The Coptic Church in South Africa: The meeting of mission and migration

Previously identified as an entrenched Egyptian community, Copts have propelled themselves into the greater Africa through two main phenomena: migration and mission. Copts have recast displacement to transcend powerlessness and loss by highlighting the sovereign opportunity to consolidate identity i...

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Main Author: David A. Ogren
Format: Article
Language:Afrikaans
Published: AOSIS 2014-07-01
Series:HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies
Online Access:https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/2061
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spelling doaj-1454695a901541e5b099f498c509f61d2020-11-25T00:50:04ZafrAOSISHTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 0259-94222072-80502014-07-01701e1e710.4102/hts.v70i1.20612320The Coptic Church in South Africa: The meeting of mission and migrationDavid A. Ogren0Department of World Christianity, University of Edinburgh, Scotland; Department of Church History and Church Polity, University of Pretoria, South AfricaPreviously identified as an entrenched Egyptian community, Copts have propelled themselves into the greater Africa through two main phenomena: migration and mission. Copts have recast displacement to transcend powerlessness and loss by highlighting the sovereign opportunity to consolidate identity in new contexts and widen the fold of the Coptic community, expressed through ecumenism, holistic ministry, cultural sensitivity and the presentation of the Coptic Church as essentially ‘African’. In migration, the Coptic Church creates identity through physical presence (church buildings), recasting the narrative (African originality), employing a rubric of sovereignty (agency rather than passivity) and engaging others ecumenically (gaining Orthodox legitimacy). Beyond reaching out to migrants, much energy has been devoted to mission by establishing institutions, including a missionary training department at the Institute of Coptic Studies and a Department of African Studies in Cairo. In mission, the Coptic Church extends its influence beyond migrants to include non-Copts and non-Christians through ecumenism, social programs and the presentation of Copts as essentially African.https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/2061
collection DOAJ
language Afrikaans
format Article
sources DOAJ
author David A. Ogren
spellingShingle David A. Ogren
The Coptic Church in South Africa: The meeting of mission and migration
HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies
author_facet David A. Ogren
author_sort David A. Ogren
title The Coptic Church in South Africa: The meeting of mission and migration
title_short The Coptic Church in South Africa: The meeting of mission and migration
title_full The Coptic Church in South Africa: The meeting of mission and migration
title_fullStr The Coptic Church in South Africa: The meeting of mission and migration
title_full_unstemmed The Coptic Church in South Africa: The meeting of mission and migration
title_sort coptic church in south africa: the meeting of mission and migration
publisher AOSIS
series HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies
issn 0259-9422
2072-8050
publishDate 2014-07-01
description Previously identified as an entrenched Egyptian community, Copts have propelled themselves into the greater Africa through two main phenomena: migration and mission. Copts have recast displacement to transcend powerlessness and loss by highlighting the sovereign opportunity to consolidate identity in new contexts and widen the fold of the Coptic community, expressed through ecumenism, holistic ministry, cultural sensitivity and the presentation of the Coptic Church as essentially ‘African’. In migration, the Coptic Church creates identity through physical presence (church buildings), recasting the narrative (African originality), employing a rubric of sovereignty (agency rather than passivity) and engaging others ecumenically (gaining Orthodox legitimacy). Beyond reaching out to migrants, much energy has been devoted to mission by establishing institutions, including a missionary training department at the Institute of Coptic Studies and a Department of African Studies in Cairo. In mission, the Coptic Church extends its influence beyond migrants to include non-Copts and non-Christians through ecumenism, social programs and the presentation of Copts as essentially African.
url https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/2061
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