ELEGIES FOR THE PROPHET'S FAMILY BY CONTEMPORARY LEBANESE CHRISTIAN POETS

The study discusses elegiac poetry on the Prophet's family composed by Lebanese poets belonging to the Christian community there. We chose a selection of writings by four contemporary Christian poets: Joseph al-Hāshim, Paul Salāma, Raymond Qasīs and Joseph al-Ḥarb. The study opens with a discussion of the meaning of elegies as a human, social and individual poetic object, that has been cultivated by poets since pre-Islamic times. Next, the study discusses the reason why the Prophet's family has been the subject of so many elegies, namely the important position this family occupied among poets. Subsequently we discuss why Christian poets in Lebanon have composed numerous elegies for members of the Prophet's family, especially ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib and his son al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī, namely the fact that elegies constitute a unique human phenomenon that is in keeping with divine teachings, especially concerning the Prophet's family. The study uses both descriptive and analytic methods.

Emde, Coolen, dan Istrinya: Analisis Gender dan Relasi Kuasa dalam Pekabaran Injil di Jawa Timur (1812-1848)

This article aims to build awareness of the gender equality issues in the history of Christianity through historical research. The subject of the research is the history of missions in East Java, especially in 1812-1848. Therefore, this study employs an analysis of gender and power relations both through feminist theory initiated by Kwok Pui Lan and also orientalism theory brought by Edward Said in examining the history of mission in East Java on that period. The characters appointed as the research subjects are Johannes Emde and Coenrad Laurens Coolen, along with their wives and children. They are the pioneers in introducing the gospel to the Javanese in East Java, thus become the foundations of the Christian community in East Java. In particular, the life of Emde and Coolen are so intertwined with the history of the East Java Christian Church (GKJW). However, there is a gender gap found in the mission by Emde and Coolen. In response, this research is conducted to keep building the awareness of gender justice as the history of Christianity carry on.AbstrakTulisan ini adalah bentuk upaya membangun kesadaran terhadap keadilan gender atas sejarah Kekristenan melalui penelitian pada sejarah pekabaran Injil di Jawa Timur khususnya pada tahun 1812-1848. Untuk itu penelitian ini menggunakan analisis gender dan relasi kuasa melalui teori feminis yang digagas oleh Kwok Pui Lan dan teori orientalisme yang dibawa oleh Edward Said dalam menelaah sejarah pekabaran Injil di Jawa Timur pada periode tersebut. Tokoh-tokoh yang diangkat adalah Johannes Emde dan Coenrad Laurens Coolen, beserta istri dan anaknya. Mereka memiliki andil besar dalam mengenalkan Injil dan menjadi pondasi komunitas Kristen di Jawa Timur. Utamanya tokoh Emde dan Coolen yang begitu melekat pada sejarah Greja Kristen Jawi Wetan (GKJW). Namun dalam proses pekabaran Injil yang dilakukan oleh Emde dan Coolen lekat dengan ketimpangan gender. Oleh karena itu, penelitian ini dilakukan supaya terus terbangun kesadaran pada keadilan gender dalam membaca dan melanjutkan sejarah Kekristenan di mana saja.

Emerging Christianity: what do we know and how?

This article, the second in a series, briefly describes the main problems connected with the reconstruction of emerging Christianity. First of all, it is the scarcity of historical sources. They speak almost exclusively about religious beliefs and leave aside all other aspects of life. Then, it is the clearly expressed interest of both ancient authors and modern researchers to present a “rightful” and ideal picture. As a result, emerges an idealized image of such a Christian community that a modern scholar would like to belong to. A possible methodological solution to this problem can be found in the model of religious studies suggested by the modern German scholar Gerd Theissen. Concerning the practical method, one can suggest an analysis of the polemics as reflected in the early Christian texts, mainly epistles.

“We Are from Biafra”. Igbo Students in the USSR during the Civil War in Nigeria, 1967-1970

Drawing on the Russian archival documents the article examines the Soviet policy towards Igbo students who studied in the USSR during the civil war in Nigeria (1967-1970). They sided the self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra, Eastern Nigeria, seceded from Nigeria in May 1967. The USSR supported the territorial integrity of Nigeria, provided military and other assistance for the Federal Government in its confrontation with Biafra. However, the Soviet authorities took neutrality in the conflict between Nigerian Embassy in Moscow and Igbo students. They did not expel students at the requests of the Embassy as accomplices of the separatists investigating each case carefully, did not hinder the activity of the Biafrian fellowship. Since the dissemination of Biafrian propagandists production was banned in the USSR, they tried to reach the Soviet audience through appeals from Igbo students who studied in the USSR. The appeals did not include the main issues of Biafrian propaganda to the West: accusations of the Federal Government of the Igbo genocide by Nazi methods and the portrayal of the civil war as a religious conflict - a jihad of the Muslim North against the Igbo as the largest and most organized Christian community in Nigeria. The dominant thesis was about the nature of the civil war as a struggle of the socialist East, Biafra, against the feudal-capitalist North, the central government. The students appealed the Soviet officials to recognize publicly the legitimacy of the Biafrians aspirations for self-determination, to stop supplying arms to the Federal Government and to mediate in a peaceful settlement. There were no responses to the appeals, and they were not made public. Based on archival documents, the author established that the Soviet leadership reasonably feared that Biafra would become the fiefdom of the main geopolitical rivals - the United States and Great Britain. To prevent this USSR entered into an alliance with the federals. The calculation was to enhance the Soviet influence throughout Nigeria, albeit with a reactionary government, rather than support the progressive breakaway Eastern Nigeria (Biafra) and receive nothing.

Doing African Christian Theology: Some Non-negotiable Essentials

Missionary Christianity was introduced into Africa by Western and American missionaries whose theological framework shaped Christianity in Africa. Since theology is contextually informed, missionary theological formulations failed to meet Africa’s needs in many respects. In response, the African church began a quest for an African-brewed theology that is culturally sensitive and contextually relevant. For some time now this quest has engaged many African scholars; yet, no scholarly consensus has been reached regarding the nature and methodology for African Christian theology. This article contributes to the ongoing discourse by examining the emergence and development of African Christian theology and afterward, outlining some essential features that must characterize African Christian theology to make it accessible to and acceptable by the African Christian community. It is a literature research based on critical examination of related publications on African Christian theology. The article offers a model for contemporary Christians who are engaged in or desire to undertake theological research for the benefit of Christianity in Africa. Keywords: Africa, Christian, Pan-Africanism, Theology, Worldview

Global Catholicism: Diverse, Troubled, Holding Steady

The World Christian Encyclopedia, third edition, contributes significantly to our understanding of the contemporary Catholic Church, the world’s largest single Christian community. Although the percentage of Catholics has held steady over the past century, the church’s demographic center has shifted markedly from the Global North to the Global South. The encyclopedia’s rich country profiles reveal multiple key trends in current global Catholicism, including the challenge of secularization, the continued rise of the charismatic movement, the importance of migration to Catholic growth, and the critical if controversial intertwining of the Catholic Church with national identity, public life, and social services.

Ghanaian Settlers in Orimedu: Oju Ota, Gender, and Christianity in a Coastal Fishing Community

Orimedu was a relatively small coastal community in Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State before the area was connected to other parts of state through access roads and electricity in the late 1980s. This article traces the relationship of Orimedu, a predominantly traditionalist and Muslim community, with migrant and Christian fishermen from Ghana and from Togo over the past century or so. It explains that the Ghanaians were welcome despite their Christian identity because they simply adapted to the local religious landscape when they arrived and joined into the worship of Oju Ota, a local deity of fishermen. However, over the past three decades, the Ghanaians have established a Christian community which has been largely accepted. The establishment of Christianity was linked to struggles over the gendered economy of the town. When it was found that the Ghanaians spent most of their profit in Ghana rather than locally, the people of Orimedu insisted that according to the covenant of Oju Ota, the fishermen should no longer sell their fish as this was traditionally regarded as a female occupation. This helped the indigenous Orimedu community to share in the profit made by the Ghanaians. However, by the 1980s and 1990s, when it became obvious that this arrangement made the local women very wealthy, the Ghanaians sought to recapture some of the profit by inviting their own wives to Orimedu to act as fish sellers and traders. This led to a more permanent presence of the Ghanaians in Orimedu, and eventually to the establishment – and acceptance – of Christian churches in the locality.

From Concealment of their Faith to Active Propagation of their Faith: Afghanistan’s Christians and its Diaspora Community

Although Afghanistan is predominantly a Muslim country, the Christian faith has found adherents in the country. Prior to building a church the community gathered in a designated house to practice their faith. After a church was established members of the community, Christian expatriates and members of the diplomatic community attended religious services there. The number of Muslim converts grew over time and each had a mission to convert fellow friends to the faith. Muslim converts were careful not to disclose their faith to anyone unless they had full trust in that person knowing that he will not disclose their identity even if they did not embrace the faith. The situation of the Christian community improved somewhat during the constitutional monarchy (1963–1973) as the 1964 Constitution allowed freedom of expression and of association, etc. The community remained quiet and exercised caution in practicing their faith during the republic an regime (1973–1978). Political repression after the establishment of the pro-Soviet regime in April 1978 and subsequent Soviet invasion (December 1979-February 1989) caused a number of Christians to leave to the safety of Pakistan and India trying to seek asylum to countries in the West. In exile, Muslim converts become active in organizing themselves and propagating the faith through translation of Christian literature to the Persian language and making them available to their fellow countrymen.

Harag és agresszió a keresztyén viselkedéskultúrában

Anger and Aggression in the Christian Cultural Behaviour. One of the typical pitfalls of the Christian practice of piety is the image of the Christian man born of high ideals. The inner image of the perfect Christian hides man’s true SELF. The incorporation of sin-oriented theology, shame, and self-infidelity shapes hiding strategies in Christians. This is the reason for disabling impermissible feelings such as anger and aggression. However, spiritual bypasses that offer a quick solution pose a serious threat to Christian communities. Keywords: anger, aggression, Christian community, ideal, spiritual bypass

Envisioning an Ideal Christian Family in Republican China

Amid debates and discussions on the institution of the family in Republican China, foreign missionaries and Chinese Christians played an active role in promoting an ideal Christian family. This article investigates the three waves of prominent theological thinking that underpinned changing ideals of the Christian family throughout the Republican period: Chinese society’s encounter with the gendered ethics of the Christian community in the early Republican period, discussions of domesticity by Chinese Christians amid the social gospel movements of the 1920s, and discussions of domesticity during the National Christianizing the Home Movement. An exploration of Christian publications on domesticity points to a gendered perspective on women’s domestic roles as well as a male-dominated theological construct that attempted to reconfigure the notion of the Chinese Christian family. The discourse on the ideal Chinese Christian family had both secular and spiritual dimensions, shaped by the dynamic transnational flow of ideas and the development of local theological thinking.