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 279 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 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 280 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 A Report to the World Council of Churches on Pacific Contextual Theology Project written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book South Pacific Theology written by and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 118 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Restoring Identities written by Upolu Lumā Vaai and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2023-11-03 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a sense, Oceania can be considered a microcosm of World Christianity. Within this region are many of the same observable trends on the global level that impact Christian life, faith, and witness. The geography of Oceania—the “liquid continent”—is unique. Christianity arrived in Australia and New Zealand in the late eighteenth century via British colonial powers. Indigenous Aboriginal peoples, Torres Strait Islanders, and Māori peoples were dispossessed of land, property, rights, and dignity. Christianity grew by migration and conversion (not always voluntary), and over time became tightly intertwined with culture. In the twentieth century, rapid secularization moved Christianity into the private sphere, and by 2020 Christian affiliation had dropped from 97 percent to 57 percent. However, the history of Christianity in the Pacific Islands—Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia—is quite different. Christianity arrived via Protestant and Catholic missionaries between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries and grew substantially in the twentieth century largely due to indigenous Christian efforts. Islanders brought Christianity to neighboring islands, indigenous theologies developed, and churches gradually separated from their Western mission founders. One of the great “success stories” of World Christianity is Papua New Guinea, which grew from just 4 percent Christian in 1900 to 95 percent in 2020. However, growth is never the entire story. Violence against women is endemic in Papua New Guinea and is often combined with accusations of witchcraft. An estimated 59 percent of women have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime (and 48 percent in the last year). As Christianity continues its shift to the global South, it becomes increasingly critical to heed the experiences, perspectives, and theologies of Christians, particularly women, in the Pacific Islands.

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 Weavings written by Lydia Johnson and published by [email protected]. This book was released on 2003 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "For the first time, women's theological reflections from South Pacific nations have been gathered together in a published volume. This historic achievement represents the collective vision, will, energy, and commitment of women representing a broad cross-section of Pacific Islands ethnic and church communities. This work is not a publication merely for women, but it is a valuable ground-breaking contribution to the development of theology in Oceania and a gift to the churches of the Pacific and the worldwide church. It will be required reading the theological studentsm pastors, and laity across the region. The book has much to offer to the fields of women's and feminist theologies, contextual and non-western theologies, and to all in the worldwide church family who are open to hearing and learning from their sisters in this part of the world."--Back cover.

Download or read book Contextualising Theology in the South Pacific written by Randall Prior and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 331 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "These factors then form the basis for a critique of the "Gospel and Culture in Vanuatu" project which constitutes an experiment in a genuine contextualisation of theology"--Abstract, University of Divinity document repository.

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 Sea of Readings written by Jione Havea and published by SBL Press. This book was released on 2018-06-08 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Readings by South Pacific islanders This book offers readings of the Bible by native biblical critics from the South Pacific (Pasifika). An essay from editor Jione Havea introduces the volume by locating these essays within islander criticism and by explaining the flow of the book. Essays are presented in three sections. “Island Twists” offers readings that twist, like a whirlpool, biblical texts around insights of Pasifika novelists, composers, poets, and sages. “Island Turns” contains contextual readings that turn biblical texts toward Pasifika. “Across the Sea” contains responses by biblical critics from across the sea. Features Contributions to islander criticism A showcase of texts by native writers, poets, and composers Crosscultural and postcolonial readings

Download or read book Dance and Contextualization in the South Pacific Islands written by Jennifer J. Jones and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This dissertation investigates the attitudes and perceptions of the students and faculty towards dance for religious events at Pacific Adventist University (PAU). PAU is situated 14 miles outside Port Moresby, the capital city of Papua New Guinea. It attracts students (mainly Adventists) from many island countries across the South Pacific. A directed study of the biblical precedents regarding dance serves as a foundation to the rationale of engaging in dance for worship. I discuss some sources in Adventist Church theology on dance in relation to their relevance in the South Pacific. An overview of the role of traditional dance and how it influences worship music in the South Pacific is also attempted. This research on the Adventist perceptions and the practice of dance in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and other islands could help in leading a climate for change within PAU towards a model for contextualizing traditional dance for God's Kingdom ministry. Having established that to dance is biblical, the relationship between cultures and religion is pursued, potentially opening up many opportunities to communicate the gospel. Generally, it is hoped that what is practiced at PAU will spread to other parts of PNG especially in Adventist circles, and to various islands of the Pacific. To God be the praise!

Download or read book Contextualization in the New Testament written by Dean Flemming and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2009-09-20 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of a 2006 Christianity Today Book Award! Honored as one of the "Fifteen Outstanding Books of 2005 for Mission Studies" by International Bulletin of Missionary Research From Cairo to Calcutta, from Cochabamba to Columbus, Christians are engaged in a conversation about how to speak and live the gospel in today's traditional, modern and emergent cultures. The technical term for their efforts is contextualization. Missionary theorists have pondered and written on it at length. More and more, those who do theology in the West are also trying to discover new ways of communicating and embodying the gospel for an emerging postmodern culture. But few have considered in depth how the early church contextualized the gospel. And yet the New Testament provides numerous examples. As both a crosscultural missionary and a New Testament scholar, Dean Flemming is well equipped to examine how the early church contextualized the gospel and to draw out lessons for today. By carefully sifting the New Testament evidence, Flemming uncovers the patterns and parameters of a Paul or Mark or John as they spoke the Word on target, and he brings these to bear on our contemporary missiological task. Rich in insights and conversant with frontline thinking, this is a book that will revitalize the conversation and refresh our speaking and living the gospel in today's cultures, whether in traditional, modern or emergent contexts.

Download or read book The Pacific Journal of Theology written by and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Contextualization Within the Parameters of the Bible written by Ma'afu'otu'itonga Palu and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 309 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 Theology in Context written by Dave Johnson and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2017-08-23 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In This Book: Dave Johnson takes a thorough look at the culture of one of the Filipino people groups with a view toward developing a contextual theology that is biblically accurate, missiologically sound and culturally relevant throughout the Filipino lowlands. He delves deep, seeking to understand the religious worldview assumptions that underpin and drive the various religious practices and the people who are involved in them. Some of the specific issues he tackles are: • All Saints’ Day and the dead returning to their gravesites • Praying to Mary and the Saints • Demon possession • Town Fiestas • Sickness and healing • How people have been transformed by the power of God within their own cultural setting, both in the past and present • And much more!

Download or read book Globalization and the Re shaping of Christianity in the Pacific Islands written by Manfred Ernst and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 914 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In recent years religion has received a good deal of attention in the discourse on globalization. Christianity in its Pentecostal-charismatic, evangelical and fundamentalist forms, seems to have thrived in the globalizing climate". "This is the most systematic account available of contemporary developments of Christianity in the Pacific Islands".--Back cover.