Christianity and Politics in Doe's Liberia

Christianity and Politics in Doe's Liberia PDF Author: Paul Gifford
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521520102
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 368

Get Book Here

Book Description
This study examines the role of Christianity in Liberia under the corrupt regime of Samuel K. Doe (1980-1990). Paul Gifford shows that, in general, Liberian Christianity--far from being a force for justice and human advancement--diverted attention from the cause of Liberia's ills, left change to God's miraculous intervention, encouraged obedience and acceptance of the status quo, and thus served to entrench Doe's power. This Christianity, devised in and controlled from the United States, thus furthered regional American economic and political objectives, which were designed to support Doe's rule.

Christianity and Politics in Doe's Liberia

Christianity and Politics in Doe's Liberia PDF Author: Paul Gifford
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521520102
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 368

Get Book Here

Book Description
This study examines the role of Christianity in Liberia under the corrupt regime of Samuel K. Doe (1980-1990). Paul Gifford shows that, in general, Liberian Christianity--far from being a force for justice and human advancement--diverted attention from the cause of Liberia's ills, left change to God's miraculous intervention, encouraged obedience and acceptance of the status quo, and thus served to entrench Doe's power. This Christianity, devised in and controlled from the United States, thus furthered regional American economic and political objectives, which were designed to support Doe's rule.

Religion and Contemporary Politics [2 volumes]

Religion and Contemporary Politics [2 volumes] PDF Author: Timothy J. Demy
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 595

Get Book Here

Book Description
With respect to the countries of the world, this work addresses two basic questions: "How does religion affect politics in this country?" and "How does politics affect religion in this country?" Although there are many books on the topics of religion and politics, reference works that consider the two together are few, with those that do exist primarily addressing theory rather than trends. The present work does the latter, contextualizing them within regional and national boundaries. In so doing, it recognizes the power of political and religious ideas and movements on individuals, communities, and nations, making the work a valuable resource for several disciplines, among them political science, international relations, religion, and sociology. The work focuses on the interplay of religion and politics in countries around the world with an emphasis on the post-2000s. It is organized by global geographic regions including Africa, Central and South America, and the Middle East and presents countries alphabetically within those sections. Each region has a brief overview of the political-religious dynamics of the area so readers can compare and contrast the dynamics between and among countries in a region. The work also includes an introduction, sidebars, and a bibliography.

Church, State, and Citizen

Church, State, and Citizen PDF Author: Sandra Fullerton Joireman
Publisher:
ISBN: 0195378466
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 201

Get Book Here

Book Description
Christians are often portrayed as sharing the same political opinions and the same theological foundations for their actions. Yet, from the time of the early church, believers have held a variety of perspectives on the relationship between church and state and what constitutes legitimate political behavior for Christian citizens. Thoroughly Christian political beliefs run the gamut from disavowal of any political responsibility to a complete endorsement of government policies and the belief that the state has been divinely appointed. In Church, State, and Citizen, Sandra F. Joireman has gathered political scientists to examine the relationship between religion and politics as seen from within seven Christian traditions: Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed, Anabaptist, Anglican, Evangelical and Pentecostal. In each chapter the historical and theological foundations of the tradition are described along with the beliefs regarding the appropriate role of the state and citizen. While all Christian traditions share certain beliefs about faith (e.g., human sin, salvation, Christ's atonement) and political life (e.g. limited government, human rights, the incompleteness and partiality of all political action) there are also profound differences. The authors discuss the contemporary implications of these beliefs both in the United States and in other areas of the world where Christianity is showing increasing vigor.

The Mask of Anarchy

The Mask of Anarchy PDF Author: Stephen Ellis
Publisher: C. HURST & CO. PUBLISHERS
ISBN: 9781850654179
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 380

Get Book Here

Book Description
The Mask of Anarchy traces the history of the civil war that has blighted Liberia in recent years and looks at its roots in the way governments have been established in West Africa during the 20th century.

Religion, Commerce, and the Integration of the Mandingo in Liberia

Religion, Commerce, and the Integration of the Mandingo in Liberia PDF Author: Augustine Konneh
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 196

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book contributes significantly to the body of knowledge that deals with the Mande-speaking people of West Africa. It deals with the impact of religion and commerce on the integration of the Mandingo ethnic group into the political and social economies of Liberia. The author explains both the course and costs of socio-political integration of the Mandingos in the context of nation-building and their co-habitation with non-Muslim hosts. The religion of Islam in relation to the commercial activities of the Mande-speaking people is discussed in detail. While a great deal of research has been done on the Mandingo in other areas of Africa, no comparable body of research exists on the Mandingo of Liberia.

Public Religion and the Politics of Homosexuality in Africa

Public Religion and the Politics of Homosexuality in Africa PDF Author: Adriaan van Klinken
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 131707341X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 416

Get Book Here

Book Description
Issues of same-sex relationships and gay and lesbian rights are the subject of public and political controversy in many African societies today. Frequently, these controversies receive widespread attention both locally and globally, such as with the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda. In the international media, these cases tend to be presented as revealing a deeply-rooted homophobia in Africa fuelled by religious and cultural traditions. But so far little energy is expended in understanding these controversies in all their complexity and the critical role religion plays in them. This is the first book with multidisciplinary perspectives on religion and homosexuality in Africa. It presents case studies from across the continent, from Egypt to Zimbabwe and from Senegal to Kenya, and covers religious traditions such as Islam, Christianity and Rastafarianism. The contributors explore the role of religion in the politicisation of homosexuality, investigate local and global mobilisations of power, critically examine dominant religious discourses, and highlight the emergence of counter-discourses. Hence they reveal the crucial yet ambivalent public role of religion in matters of sexuality, social justice and human rights in contemporary Africa.

The Christian Churches and the Democratisation of Africa

The Christian Churches and the Democratisation of Africa PDF Author: Paul Gifford
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004664610
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 315

Get Book Here

Book Description
This volume focuses on the role Christian churches have played in Africa's democratisation movements since the late 1980s. In some cases churchmen have presided over national conferences; in many, Christians comprise arguably the most significant segment of civil society. In some countries pastoral letters have challenged dictators; in others, churches have provided an essential support for the status quo. The book comprises both theoretical analyses and case studies. The theoretical discussions include the history of Church-State relations; theology and democracy; Pentecostalism and democracy; the problems of consolidating democracy. The 13 case studies sketch the historical context, and then critically examine developments up till late 1993. The book will prove particularly useful to students of Third World Christianity, African historians and political scientists, and all interested in the socio-political role of Christianity.

Religion, Politics and International Relations

Religion, Politics and International Relations PDF Author: Jeff Haynes
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1136737537
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 304

Get Book Here

Book Description
Bringing together in one collection his most influential essays spanning two decades of research, Jeffrey Haynes seeks to explore the complex relationship between religion, politics and international relations.

Christian Churches and Nigeria's Political Economy of Oil and Conflict

Christian Churches and Nigeria's Political Economy of Oil and Conflict PDF Author: Nkem Emerald Osuigwe
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1443867098
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 270

Get Book Here

Book Description
The received account on African evangelical Christianity regarding social witness in a section of Western scholarship is that it is anti-development and a-political. Such an account heavily draws from an instrumentalist and functionalist assessment of such Christianity without recourse to its emic perspective. Using the case-study method, this book presents an ethnographic examination of this functionalist reading by investigating, describing and analysing evangelical Christian theological and socio-political consciousness within the context of oil and conflict in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region. Adopting approaches from practical theology, congregational studies, and anthropology of religion, the author challenges such a reading using data gathered from three congregations in the region. His discourse revolves around answers to the following four critical questions: • What are the underlying theological issues and beliefs of Nigerian evangelical Christians within the context of oil and conflict? • What is their prevalent praxis within the context of Nigeria’s political economy of oil and conflict? •How accurate is the received account that African evangelical and ‘fundamentalist’ Christianity lacks social responsibility and is a-political and anti-development? • What would a contextual political theology for Nigeria’s political economy of oil look like? The theological issues are varied and the prevalent praxis nuanced, which then serves as a veritable critique of the claim that African evangelical Christianity lacks social responsibility due to its preoccupation with soul-winning. Whereas such Christianity places much emphasis on the winning of souls as an expression of its spirituality, it is neither oblivious nor indifferent to its socio-political milieu. Rather it sees such spirituality as a form of political praxis. Some of the trajectories of the spirituality include a theology of conversion, a theology of prayer, and an ethics of crude oil, with Total Freedom as the nomenclature for the specific theological perspective offered for Nigeria’s political economy of oil. While locating this theological perspective within the taxonomy of Liberation Theology, the affinity and dissonance between the two are identified.

American Catholic

American Catholic PDF Author: D. G. Hart
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 1501751972
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 321

Get Book Here

Book Description
American Catholic places the rise of the United States' political conservatism in the context of ferment within the Roman Catholic Church. How did Roman Catholics shift from being perceived as un-American to emerging as the most vocal defenders of the United States as the standard bearer in world history for political liberty and economic prosperity? D. G. Hart charts the development of the complex relationship between Roman Catholicism and American conservatism, and shows how these two seemingly antagonistic ideological groups became intertwined in advancing a certain brand of domestic and international politics. Contrary to the standard narrative, Roman Catholics were some of the most assertive political conservatives directly after World War II, and their brand of politics became one of the most influential means by which Roman Catholicism came to terms with American secular society. It did so precisely as bishops determined the church needed to update its teaching about its place in the modern world. Catholics grappled with political conservatism long before the supposed rightward turn at the time of the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. Hart follows the course of political conservatism from John F. Kennedy, the first and only Roman Catholic president of the United States, to George W. Bush, and describes the evolution of the church and its influence on American politics. By tracing the roots of Roman Catholic politicism in American culture, Hart argues that Roman Catholicism's adaptation to the modern world, whether in the United States or worldwide, was as remarkable as its achievement remains uncertain. In the case of Roman Catholicism, the effects of religion on American politics and political conservatism are indisputable.