The Liberating Mission of Jesus and the Anglicans of the Tamale Diocese with Special Reference to St
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NORTH WEST UNIVERSITY (POTCHEFSTROOM CAMPUS) in association with Greenwich School of Theology U.K THE LIBERATING MISSION OF JESUS AND THE ANGLICANS OF TAMALE WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ST. LUKE'S GOSPEL by Very Revd Jacob Kofi Ayeebo, Dip. Counselling, L.Th, BA (Honours), MA. for the Degree of Philosophiae Doctor ~issiology) of North West University (Potchefstroom Campus) South Africa Promoter: Revd. Canon Prof. Gerald Hughes Co-Promoter: Prof. Derrick Mashau Potchefstroom 2006 ABSTRACT Over the past two decades the study of mission has become increasingly important as a pathogen in theology. This is because there has been a tendency by some scholars to place emphasis on the preaching of the Gospel of salvation and personal liberation fiom sin, on the one hand, and to emphasise the pursuit of social justice in order to liberate people from poverty and suffering, on the other; thus, creating a serious dichotomy in the Church's mission This thesis is propelled by a yearning for an holistic understanding and practice of mission in the Anglican Diocese of Tamale. Thus, the thesis explores the liberating works of Jesus, specifically in the Gospel of Luke, as a paradigm for mission in the Anglican Diocese of Tamale. The theological framework is St. Luke's gospel. In presenting the exegetical work on Luke's gospel, key themes emerged and were discussed accordingly. It was obvious that the Gospel of Luke is for the poor and that the nature of God's love is universal. Throughout the study, it is made clear that mission is an initiative of God that offers total salvation through the Church's mission and task. The Church's mission, however, is not only to communicate the gospel so that people will understand it but also, mission should aim for the transformation of people as individuals and as communities. To assess the work, four methods of research have been used: Questionnaires Interviews Document analysis and Observation study. The structured interviews and questionnaire were distributed to clergy, to some selected laity and to church development workers in the Diocese in order to ascertain their views on holistic mission. In addition, other methods were employed within the research to ascertain the relevant information related to the topic: visits to the sites of other projects; extensive reading and analysis of contemporary writings on Christian mission theology; and Christian development work. Arising from this, a detailed content analysis of the responses and documents are presented. Having established the research methodology, the thesis proceeds to explore the area context of the Tamale Diocese to provide the reader with some knowledge of the Ghanaian indigenous worldview, which can either facilitate or a hinder holistic mission practice. Following that, the history of Anglican mission in northern Ghana is examined. The research notes that socio-economic projects have impacted economically on the beneficiaries. However, political and spiritual impacts are minimal. Other strengths and weakness of the diocese and her projects are identified; for instance, working in groups, and the lack of programmes to draw the attention of banks to micro-credit schemes for women are identified as strengths and weaknesses respectively. Arising from the results, a number of critical areas that appear central to holistic mission are identified and discussed, with the hope of influencing the Anglican Diocese of Tamale mission work to be holistic in its mission work; for example, promoting the managerial capacity of mission practitioners as well as beneficiaries, their full involvement in community activities and the pivotal role of the projects' staff were all considered vital for effective implementation of holistic mission. The findings from the research showed that there are many areas of the Church's mission where dualism is practised. The most important finding was that while evangelism and social action are combined in the activities of the churches, there is little in evidence in the Diocesan community development projects that specifically promote or encourage Christian witness. In other words, there is little evidence of that deeper level of holism we have attempted to articulate in this thesis. However, there are also a few findings that do not support the central theoretical argument. Various reflections and suggestions are made that could help to enrich the Diocese in this vital area of study. The study maintains that the Church's mission task should include evangelism, as well as addressing social and political issues and speaking with a 'prophetic voice' on the same platform. The thesis concludes by stressing that life must be looked at as an integrated whole, where the spiritual, the political, the social and the economic are all intertwined. It is my hope that this thesis will serve as a rich resource to those who may show interest in it and to those who may wish to pursue further studies in mission in the Tamale Diocese in the future. PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A qualitative study always involves considerable work and illuminates experience because it sets out to understand and reflect how people view things in general. In the case of mission and the churches, this has been particularly true. Christians have always created a dichotomy between evangelism and social action, due to the different perceptions of mission. But any understanding and practice of mission that does not integrate evangelism and social action is far from being liberative. From this perspective, is there not good reason to recapture the message of Jesus in the gospels, especially St. Luke? The purpose of a study like this is to understand and outline the nature of the Tamale people's perceptions of mission and to examine these in the light of holism, as demonstrated by Jesus Christ. The thesis calls for a liberative understanding of mission and how individual Christians in the diocese are called to live it out. It is my hope and prayer that the thesis will prove useful to the Anglican Faithful and to people of other denominations, as we engage in the task of mission. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the James and Sylvia Beney Memorial Trust, which generously and enormously supported me to pay for the course fees. This research would not have been possible without grant aid from this source. I am extremely grateful to the participants who gave their time and who shared their ideals and beliefs with the researcher. Though there were disagreements and differences in opinion, they rather enrich the research; without them it would not have been possible. For the successful completion of this thesis, I am indebted to my promoter and co promoter, The Revd Canon Professor Gerald Hugh and Professor Derrick Mashau respectively and former co promoter Professor Faan Denkama, who painstakingly read the draft sections and chapters of the thesis, provided comments, drew my attention to errors and omissions and offered academic advice that has culminated in this final work. My appreciation is also extended to The Revd Professor Byron Evans for his academic guidance until his retirement two years ago, as well as the grant aid he secured to support this work. A word of appreciation goes to Peggy Evans for proof reading this thesis. To faculty members and staff of both Greenwich School of Theology and North West University, who have contributed in one way or the other to this thesis, I would like to say 'thank youY.I am also much indebted to the various authors whose works have been quoted to support the arguments of this research. Gratefbl acknowledgement is made to my Bishop, Rt. Reverend Emmanuel Arongo, for permitting me to undertake this study. Thanks to my parishioners for their prayers and patience while I have been researching and writing this thesis. Gratefbl thanks must also be expressed to friends and relatives both far and near, whose names are not recorded here, for their hospitality, prayers, advice and encouragement in this work. Finally, I must acknowledge the unpayable debt I owe my family. My children, Hilda, Martin, Michael-Leonard, and Benjamin, for several years have forfeited holidays as well as adequate fatherly support and care. There are no words to convey my appreciation and love for my wife, Rita, who sacrificed her own aspirations, and encouraged and supported me in this research. I only hope and pray that the work will prove worthy of her sacrifice. TABLE OF CONTENTS Pages CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION.................................................................. 1 1.1 Problem Statement .......................................................................... 1 1.2 Background of the Anglicans of Tamale ......................................................2 1.3 Aim and Objective of the Research ....................................................... 4 1.4 Central Theoretical Argument ..............................................................5 1.5 Research Methodology ..........................................................................6 1.6 Terminology, Meaning and Context .......................................................7 1.7 The Structure of the Thesis ................................................................... 12 1.8 Summary ....................................................................................13 CHAPTER 2: LUKE'S THEOLOGY OF MISSION .................................14 2 . 1 EXEGESIS OF LUKE'S GOSPEL ......................................................14 2.1.1The Universal Nature of Mission