Ubuntu, Africa’s indigenous philosophy and its relevancy. This philosophy teaches the importance of maintaining good human relations and sensitivity to the wellbeing of other people both as individuals and collectively. In the teachings of this African conceptual framework, the wellbeing of others is more important than that of self. Another important distinguishing feature of Ubuntu is that it places great value on communalism as opposed to individualism. The tenets of Ubuntu include human-centeredness, teamwork, collaboration, cooperation, respect for diversity of opinion, and joint consideration of problems. These tenets can be applied for intercultural competence and communications. Understanding Ubuntu for Enhancing Intercultural Communications sheds some light on Ubuntu, Africa’s unique philosophy, and explores how the knowledge of Ubuntu can help minimize cross-cultural communication barriers. Within this context, the chapters work to make readers aware of the existence of an African worldview, specifically Ubuntu, and its possible contribution to interpersonal communication. This book also shares the lived experiences of being born and raised in sub-Saharan Africa where Ubuntu is a way of life. This book is essential for businesses seeking to expand internationally and managers overseeing diverse workforces as well as business executives, government officials, public relations officers, academicians, researchers, and students including those studying African studies, world religions, international business, international relations, management, communication, and more.
Download or read book Reconciliation written by Michael Battle and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A highly original analysis of Bishop Tutu's theology of ubuntu, an African concept that identity is formed by community, Battle draws on Tutu's many unpublished addresses and sermons to portray a man for whom the conventions of Anglicanism serve as roots and resources in the ongoing struggle against apartheid. Foreword by Desmond Tutu.
Download or read book Practicing Ubuntu written by Jaco Dreyer and published by LIT Verlag Münster. This book was released on 2017 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ubuntu is a dynamic and celebrated concept in Africa. In the great Sutu-nguni family of Southern Africa, being humane is regarded as the supreme virtue. The essence of this philosophy of life, called ubuntu or botho, is human relatedness and dignity. The Shona from Zimbabwe articulate it as: I am because we are; I exist because the community exists. This volume offers twenty-two such reflections on practicing ubuntu as it relates to justice, personhood, and human dignity, both in Southern Africa, as well as in a wider international context. It highlights the potential of ubuntu for enriching our understanding of justice, personhood, and human dignity in a globalizing world. (Series: International Practical Theology, Vol. 20) [Subject: African Studies, Religious Studies]
Download or read book Ubuntu Peacebuilding written by Fidele Ayu Lumeya and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2016-03-14 with total page 74 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Before there were churches, mosques, the Bible, or the Qur'an, Africans used the traditional values handed down from their ancestors to deal with conflict. These values were rooted in the concepts of togetherness and in community building and preserving. When the Bible and the Qur'an were introduced in Africa, the values and the ethics contained in these religious works were found to be compatible with traditional thought and were applied by Africans to complement their indigenous conflict-transformation skills. Fidele Lumeya shares with other Africanists the belief that African religion cannot be viewed as an anti-Judeo-Christian religion; rather, it is a lens Africans use to understand and interpret the world and God, who is unseen but whose presence is sensed. On conflict and peacebuilding issues, African religion integrates the values found in the three Abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. This book explores the peacebuilding ethic of African religion from an Afro-Christian perspective.
Download or read book God s Family God s Earth written by Kaoma, Kapya J. and published by Kachere Series. This book was released on 2014-01-16 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores how the mounting ecological crisis has religious, political, and economic roots that enable and promote social and environmental harm. It presents the thesis that religious traditions, including their ethical expressions, can effectively address the crisis, ameliorate its effects, and advocate social and environmental betterment, now and in the future. The ecological overtones of African traditional religions and Christianity are examined along with a discussion on African morality. Recognition is given to the conflict between ecological values and religious teachings in an examination contrasting the awareness of socio-economic problems caused by overpopulation.
Download or read book Africa Study Bible NLT written by and published by Tyndale House Publishers. This book was released on 2017-05-09 with total page 2162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Africa Study Bible brings together 350 contributors from over 50 countries, providing a unique African perspective. It's an all-in-one course in biblical content, theology, history, and culture, with special attention to the African context. Each feature was planned by African leaders to help readers grow strong in Jesus Christ by providing understanding and instruction on how to live a good and righteous life--Publisher.
Download or read book The Ubuntu God written by Samuel A. Paul and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1948, the Afrikaner Nationalist Government became the ruling party in South Africa and instituted the brutal system known as apartheid. To maintain their power, Afrikaners drew on Christian scripture and traditions to create self-justifying religious narratives that supported their oppressive ideologies, prohibiting inclusion and suppressing pluralism. In time these Afrikaner-Christian narratives began to unravel as counter-narratives within the Christian tradition influenced the Black church to demand equality and democracy. This socio-political and cultural transformation is best understood and interpreted through the vision of ubuntu: a mode of thought in African culture that places a value on humanity in community and shifts the focus from singularity to plurality in South African society. In The Ubuntu God, Samuel A. Paul traces how the dismantling of apartheid led to recognition of the religious other, the recovery of alternate narratives, and the reappearance of ubuntu perspective and practice in the political and public sphere. After the peaceful transition to a democratically elected government, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission created a platform for multiple voices, stories, and religious narratives to be shared in a public political context. This multiplicity of voices resulted, ultimately, in the formation of a new constitution for South Africa that sought to uphold African values of community and inclusion in its institutions. While South Africa's apartheid system and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission are both rooted in the biblical narrative, the former used its theology to enforce an iron rule while the latter combined Christian and African concepts to create a pluralistic and open society. Such a society is characterized by a culture that emphasizes communality and interdependence.
Download or read book The Human Condition written by Joe M. Kapolyo and published by Langham Global Library. This book was released on 2013-05-14 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Human beings are complex. For all our contemporary knowledge and ability, however wonderful and widely available, people around the world face a crisis of human identity that calls into question the meaning of existence and the basis of moral behaviour. Responding to these challenges, Joe Kapolyo recognizes both the authority of the Bible, which teaches that people are created in the image of God but also corrupted by rebellion and sin, and the relevance of distinctly African perspectives on what it means to be human. Although he reads these perspectives critically, they lead him to reaffirm the biblical vision of redeemed human life in community in Christ. This vision offers a solution to the crisis of identity experienced by people who have forgotten who they are - and whose they are.
Download or read book We Will Get to the Promised Land written by Hak Joon Lee and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2017-02-17 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In We Will Get to the Promised Land, Lee explores the entire scope of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s spirituality, tracing its roots to African communal religious traditions and African Americans' fight for racial justice. He presents communal-political spirituality as constituting the heart of King's multifaceted spirituality. Lee reinterprets King's personal journey, theology, and ethics, as well as the Civil Rights Movement, in light of this communal-political spirituality, while assessing its ongoing importance for the common life in the twenty-first century, with particular attention to the war on terror and interreligious ecumenism.
Download or read book Ubuntu and the Reconstitution of Community written by James Ogude and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2019-05-16 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ubuntu is premised on the ethical belief that an individual's humanity is fostered in a network of human relationships: I am because you are; we are because you are. The essays in this lively volume elevate the debate about ubuntu beyond the buzzword it has become, especially within South African religious and political contexts. The seasoned scholars and younger voices gathered here grapple with a range of challenges that ubuntu puts forward. They break down its history and analyze its intellectual surroundings in African philosophical traditions, European modernism, religious contexts, and human rights discourses. The discussion embraces questions about what it means to be human and to be a part of a community, giving attention to moments of loss and fragmentation in postcolonial modernity, to come to a more meaningful definition of belonging in a globalizing world. Taken together, these essays offer a rich understanding of ubuntu in all of its complexity and reflect on a value system rooted in the everyday practices of ordinary people in their daily encounters with churches, schools, and other social institutions.
Download or read book Ubuntu Migration and Ministry written by Elina Hankela and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2014-05-28 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ubuntu, Migration and Ministry invites the reader to rethink ubuntu (Nguni: humanness/humanity) as a moral notion in the context of local communities. The socio-moral patterns that emerge at the crossroads between ethnography and social ethics offer a fresh perspective to what it means to be human in contemporary Johannesburg. The Central Methodist Mission is known for sheltering thousands of migrants and homeless people in the inner city. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, primarily conducted in 2009, Elina Hankela unpacks the church leader’s liberationist vision of humanity and analyses the tension between the congregation and the migrants, linked to the refugee ministry. While relational virtues mark the community’s moral code, various regulating rules and structures shape the actual relationships at the church. Here ubuntu challenges and is challenged. Winner of the 2014 Donner Institute Prize for Outstanding Research into Religion.
Download or read book UBUNTU and the Word written by Rev. Corey L. Brown, MDiv and published by WRITEONTIME LLC. This book was released on 2024-01-05 with total page 75 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A primer for Afrodiasporan theology. There is no way for one book to contain all that there is to know about the theologies of the peoples of the African Diaspora. UBUNTU and the Word is an African Diasporan quest for the truth, not just any, but the scriptural and spiritual truth for people who have been oppressed, marginalized, and disenfranchised. The biblical truth is not derived from stiff-necked doctrine or dogmatic orthodoxy. UBUNTU is the means to creating the Beloved Community. UBUNTU means "I am because you are" and "you are because I am." UBUNTU is about liberating the Bible from its white male cisgender Eurocentric hegemony. My hope is that this book will help us to develop healthier, more holistic relationships with our faith and with each other. The goals of UBUNTU and the Word are to serve as a bridge between everyday religious discourse and religious academia and to generate healthy spiritual dialogue. In turn, we will reclaim our rightful place in the Imago Dei for the Afrodiasporan tapestry that is Queer, Womanist, and "Blackity-Black." UBUNTU and the Word helps us on our biblical journey through the eyes, the mind, and the souls of the entire African Diaspora. So many people are on religious deconstruction journeys, but the problem comes in rebuilding a faith. I hope this book will provide a foundation to build again while better understanding what you believe and, most importantly, why you believe. Although rooted in the Christian faith, I hope for all Afrodiaspora members, who are even practitioners of other faiths, to find something useful within the pages of UBUNTU and the Word.
Download or read book Whiter Than Snow written by Paul David Tripp and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2008-06-26 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What do you do when you've really blown it? Is sin really as dangerous and is grace really as powerful as the Bible says they are? Is there such a thing as a new beginning? Sin and grace-these are the two themes of our lives. We all blow it and we all need to start over again. In Psalm 51, David tells his story of moral failure, personal awareness, grief, confession, repentance, commitment, and hope. And because David's story is every believer's story, Psalm 51 is every believer's psalm. It tells how we, as broken sinners, can be brutally honest with God and yet stand before him without fear. Whiter Than Snow unpacks this powerful little psalm in fifty-two meditations, reminding readers that by God's grace there is mercy for every wrong and grace for every new beginning. Designed for busy believers, these brief and engaging meditations are made practical by the reflection questions that conclude each chapter.
