2009/2010 COURSE CATALOGUE

NAIROBI, KENYA

Course: MARY AFST 584: Church in Contemporary Africa: Its Political, Social and Economic Situation

Course Overview:
A course aimed at the analysis of the contemporary African issues and the place of the Church. It will be conducted in a seminar style and students will be expected to contribute in discussion. Discussions and analysis with examples from the field will be used in presentation of the class materials.

Course Description:

This is a short course on the role of the church in contemporary African situations. It is a short course to the extent that some of the outlined topics will not be covered adequately during lecturing. However, the course will encourage and enable students to do further studies on the role the church can play in contemporary Africa.

The central focus of the course is to analyze and describe some of the major issues found in Africa today. These issues are political, social and cultural in nature. The whole thrust is to show that the church is operating in a wider social context and it is in such context that she is called to serve.

The analysis and description will be mainly sociological in nature; that is the tools for analysis will be drawn from that discipline although some theological hints will not be spared either.

The course is divided into five main sections: The introduction which will mainly deal with the concept of the church as a communion of believers in the world and beyond. This will be related to African reality and situation taking into consideration the historical background.

In the second section we will examine the church as an institution in a community. We will examine various aspects of African communities, traditional and emerging ones and relate these to the work of the church. Some of the already known concepts in social science will be utilized in explaining these varieties of African communities.

In the third section we look into contemporary African socio-political situation in its historical perspectives and relate it to the work of the church in contemporary Africa. Some problems facing Africa today will also be examined in detail to see what positive role the church can play to enhance the political, economic and social development. 

The  fourth section deals with what can be called church social ministry - diaconia. The whole thrust of the section is to examine some aspects of the ministry and see whether it is adequate or not. If not, what can be done.

The fifth section deals with church leadership. We examine the type of church leadership and its relevance to the African situation which has already been analyzed and described in sections III and IV. We are not questioning  the present leadership patterns, rather we are asking whether they are "African" and serve the African situation. The whole idea is to look into church leadership as a tool for the development of a strong and relevant church in Africa -- beyond the current generation.

We end the course with summary and revision. In the course of lecture presentations, questions, clarifications and discussions will be allowed to take place. Students will be encouraged to share with others their findings and experiences in the field. The aim is to expose students to the various socio-political, socio-cultural situations which are not covered in other courses of the program and relate these to the work of the church.

Course Outline

I. Introduction

What is the Church
What is the Church in Africa
The Missionary legacy

II. The Church and Community - society

The Church structures - the heritage
The Church and social network - families
The rural-urban migration and the Church
The urban settings and the Church
The rural setting and the Church

III. The Contemporary African Socio-political situation

The instability - historical perspective
The Southern Africa Question - the role of big nations, the future
The Arab world and Africa's future - the petrol-dollar and religious factors
The African religious world view
Taking African culture seriously
Political development
At independence - nationalism
Post-independence
Towards second generations of politicians
The ethnicity factor
The debt problem and the future of African development

IV. The Church and Development

The social ministry of the church
Social analysis and church ministry
The remedial solutions vs long term solutions to African
developmental problems
The case of refugees in Africa
The case of HIV/AIDS pandemic

V. The Development of Church Leadership in Africa

The role of education
The development of leadership models for development

VI. Summary and Revision

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Note: Other reading material may be added to the existing ones during lectures when they are available.

Parkin,D. (Ed.). (1975). Town and Country in Central and Eastern Africa. London: International African Institute. 

Babu, A. (1981). African Socialism or Socialist Africa. London: Zed Press. 

Omari, C.K. (Ed.). (1989). Persistent Principles. Nairobi: Uzima Press. 

Frosting, P. (1988). Liberation Theology in Tanzania and South Africa. Lund: University Press. 

Kairos Document. Geneva/Johannesburg, 1985 & 1986 (English and Kiswahili versions)

Oduyoye, M.A. (1986). Hearing and Knowing. New York: Orbis Books. 

 Omari, C. K. (Ed.). (1976). Essays on Church and Society in Tanzania.  Arusha: ELCT Vuga Press. 

Mbiti, J. (1986). Bible and Theology in African Christianity. Nairobi: Oxford University Press. 

Mbiti, J.S (Ed.). (1977). Confessing Christ in Different Cultures. Bosey: Ecumenical Institute. 

Nyerere, J. K. (1974). Man and Development. Nairobi: Oxford University Press. 

Ray, B. C. (1976). African Religions. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc.

Any other relevant sources which might be identified later.