What is the key to understanding in a truly Malawian way? After a lifetime's theological reflection the author finds the answer in the concept of uMunthu (personhood or human-ness). Drawing on Malawi's cultures and languages, the biblical text and the evangelical faith, he casts a theological vision that can be transformative for church and nation.
In a nation striving for transformation, A Theology of Mindset Change offers a profound exploration of how theological principles can reshape the collective consciousness of a people. Drawing on the rich theological scholarship of Malawi, this book delves into the intersection of faith and societal change, proposing that true progress begins with a renewal of the mind. Through insightful analysis and compelling narratives, the authors of the chapters of this book examine the role of theology in fostering a mindset that embraces integrity, innovation, and communal responsibility. This work challenges readers to rethink their perspectives, encouraging a shift from passive acceptance to active participation in the nation's development. Whether you are a scholar, a faith leader, a politician or a concern citizen, A Theology of Mindset Change for Malawi provides a roadmap for harnessing the power of belief to drive meaningful and lasting change. Read it and join the journey towards a brighter future, where a transformed mindset paves the way for a transformed nation as anticipated in the Malawi Vision 2063. -Rhodian Munyenyembe (PhD), Head, Department of Theology and Religious Studies, Mzuzu University.
Kenneth R. Ross is Professor of Theology and Dean of Postgraduate Studies at Zomba Theological University. He is also Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria, Honorary Fellow at the Edinburgh University School of Divinity, Senior Research Associate at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Boston, USA, Series Editor of the Edinburgh Companions to Global Christianity (Edinburgh University Press), and Associate Minister at Bernvu CCAP. He is the author of many books and articles on World Christianity, including the forthcoming co-authored volume Hope in Times of Crisis: Reimagining Ecumenical Mission. He has been researching and writing about Malawi church history and theology since he first arrived in Zomba in 1988. This book brings together a collection of essays written during the early 2020s in which Ross characteristically brings theological questions to the study of history while often adopting an historical approach to the study of theology. All ten essays are grounded in the Malawi context while their themes also have relevance far beyond it. "..a very valuable addition to Malawianist scholarship."- Dr Markku Hokkanen, University of Oulu
The second annual conference of the Theological Society of Malawi was held at the historic Ekwendeni Campus of the University of Livingstonia from 14 to 16 September 2021. It took up the urgent theme of the decolonization of the theological curriculum. Though Malawi has been an independent country for 58 years, coloniality still stalks the land. This book calls theologians to take a lead in decolonization, while navigating the educational task in an online age. With more than twenty institutions teaching theology at tertiary level in Malawi, and now united in the Theological Society of Malawi, there is huge potential to learn from each other in developing the theological curriculum in the country. While the primary audience is unashamedly a Malawian one, this book might also prove relevant in other contexts where there is a reckoning with past and present experience of colonialism. The book is a call to action and is published in the hope that it will have lasting impact on the teaching and learning of theology in Malawi and beyond.
“This is an excellent and timely book ... In the Spirit of Ubuntu: Stories of Teaching and Research represents a seminal educational intervention that should re-direct the way we see and interact with learning and pedagogical projects and relationships. The book is well organized, is written in non-alienating, humanist language, and should be very useful for students, researchers, and the general public. Students in the West, who are not familiar with the philosophy of ubuntu, should be exposed to the contents of this book.”—Ali A Abdi, in Alberta Journal of Educational Research, Vol. 58, No. 4
Introducing an emerging academic field known as African British Theologies, this publication explores the significant presence of African Christianity in Britain. Featuring contributions from twelve scholarly African pastors engaged in ministry and theology in Britain, this book is a unique expression of theology from African Christians, contextualizing the gospel for a multicultural British society. Under three key areas of missiology, contextual constructive theology and transformative practical theology the contributors interact with topics such as reverse missiology, African pneumatology, prosperity gospel, and urban mission. This book rigorously examines new contexts of Christianity and articulates new theological perspectives that are required to understand twenty-first-century ministry, not only in urban Britain, but also across the world.
In this volume, the author shows how the Akan concepts of sunsum and honhom offer a degree of Christian pneumatological similarity, providing the avenue for translating and contextualizing the doctrine of the Holy Spirit within the context of the Akan people of West Africa.
This book explores the idea of religious and theological interculturation from a Christian perspective as an approach to evangelisation. It explores aspects of culture and pluralism as these have been interpreted in post-Vatican II approaches to mission and evaluates interculturation from a number of perspectives, including language, symbol and metaphor. It draws insight from two New Testament encounters of Jesus with women, in Samaria (John) and in Tyre (Matthew and Mark), and goes on to explore some historical sources of interculturation in the missionary endeavours of the Jesuit Matteo Ricci. A particular case study is made of the contemporary experience of an African people (the Turkana of Kenya).
The growth of Spirit-empowered Christianity has been nothing short of phenomenal. From a handful of believers in the early twentieth century to over six hundred million people in almost every culture and denomination today, those who embrace the Holy Spirit and His gifts are now the fastest-growing religious group in the world. But if any generation ceases to emphasize the Holy Spirit’s power, the movement likely will lose its distinction. This third of four volumes is an authoritative collection from more than two dozen leaders and scholars of the Spirit-empowered movement in Africa. Focusing on the history and future of the movement, these world-renowned scholars address the theological and cultural challenges facing Pentecostals in Africa, and offer insights on how to meet them.
