A Theology of Public and Political Engagement

Description

The third annual conference of the Theological Society of Malawi was held at the Bing International Conference Centre in Lilongwe from 30 August to 1 September 2022. It was honoured by the presence of His Excellency Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of Malawi, who launched the Society. The conference issued a rousing call for theologians to be ready to engage the public and political issues of the day. The authors who have contributed to this volume, writing from a variety of perspectives, demonstrate how this can be done.

Sujets

• Political Science

Informations

• Publié par: TSM Press
• Date de parution: 29 août 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789996009235
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

A Theology of Public and Political Engagement

Copyright 2023 Theological Society of Malawi

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or other- wise, without prior permission from the publishers. Published by TSM Press P.O. Box 130, Zomba, Malawi

TSM Press is the publishing wing of the Theological Society of Malawi.

ISBN 978-99960-092-2-8 eISBN 978-99960-092-3-5

The TSM Press is represented outside Malawi by: African Books Collective Oxford ([e-mail]) www.africanbookscollective.com

Cover Design: Josephine Kawejere

Index: Hope Kaombe

TSM Press TSM Press is the publishing wing of the Theological Society of Malawi, which aims to provide a platform for theological intellectual engagement, support and coordination of theologians and institutions that are delivering theological studies within Malawi and even beyond. Part of its constitutional mandate is "to bring theological perspectives to bear on social, economic and political issues that present themselves in Malawi and in the world at large.” One way to put this into effect is through publishing the results of the work of the Society. Therefore, its first Executive Committee, elected by the first AGM held at the Ekwendeni Campus of the University of Livingstonia in September 2021, took a decision at an early stage that the Society should establish its own press. It believes that it has a distinctive contribution to make to Malawi’s rich theological literature, particularly through the collaboration of its members as they seek to strengthen one another in theological teaching and research. With a view to maintaining the highest academic standards, the Society has appointed an international editorial board and established a rigorous process of peer review for proposed publications. The Executive Committee are delighted that the following senior scholars have accepted their invitation to serve on the editorial board: Prof Klaus Fiedler (Chair), Dr Michael Biehl, Rev Dr Winston Kawale, Dr Fulata Moyo, Very Rev Prof Timothy Nyasulu and Prof Kenneth Ross. Conferences are a primary mode of operation for the Society but not the only one. While peer reviewed conference proceedings are expected to form the basis for some books, it is hoped that others will in due course be generated by a variety of research projects and literary endeavours.

A Theology of Public and Political Engagement

Edited by

Felix Chimera Nyika Mzee Hermann Y. Mvula and Kenneth R. Ross

TSM Press Zomba 2023

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Contents Chapter 1: Introduction: A Theology of Public and Political Engagement Felix C. Nyika, Mzee Hermann Y. Mvula and Kenneth R. Ross

Chapter 2: Black Lace Freudian Slip: The Malawian Politics of Privilege and Entitlement James Tengatenga

Chapter 3: "The Daughters of Zelophehad are Right in what they are Saying”: God of Justice, Narrative and Public Theology Fulata Lusungu Moyo

Chapter 4: The Relevance of Biblical Faith on Governance and Political Affairs: Why Christians Should Participate in Secular Politics in Malawi Mzee Hermann Y. Mvula

Chapter 5: The Church as a Civil Society: The Church and Public Engagement (the Case of the Church’s Conduct Before, During, and After the 2019 General Elections) Michael Pamfwiri Mkandawire

Chapter 6: Exploring the Interparty Conflict and Violence in Africa: A Case Study in Malawi Garnet Mpangashala Kibombwe

Chapter 7: The Untold Story of Blantyre Mission Girls’ Education 1876 -1994 and its Impact

Gilbert Phiri

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Chapter 8: Better to Light a Lamp than to Curse the Darkness: The Contribution ofThe LampMagazine to Public Theology in Malawi 1995-2022 Kenneth R. Ross

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Chapter 9: Navigating the Terrain of Ecological Theology in Malawi: Conceptual and Practical Considerations 179 Michael Phiri

Chapter 10: Conclusion: Towards a Public Theology Felix C. Nyika, Mzee Hermann Y. Mvula and Kenneth R. Ross

Index of Names and Places

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Chapter 1: Introduction: A Theology of Public and Political Engagement

Felix C. Nyika, Mzee Hermann Y. Mvula and Kenneth R. Ross

This formidable tome on public and political theology from Malawi is the fruit of the 3rd National Theological Conference, which saw His Excellency Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, the President of Malawi, launch not only the Theological Society of Malawi but also nd rd the book from the 2 National Theological Conference. The 3 National Theological Conference was held at Bingu International th st Conference Centre in Lilongwe from Tuesday 30 to Wednesday 31 August 2022 where we had 17 presentations including two keynote speakers on the theme ofA Theology of Public and Political Engagement. Our keynote speakers were Bishop Dr. James Tengatenga and Dr. st Gerald Chigona. Thursday 1 September 2022, saw the launch of the nd Society by President Chakwera who also launched the 2 National Theological Conference book entitled,Decolonizing the Theological Curriculum in an Online Ageedited by ourselves. Not only was this a first for an academic book launch but this also brought a national awareness of our much sidelined profession.

The nine chapters of this book offer a variety of perspectives and topics that will enrich the discussion of public and political theology in Africa and beyond. James Tengatenga fires the opening salvo of the book with a chapter that aims to unravel the ubiquitous but oxymoronic maxim that Malawi is “a God-fearing nation” yet the political scene is rife with corruption and other vices. In seeking to understand the contradictory words and actions of Malawi's ruling classes, he utilizes a theoretical framework that combines Sigmund Freud and Reinhold Niebuhr which underlies his historical analysis of the one-party and multi-party eras and culminates in five case

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studies. He concludes that embracing the biblical virtue ethics of love, faith, and courage will result in shaping a moral people and lead to Malawi’s flourishing.

Using the story of the daughters of Zelophehad in Numbers 27:1-11 who claim an inheritance in the patriarchal culture of the Hebrew conquest of Canaan, Fulata Moyo argues that women’s experiences and ethical values are essential to wholesome societal change and pivotal to enriching theologies of political and public engagement, respectively. She accomplishes this using a Contextual Bible Study hermeneutic and an intersectionalumunthuethic that feminist traverses gender, race, ethnicity, and class to draw parallels with contemporary Malawian women.

Mzee Hermann Mvula’s “The Relevance of Biblical Faith on Governance and Political Affairs” is an apologetic for Christian involvement in the political and public spheres shows that theology can be a catalyst for the renewal and transformation of these spheres and climaxes in five reasons Christians should participate in politics because the government: was established by God; has the potential of reneging on its God-ordained tasks of human dignity, rights, and freedoms; needs to combat systemic and structural evils; and, is best- placed to address crucial social issues which often require political solutions. Mvula’s chapter indeed argues for a biblical faith that is ardently buttressed by praxis in the social and political arena. It is a chapter in the words of Apostle James, “show me your faith and I will show you my faith by what I do.’

Malawian Pentecostal political praxis pre-, during, and post-2019 general elections is examined by Michael Pamfwiri Mkandawire in his chapter, “The Church as a Civil Society: The Church and Public Engagement (the Case of the Church’s Conduct Before, During, and After the 2019 General Elections)”. Mkandawire assesses Pentecostal clergy’s reactions in the politically charged period and uses a

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