TALITHA CUM HERMENEUTICS: SOME AFRICAN WOMEN'S WAYS OF READING THE BIBLE (original) (raw)

African Biblical hermeneutics on the threshold? Appraisal and wayforward

Acta Theologica, 2016

What appears to be African Biblical Hermeneutics often refers to the geographical location of the authors rather than the content. There always appears to be something new on the horizon, but the colonial umbilical cord prevents a crossing of the threshold. This article contends that, in order for it to cross the threshold, African Biblical Hermeneutics has to go beyond the geographical location of the reader/interpreter to the development of a framework that is essentially African, while not compromising the catholicity of the church. A celebration of life is proposed as the closest interpretative framework to both the Bible and the multiple African cultures.

GENDER AND THE BIBLE IN AFRICAN CHRISTIANITY

Anthology of African Christianity, 2016

This paper on gender and the Bible in African Christianity can only give broad highlights on phenomena that can be described in a million different ways in the whole continent, given the diversities of religion, ethnicity, race, sexuality, age and class in each country and how they construct social roles for their members. Further, a paper on gender, bible and African Christianity underlines new cultural constructions that produce other complex categories of gender for three different reasons. First, the Bible is a Jewish book that models different gender constructions, according to their cultural, religious, economic understanding. Second, the Bible is a collection of sixty-six books written /compiled over two millennia, thus presenting conflicting gender constructions. Third, African Christianity, especially the sub-Saharan one, is not uniform but a product of collision of modern European Christianities, brought by different denominations (Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Methodist). The European countries brought Christianity to Sub-Saharan Africa in a colonial context (laden with their own cultures) and planted it in different indigenous African cultures. In the memories of African people, the Bible is thus tied together with colonial history. The Bible is linked with land, dispossession, but now claimed as a possession received through western colonialism. The Bible is thus described as another set of wisdom, which co-exists with pre-existing collections of African oral wisdom. In other words, we do not have one African Christianity, but several African Christanities. This background informs three “windows” on Gender, Bible and African Christianity elaborated in this paper. The windows are not definitive or uniform for all forms of African Christianity, given the complexity of gender constructions; the diversity of biblical books and their gender constructions; the diversity of African Christianities and their gender constructions, at different times and places. The three windows presented here are best seen as invitations to more research projects that are time and place-specific in the diverse contexts of the African continent. The chapter thus defines and explores the intersection of gender, Christianity and colonialism in the African continent using several case studies.

Bible and Women Identity in Post-Colonial Africa

2020

The contemporary social and political contexts of the African continent are shaped by its multifaceted histories: pre-colonial, colonial, struggles for independence and post-colonial experiences. The church is not left out in all the stages; shaping and being shaped by these contexts and histories. In all these periods, women have struggled with the issue of identity crisis. One significant factor in African cultures is the way the culture ensures the dependence of women on men for their viability in the community; relationships are structured in such a way that without a man, a woman is handicapped. There has not been much significant change in the identity of women in pre-colonial and post-colonial periods. The study adopted the existential approach to biblical exegesis, using both the advocacy criticism and African Cultural hermeneutics to explore the experiences of women in the bible and post-colonial Africa. The truth is that the woman must define her being; come up with an ide...

REFLECTING CHRIST CRUCIFIED AMONG AFRICA'S CROSS BEARERS: An African Woman's Perspective

Mission Studies, 2000

In this response to Professor Maluleke, Kenyan theologian Philomena N. Mwaura speaks about the importance of taking cognizance of women and women's theologizing in the construction of an authentic African theology. While not denying the power of the cross, Professor Mwaura notes the danger of a theology that overlooks women's oppression and marginalization and recommends accepting "their deprivation, suffering and abuse as Christ did ."

CHRISTOLOGY IN AFRICAN WOMEN'S THEOLOGY

The article sets out to unveil the question, "what is the nature and relevance of Christology in African Women"s Theology to our contemporary Africa?" In other words; how far can it help us in undoing the wrongs that have been brought about by patriarchy? To achieve its objective, the article will begin by surveying the theology of African women"s theology in general; and afterwards attempt a dialogue with some of the issues that keep on recurring in our contemporary African society. In so doing, the article puts forward the consideration that Mercy Amba Oduyoye is the undisputed founder of African women"s theologya theology that is one of the most vibrant theologies in the Africa of the twenty-first century. As a postcolonial theology, African women"s theology offers a chance to right the African wrongs that are by-products of patriarchy. In view of this, the article aims at conscientising the entire society that African women"s theology is a discourse for all genders, as it affects our children, our sisters, our mothers, our life partners, and our wives, among others -without whom life would be inconceivable. As an African male writing on African women"s theology, I intend to make a bold statement that we must all swim into action and stop the African boat from sinking. This we can do by collectively addressing the African plight. For that is the mission of Christ in our time. of Botswana among others. See the website on The Circle"s membership which goes beyond six hundredwww.thecirclecawt.org. Since 1989, when the circle of concerned African women theologians was launched under Mercy"s leadership, they have participated in oral theology, through song, music, story telling, Bible reading and in particular, through written theologies that are evident in many emerging publications in recent times. 4 Isabel Apawo Phiri, "African Women"s theologies in the new millennium," Agenda: Empowering women for gender equity, 61, (2004): 16. 5 Isabel Apawo Phiri, "African Women"s theologies in the new millennium," 16. 6 Musimbi Kanyoro, "African women"s Quest for Justice: A Review of African Women"s Theology,"