DOCSLIB.ORG

'Local Species' in African Soil: the Development of James Mckeown's

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
'Local Species' in African Soil: the Development of James Mckeown's Middlesex University Research Repository An open access repository of Middlesex University research http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk Tsekpoe, Christian (2020) ’Local species’ in African soil: the development of James McKeown’s Mission Models and The Church of Pentecost, Ghana. PhD thesis, Middlesex University / Oxford Centre for Mission Studies. [Thesis] Final accepted version (with author’s formatting) This version is available at: https://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/32995/ Copyright: Middlesex University Research Repository makes the University’s research available electronically. Copyright and moral rights to this work are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners unless otherwise stated. The work is supplied on the understanding that any use for commercial gain is strictly forbidden. A copy may be downloaded for personal, non-commercial, research or study without prior permission and without charge. Works, including theses and research projects, may not be reproduced in any format or medium, or extensive quotations taken from them, or their content changed in any way, without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). They may not be sold or exploited commercially in any format or medium without the prior written permission of the copyright holder(s). Full bibliographic details must be given when referring to, or quoting from full items including the author’s name, the title of the work, publication details where relevant (place, publisher, date), pag- ination, and for theses or dissertations the awarding institution, the degree type awarded, and the date of the award. If you believe that any material held in the repository infringes copyright law, please contact the Repository Team at Middlesex University via the following email address: [email protected] The item will be removed from the repository while any claim is being investigated. See also repository copyright: re-use policy: http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/policies.html#copy ‘Local Species’ in African Soil: The Development of James McKeown’s Mission Models and their Implications for The Church of Pentecost, Ghana Christian Tsekpoe OCMS, Ph.D June 2020 ABSTRACT This thesis examines the mission models of the Revd James McKeown, a British missionary who became the first chairman of The Church of Pentecost (CoP), Ghana. The relatively high growth of the CoP is normally attributed to McKeown’s indigenous mission models by some members of the Church. Consequently, any attempt to introduce changes in the Church’s existing practices is treated as heterodoxy by a cross- section of church members, who claim McKeown’s name as authority. The research identifies that the inclination to idealize the past and preserve implicit mission models for succeeding generations has always been a major source of rift among the generations in Christian mission. Although scholars have recognised this challenge, studies in the field of missiology have concentrated on foreign missions to the neglect of mission in multigenerational contexts. Using archival and ethnographic tools of qualitative research, and adopting a theoretical framework, which combines studies from the fields of contextualization and intergenerationality, the research argues that theology has to be done again for every generation, not for fashion but because people are cultural and cultures continue to change. To mitigate the rift between the generations in the Church, this thesis proposes an ‘Intergenerational Mission Approach’ (IGMA) as important contextual missiology, especially from an African Pentecostal perspective. This approach has the capacity to incarnate into the contexts of the different generations within the Church, addressing the deep-seated needs of the older generations and responding to the contemporary needs of the younger generations. The thesis further argues that the IGMA’s emphasis on context and social change, promises its potential to prolong the mission of the Church in Africa into the foreseeable future. This thesis is, therefore, a vital contribution to the growing body of knowledge in the field of missiology. ‘Local species’ in African soil: The development of James McKeown’s Mission Models and their Implications for The Church of Pentecost, Ghana by Christian Tsekpoe BA (Pentecost University) MA (Akrofi-Christaller Institute of Theology, Mission and Culture) First Supervisor: David Burnett Second Supervisor: J Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu House Tutor: Ben Knighton A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Middlesex University June 2020 Oxford Centre for Mission Studies ii DEDICATION To Apostle Professor Opoku Onyinah, former chairman of the Church of Pentecost for being a mentor par excellence. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Through the snags of my journey of writing a thesis, I have come to better appreciate the phrase ‘I owe God a sincere gratitude’, which normally appears either first or last in the acknowledgement of many thesis written by Christians. My usage of this phrase is in no way a mere formality. I indeed owe God a deep and sincere gratitude for keeping and providing me with grace, wisdom and strength to accomplish this task. Similarly, I am grateful to many mentors, friends and institutions, not because it is traditional to do so, but because they were there for me, assisting and guiding me to complete this work. I begin with, my sincere gratitude to my house tutor, Dr Ben Knighton, Oxford Centre for Mission Studies (OCMS). He has been of immense support, providing useful pointers and clarifications from start to finish. Furthermore, I am deeply grateful to my two supervisors, Professor David Burnett OBE and Revd Professor J Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu. They guided and mentored me throughout the research journey. I also thank Professor Wonsuk Ma and Dr Paul Bendor-Samuel (past and current executive directors of OCMS) and the entire OCMS community for their support system, which propelled me to complete this work. I remain eternally grateful to Apostle Professor Opoku Onyinah and his wife Mama Grace. They have been a channel of blessing to me. Again, the entire Executive Council of the CoP deserve my deep appreciation for granting the sponsorship and permission for my studies both at the MA and Ph.D levels. I am particularly grateful to Apostles Eric Nyamekye (Chairman, CoP), ANY Kumi-Larbi (General Secretary, CoP), Emmanuel Gyasi-Addo (International Missions Director, CoP) and Dr Alfred Koduah (former General Secretary, CoP) for their support. All the national heads of the CoP UK during the time of my studies and all my area heads in Ghana deserve my appreciation for their encouragement. ii I also use this opportunity to express my profound thanks to Apostle, Dr Lord Elorm-Donkor, principal of Birmingham Christian College (BCC), UK and his wife Mrs Joyce Donkor. Apart from providing hospitality for me during my residencies in the UK, they also encouraged me throughout the journey. Professor Jabal Buaben also deserves my sincere gratitude for reading through the work and giving useful suggestions. I do not forget Dr Caleb Opoku Nyani, Mrs Briony Seymour and the entire BCC staff. I am equally grateful to Charles and Josephine Prempeh for making time to read through my work. I am also indebted to the following Apostle Doctors: Daniel Okyere Walker (Rector, Pentecost University), Emmanuel Anim (Director, School of Theology, Mission and Leadership), Samuel Ofori and Ben Ali. Others include, Revd Doctors Quayesi-Amakye (of blessed memory), Justice Anquandah Arthur (He also read through the entire work and offered vital suggestions), Victor Zizer and Emmanuel Apea. I also thank Madam Grace Danquah and Ovr Jones Dwomoh Amankwah for proofreading the entire thesis. Additionally, Ovr Augustine Ababio, Elder George Danquah, Miss Rebecca Arthur and Elder Stephen Peasah Alamele deserve thanks. They were such a great family of inspiration. The presbyteries and members of the CoP in Birmingham District, PIWC Oxford and PIWC Wolverhampton have been of tremendous support. Pastors Raphael Wiafe, Kwame Antwi, Andrews Acquah, Emmanuel Danso, Enoch Adjewi and their wives deserve my gratitude for their support in diverse ways. I am particularly grateful to Pastor Elvis Nague and his wife Rebecca (Missionaries in Cyprus and Turkey), they were ready to assist in any way, including travelling with me around the UK to collect data for the research and also proofreading the entire work. Thanks also to Elder John Menlah Arthur and the entire presbytery and members of PIWC Sakumono, Adenta Estate Worship Centre, Royal and El-Shaddai Assemblies as well as Abofu Worship Centre, all in Accra. iii Most importantly, I am greatly indebted to my dear wife, Olivia and my children, Blessing, Dorothy and Christian Jnr. They provided great emotional and spiritual support for me during the rigorous times of the study. My mother, Salome Afua Kpingbi, and my siblings: Francisca, Samuel Marconi and Henry, deserve thanks for their prayers and encouragement. I am grateful to other family members: Justice, Emmanuella, Rita, Mabel and a host of others I cannot mention, for their supportive roles. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ............................................................................................................... i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................. v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Exec. Summary
    April 2010 Executive Summary NEWS BRIEFS, condensed version (for the complete news briefs, go to: www.lausanneworldpulse.com/newsbrief.php/1271/04-2010) AROUND THE WORLD: GoBible Traveler Holds Entire Audio Bible The GoBible Traveler is available in two new portable audio Bible editions: The GoBible Traveler and the Spanish GoBible Viajero. The GoBible Traveler is a lightweight, hand-held, portable device preloaded with the entire audio version of the Bible featuring over seventy hours of audio. It is offered in either the King James Version, The New International Version, or The Nueva Versión Internacional. (Assist News Service) CHILE: Speaking Hope in the Aftermath of the Earthquake As the nation of Chile continues suffering from the aftermath of the March earthquake, TWR was also affected as its partner office there, Radio Trans Mundial (RTM), sustained severe damage. The extent of the damage and what it may cost to repair are still being assessed. TWR’s Member Care Radio, in partnership with Dr. Brent Lindquist of Link Care Center, is responding to comfort the people of Chile by distributing a series of radio programs in Spanish for caregivers and survivors of crisis and catastrophe. (TWR) DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Major League Baseball Player Spreads Christ’s Love While the United States is gearing up for America's favorite pastime, a Major League baseball player is helping kids learn the game while also introducing them to Christ. According to Kathy Redmond of Compassion International (CI), Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals sponsors CI’s entire child survival program in Batey Aleman, a community of Haitian migrant workers who harvest sugar cane in the Dominican Republic.
    [Show full text]
  • Trilingual Codeswitching in Kenya – Evidence from Ekegusii, Kiswahili, English and Sheng
    Trilingual Codeswitching in Kenya – Evidence from Ekegusii, Kiswahili, English and Sheng Dissertation zur Erlangung der Würde des Doktors der Philosophie der Universität Hamburg vorgelegt von Nathan Oyori Ogechi aus Kenia Hamburg 2002 ii 1. Gutachterin: Prof. Dr. Mechthild Reh 2. Gutachter: Prof. Dr. Ludwig Gerhardt Datum der Disputation: 15. November 2002 iii Acknowledgement I am indebted to many people for their support and encouragement. It is not possible to mention all by name. However, it would be remiss of me not to name some of them because their support was too conspicuous. I am bereft of words with which to thank my supervisor Prof. Dr. Mechthild Reh for accepting to supervise my research and her selflessness that enabled me secure further funding at the expiry of my one-year scholarship. Her thoroughness and meticulous supervision kept me on toes. I am also indebted to Prof. Dr. Ludwig Gerhardt for reading my error-ridden draft. I appreciate the support I received from everybody at the Afrika-Abteilung, Universität Hamburg, namely Dr. Roland Kießling, Theda Schumann, Dr. Jutta Becher, Christiane Simon, Christine Pawlitzky and the institute librarian, Frau Carmen Geisenheyner. Professors Myers-Scotton, Kamwangamalu, Clyne and Auer generously sent me reading materials whenever I needed them. Thank you Dr. Irmi Hanak at Afrikanistik, Vienna, Ndugu Abdulatif Abdalla of Leipzig and Bi. Sauda Samson of Hamburg. I thank the DAAD for initially funding my stay in Deutschland. Professors Miehe and Khamis of Bayreuth must be thanked for their selfless support. I appreciate the kind support I received from the Akademisches Auslandsamt, University of Hamburg.
    [Show full text]
  • Mapping Mission As Translation with Reference to Michael Polanyi's
    Middlesex University Research Repository An open access repository of Middlesex University research http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk Haney, Richard L. (2014) Mapping mission as translation with reference to Michael Polanyi’s heuristic philosophy. PhD thesis, Middlesex University. [Thesis] Final accepted version (with author’s formatting) This version is available at: https://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/13666/ Copyright: Middlesex University Research Repository makes the University’s research available electronically. Copyright and moral rights to this work are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners unless otherwise stated. The work is supplied on the understanding that any use for commercial gain is strictly forbidden. A copy may be downloaded for personal, non-commercial, research or study without prior permission and without charge. Works, including theses and research projects, may not be reproduced in any format or medium, or extensive quotations taken from them, or their content changed in any way, without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). They may not be sold or exploited commercially in any format or medium without the prior written permission of the copyright holder(s). Full bibliographic details must be given when referring to, or quoting from full items including the author’s name, the title of the work, publication details where relevant (place, publisher, date), pag- ination, and for theses or dissertations the awarding institution, the degree type awarded, and the date of the award. If you believe that any material held in the repository infringes copyright law, please contact the Repository Team at Middlesex University via the following email address: [email protected] The item will be removed from the repository while any claim is being investigated.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 the Impact of African Traditional Religious
    The Impact of African Traditional Religious Beliefs and Cultural Values on Christian- Muslim Relations in Ghana from 1920 through the Present: A Case Study of Nkusukum-Ekumfi-Enyan area of the Central Region. Submitted by Francis Acquah to the University of Exeter as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Theology in December 2011 This thesis is available for library use on the understanding that it is copy right material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any university. Signature………………………………………………………. 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT My first and foremost gratitude goes to my academic advisors Prof. Emeritus Mahmoud Ayoub (Hartford Seminary, US) and Prof. Robert Gleave (IAIS, University of Exeter) for their untiring efforts and patience that guided me through this study. In this respect I, also, wish to thank my brother and friend, Prof. John D. K. Ekem, who as a Ghanaian and someone familiar with the background of this study, read through the work and offered helpful suggestions. Studying as a foreign student in the US and the UK could not have been possible without the generous financial support from the Scholarship Office of the Global Ministries, United Methodist Church, USA and some churches in the US, notably, the First Presbyterian Church, Geneseo, NY and the First Presbyterian Church, Fairfield, CT. In this regard, Lisa Katzenstein, the administrator of the Scholarship Office of the Global Ministries (UMC) and Prof.
    [Show full text]
  • The Church of Pentecost General Headquarters
    THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST GENERAL HEADQUARTERS Founder: Rev. James McKeown Office of the Chairman P. O. Box 2194 Accra - Ghana Our Ref: COP/CO/VOL.35/0610/18 Tel/Fax: 233-302-772193 May 04, 2018 ALL ASSEMBLIES THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST WORLDWIDE Dearly Beloved, We thank the Lord God Almighty for seeing us through the 43rd Session of the General Council Meetings held at the Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa Fetteh, under the theme, “Remain in Christ and in His Basic Message” (1 John 2:24-25). The Lord spoke to us in diverse ways and His awesome presence was manifested in our midst through the ministration of His word, various prophecies and songs. He has promised to be with us and grant us the grace needed to remain in Him and in His basic message. To Him alone be the glory and honour now and forevermore. Below are some of the decisions that were taken during the meetings: Dedication of Police Station Complex at the Pentecost Convention Centre By the grace of God, the ultra-modern Police Station Complex that has been constructed at the Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa Fetteh was dedicated to the Lord on Wednesday, May 2, 2018. The facility was commissioned by the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and assisted by the Inspector General of Police, David Asante Appeatu. Election of Chairman Apostle Eric Nyamekye has been elected Chairman of The Church of Pentecost to replace Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah who has completed two terms of meritorious and dedicated service.
    [Show full text]
  • The Early Apostolics and the Trinity
    Chapter 3 The Early Apostolics and the Trinity The Tenets of the Apostolic Church begin with the Trinity (a feature which curiously sets them apart from most other evangelical and Pentecostal state- ments of faith).1 While most other evangelical and Pentecostal movements commence their doctrinal statements with reference to Scripture, the Tenets do not mention Scripture until the eighth position (between the Sacraments and Church government, and thus firmly within the context of ecclesiology). This primacy of the Trinity in the order of the Tenets was not accidental. Rath- er, the early leaders of the Apostolic Church were making clear their firm belief that the doctrine of the Trinity was the doctrine upon which all others rest and from which all others derive their meaning. Hence, unsurprisingly, some of these early leaders devoted significant reflection to the doctrine of the Trinity. 3.1 D.P. Williams and Thomas Rees: The Trinity and the Trinitarian Undergirding of All Theology In 1939 D.P. Williams wrote a two-volume work entitled The Trinity.2 The draft was intended as the first in a series exploring the Tenets of the Apostolic Church. However, due to the outbreak of war, it was never published, and when, after the war and ensuing paper shortages concluded, a series of works on the Tenets was finally published, the volumes included in the series were much less substantial. In fact, these works were not published until after the death of Williams, and thus without any contribution from his pen. When a volume on the Trinity was eventually published in the series of ‘Te- net Booklets’, it was a very short work by Thomas Rees.3 However, this work by 1 The statements of faith of the Elim Pentecostal Church and AoG (the other two indigenous British Pentecostal denominations) both commence with a statement on Scripture.
    [Show full text]
  • In Remembrance of the Late Professor Dr. Kwame Bediako Member of the Advisory Board of Exchange 1996-2008
    Exchange 37 (2008) 387-389 www.brill.nl/exch In Remembrance of the Late Professor Dr. Kwame Bediako Member of the Advisory Board of Exchange 1996-2008 Professor Dr. Cephas Omenyo Dept. for the Study of Religions, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana Th e untimely demise of the Rever- end Professor Doctor Kwame Bedi- ako is a great loss for Africa, the Church, and the academy. Th is loss brings to mind the Akan proverb which says: Nea onipa pe na owu nso pe (What man likes, death also likes). We mourn a truly famous man, whose life and work will be celebrated and recounted for a long time to come. Born on 7 July 1945, Kwame Bediako had his basic education in Ghana. He graduated with a Bach- elor of Arts at the University of Ghana, Legon in French. He pursed Masters and Doctoral degrees in French and French African Literature at the University of Bordeaux, France, in the late 1960s. While in France he had a dramatic experience with Christ which saw him being converted from atheism to a fervent Christian life. Th is experience led him to the conviction that intel- lectual life without Christ was futile. Consequently, he decided to spend his life in Christian ministry as a scholar. He therefore started formal theological studies at the London School of Th eology from 1973 to 1976. In 1978, he off ered for the ordained ministry of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana. Directly afterwards, with permission of the church, he proceeded © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2008 DOI: 10.1163/157254308X355372 388 Obituary / Exchange 37 (2008) 387-389 to Aberdeen, Scotland, to pursue doctoral studies in Th eology with Professor Andrew Walls.
    [Show full text]
  • ECFG-DRC-2020R.Pdf
    ECFG About this Guide This guide is designed to prepare you to deploy to culturally t complex environments and achieve mission objectives. The he fundamental information contained within will help you understand the cultural dimension of your assigned location and gain skills necessary for success. Democratic Republicof The guide consists of 2 parts: Part 1 introduces “Culture General,” the foundational knowledge you need to operate effectively in any global environment. Part 2 presents “Culture Specific” the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), focusing on unique cultural features of the DRC’s society and is designed to complement other pre-deployment training. It applies culture-general concepts to help increase your knowledge of your assigned deployment location (Photo courtesy of IRIN © Siegfried Modola). the For further information, visit the Air Force Culture and Language Center (AFCLC) website at www.airuniversity.af.edu/AFCLC/ or contact Congo AFCLC’s Region Team at [email protected]. Disclaimer: All text is the property of the AFCLC and may not be modified by a change in title, content, or labeling. It may be reproduced in its current format with the expressed permission of the AFCLC. All photography is a courtesy of the US government, Wikimedia, and other sources as indicated. GENERAL CULTURE CULTURE PART 1 – CULTURE GENERAL What is Culture? Fundamental to all aspects of human existence, culture shapes the way humans view life and functions as a tool we use to adapt to our social and physical environments. A culture is the sum of all of the beliefs, values, behaviors, and symbols that have meaning for a society.
    [Show full text]
  • The Studio Museum in Harlem Magazine Summer/Fall 2015 Studio Magazine Board of Trustees This Issue of Studio Is Underwritten, Editor-In-Chief Raymond J
    The Studio Museum in Harlem Magazine Summer/Fall 2015 Studio magazine Board of Trustees This issue of Studio is underwritten, Editor-in-Chief Raymond J. McGuire, Chairman in part, with support from Elizabeth Gwinn Carol Sutton Lewis, Vice-Chair Rodney M. Miller, Treasurer Creative Director The Studio Museum in Harlem is sup- Thelma Golden Dr. Anita Blanchard ported, in part, with public funds provided Jacqueline L. Bradley Managing Editor by the following government agencies and Valentino D. Carlotti Dana Liss elected representatives: Kathryn C. Chenault Joan S. Davidson Copy Editor The New York City Department of Cultural Gordon J. Davis, Esq. Samir S. Patel Aairs; New York State Council on the Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Arts, a state agency; National Endowment Design Sandra Grymes for the Arts; the New York City Council; Pentagram Arthur J. Humphrey Jr. and the Manhattan Borough President. George L. Knox Printing Nancy L. Lane Allied Printing Services The Studio Museum in Harlem is deeply Dr. Michael L. Lomax grateful to the following institutional do- Original Design Concept Bernard I. Lumpkin nors for their leadership support: 2X4, Inc. Dr. Amelia Ogunlesi Ann G. Tenenbaum Studio is published two times a year Bloomberg Philanthropies John T. Thompson by The Studio Museum in Harlem, Booth Ferris Foundation Reginald Van Lee 144 W. 125th St., New York, NY 10027. Ed Bradley Family Foundation The Ralph and Fanny Ellison Hon. Bill de Blasio, ex-oicio Copyright ©2015 Studio magazine. Charitable Trust Hon. Tom Finkelpearl, ex-oicio Ford Foundation All rights, including translation into other The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation languages, are reserved by the publisher.
    [Show full text]
  • 16. Eschatology
    16. Eschatology 16.1. INTRODUCTION The Sunbogeum church borrowed its eschatology from the American Assemblies of God. Therefore, it shares the same theological outlook with that of pentecostalism in general.1 The article of the Korean Assemblies of God, which is contained in its constitution, writes of the hope for rapture, the millennium, the lake of fire, and the new heaven and new earth.2 However, seeing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as the Latter Rain which has to do with the harvest, and holding pretribulationism and antinomianism in connection with eschatology, Sunbogeum eschatology has a more urgent motivation for world evangelization/mission than pentecostalism generally has.3 Jan A. B. Jongeneel, who discusses eschatology in relation to missiology, coined the term ‘missionary eschatology.’4 Sunbogeum eschatology can also be understood as a missionary eschatology even though it does not label itself as such. There are two currents of thought when discussing eschatology in Sunbogeum- ism. One is Yonggi Cho’s teaching about the last days expressed in his book of collected sermons on the A Commentary on Daniel for Laymen and the A Commentary on the Revelation to John for Laymen (both published in 1976). The other is the theological discussion of eschatology from a pentecostal view produced by the International Theological Institute at Yoido Sunbogeum Church and by Jeong-Ryeol Pak. These two different trends of Korean Sunbogeumism (Cho’s Bible-interpreting radical Sunbogeumism and theologically-considered classical pentecostalism of same Sunbogeumists)5 are especially highlighted in the subject of eschatology. We will discuss the latter as a criticism of Cho’s eschatology because his radical view discloses both strengths and weakness in pentecostal eschatology.
    [Show full text]
  • The Roots of African Theology
    with the Vatican than with Protestant evangelicals. We should be If we should miss or dismiss the promise and the presence grateful for the many contacts between the WCC and the Roman of the crucified and risen Lord in the continuation of missionary Catholic Church during and after Vatican Council II, but it is likely work, our task would be a lost cause, a meaningless enterprise. that the official trend in the Vatican in the 1990s will continue We would make concessions to the professional pessimists who more in the direction of counter-reformation than co-reformation. think it is their task to spread alarm and defeatism. But within We should certainly continue official contacts with the Vatican, the light of the Lord's promise and presence, the continuation of but on the national, regional, and continental levels we should the church's mission in the last decade of this century will not strengthen our relations with those groups within the Roman be a lost cause or a meaningless enterprise, since we know that Catholic Church that, in spite of heavy pressure from the Vatican, in the Lord our labor cannot be in vain. are still moving in the direction of a co-reformation. Mission in the 1990s needs Christians and churches that work in the spirit of the document "Mission and Evangelism: An Notes ----------------­ Ecumenical Affirmation." Our task now is to put flesh on the spirit of that document, in our words and deeds. 1. Harvey Cox, "Many Mansions or One Way? The Crisis in Interfaith Dialogue," Christian Century, August 17-24, 1988, pp.
    [Show full text]
  • Ghanaian Appropriation of Wesleyan Theology in Mission 1961-2000
    Casely B. Essamuah © 2004. Not to be modified, reproduced, transmitted, published or otherwise made available in whole or in part without the prior written consent of the author. For further details see file: copyright notes. Methodist Missionary Society History Project November 25-26, 2003 Sarum College, Salisbury. United Kingdom Ghanaian Appropriation of Wesleyan Theology in Mission 1961-2000 Casely B. Essamuah, [email protected]. Abstract: The historiography on African Christianity has tended to emphasize two facets: the role of western missionaries and the continuing growth of African Independent Churches. In more recent times, the explosive revival of Pentecostalism has attracted attention. What is lacking is an in-depth study of mainline, missions-founded churches, which have integrated the strengths of western missions, African Independency and Pentecostalism. This study uses the post-missionary era of the Methodist Church, Ghana, 1961-2000, to examine how Ghanaian Methodists have appropriated Wesleyan theology in their mission endeavors. Special attention is given to liturgical renewal, especially the use of ebibindwom (sacred lyrics) and the dynamics of ethnicity in missions in Ghana during this period. The Methodist Church, Ghana, began as an indigenous initiative in 1831 with a Fante Bible Class in Cape Coast before Wesleyan missionaries joined them in 1835. Tracing its growth through the ministries of Thomas Birch Freeman, the Nananom Mpow incident, the effect of the William Wade Harris and the Sampson Oppong revivals, this study asserts that the Methodist Church, Ghana had a decisive indigenous beginning. Is the Methodist Church, Ghana, therefore an indigenous church? Would it have been so if the MMS missionaries had not been part of it? What is the role of Ghanaian Methodism in the political evolution of Ghana? What do Ghanaians think of present-day Methodism? These and other questions would be addressed in this paper and thus offer a more comprehensive understanding of African Christianity.
    [Show full text]