Community healing and the role of  pastoral care of the ill and suffering in  Africa

Magezi, Vhumani

doi:10.4102/ids.v40i3.356

Cited by 19 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 2 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Although the task of the pastoral caregiver cannot be limited to the accommodation of cultural beliefs, as it includes a host of other challenges like the accommodation of the community and the management of relationships (cf. Magezi 2006), the focus here will be on the accommodation of cultural beliefs in the perceived multicultural context. This presents a creative challenge in so far as this environment is historically dominated by a Western pastoral understanding.…”

Section: Coordinates For a Culture-sensitive Palliative Pastoral Approach With The African Context In Mindmentioning

confidence: 99%

A culture-sensitive palliative pastoral care with a focus on the African context

Brunsdon¹

2019

In die Skriflig/In Luce Verbi

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article engages the issue of a culture-sensitive palliative pastoral approach with the African context in mind. It contemplates palliative pastoral care from a dual-wisdom approach and denotes palliative pastoral care as an expression of Christian faith care towards patients and their relational networks, aimed at spiritual growth which enables meaning-making in the context of illness and possible loss. It also investigates the notions of illness, healing and dying in an African context and highlights the spiritual, systemic and communal nature of these concepts within African thinking. The implication for a culture-sensitive palliative pastoral approach is sought in the meaningful accommodation of these beliefs within the framework of Christian faith care. The coordinates of pastoral hospitality, an embodied pastoral care of presence, accommodation of the collective, the practice of respectful Christian discernment and inhabitation theology are suggested as some of the coordinates that could facilitate a culture-sensitive palliative pastoral approach.

show abstract

Section: Coordinates For a Culture-sensitive Palliative Pastoral Approach With The African Context In Mindmentioning

confidence: 99%

A culture-sensitive palliative pastoral care with a focus on the African context

Brunsdon¹

2019

In die Skriflig/In Luce Verbi

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…upheld in scholarly discussions on Africa (Berinyuu 1988;Bowers 2009;Louw 2008;Magezi 2006Magezi , 2007Magezi , 2010Magezi , 2016Masamba ma Mpolo 2013;Mbiti 1989;Milingo 1984;Mwaura 1994, etc.). Given this, the subsequent subsections expound the nature of African spirituality (i.e.…”

Section: Establishing the Common African Worldview Or Viewsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A pastoral evaluation and responses to the challenge of spiritual insecurity in African pastoral ministry and Christianity

Magezi

2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article argues that there is a form of Christian syncretism operating in African Christians� use of traditional African powers to address their spiritual insecurity challenges that arises from their former traditional African worldview of spiritual powers. It provides an overview description of the nature of the spiritual insecurity which still grips African Christians by delving into the traditional African worldview of spiritual powers (such as the notions of a Supreme Being, lesser divinities, spirits and ancestors) and the centrality of traditional powers such as diviners in addressing this insecurity. After underscoring the aforementioned, this article proceeds to demonstrate three predominant views proposed by theological scholars as a response to the spiritual insecurity of African Christians. The first stance calls African Christians to discontinue with anything that is linked to traditional African spiritual worldview because Christianity entails a complete new ontological being. The second stance disapproves African Christians� reliance on traditional African powers and then proceeds to argue that Christian ministry should identify positives within the African spiritual world system and worldview that is useful and can be imported for use in contextualising the gospel. The third position advocates for Christians� continual reliance on traditional African spiritual powers in addressing their African contextual needs. In doing this, the weaknesses and strengths of these approaches are established with the view to outline an alternative biblical theological basis to ensure biblical Christianity in the challenging African contexts of spiritual insecurity. This article concludes by drawing from various theological responses to the spiritual insecurity of African Christians to ensure Christian ministry that is thoroughly biblical and contextual in African Christianity.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article discusses African spiritual worldview and its implications to practical Christianity. It is an interdisciplinary theological article that integrates African Christian theology and pastoral care. It contributes to the discussion on contextualising Christian practical ministry in Africa.

show abstract

“…For the Abaluyia, amasika nobwayi [bereavement befalls all] and as such one's support for another assures them of their own support when the need arises. In view of these ambivalences, Magezi (2006Magezi ( :514, 2007 argues that the 'community performs either a constructive or destructive role in the process of coping.' Therefore, to claim that African people extended generosity and hospitality without attaching any conditions or without expecting a reward, is perhaps to overly romanticise this cultural practice (Mbiti 1969:1;Gathogo 2006:39;Sichula 2007:11).…”

Section: Cultural Beliefs and Practices As Pathogenicmentioning

confidence: 99%

The concept of <i>shalōm</i> as a constructive bereavement healing framework within a pluralist health seeking context of Africa

Magezi

Keya

2013

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Absence of health, that is, sickness in Africa is viewed in personalistic terms. A disease is explained as effected by ‘the active purposeful intervention of an agent, who may be human’, non-human (a ghost, an ancestor, an ‘evil spirit), or supernatural (a deity or other very powerful being)’ (Foster). Illness is thus attributed to breaking of taboos, offending God and/ or ancestral spirits; witchcraft, sorcery, the evil eye, passion by an evil spirit and a curse from parents or from an offended neighbour. In view of these personalistic theories of ill health, treatment is through ritual purification, exorcism or sacrifices. For an appropriate diagnosis and intervention, it is imperative to determine ‘who’ caused the illness and then ‘why’ it was caused, to which answers are offered through divination by a healer. This interpretive framework, is applicable to all types of sickness, facilitates co-existence of African traditional healing and biomedical treatment, that is, plurality of health seeking practices. The approach fails to offer a constructive approach and contradicts the biblical healing framework whereby one may not have explanatory causes to a situation of ill health. This article engaged the biblical concept of shalōm as a relevant constructive framework. The Hebrew concept of shalōm, though distinctly salvific, is inclusive of holistic and personalistic healing aspects. The concept encompasses constructive aspects of completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety, soundness, tranquillity, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony and the absence of agitation or discord, which provides a useful holistic healing theological framework. It therefore provides a health and well-being framework that is relational, sensitive and applicable to healing patterns in Africa. Using the case study of the Abaluyia people of East Africa, this article discussed bereavement as a state that requires healing and how the biblical framework of shalōm could be applied in fostering bereavement healing.

show abstract

Community healing and the role of pastoral care of the ill and suffering in Africa

Cited by 19 publications

References 2 publications

A culture-sensitive palliative pastoral care with a focus on the African context

A culture-sensitive palliative pastoral care with a focus on the African context

A pastoral evaluation and responses to the challenge of spiritual insecurity in African pastoral ministry and Christianity

The concept of <i>shalōm</i> as a constructive bereavement healing framework within a pluralist health seeking context of Africa

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About