The Nigerian Journal of Theology (NJT) is a scholarly, peerreviewed and fully refereed journal that publishes high quality research papers in theology including socio-religious issues of contemporary significance, provided the studies bring their fruits to bear on African/Nigerian life. NJT seeks for papers based on theological or philosophical or social science research methodologies. The aim is the search for truth expressed in simple but critical language for the benefit of wider readership. Precisely as publication of Catholic Theological Association of Nigeria (CATHAN), NJT provides a forum for theological, theoretical, and contextual analysis of Christian faith from the religious, philosophical, anthropological, cultural, social, and political perspectives, to say the least. The Journal is abstracted and indexed with Nigerian Journals Online, and published articles would appear promptly in Google Scholar. NJT is published annually before Easter. Well researched and original papers on topical and relevant subject matters, and book reviews are therefore welcome.
THE RULE OF LAW IN A DEMOCRACY: RECIPE FOR PEACE IN NIGERIA
The rule of law, democracy, and respect for fundamental rights are interlinked, interdependent and mutually reinforcing. These principles ensure peaceful and harmonious co-existence among persons in a society. The Nigerian laws provide for the existence and sustenance of these socio-political virtues. Yet in Nigeria, these principles of humanity are mostly honoured in breach. Nigeria is a country in search of peace. This study examines the features of these indices and relates them to what obtains in Nigeria today. It concludes with the fact that working for peace is a task for all.
Peace, Rule of Law, Democracy, Fundamental Rights, Nigeria
JERUSALEMA: ON VIOLENCE AND HOPE IN A NEW SOUTH AFRICA
South African crime epic Gangster Paradise: Jerusalema (2008) addresses itself to director Ralph Ziman’s take on post-apartheid private enterprise through the transformation of Lucky Kunene from a township boy into a slumlord millionaire. This paper foregrounds Ziman’s representations of violence and the religious symbolism of hope as the two essential elements for interpreting Jerusalema. Using critical discourse analysis, the paper argues that Lucky Kunene’s hopes for a New Jerusalem in post-apartheid South Africa, even though, given his background, the idea of what exactly that might constitute of is not rooted in any past that he knows of, represent for him a new beginning that he can initiate its violent manifestation in the present while awaiting its full realization in the future. The paper begins with establishing the place of violence in South African films and in Jerusalema in particular, drawing on film realism theory to buttress its argument. Then, focusing on Psalm 137, it assesses the religious symbolism of the film title and how that plays into Lucky’s hopes for a New Jerusalem.
Jerusalema, Post-apartheid South Africa, Violence in Films, Religious Symbolism, South African Cinema
THE ROLE AND PLACE OF SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY IN A PONTIFICAL UNIVERSITY/INSTITUTE
The article concerns the role and place of systematic theology in Pontifical University. The problem is that the value of Systematic Theology in ecclesiastical Faculties of theology had been strongly denied and mightily diminished. In point of facts, the absence of the light of Systematic Theology in Pontifical University has been the reason of darkness of the mystery of our apostolic faith, especially in ecclesial, secular and public life. The objective of the article is to demonstrate that Systematic Theology has a role and a place in a Pontifical Institute, using the method of correlation, and the methodological questions, which include, what is theology? Has Systematic Theology a role or a place in a Pontifical University? The argument of the article is that we cannot easily bracket the role of Systematic Theology in a faculty of theology and ignore its place as a unifier in the curriculum of theological studies in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Another important aspect of its role is that Systematic Theology sheds a great light on the mystery of God (a mystery which is to be approached through inquiry - faith seeking understanding). The article contributes to the flourishing of the greenhouse of faith in Pontifical University, by laying aside all fundamentalists' misunderstanding that twisted the meaning and Catholic origin of Systematic Theology in the early Church. Keywords: University, Pontifical, Theology, revelation, faith, culture.
Systematic Theology, Pontifical University, Institute, Role, Place
THE CONTEXT OF MARIAN MEDIATION IN THE LIGHT OF LUMEN GENTIUM
God is a Mystery. However, in Christ, the Incarnate Word, we have come to know God. The truth about the Incarnation, that Christ became human, taking up human flesh in the womb of Mary, is the mirror through which Christian faith is explained. This Biblically grounded truth forms the basis for our communion with God and our Christian faith. In light of this, this paper insists that the truth of the role of the Mother of God is only possible through the lens of the truth about the Son of God for whom she is the Mother and in relation to the Church that he founded for us as the universal means of salvation. It demonstrates how this relationship is the framework for her maternal mediation in the Church. Our study, done contextually and analytically, leads us to conclude that the best place to situate the theology of Mary is within the theology of Christ and his Church as indeed Vatican II’s Lumen Gentium does. Such an approach provides greater depth, context, and clarity to Marian mediation.
Mariology, Christ, Mary, Church, Lumen Gentium, Mediation
THE SON OF MAN DEBATE AND THE TRANSLATION OF HO HUIOS TOU ANTHRŌPOU (THE SON OF MAN) IN IGBO BIBLES
The Son of Man is an important Christological Title. The debate around this expression in the New Testament centers mainly on its meaning in its self-attributive use by Jesus. I contend that one of the principal meanings of this title relates to the vulnerability and humanness of the one it refers to. Igbo language has an expression quite close to this idea and that expression was largely ignored in its translation in Igbo Bibles. I make a different proposal regarding its translation in this paper. I shall trace the basic outline of the Son of Man debate in the New Testament in order to underline the Christological questions involved in the debate. My choice of a Christological import of the expression will inform the choice I make of the Igbo expression ‘nwa mmadụ’ as a translation of the Greek expression ‘ho huios tou anthrōpou’. My conclusions will also include a recommendation of greater attention to the original languages in local Biblical translations.
The Son of Man, ho huios tou anthrōpou, ben-ʾāḏām, nwa nke mmadụ, nwa mmadụ
THE MINISTERIAL PRIESTHOOD AS A PURE GIFT: BIBLICAL, DOGMATIC AND THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS
The priesthood is a cross-cultural reality. It is so common to nearly all humans that it could be used to buttress the fact that man is a religious being by nature. This is not different with the biblical conception of man. In the bible, the idea of priests and of relation with God occurs from the earliest chapters of the Old Testament. This idea is carried into the New Testament with a great diversity of language and modification. But the core of what the priesthood is remains. The problem is that modern and contemporary scholarship both in the scriptural and in the theological dimensions have seemed to take a direction that totally misrepresents the facts on the priesthood. It is boldly asserted that the priesthood of the Old Testament was homogeneously that of the whole nation or that of the family of Aaron alone. The various developments, nuances, distinctions, and specifications are hardly brought to bear on the reflections. The consequence is that when the idea of the New Testament priesthood is presented and examined, based on a few texts and a simplistic examination of terminologies, the full reality of a special ministerial priesthood willed by Christ and actually established by him is denied. But the reality on ground contradicts this theoretical explanatory scheme. The consequence is that the reality is reinterpreted in terms outside the New Testament itself and explained in terms of a heterogeneous development of a simplistic reality. This poses the risk of making the ministerial priesthood a totally human invention unconnected with the Founder of Christianity, Christ. This write up, seeks on the bases of a thorough analysis of Old Testament biblical texts, a theological interpretation of New Testament actions and gestures of Jesus, and a linguistic study of hieratic terminologies used in the Scriptures, to offer a reconciliation between the existent reality of an age old ministerial priesthood extant in Christianity and the more explicit use of the term for priests only for the common priesthood and the contemporary attitude of treating of the question with levity. The method is strictly biblical, dogmatic and theological. The difficulties include that the majority of the thinkers are not ready for a non-political theological correctness and that they would prefer a more democratic than theological attitude to the reality. The findings of the article is that a very dispassionate, logical and profoundly open attitude to the facts, will restore the dignified place and understanding of the ministerial priesthood to the image and consciousness of the average Christian and stop this current wild slipping of almost every one unto ministry in the understanding that it is a totally human subjective thing.
Ministerial Priesthood, Pure Gift, Foundations, Biblical, Dogmatic, Theological
REVISITING INCULTURATION THEOLOGY: THEOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE CHURCH IN NIGERIA
In clarifying the major issues that theologians need to investigate for the pastoral development of the Church in Nigeria, this article revisits the theology of inculturation. The essay presents a condensed historical excursus on inculturation, highlighting its roots in sacred scripture and the early Church. The essay shows how the Second Vatican Council’s teaching sparked inculturation’s acceptance in African Catholicism and its subsequent growth in Nigeria. This historical trajectory serves as the foundation for looking at inculturation tendencies among Nigerian theologians and putting forward an agenda for them. According to the essay, inculturation theology is an important theological task of particular churches that must be upheld through the vocation of theologian.
Inculturation, Culture, Faith, Church, Africa
EDITORIAL: THEOLOGY AND PRACTICAL ACTION
‘Theology’ as a word is basically about knowing God. After all, that is the etymological meaning of Theologos, ‘the study of God’. But one would completely get it wrong when one thinks of this kind of knowing in purely cognitive terms, as though knowing God could be restricted to some set of correct statements one makes about God. Studying and knowing God more profoundly inescapably leads to both love and worship. Knowledge, love, and worship are the inseparable triad of good theology. Thus, if theology deepens worship, then theology is inherently practical, that is, relevant to the everyday reality of being human.
THE NIGERIAN JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY, VOL 34 (2020)/35 (2021)/36 (2022)
Book Review: The Nexus Between ICT and Liturgy: Towards Consolidating Digital Worship in the African Context
Our time is agog with activities of human beings that are increasingly affected in form, size, content and time by the Information and Communications Technology (ICT). The result is that the benefits of the attendant information revolution are very well pervasive. Banking, commerce, contract, communication, publication, education, research, marketing and so on, are enhanced and facilitated by ICT and its applications. Recently, liturgists, theologians and religious scholars have shown huge interest on how ICT can best be harnessed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Catholic liturgy. While the use of ICT may appear evident, the profound links and the countless opportunities it has for the 21st century e-worship are yet to be considerably explored. The book entitled The Nexus between ICT and Liturgy in the African Context: Towards Consolidating Digital Worship in the African Context deals with the future of worship in Churches at this era of digital blast.
BLESSINGS FOR OBEDIENCE AND CURSES FOR DISOBEDIENCE IN DEUTERONOMY 28
This essay examines the contents of the blessings and curses pronounced in Deuteronomy 28 and their significance for the later history of Israel together with their implications for the contemporary community of believers. The blessings are given for obedience to Yahweh’s law while the curses are pronounced for disobedience. All these reflect the traditional morality which is founded on the principle of retributive justice. This states that if you do good, good things will follow you, and if you do evil, bad things will follow you. Although modern worldview is very critical of such traditional mindset, the idea is widely diffused in the Bible and forms the moral and religious consciousness of a majority of people. But one may ask, How were these blessings and curses realised in the life of the Israelite people? The paper will go further to explain the theological import of the blessings and curses together with their relevance to the contemporary African society. As a matter of fact, the consciousness of being under a blessing or under a curse looms large in the African society. Many fortunes and misfortunes are attributed as either signs of divine blessing or divine curse.
Blessings, Curses, Obedience, Disobedience, Deuteronomy 28, Bible
THOMAS AQUINAS’ INCARNATIONAL ‘BECOMING’ AS A MODEL FOR THEOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY AND CHRISTIAN SECULAR VOCATION
The teaching that Christ is both God and man is the foundation for our salvation and the leitmotif for traditional Christian theism. Nevertheless, it also presents serious logical difficulties and incoherence, especially in the context of identity. How Christ can simultaneously be perfectly divine and fully human is a fundamental problem. Yet without this foundational truth, Christianity crumbles, and faith is unreasonable. This work examines Thomas Aquinas’ understanding of the meaning of person and nature. Thereafter, it presents Thomas’ arguments on the union of the two natures in the single Person of Christ, using his ‘mixed relation’ logic explained by the hypostatic union. This paper affirms that, because Christ became human, human fulfilment consists in this new anthropological vision, not in a radical detachment from the concrete situation in the world, but a commitment to incarnate existence and engagement, to transform the world for good. The Thomistic Incarnational ‘Becoming model’ provides the model for how Christians can engage the world without losing their identity.
Christ, Thomas Aquinas, Incarnational Becoming, Union, Nature, Person
SCIENCE AND THEOLOGY: ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY DEBATES AND TASKS FOR TODAY’S CHURCH AND WORLD
A look into the past only reveals that the theologian's task is a neverending one. In the thirteenth century, St. Thomas Aquinas succeeded in making the Christian message relevant to the learned world of his day which had been so greatly influenced by Aristotelianism as interpreted by Jewish and Mohammedan scholars. But this is not the day of St. Thomas Aquinas; the modern mind is not prepared to cope with the modes of Greek thought he employed. But by the same token this is not the patristic period either. It is an oversimplification of the theologian's task to imagine that we can recapture the realism of that great period simply by exchanging Aristotelian categories for biblical categories. I submit that the problem goes far deeper. Since God alone knows the whole design of redemption down to its smallest detail, in every age, until time has run its course, scripture will be replete with senses and meanings that are clearly perceived or known only by God. Science is experimental, verifiable, and supported by evidence, whereas (the claim goes) theology begins in untestable, unfalsifiable, evidence-proof belief. This article aims to give some new perspectives on the current conversation between theology and science. My opinion is that these two areas of human research are interrelated, and their connection should be marked by dialogue and cooperation rather than controversy and misunderstanding. These two institutions will contribute less to the future integration of our shared culture and more to its fragmentation if such a debate does not take place.
Theology, Science, Dialogue, Truth, Vocation, Religion, Belief
DOCTRINE AND LAW ON INDISSOLUBILITY OF MARRIAGE
Doctrine and Law on indissolubility of marriage expounded the Church’s teaching that marital consent creates a perpetual bond between the parties which cannot be broken by any human power except death. It equally stated the resultant Church law which makes the doctrine binding on Christians who entered marriage. It found that notwithstanding the elaborate doctrine and law on the indissolubility of marriage, cases abound which revealed the non-observance of the doctrine and law and quite often the Church herself declare the nonexistent of the bond in many difficult. marriage situations. The paper tacked the aching question of how best to safeguard the observance of the doctrine and law on indissolubility of marriage. It drew attention to adequate marriage preparation, assertion of the legitimate power of the Church over Christian marriages, proper training of staff to avoid declaring marriage otherwise valid as invalid and grant of separation in place of outright declaration of nullity in most difficult marriage cases.
Catholic Doctrine, Canon Law, Marriage, Indissolubility
SYNODALITY IN THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH: A CALL FOR ECCLESIASTICAL DEMOCRACY?
One of the most important occasions engaging the Catholic world today is the upcoming event of the Synod on Synodality. While the Church has always had synods, the upcoming synod reflects on the nature of synodality itself. This particular synod reflects on the meaning and operations of synods. No wonder, it hinges on the tripod of communion, participation and mission. The synod emphasizes journeying together and carrying everyone along. The stress is on collaboration wherein the clergy, the consecrated persons and the laity are expected to walk and work together to achieve the evangelizing mission of the Church. Ever since the announcement of this synod, questions are agog as to whether the church is about becoming a democracy in the real meaning of it. This study seeks to understand the meaning of democracy in the light of the essence of the Synod on Synodality. It finds that the Church is actually a Kingdom and cannot be a democracy in the secular understanding of the political system as she is expected to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit as mediated by a hierarchical structure rather a majoritarian and popular perception.
Synod, Synodality, Democracy, Mission of the Church
SHARING ECUMENICAL WISDOM: LESSONS FROM ANGLICAN-ROMAN CATHOLIC COMMUNIO ECCLESIOLOGY
Is ecumenical dialogue capable of transforming the communal selfunderstanding of churches? Another way of putting it is to enquire if transformational experiences from ecumenical dialogue can help churches in their internal reforms and renewal of identity. The understanding here is that ecumenical reflections on ecclesiology are very critical for the goal of unity and also for the mutual accountability that theology should offer to ecumenism. This article, therefore, attempts to answer this question of ecclesial self-understanding by focusing on the lessons that emerge ‘from’ the communio ecclesiology of the international Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue. Additionally, it considers the lessons that emerge ‘for’ ecclesial transformation, exploring useful insights on how ecclesial communities could be positively equipped through such dialogical encounters for the purposes of internal reform and renewal.
Anglican, Roman Catholic, dialogue, transformation, communio, ecclesiology, ARCIC
“ITE, MISSA EST” AND SYNODAL CHURCH IN THE LIGHT OF CHRISTIAN WITNESSING: THE AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE
The Synod on Synodality calls for communion, participation and mission. Every Eucharistic celebration ends with the dismissal command “Ite, Missa Est” as a missionary mandate. In this way, it finds justification for the third dimension of the theme of the synod. Unfortunately, some worshippers do not have deeper understanding of the mandate. As such, they have not come to terms with the Eucharist as a springboard for the realization of the missionary mandate of Jesus. Instead, some in the liturgical assembly see Eucharistic liturgy only from the ceremonial point of view. Accordingly, the fruits are not seen in this missionary drive to go into the world to renew it. Consequently, the effect of the mandate is not very evident in the immediate community. With the aids of descriptive and analytical methods, the paper argues that at the end of every Eucharistic celebration, the people of God are sent out into the world to continue the celebration by calling others to the banquet through their Christian witnessing. Each participant, who has been fed and nourished at the two tables of the Word and the Sacraments, is invited and challenged to this mission of preaching the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
Mass, Dismissal Mandate, Synod, Church, Christian, Witnessing
EDITORIAL: THEOLOGY AND THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH
Theology literally means 'thinking about God' or Science of God. It is the Study of the nature of God and the relationship of the human and divine. Theology is theandric. The term ‘theology’ was first used in the works of Plato and other Greek philosophers to refer to the study and teaching of myths. Theology and Mythology coincided in ancient Greek understanding. Later, Theology as a discipline expanded within Christianity and later found application in all theistic religions. The four basic tasks of theology correspond with responses to these basic questions: (i) What is going on? (descriptive-empirical task), (ii) Why is this going on? (interpretative task), (iii) What ought to be going on? (normative task), and (iv) How might we respond? (pragmatic task). The ultimate goal of theology is not knowledge, but worship. If one’s learning and knowledge of God do not lead to the joyful praise of God, one has failed. We learn only that we might laud.
THE NIGERIAN JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY, VOL 37 (2023)
Book Review: The Institution of the Seminary and the Training of Catholic Priests in South-Eastern Nigeria (1885-1970): A Historical Evaluation
Prominent scholars like J.F. Ade Ajayi, Edmund Ilogu, Elizabeth Isichei, F.K. Ekechi, Kalu Ogbu and others have examined the shapes and contours of Christianity in Nigeria and Africa. Of these, only a few paid sufficient attention to church history in Igboland, and there is no updated, extensive study on the Catholic Church in this part of the world. Attempts in the 1980s by Rose Njoku, Frederick Nnabuife, Vincent Nwosu, Ikenga Ozigboh and Celestine Obi that focus on the Catholic Church in Igboland, have continued to serve as the primary sources, despite their limitations. In fact, the edited work by Obi, A Hundred Years of the Catholic Church in Eastern Nigeria 1885-1985, has not been updated till date. Admittedly, the book contains various interesting historical areas that are yet to be further explored despite being deficient in so many ways.
LAND-VIOLENCE UNHOLY UNION: A RE-IMAGINATION OF LAND THEOLOGY
Land comes across as a spirit. Conversations around the land motif have played significant socio-cultural, historical, political, economic, and religious roles throughout human civilization. Land discourse is often linked to human survival, history, identity, and spirituality. In Africa, in particular, land discourse revolves around beliefs and belongingness. The land seems comparable to a shrine where ancestral memories are preserved, and future destinies are formed. However, it sometimes incites violence and a ready-to-die attitude. Beyond a metaphysical emphasis on land, this article posits history-telling as a significant catalyst that spurs an intransigent attitude toward land acquisition, retention and reclaiming.
Land, Violence, Africa, Biblical Hexateuch, and History-Telling
THE RELEVANCE OF THEOLOGY AS CULTURE OF FAITH TO PROMOTE HUMAN SECURITY WITH SPECIAL FOCUS ON NORTHERN NIGERIA
Theology is a culture of faith rooted in the trinity, with its fullness of revelation captured in the incarnation. God the Son, Jesus Christ, fully divine and fully human places Himself at the centre piece of human history, becoming the best human security as Redeemer and Saviour. Thus, He said, ‘…I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly, John 10: 10.’ The unfolding of the messianic mission of Jesus Christ, wrought through the Paschal Mystery, sets the motion in tune of the relevance of theology as an instrument to engage Catholics, Christians, Muslims and Traditional African adherents to the reasons why He came – Salvation of the World (Jn 3: 16). We seek for this fullness of life within the context of human security in Northern Nigeria. By constructive and historize analysis, the researcher develops the time-line (1900-2021) to capture the perspective of education, religion, politics, and socio-cultural world-view of Northern Nigeria unfolding these indices or perceptions within the interpretation of culture as history, as cosmology, as faith, as education, as justice and as emancipation. Our search therefore focuses on locating the seed of conflicts in Northern Nigeria planted by crude force or by the exploits of the task masters as colonizers: the Arabs/Fulani and the British. The faulty line created by them that differentiates us (non-actors) from them (task maters) on the basis of ethnic differences, doctrinal faith or on the basis of classism. Our quest also will unearth strong issues of injustices that dehumanizes, subjugates and delineate the supposed dignity bestowed by God to every human person at creation that ‘we are created in the Image and Likeness of God’ (c.f. Gen.1: 26.)
FATHERHOOD IN PRIESTHOOD: BIBLICAL, ECCLESIASTICAL AND AFRICAN CULTURAL EVIDENCES
This write-up explores the role of priests as fathers and the unique effect they have on the people in the way male parent does. It gives biblical, ecclesiastical and African cultural excursus to this reality. These bring out the characteristics and qualities associated with priests as fathers, including their ability to provide spiritual guidance, serve as moral compasses, and act as positive role models. The emotional support and community involvement that priests can offer to the people as fathers are not neglected. Equally, it considers how priests as fathers can balance their roles and responsibilities, demonstrating the importance of prioritization and finding balance in life and in their vocations. Overall, this article sheds light on the significant impact that priests as fathers can have on nurturing the spiritual and moral development of the people. This way, strong sense of Christian faith, values, and service within the family, community and Church units are fostered.
Fatherhood, Priesthood, Evidences, Biblical, Ecclesiastical, African culture
DOING ECOTHEOLOGY IN AFRICA WITH CHINUA ACHEBE’S THINGS FALL APART
Although African and western literary scholars have explored diverse themes and issues in Chinua Achebe’s classic novel Things Fall Apart, there has been a general neglect of the theme of ecology in the literary work. This neglect is more evident among African Christian theologians who have mainly studied and analysed themes such as God, religion, morality, and violence in the novel. On account of the ecological silence in scholarly engagements with Things Fall Apart, this article explores the rich ecological motifs in the novel in dialogue with African and Christian theology. It argues that a rediscovery of the ecologically grounded and sustainable ways of living portrayed in the novel can provide African and non-African ecological thinkers and practitioners with spiritual and ethical resources for addressing the ecological crisis facing Africa and the world. At the heart of this article therefore is the new possibilities that Things Fall Apart offers us for thinking theologically about sustainable ecology and ecological harmony in the age of Anthropocene.
Christianity, Africa, ecology, theology, Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart.
CANONICAL IMPLICATIONS OF BIOMEDICAL ADVANCEMENTS IN PROCREATION FOR CHRISTIAN MARRIAGES IN NIGERIA
This article explores the canonical implications of biomedical advancements in procreation for Christian marriages in Nigeria. It is a statement of fact that an average Nigerian youth go into marriage with the intention, among other intentions, to procreate offspring. There is increased concern and anxiety among couples whose marriages are yet to yield fruits of procreation due to the sterility of one or both of the parties. Some of these couples, especially those who can afford its high cost, make recourse to artificial method of fertilization. With rapid advancements in reproductive technologies, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and surrogacy, there is a need to specifically examine the intersections of canonical norms and the magisterium of the Church with the biomedical advancements in procreation. With the aid of descriptive and analytical methods, while providing an overview of the legal and theological considerations surrounding these biomedical advancements within the context of Christian marriages in Nigeria, the article argues that recourse to artificial fertilization method can lead to neglect of some matrimonial obligations relevant to its validity. This article seeks to contribute to the ongoing discourse on the implications of recourse to biomedical advancements in procreation in Christian marriage in Nigeria.
Marriage, Biomedical, Procreation, Artificial fertilization, Surrogacy, Sterility.
RECONCILING DIVINE KINGSHIP WITH SECULAR POLITY IN DEUTERONOMY 17:14-20 AND CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL QUESTIONS
The biblical portrait of Israel’s political life is mostly coloured by the conflict between the religious establishment and the secular leadership. The text of Deut 17:14-20, regarded as the law of the king, attempts to establish a template for the relationship. The problem is that Israel by its nature is ruled by YHWH as a form of theocratic state, but historical exigencies constrained Israel to adopt the secular system of governance in the form of monarchy. The relationship between the two systems is riddled with many irreconcilable problems, which combine to explain many complex issues in the biblical account of Israel’s political history. This paper examines the logic of the text of Deut 17:14-20 and its function within the larger context of the political system in Israel. The study also uses the biblical perspective as a springboard for exposition of the complex issues in the relationship between religious bodies and secular political systems in both the wider world and the Nigerian context. The analytical approach is both synchronic and diachronic as both explain the meaning of the actual text and its motivations.
Kingship, People, Politics, Power, Priesthood, Prophecy
THE NAMES WE BEAR AND WHO WE ARE: A CULTURAL AND LITURGICAL STUDY OF NAMING AND IDENTIFICATION
Naming practices are discussed from cultural and ecclesiastical perspectives. A somewhat new trend here referred to as ‘affective names’ is identified and analysed. Affective names are so called because of their tendency to express a feeling, an emotion or wish of the name giver, and they are by definition names in the English language. Affective names are characterised as culturally 'surrogate' since they fit into neither the ecclesiastical nor the typical cultural tradition. Responding to a pastoral problem according to which affective names are sometimes contested as fitting names for Christian initiation, this paper argues that affective names are appropriate names, but for purposes of identification, their vernacular versions are encouraged for use during initiation ceremonies. The paper illustrates the need for liturgical identification by considering the way a 'seeming discontent' with the approval of the anaphora of Addai and Mari was settled. Thus, the paper demonstrates that seeming differences need not be taken too far. Finally, a new definition of Christian names is provided and its advantages are discussed.
Affective names, Christian names, Cultural surrogacy, Identification, Anaphora
INCULTURATION OF THE LITURGICAL YEAR AND THE SELECTED IGBO TRADITIONAL FESTIVALS
This paper underscores that liturgical year is partly anchored on the Scripture and conventions established along with history and tradition. In the spirit of the liturgical inculturation, symbols, postures, gestures, and rites may need to be adjusted in accord with the seasons of the year in the local Church. This is in consonance with liturgical norms, whereby local Churches could institute veritable feasts derived from their traditional and other established practices. Accordingly, this paper attempts to bring four selected Igbo festivals, of New Yam Festival, Iwa Akwa Festival, Ofala and Masquerade Festivals, into the liturgical year and composes euchological prayers (such as collect, prayer over the offerings, and post communion prayer) for these celebrations. Though the compositions are primarily intended for academic study, pastoral experimentation, critique, and eventual adoption as forms of public prayer of the Church, worshippers are to embrace them as catalyst towards holistic understanding of the liturgical year.
Inculturation, Liturgical Year, Igbo Traditional Festivals, Scriptures, Tradition, Conventions
This article critically analyzes Meta, a social technology platform, focusing on its thematic characteristics as a ritual platform. Drawing on Carey’s ritual model and incorporating Couldry’s media ritual framework, the study examines Meta’s distinct features and their implications for ritual practices regarding religion. By examining Meta’s ritual forms and their role in naturalizing sacred rituals, the analysis sheds light on the power dynamics and implications of Meta’s ritualization process within the broader context of its social technology affordances. It also provides some recommendations for a scholarly appreciation of Meta’s ritual relationship with religious communities.
Media Ritual Theory, Mediatization, Media and Religion, Meta, Social Media, Social Technology
EDITORIAL: THEOLOGY AND CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
‘Theology’ is the study of God and of God's relation to the world. ‘Worship’ is derived from the Old English ‘weorþscipe’, meaning ‘honour shown to an object’, which has been understood as ‘worthiness’ or ‘worth-ship’ in the sense of giving, at its simplest, value to something. Studying and knowing God more deeply (theology) should inexorably lead to worship. Knowledge and worship are inseparable fallouts of a good theology. Thus, theology is expected to deepen worship. Theology not only reflects and defines a belief system but also fosters the liturgical life of a worshipping assembly. This is particularly true since while the law of prayer fixes the law of faith (lex orandi lex credendi), faith seeks to be understood through theology (fides quaerens intellectum). Catholic theology is so practical that it must lead to active participation in worship. Divine worship is God acting to bring his life to humanity and to get humanity to participate in his life.