Church and Civil Society in 21st Century Africa

Church and Civil Society in 21st Century Africa PDF Author: Sylvester Uche Ugwu
Publisher: Peter Lang Gmbh, Internationaler Verlag Der Wissenschaften
ISBN: 9783631730119
Category : Church and social problems
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Using mainly literature-based methods, this work seeks to dig into the understanding of civil society from the ancient Aristotelian «polis» to its 21st century African idea. It discusses the place of the Church in relation to the social question.

Church and Civil Society in 21st Century Africa

Church and Civil Society in 21st Century Africa PDF Author: Sylvester Uche Ugwu
Publisher: Peter Lang Gmbh, Internationaler Verlag Der Wissenschaften
ISBN: 9783631730119
Category : Church and social problems
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Using mainly literature-based methods, this work seeks to dig into the understanding of civil society from the ancient Aristotelian «polis» to its 21st century African idea. It discusses the place of the Church in relation to the social question.

Church and Civil Society

Church and Civil Society PDF Author: Michael Walker
Publisher: AFRICAN SUN MeDIA
ISBN: 1928355137
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 406

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Book Description
Germany and South Africa experienced drastic social transitions with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1986 and the end of Apartheid in 1994. This book consists of a collection of essays from German and South African theologians who analyse the role that religious communities had, and are still playing within the respective civil societies. The concept and texture of civil society are analysed; case studies are presented; theological perspectives are given on the relation between church, state and civil society; and guidelines are provided for the healing role that Christian religious communities can play in Germany and South Africa. This book is mainly directed at theologians and scholars in religious studies, however, sociologists and political philosophers may also find the essays informative. Besides the wide variety of theological approaches; sociological and empirical data; and practical theological perspective, the book also yields interesting comparative analysis on two societies in transition.

Religion, Conflict, and Democracy in Modern Africa

Religion, Conflict, and Democracy in Modern Africa PDF Author: Samuel K. Elolia
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1608998568
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 387

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Book Description
Spanning various regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, the authors of this volume come together to explore the complex relationship between religion and democracy in contemporary Africa. As a result of the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union, many African countries have come to the realization, however partial, that political and social change is inevitable in spite of government heavy-handedness and threats. It has also become evident that no political system that refuses to permit freedom of political expression and alternative systems of governance could continue to be sustained. It is in precisely this political climate that religious institutions have collaborated with other elements of civil society to call for political reforms, with the church often becoming the prominent voice against oppressive governments in countries such as Kenya and South Africa. It is the purpose of this book to assess how religion shapes political issues and to what extent religious forces influence the civil society. By acknowledging the role of the civil society, the essays recognize the resilience that comes out of Africa even when the sociopolitical situation seems unbearable.

Proclaiming Political Pluralism

Proclaiming Political Pluralism PDF Author: Isaac Phiri
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 0313075425
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 182

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Book Description
As the population of Africa increasingly converts to Christianity, the church has stepped up its involvement in secular affairs revolving around the transition to democracy in nations such as Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Comparative in approach, the author analyzes patterns of church-state relations in various sub-Saharan countries, and contends that churches become more active and politically prominent when elements and organizations of civil society are repressed by political factors or governing bodies, providing services to maintain the well-being of civil society in the absence of those organizations being repressed. The author concludes, that once political repression subsides, churches tend to withdraw from a confrontation with the state and their political role becomes unclear. This unique book advances the idea that in pluralist Africa, churches should focus their influence and resources on nurturing the fragile multiparty democracies and promoting peace and reconciliation. In his analysis of church-state relations in sub-Saharan Africa, Phiri shows how churches are drawn into confrontation with the state by the repression of civil society and that once civil society is liberated, direct church-state confrontation diminishes. In South Africa, churches led by figures such as Bishop Desmond Tutu assumed a major role after nationalist movements such as Nelson Mandela's African National Congress were banned and their leaders jailed. In Zimbabwe, the church assumed a confrontational role in 1965 after political movements were banned and their leaders exiled. In Zambia, churches became confrontational when the single-party rule repressed all opposition and supported the rise of the prodemocracy movement that ended Kenneth Kaunda's twenty-seven-year rule. Examining these situations and others in different parts of Africa, Phiri illuminates the major issues and conflicts and suggests ways in which the church can continue to help promote smooth transitions to democracy.

Civil Society in Africa

Civil Society in Africa PDF Author: Christine Bodewes
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1443855200
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 284

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Book Description
This book examines the efforts of one particular civil society organization, the human rights ministry of a Catholic parish located in the Kibera slum in Nairobi, to determine the extent to which it was able to promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law. It concludes from an analysis of the social, economic and political environment of Kibera as well as church structures, that parishioners demonstrated an observable improvement in their democratic values and behavior at a localized level, but they did not increase their involvement in advocacy and lobbying efforts. Parishioners were inhibited from holding government officials to account for their abuse of power primarily due to fears of retaliation; other factors such as apathy, ethnic divisions, limited resources and restrictive church protocols further curtailed their actions. The findings of this book are important for scholars and students active in the fields of political science, African Christianity, development studies, international law and human rights. This book is also an important resource for practitioners who are addressing the social, legal, political challenges facing the urban poor in Africa.

The Christian Churches and the Democratisation of Africa

The Christian Churches and the Democratisation of Africa PDF Author: Paul Gifford
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9789004103245
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
VI. Identity crisis by Desmond Tutu.

Pentecostal Republic

Pentecostal Republic PDF Author: Ebenezer Obadare
Publisher: Zed Books Ltd.
ISBN: 178699240X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 255

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Book Description
Throughout its history, Nigeria has been plagued by religious divisions. Tensions have only intensified since the restoration of democracy in 1999, with the divide between Christian south and Muslim north playing a central role in the country’s electoral politics, as well as manifesting itself in the religious warfare waged by Boko Haram. Through the lens of Christian–Muslim struggles for supremacy, Ebenezer Obadare charts the turbulent course of democracy in the Nigerian Fourth Republic, exploring the key role religion has played in ordering society. He argues the rise of Pentecostalism is a force focused on appropriating state power, transforming the dynamics of the country and acting to demobilize civil society, further providing a trigger for Muslim revivalism. Covering events of recent decades to the election of Buhari, Pentecostal Republic shows that religio-political contestations have become integral to Nigeria’s democratic process, and are fundamental to understanding its future.

Changing Relations Between Churches in Europe and Africa

Changing Relations Between Churches in Europe and Africa PDF Author: Katharina Kunter
Publisher: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag
ISBN: 9783447054515
Category : Christianity and politics
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
Proceedings from the conference "Changing relationships between churches in Africa and Europe in the 20th century: Christian identity in the times of political crises," which took place October 8-12, 2005 at Makumira University College of Tumaini University in Tanzania.

African Church in the 21st Century

African Church in the 21st Century PDF Author: D. W. Waruta
Publisher: AACC Press
ISBN: 9789966886019
Category : Africa
Languages : en
Pages : 155

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Book Description


Welfare, Religion and Gender in Post-apartheid South Africa

Welfare, Religion and Gender in Post-apartheid South Africa PDF Author: Ignatius Swart
Publisher: AFRICAN SUN MeDIA
ISBN: 1920338683
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 395

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Book Description
The topic covered by this book is important (crucially so in post-apartheid South Africa) and the research is meticulous. This has resulted in an impressive collection of material concerning welfare, religion and gender in twenty-first century South Africa, which includes both theoretical reflections and an abundance of empirical data. - Professor Grace Davie (Professor Emerita of Sociology, University of Exeter, UK)