CONTEXTUALIZATION AND THE OVAHIMBA CHRISTIAN YOUTH
As a missionary to the Ovahimba, in north Kunene Region (Namibia), this researcher has discovered that although the Christian Church has had a presence for five decades it has not been able to establish roots in the Ovahimba community. In these five decades of ministry the Christian mission concentr...
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| Format: | Others |
| Language: | en-uk |
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University of the Free State
2006
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| Online Access: | http://etd.uovs.ac.za//theses/available/etd-09132006-103251/restricted/ |
| Summary: | As a missionary to the Ovahimba, in north Kunene Region (Namibia), this researcher has
discovered that although the Christian Church has had a presence for five decades it has
not been able to establish roots in the Ovahimba community. In these five decades of
ministry the Christian mission concentrated on teaching the children and/or youth about
the gospel. This implied uprooting the children from their cultural moorings and
introducing new and different moorings. Yet when family and friends challenged their
Christian allegiance they returned to their traditional life experience. Jesus became an
appendage to their ancestor-mediators. Jesus was just another helper. The underlying
worldview of the person remained the same.
The premise of this study suggests that mission belongs to God (Missio Dei). It starts
with God and it ends with Him. He desires to have humanity in His presence. Based
upon this premise it becomes imperative that the Christian community find a way to share
the Biblical message so as to draw the Ovahimba into that mindset. To achieve this the
thesis recommends the principle of critical contextualization that will enable the Bible to
remain the focal point of a localized Christian community. However, such localization
would need to remain within the local community yet be part of the universal Church.
This is not a dilemma but represents the oneness of the body of Christ. It is not a unity in
diversity but unity despite diversity.
This study therefore proposes that contextualization is vital to planting a Christian
Church within this community. To achieve a deep-rooted transformation the study
suggests a model of understanding culture. This model is then recommended to the
Christian community to help identify the Ovahimba worldview so effective
transformation can take place. |
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