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The main topic of this book is the tendency among young people in East Africa to turn from the traditional Church towards new charismatic movements such as the Balokole, which emphasise material over spiritual wealth. The book will examine the reasons for this and its possible effects; it will consider the implications for the Church and possible action to take. The book is divided into 9 chapters. Chapter 1 gives an overview of the history of the Christian Church, especially in the context of its commitment or otherwise to fighting poverty, and other problems which have contributed to the rise of the Balokole. Ideas on unity, catholicity and holiness are discussed in relation to the Church’s duties, especially the Apostolic tradition of carrying on Christ’s mission. Chapter 2 turns to young people’s views of the Church and its role. It argues that love, the basis of the Christian message, must imply a practical duty of care; and considers whether the Church’s failure to offer real help is connected with young people’s growing preference for non-traditional religion. It also looks at other problems such as family breakdown and unemployment, which are facing young people. Chapter 3 explores the Balokole movement and its links (or, mainly, absence of links) to established Churches. Its similarity to American movements such as Word of Faith is considered, and its message of ‘prosperity teaching’ is examined. As well as criticising Balokole distortion of Biblical messages about wealth and other matters, the chapter praises the way it incorporates traditional African elements, such as dance and music, into its worship. Should the traditional Church consider doing the same? In Chapter 4, contextual theology is discussed, particularly liberation theology. This Latin American development is considered in the context of contemporary African problems including recent ethnic conflict, widespread corruption and injustice. It is argued that liberation theology – a practical commitment to fighting poverty and injustice – is both a Christian duty and the best way to prevent the further spread of movements like the Bakolole. Chapter 5 returns to the American origins of the Bakolole movement, and gives an overview of various scholars who have attacked the ‘Word of Faith’ movement. It uses this criticism of the often corrupt, exploitative leaders of such movements as an opportunity to urge all leaders – including Church leaders – to reflect on and improve their own practice. Chapter 6 looks at the plight of young people in East Africa. It acknowledges the fact that the Bakolole have often given these people hope and a voice where all other institutions have failed them. As neither their families nor their governments are able to help, it is argued that the Church must fulfil its mission to serve as both family and community network, even if this means abandoning its long-standing habit of not getting involved in politics. Chapter 7 identifies the root cause of many of the problems discussed in the previous chapter: corruption. It explores the way bribery; nepotism and tribalism have poisoned East African political life, undermined the rule of law and led to grave injustices such as the treatment of the Buganda people. If this culture is to end, the Church must take the lead, and also root out corruption in its own ranks. In Chapter 8, practical ways of applying liberation theology are discussed. The chapter mentions worldwide organisations committed to fighting poverty, with which the Church could work, and looks at examples from recent history such as the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. It considers the various criticisms of liberation theology which have been made by conservative elements, and refutes these, looking at the Christian and Biblical roots of modern anti-poverty movements. The Church’s role as the conscience of society is emphasised. Chapter 9 considers what the Church will need to do in order to eradicate poverty and create a more just society. It argues for careful selection of leaders in both religious and political organisations; and for regular scrutiny of their actions. It reiterates the author’s belief in the Church as the centre of the community, with a responsibility in all areas of social and economic as well as spiritual life. The book ends with a plea for the Church to take action to improve the lives of its members and prevent them from being exploited by unscrupulous forces.
This is one of the first books to explore the nexus between civil society, religion, and global governance, their impact on human security and well-being, and significance for current debates in international politics. The contributors examine salient aspects of the secular state whose monopoly on, and control of, institutional violence has reified its use of power to such an extent that the modernistic separation of church and state is being called into question, as institutional limits are sought to the abuse of that power. The volume is clearly divided into six key sections: human security and human rights the politics of civil religion the ethics of civil development civil society and global governance cross-cultural perspectives on institutional development for civil society international civil society. Within these sections the illuminating case studies span a wide geographical extent from Central and Eastern Europe to Egypt, to Latin America, Iran, Bangladesh, Australia, the Pacific and East and Southeast Asia. Civil Society, Religion and Global Governance will be of strong interest to students, policy makers and researchers in the fields of human rights, religion, political science and sociology.
Globalisation, religion and development have sparked much interest and debates in the last two decades. The analysis of religion and especially Islam has been presented in a simplistic notion of linear development, and the supposed inability to adapt to modernity and capitalism. This journal will consider such views and assess their validity by focusing on: Part 1: introducing the theoretical issues and debates surrounding globalisation, religion and development, illustrating the often-contested nature of the concepts, and considering the implications for modernity and development. Part 2: continuing with the same theme but focusing on gender and development, representation of women, the effect of modernisation on the increasing consumption of alcohol in Kazakhstan, women's access to higher education in revolutionary Iran and finally women and domestic violence. Part 3: focusing on case studies to explore the implications of globalisation, regionalisation and development in Iran, Turkey, Sudan, Peru and Senegal.
The textbook experience of poverty can be witnessed in a number of developing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, South-East Asia and Latin America. Accordingly, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has been identified as an important tool for poverty reduction, as it is noted to accelerate economic growth and employment in a nation, and is currently an essential issue for countries such as Uganda. This book finds that Ragnar’s 1953 ‘Vicious-Circle of Poverty’ remains undisputed even today, showing that attracting FDI is not the end, but that a nation’s absorption capacity is equally paramount. The implications of the FDI ‘frog-leap theory’ for developing countries and the Community Capital Absorption Capacity Development (CCACD) framework provide plausible poverty reduction approaches in the 21st century. Without such measures, bringing an end to poverty is likely to elude governments and multinational corporations in developing countries.
This volume highlights the relevance of globalization and the insights of gender studies and religious studies for feminist theology. It focuses on the changing global contexts for the field and its movement towards new models of theology, distinct from the forms of traditional Christian systematic theology and of secular feminism.
This book argues that the last four decades have seen profound and important changes in the nature and social location of religion, and that those changes are best understood when cast against the associated rise of consumerism and neoliberalism. These transformations are often misunderstood and underestimated, namely because the study of religion remains dependent on the secularisation paradigm which can no longer provide a sufficiently fruitful framework for analysis. The book challenges diagnoses of transience and fragmentation by proposing an alternative narrative and set of concepts for understanding the global religious landscape. The present situation is framed as the result of a shift from a National-Statist to a Global-Market regime of religion. Adopting a holistic perspective that breaks with the current specialisation tendencies, it charts the emergence of the State and the Market as institutions and ideas related to social order, as well as their changing rapports from classical modernity to today. Breaking with a tradition of Western-centeredness, the book offers probing enquiries into Indonesia and a synthesis of global and Western trends. This long-awaited book offers a bold new vision for the social scientific study of religion and will be of great interest to all scholars of the Sociology and Anthropology of religion, as well as Religious Studies in general.
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is an economically diverse region. Despite undertaking economic reforms in many countries, and having considerable success in avoiding crises and achieving macroeconomic stability, the region’s economic performance in the past 30 years has been below potential. This paper takes stock of the region’s relatively weak performance, explores the reasons for this out come, and proposes an agenda for urgent reforms.
"The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic marks the most significant, singular global disruption since World War II, with health, economic, political, and security implications that will ripple for years to come." -Global Trends 2040 (2021) Global Trends 2040-A More Contested World (2021), released by the US National Intelligence Council, is the latest report in its series of reports starting in 1997 about megatrends and the world's future. This report, strongly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, paints a bleak picture of the future and describes a contested, fragmented and turbulent world. It specifically discusses the four main trends that will shape tomorrow's world: - Demographics-by 2040, 1.4 billion people will be added mostly in Africa and South Asia. - Economics-increased government debt and concentrated economic power will escalate problems for the poor and middleclass. - Climate-a hotter world will increase water, food, and health insecurity. - Technology-the emergence of new technologies could both solve and cause problems for human life. Students of trends, policymakers, entrepreneurs, academics, journalists and anyone eager for a glimpse into the next decades, will find this report, with colored graphs, essential reading.
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