ABSTRACT The problem of this study was that, although the SVD missionaries have been a major partner in the evangelizing mission of the Roman Catholic Church in Ghana since their arrival in 1938, their specific contribution to the growth and development of the Catholic Church in Ghana has not been fully assessed. The objective of this thesis therefore is to appraise the missionary activities of the SVD within Ghanaian Catholic Church, and also assess their relevance in contemporary Ghanaian C...
ABSTRACT Christian Faith Church International (CFCI) is a Pentecostal Church founded by an illiterate indigenous Ghanaian charismatic figure over three decades ago in Takoradi, in the Western Region of Ghana. The church since it broke away from a classical Pentecostal church, that is, Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), in the Western Region of Ghana in 1983 had experienced relatively some significant growth in membership and in expansion particularly in the Western Religion of Ghana. For some tim...
ABSTRACT Sacred spaces and their attendant pilgrimage attractions are prevalent in almost all religious traditions in the world. People‘s belief in the presence of the luminous or transcendent reality at places and the possibility of their interaction with the luminous through prayer rituals, do not only define those places as sacred, but are also some of the major reasons for pilgrimage to such places. Thus, the traditional notion of sacred places as spaces for prayer, worship and divine r...
ABSTRACT This study investigated the place of taboos in contemporary Akwamu traditional society. Its primary aim is to identify taboos which are observed in Akwamu traditional society and the philosophical explanations underpinning the practice of these taboos. It is also to examine how taboos affect ethical values in the daily lives of the people and their relevance in the maintenance of social order in contemporary Akwamu traditional society. A qualitative design and phenomenological approa...
ABSTARCT Masculinity, Decision-Making and Gender in the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) Masculine dominance at the decision-making positions of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana may no longer be the case unlike the indigenous socio-cultural setting. This thesis joins the conversation in the religious-social sciences about masculinity, decision-making and gender roles in the church. The research explored some literary appraisals about the theories and concepts of masculinities and other ster...
ABSTRACT Women in John’s Gospel played important roles in the ministry of Jesus. They contributed to theologizing and shaping the readers’ understanding of Jesus’ identity. Against this background, the research analysed how the narrator guided his readers to discover Jesus’ identity through the words and the actions of four female characters, placed by the author in key moments of his narrative: Mary the Mother of Jesus (2:1- 11); the anonymous Samaritan woman (4:4-42); Martha (11:17-...
ABSTRACT This study investigates the phenomenon of spiritually-induced affliction among the Ga people of Ghana. The Gas, just as most African cultures, believe that the world is divided into the causal realms of the physical and the spiritual. Based on this belief, they postulate that the cause of human affliction does not only originate from the physical realm, but also from the spiritual sphere. Events attributed to affliction emanating from the spiritual world are particular mishaps which ...
Abstract Diverse views are expressed about the role of the Church in Society and the relationship between religion and politics for that matter. One view is that, our world is God's world and the Church's role is not just preparing people for the world here after but also serving as the agent of making life better in the present. The other, is for the Church to concentrate on preparing people for heaven and leave the rest to the social structures of society. These views are further complicate...
ABSTRACT This research examined the nature of leadership in Charismatic Churches in Ghana, the influence of this leadership on governance and the resultant dynamics as these churches grew numerically and spread geographically over time. Among others, the complementary roles of Charismatic Church members to their leaders during the dynamics of leadership and governance were discussed. In addition, how leaders of Charismatic Churches developed their organisational and administrative systems i...
ABSTRACT Healing and deliverance has become very common and central to the activities of most churches in Ghana. The Global Evangelical Church (GEC) is one of the churches in Ghana that engages in the practice. The Church has since its inception in 1991 engaged in healing and deliverance as part of its theological orientation. This practice has been incorporated into the church with the aim of evangelizing people as well as responding to the needs of its members and the general society. Con...
ABSTRACT The eschatological teaching concerning Christ‘s return in the writings of Paul has over the years attracted scholarly attention worldwide. In Ghana, the rise of Pentecostalism and the popularization of apocalyptic expectation stimulated the discourse on eschatology as evidenced in sermons, songs, and street preaching. However, it appears little attention is given to the eschatological teaching with regards to social and moral transformation. Against this background, the thesis inv...
Christianity seems to be losing focus on violence and the Christian response. Therefore, this work sought for responses to violence found in the teachings and examples of Jesus Christ and His apostles, that honor the Godhead, are faithful to the Bible, relevant to, and redemptive in the context of violence; sensitive both to victims and victimizers of violence; are theologically healthy and give voice to the sufferers of violence. It employed the historical-grammatical method of exegesis...
ABSTRACT The dialogue between religion and science and technology has ranged for years. Science and technology has been seen as being oppose to religion because it depends on logical proof to all existence while religion on the other hand is based on revelation as the basis of truth and existence. They are therefore viewed in modern times as two opposing departments even though at the same time they complement each other. The role of the contemporary church is not only to help the congregatio...
ABSTRACT The dialogue between religion and science and technology has ranged for years. Science and technology has been seen as being oppose to religion because it depends on logical proof to all existence while religion on the other hand is based on revelation as the basis of truth and existence. They are therefore viewed in modern times as two opposing departments even though at the same time they complement each other. The role of the contemporary church is not only to help the congregatio...
ABSTRACT In Islam, poverty is considered as a very serious problem, and as such Islam recommends some strategies to address poverty. One of such strategies is Zakat which is seen as a mechanism to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor in Muslim communities. The system of Zakat established by Islam is to help the poor find means of sustenance through the proceeds of Zakat, be it in the form of annual payments or through granting them permanent financial security. In view of the above, t...