The Logos Localized: The Heart of Authentic Inculturation

2005

What is the nature of world Anglicanism in a postcolonial, global age? With talk of fragmentation constantly in the media, what does it mean to be 'Anglican'? This book presents Anglicanism as a conversation over time amongst a community of people held together by sets of practices and beliefs. The first part describes the emergence of Anglicanism and its foundations in older Christian traditions. The second looks at Anglican practices within the framework of changing understandings of mission, and focuses on liturgy, patterns of engagement with others, organisation and power in the church, and ministerial offices. There are two separate chapters on the ordination of women and homosexuality in the public life of the church. The third part, on beliefs, addresses the central question of knowledge and authority in Anglicanism, as well as ecclesiology, the nature of the church itself. A final chapter looks to the future. B R U C E K A Y E was General Secretary of the Anglican Church of Australia from 1994 to 2004. He is a cosmopolitan scholar and priest who, after studying in Sydney and taking his doctorate in Basel, held a post in the Theology Department at the University of Durham in the UK for twelve years before returning to the University of New South Wales in Australia. His visiting fellowships include periods in Freiburg-im-Breisgau, Cambridge and Seattle, and he is a regular visitor to North America. He is the author of eight books, editor of ten further volumes, and has written some sixty journal articles as well as contributing to newspapers, radio and TV. He is also the foundation editor of The Journal of Anglican Studies.

Nederduitse Gereformeerde Teologiese Tydskrif, 2013

Something about the word "missional" has captured the imagination of many Christians in Western societies and beyond. The term, though relatively new as a description of the church, is now used widely across confessional traditions and within both "Emergent" and "Missional" Church movements. The employment of the term "missional" includes the superficial along with the profound, the culturally captive alongside the richly biblical. At its best, the word "missional" describes not a specific activity of the church, but the very identity and vocation of the church as it takes up its role in God's story in the context of its culture, and participates in his mission. This article will engage the Emergent Church movement and summarize its contributions toward the development of the missional identity and vocation of the church in the West. In the next article, the Missional Church movement will be engaged and its contributions toward the development of a missional identity and vocation for the church in the West will be summarized.

For more than three decades, sociologists and anthropologists have described massive religious changes in Latin America and the transformation of Christianity. 1 Within four decades, the share of Roman Catholics has declined from over 90 % to between 69 and 59 %. 2 There is a rapid growth of Pentecostal and Evangelical churches, fierce competition between the denominations, and processes of diversification and sometimes conflicts within existing churches. Within the Roman Catholic Church, the Charismatic Renewal now includes between 20 and 40 % of the baptised and is having a significant impact on church life. 3 Furthermore, Latin America is experiencing a double process of secularization and Christian awakening, a paradoxical simultaneous de-Christianization of public life and a churching of the masses. 4 1 See e.g.

Francis is recovering the ecclesiological moment of the Church. The present pontificate is initiating a new phase in the reception of the Second Vatican Council, thus generating a process of ecclesiogenesis: the Church in transition is being guided by the emergence of a genetic-inductive hermeneutic that is inspired by the magisterium, Latin American ecclesial life, and Ignatian tradition. In this transitional phase, two different ecclesiological models coexist and have produced new debates about the reception of the Council and the evolution of the magisterium. The clerical, pyramidal model that has prevailed until now —and still prevails— has led to an institutional breakdown that became evident with the revelation of the reasons for the resignation of Benedict XVI, among other things. Given this context, Francis has begun to promote a creative reception of the Council. More than reforming church structures, Francis has tried to convert mentalities and redirect the institutional ways of proceeding toward a model of Church that is more missionary and synodal. It is at this crossroads that the present discussion of the new Apostolic Exhortation “Querida Amazonia” (QA) is taking place.

Newman was one of the first in the Western Church to revive Athanasius’s doctrine of deification, so his pre-eminence in the nineteenth-century revival of patristic scholarship is deserved. But this chapter also demonstrates his lack of scholarly distance and historical consciousness. It covers the ground from Newman’s earliest encounter with Clement, Origen, and Athanasius, to his engagement with the Latin Fathers Augustine and Pope Leo I, to later doubts about the theology of Clement and Origen, and finally to aligning the theology of the Alexandrians with the Latin Fathers.

New Blackfriars, 1987

Archer has written a timely sociological analysis of the present state of Catholicism in the United Kingdom. It is a ruthless, honest, almost clinical account of the ironic and paradoxical effects of the flabby liberal rhetoric that has shaped the practice of the post-Conciliar Church in Britain. It is unevenly written; some of its liturgical conclusions are a bit odd; and many will find it cynical and unconstructive. Yet it is a book that deserves debate. My interpretation of his text suggests he is arguing as follows. A slow process of ecclesiastical embourgeoisement has been the main product of the theological hopes of the seventies, an ironic result for a rhetoric of egalitarianism that reached its most ludicrous level of cant amongst radical theologians, whose slant sent many out of the Church. One fringe developed another, and a 'charismatic chicanery' (to use Archer's apt phrase) came to pass, apolitical and ecstatic, making natural friends with the house groups and other Evangelical sects beloved of sociological study. English Catholicism was caricatured, and the debates these fringes generated obscured the social conditions of religious practice of the silent majority. Archer's book gives a sociological expression to their existence, and far that reason is of immense theological value. He presents an image of a liberal Catholic Church developing Anglican traits and increasingly hopeful of slipping into the Establishment, a denomination amongst others in a safe part of the political landscape. A 'safe' set of house theologians are allowed to roam out, some producing a liberation theology that has inadvertently become an instrument of recruitment to Protestant Fundamentalism. Some sociologists started to notice that the weak, the disadvantaged, and those in whose name these theologians spoke, were slipping away. Workingclass Catholic communities that had withstood persecution and hostility were starting to fall apart. Somehow theologians had managed to accomplish what those hostile to the Church had never managed: a climate of despair and disenchantment that unchurched the less well educated, the less theologically sophisticated, and the simple but pious. Urban renewal, poverty, unemployment, and competing forms of association have all contributed to Archer's embourgeoisement thesis. But the implications of his analysis go deeper. The rhetoric of Vatican 11's document Gaudium et 5 '

JOURNAL OF INCULTURATION THEOLOGY (JIT), VOL. 19, NO. 1, JUNE 2022, 2022

EDITORIAL On 10th October 2021, in Rome, Pope Francis solemnly opened the two-year preparation for the Synod on Synodality with the theme: “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission.” The Pontiff was emphatic that one of the new ways of being a synodal church, which is more engaging and integral, is the opportunity for a deep reflection, listening in a spirit of mutual trust, and being sensitive to the people’s cultures and contexts, resources and constraints. As scholars and thinkers, this writing apostolate offers opportunity to fertilize ideas on how a synodal church will renew mindsets and the ecclesial structures in order to reflect God’s will for the Church in Africa. While maintaining fidelity to tradition, this new threshold of synodality, proposed by the Holy Father, invites us to be sensitive and responsive to the situational contexts in which the Gospel comes in contact with the existential human challenges. Accordingly, this edition of the Journal of Inculturation Theology (JIT) is timely and fitting to the challenges facing Inculturation Theology. It is part of the academic search to listen, dialogue, pray and discern various ways for the integration of African cultural values and genius of the people into Catholic theology. Before the main menu, this edition starts with flashback on one of the outstanding papers at the 40th Anniversary of CIWA on 8th December, 2021. In his paper titled: Relevance of the Catholic Institute of West Africa in the Contemporary African Church and Society, Most Rev. Dr. Camillus Raymond Umoh underscores that at the heart of every ecclesiastical institute is the consciousness that it is ordered to the common good of the Church as a participant in the evangelizing process of the Church. Using CIWA as a case study, the paper examines the relevance of CIWA in the African Church and society in the context of what she does or what it sets out to do. Julian Chukwuemeka Ibe, in his paper titled: 2023 Synod of Synodality: A Celebration of the Church’s Communion, dwells on the first element of the theme of the Synod of Synodality, namely, communion. He observes that the Church’s synodality is a recognition and celebration of the communion which originates from the Blessed Trinity, which is communicated to human beings through the Incarnate Word of God, Jesus Christ and confirmed by the Holy Spirit. In his paper titled: Biblical and Theological Interpretation of Blessings and Curses in the Old Testament, Most Rev. Patrick Eluke describes the motif of blessings and curses which plays a reoccurring role in the entire Old Testament (OT) narrative. As one reads through, there is hardly a book of the OT that is devoid of incidents where a character is either being blessed or cursed. Luke Emehiele Ijezie, in his paper titled: Called to Restore the Land: The Cultural Mission of the Servant in Isaiah 49:1-6, uses the cultural text of Isaiah 49:1-6 to describe the call of the Servant entrusted with the task of restoring the cultural identity of Israel. It is a text that promises a new life to a people disoriented by the tragedy of defeat and hopelessness. The article titled: James 5:1-6: Implications for Justice and Equitable Human Resource Development in Nigeria, by Prof. Caroline Mbonu, discusses social justice as the major theme, not only of the epistle of James, but also of the teachings of Jesus, Paul and other New Testament writings. She presents the background to the epistle and an exegesis of James 5:1-6 which exposes the harsh tone with which the author of the text condemns the rich who exploit the poor for their own ends. Relatedly, Paul Danbaki Jatau, in his article titled: Paul’s Apostolic Ministry (2 Cor 2:14-17) and the Ministerial Priesthood Today, analytically presents an independent letter of Paul sent to dispel suspicions about his honesty, integrity, and poor physical appearance. However, as the Corinthians themselves recognized, the marks of an apostle are the marks of a Christian. Another important article titled: Moving from Absolute Anthropocentricism to a New Humanism of Ecological Concern for the Future Earth’s Surface, by Prof. Ferdinand Anayochukwu Nwaigbo, calls for a new breed of young people, scientists and theologians that play new breeding role of ecological concern, which is not devoid of Theocentric-Christocentric-Anthropocentric substances nor dislocated from the organ of Christian faith, hope and love. Ecological concern begins in the family. In his paper titled: Christmas Crib: Its Symbolism, Spirituality and Rite of Installation, Prof. Patrick Chukwudezie Chibuko re-discovers the tremendous Christian values imbedded in the Christmas crib for fuller appreciation and appropriation into Christian living especially the values of humility and noble simplicity. These values emerge from the liturgical gestures of prostration and kneeling at the Crib. Emmanuel Chinedu Anagwo & Callistus-Mary Igemhokhai Ikhane, in their paper titled: “Pedagogy for the Celebration of the Word of God in the Homily: The Nigerian Spectrum, underscore that in some of the celebration today homily does not seem to enjoy the pride of place it ought to because of improper preparation of homilies on the part of the minister, as well as the inattentiveness and distractions from the faithful. Ideally, homilies should take into account both the Mystery being celebrated and the particular needs of the listeners. Charles Boampong Sarfo, in his paper titled: The Significance of the Three Great Pericopes of Year A in the Lenten Season: The Samaritan Woman, The Man Born Blind, The Raising of Lazarus in the Baptismal Itinerary of the African Christian, proposes these biblical passages as points of entry to understand what unfold for the elect during Lent and the essence of the liturgical rite of scrutinies in a three-year cycle for the Rite of Christian Initiation.

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, 2012

In this series of articles I am considering the changes Protestantism is experiencing at the beginning of the twenty first century and its implications for the future of the Evangelical movement in America. In previous articles I have presented a brief historical and theological background, description, and evaluation of the broad changes presently taking place under the Emerging Church umbrella designation. In this article I will identify the major levels where these changes are occurring and some of their implications for the future theological and ministerial task of Evangelical Christians. As we proceed, I will deal briefly with the nature and consequences of the changes experienced by the Emerging Church sector of the Evangelical movement. Specifically, are we to see these changes as a passing fad affecting the level of praxis (evangelism, mass media communication, music) where the gospel is packaged, or, as reaching deeper into the level of thinking (philosophy and theology) a...

Theology and Philosophy, 2015

a missionary communion 2. The Episcopal Ministry and the Church's mission 3. Synodality in the life of local Churches Conclusion in the Church but is not yet complete. The reception of Lumen Gentium is in some sense a path that involves a constant and dynamic work by the whole people of God, listening to the Holy Spirit. But let us make no mistake: the Church's task today, just as it was at the time of the Council, is not to reinvent herself but to keep progressing in her self-knowledge, to see clearly what she is before God and what is the task He has entrusted to her. Thus Joseph Ratzinger pointed out in 1965, that the constitution on the Church was intended to be nothing other than her point of reference for her future and ever-necessary renewal. 1) Today, in this era of new evangelisation, I would like to look in more detail at the refocusing that took place at the Council in the theology of the Church and ministries in reference to the episcopal ministry. The rediscovery of the specific mission of the bishop in the particular church entrusted to him and in the universal church to which he is called, as a member of the College in hierarchical communion with the Popea mission to preserve unitydid not go unquestioned at the time the texts were written. The extensive opposition to the sacramental nature of the episcopate and its collegial dimension came partly from a fear of compromising the primacy of the Pope or of weakeningalbeit in appearance onlythe dispositions of the First Vatican Council. 2) The protestants were also fearful that the emphasis put on episcopal collegiality would result in an even stronger clericalization of the Church and a depreciation of the presbyterate and even more so of the laity. Such fears may be justified when we read the following in a document written by one bishop on the anniversary of the

Studia liturgica, 2010

Unio cum Christo, 2017

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, 2011

Anglican theologian Alister McGrath describes Protestantism as a "living entity whose identity mutates over time." "In biological 1 mutation-explains McGrath-, small changes in genetic codes lead to the emergence of new forms." Postmodernity has brought about deep 2 epochal changes in Western culture and philosophy. These changes reached evangelical circles during the last twenty years generating a number of responses. One of them, the "emerging church" movement is gaining momentum, attention, and influence. Justin Taylor thinks that it involves a "significant shift" in some segments of evangelicalism. The 3 leadership of the Evangelical coalition and the future of the Protestant Reformation may be at stake. What are the extent and nature of the changes taking place in the emerging Church movement? Moreover, does the emerging church movement represent a minor evolutionary mutation in the history of 4

Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses, 2001

Within the Roman Catholic tradition and particularly in the context of an emergence and development of African theology, the theological reflection on Inculturation has been for the past forty years central to any development in systematic or pastoral theology. Inculturation has been defined as "the on-going dialogue between faith and culture or cultures" 1 , and as a theological concept it departs from what the sociologists have termed enculturation, understood as a cultural learning process by an individual 2 . Within a theology of inculturation it is assumed that faith and culture cannot be understood in monolithic terms. However, the process and the theology of inculturation "implies the affirmation, in practical terms, of the cultural identities of peoples within the universal church and the empowerment of these people to interpret and express Christianity differently in their lives" 3 . The term was initially used within the theoretical developments in the field of missiology 4 . Moreover, it became widely used by the Jesuits at the time of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and during the 32nd General Congregation of the Jesuits (1974-1975), as well as during the 1977 Synod of Bishops 5 . The term denotes a general characteristic of the universal and diversified tradition of the Catholic Church, that in the case of Africa had not been developed within the colonial period 6 . Such diversity had occupied a liminal theological understanding, by the fact that the Council of Trent had unified every possible avenue of theological investigation (doctrine) and the practice of sacramental life (sacraments) as a response to the challenge of the Reformers and the reformed Churches in Europe 7 . Diversity and experimentation were strongly encouraged by the Second Vatican Council in its document Sacrosanctum Concilium [SC] 8 . Subsequently, many

International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church

It is clear that interest in the life and writings of Cardinal John Henry Newman transcends the various Christian denominations and indeed extends beyond that. The Symposium held at St Margaret's Westminster on 18 October 2019 to celebrate Newman's Canonisation was testimony to this fact. This in itself is significant surprising given Newman's well known ability to become a focus of controversy and to be a sometimes polarising figure during his own lifetime -a trait that has been bequeathed to posterity as scholars and commentators have contended over his disputed legacy, even though the contestation in recent times has tended not to be drawn along denominational lines. Newman spent half his life as an Anglican and so it is fitting that his relationship to the Church of England should loom large in the literature and historiography in Newman studies and to have been a prominent element in the recent Symposium.