scholarly journals The shepherd-leader motif as a pastoral model for a globalizing church

Perichoresis ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 87-105
Author(s):  
Nathan H. Gunter

Abstract The simultaneous globalization and demographic shift of the Church to the Global South has produced an unprecedented climate for theological work. Pastors and theologians are confronted with the task of developing theological systems that are faithful to the authoritative standard of Scripture, tailored to the increasingly complex needs of their local contexts, and sensitive to the ongoing dialogue of other leaders around the globe. In light of the increasing cross-cultural dialogue among scholars and pastors within a globalized church and a corresponding desire to encourage greater ‘diasporadic consciousness’ therein, this article presents the biblical-theological shepherd-leader motif as a primary metaphor for understanding the distinct nature and role of pastoral leadership. This article presents shepherd leadership as a robust metaphor of pastoral leadership by reviewing Scripture’s use of the metaphor and recent significant works on the subject. In the second section of the article, I propose a model profile of the biblical shepherd-leader based upon the insights of the biblical-theological review.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullahi Ahmed An-Naim

In his extensive body of work, Professor Abdullahi Ahmed An-Naim challenges both historical interpretations of Islamic Sharia and neo-colonial understanding of human rights. To advance the rationale of scholarship for social change, An-Naim proposes advancing the universality of human rights through internal discourse within Islamic and African societies and cross-cultural dialogue among human cultures. This book proposes a transformation from human rights organized around a state determined practice to one that is focused on a people-centric approach that empowers individuals to decide how human rights will be understood and integrated into their communities. Decolonizing Human Rights aims to illustrate the decisive role of human agency on the subject of change, without implying that Islamic or any other society are exceptionally disposed to politically motivated violence and consequent profound political instability.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 303-307
Author(s):  
Nadezhda Pavlovna Timofeeva ◽  
Yuliya Aleksandrovna Fokeeva ◽  
Lidiya Arkadyevna Fedorchukova

The paper deals with the specifics of interpretation skills development. The authors review the role of an interpreter in the act of communication, point out different aspects of interpretation, the success of which is determined by the ability for cross-cultural dialogue. As far as several sensory channels in the work of the interpreter are used, the necessity of special training of concentration, memory, thinking and oral skills and abilities is stated. Moreover the ways of cognitive processes development of future interpreters are described. It should be noted that a set of special exercises for cognitive processes perfection is given. The technique was tested during the training of third-year students studied interpreting. The paper contains a comparative analysis of results taken from diagnostics of both student groups training by the mentioned system of tasks and student groups training without this system. The studies carried out show that students training with special set of exercises focused on cognitive processes development demonstrate higher results. The data obtained can be used for further theoretical studies and for search of progressive methodical decisions.


In Dying to Eat: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Food, Death, and the Afterlife, Candi K. Cann examines the role of food in dying, death, bereavement, and the afterlife. The coeditors seek to illuminate on the intersection of food and death in various cultures as well as fill an overlooked scholarly niche. Dying to Eat offers a multi-cultural perspective from contributors examining Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Latin American, European, Middle Eastern and American rituals and customs surrounding death and food. The contributors discuss a wide array of topics, including the role of death in the Islamic Sufi approach to food, the intersection of Buddhism, Catholicism, and Shamanism, as well as the role of casseroles and church cookbooks in the American South. The collection will provide not only food for thought on the subject of death and afterlife, but also theories, methods, recipes, and instructions on how and why food is used in dying, death, mourning, and afterlife rituals and practices in different cultural and religious contexts.


Politeja ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (53) ◽  
pp. 257-270
Author(s):  
Marek Delong

The Position of the Polish Episcopal Conference on the Parliamentary Elections in 1991The purpose of this article is to show the position of the Conference of the Polish Episcopate on the parliamentary elections in 1991. In official pronouncements of the Conference of the Polish Episcopate on this issue, as well as in the statements of individual bishops you can find two common elements. Firstly, noticeable is the identification of the category of the Polish nation, Catholics and society. Hence the belief that the institutions of a democratic state should uphold Christian values and national. Secondly, the Conference of the Polish Episcopate harbored the misconception by unanimity Catholics in Poland in terms of political views. It quickly turned out that the majority of the population does not recognize the role of the Church as the subject of political life. Already in the early nineties, and especially after the parliamentary elections in 1991, there have been numerous discussions on clericalism and anti‑clericalism.


Author(s):  
Nikolay Yu. Grigoryev ◽  

The review goes into the monograph of the Bulgarian researcher V.V. Nikolova, dedicated to one of the most essential problems of modern human sciences — the problem of interaction and mutual influence of different national cultures. The monograph explores the processes of influence of Russian culture, primarily Russian dramaturgy, on Bulgarian culture. First of all, in this research, a new concept of establishing and development of the national Bulgarian book publishing was created. The author revealed the special role of Russian dramaturgy publications in this process. The special attention is paid to the translation issues.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Okelloh Ogera

Purpose: This article looks at the role played by agents: the people responsible for articulating and implementing inculturation in Africa. The article asks the simple question of are these agents useful or a hindrance in the process of inculturation? The article begins by identifying these agents then discusses the challenges they face in the process of inculturation. The article concludes by giving a way forward and that is an integrated approach in inculturation.Methodology: This study will review the available literature on the subject with a view to examining what previous research says concerning the role of the agents, that is human beings, in the process of inculturation. This was done with the main objective of examining the challenges that he agents of inculturation face, and concluding by exploring an integrated approach to inculturation, where all the agents are brought on board. Findings: This study found out that if inculturation is to truly take root in African Christianity, it must bring on board all actors, not just Church leaders, and trained theologians, but also the laity. All these actors also need to overcome some of the challenges that have hindered the prospects of inculturation which include but not limited to fear of syncretism, lack of enthusiasm by some Church leaders, answering the question of culture in a post-modern and globalized world.Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: This paper will offer unique contributions to policies and practices governing the attempts to make the Church in Africa truly African by proposing a re-evaluation of the way inculturation has been carried out in the past. This has tended to be spearheaded by professional theologians and some church leaders, neglecting the biggest constituency in the entire process, and that is the consumer of inculturational processes; the laity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (1 Zeszyt specjalny) ◽  
pp. 421-438
Author(s):  
Beata K. Obsulewicz

The subject of this article is the first pilgrimage by John Paul II to Poland in 1979. An analysis of his speeches delivered during this pilgrimage and the historical circumstances of the pilgrimage itself (the first pilgrimage by a Pope to Poland, a country with a socialist system at that time which promoted atheism; a visit by a Polish Pope to his home country shortly after his election to the Holy See; a visit to a Pope’s homeland other than Italy – a phenomenon unknown in the history of the papacy for the previous 455 years) allows us to capture its special character in the history of Poland and in the life of Karol Wojtyła / John Paul II. The Pope was faced with a difficult pastoral and diplomatic task, which was to fulfil his religious mission (strengthening the Christian faith in Poland and in other Slavic nations; showing the path of development for the Church in Poland; showing gratitude to the Polish Church for her heroic perseverance in the People’s Republic of Poland; emphasising the cultural role of Christianity in the world) and also to change the image of Poland in the world (while carefully avoiding any escalation of tensions between the Church and the state authorities and the influence of the USSR in Poland). This was accompanied – from a sociopsychological perspective – by his taking up the role of leader of the universal Church, a role which he had to learn, and, at the same time, maintaining the style of communication with his countrymen which he had developed earlier while a church dignitary in Poland.


Author(s):  
Hyo-Dong Lee

Confucians in East Asia have always dreamed of holding human communities together and constructing well-functioning polities in and through the binding and harmonizing power of rituals. Underlying their trust in the power of rituals is the notion that rituals constitute symbolic articulation and enchancement of our affective responses to the conditions of embodied relationality and historicity in which we always already find ourselves. This Confucian theory of rituals resonates with Whitehead’s theory of symbolism, insofar as the latter advances a primordially relational ontology of the subject by highlighting the hitherto neglected epistemological notion of perception in the mode of causal efficacy. As such, the Confucian theory of rituals offers a fresh cross-cultural perspective to understand Whitehead’s implied critique of the modern liberal social theories that are based on a view of human beings as atomized individuals who rationally consent to enter society.


Traditio ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 60 ◽  
pp. 279-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Christopher Levy

The popular portrayal of John Wyclif (d. 1384) is that of the inflexible reformer whose views of the Church were driven by a strict determinism that divided humanity into two eternally fixed categories of the predestined and the damned. In point of fact, however, Wyclif's understanding of salvation is quite nuanced and well worth careful study. It may be surprising to find that Wyclif's soteriology has not received a thoroughgoing analysis, one that would pull together the many facets involved in medieval conceptions of the salvific process. Instead, one finds some insightful, but abbreviated, analyses that tend to focus more on specific aspects, rather than offering a comprehensive view. The best sources are Lechler, Robson, and Kenny, all three of whom offer valuable appraisals. Actually, Lechler comes the closest to a broad view within his study of Wyclif, but well over a century has passed since it was first published. Needless to say, there has been an enormous amount of research done on late medieval thought since then, research that enables us to situate Wyclif more thoroughly within the discussions of his day. Even Robson's work is more than forty years old by now. And, while Kenny's treatment is comparatively recent at twenty years old, he tackles the subject only as part of a more strictly philosophical discussion of necessity and contingency. We will, of course, consider the views of each of these scholars in the course of this essay, the purpose of which is to offer a full appraisal of Wyclif's soteriology in its many facets. This means that we will first discuss the related questions of divine will and human freedom, and their impact upon his soteriology. Then we will examine his views on sin, grace, merit, justification, faith, and predestination, all within the larger medieval context. What we should find is that Wyclif's soteriology makes quite a lot of room for human free will even as he insists on the leading role of divine grace in all good works. Futhermore, Wyclif will emerge as a subtle thinker who most often presents a God who is at once just and merciful, extending grace and the possibility of salvation to all.


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