Synopsis:
Biblical scholars often read the Bible with their own interpretive interests in mind, without associating the Bible with the concerns of laypeople. This largely undermines the contributions laypeople can offer from reading the Bible in their own contexts and from their own life experiences. Moreover, such exclusively scholarly reading conceals the role of biblical texts in dealing with current social problems, such as HIV/AIDS-related stigmatization. Hence, the lack of lay participation in the process of Bible reading makes the Bible less visible in various common life...

About the Contributor(s): Elia Shabani Mligo (PhD, University of Oslo, Norway) is an employee of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania--Southern Diocese. He currently teaches Theology and Research at Amani University Project in Njombe, which operates under the University of Iringa in Tanzania. Mligo has published several books and articles including Jesus and the Stigmatized (Pickwick Publication, 2011), Writing Academic Papers (Resource Publication, 2012), and Doing Effective Fieldwork (Resource Publication, 2013)

What does the Bible say about divorce and remarriage after divorce? Is it acceptable for a Christian to divorce his/her spouse, or remarry after divorce, under what biblical grounds? What is the position of the church concerning issues of divorce and remarriage? What is the response of lay Christians to the position of the church? These are some of the questions that greatly concern this book. Some scholars (Wenham, Heth, and Keener) have also embarked in a discussion about such questions. They have mostly searched for the meaning that the text on divorce in the gospel of Matthew had to...

What does it really mean to be rich in this era of globalization? What does it really mean to be poor and marginalized? How does the Kingdom of God speak to the rich and poor in this era? These are questions of concern in this book. By using the beatitudes and parables of Jesus from the synoptic gospels the book sensitively discusses the position of the rich and that of the poor at the encounter with the Kingdom of God which is one of the main themes in the earthly ministry of Jesus. The book argues that the rich meet Jesus when they interact with the poor and marginalized people. It also...

Description: Writing Academic Papers is a book for undergraduate students in higher learning institutions and colleges designed to help them accomplish their academic paper assignments. This book comprises most materials necessary for students to write convincing and persuasive academic papers. It defines an academic paper, explains its importance in higher education, and outlines the necessary steps in writing a well-presented, well-argued, and well-documented academic paper. This book also discusses in detail and with concrete examples the question of plagiarism, the most serious offense in...

We live in a context of change, whereby postmodernity shapes our understanding and our searching for truth. Postmodernity dictates not only what kind of results we obtain in our researches, but also on the ways we use to search for truth. This means that postmodernity dictates the ways we do research in various disciplines, the ways we use to analyze the research results, and the ways we use to communicate the findings. Postmodernity is the paradigm in which we are greatly concerned. What is the place of rules of research, research ethics, selection of the problem, and designing of research...

This book examines how social change affects the role of the pastor in an African context. Through field study in African churches, author Zawadi Job Kinyamagoha explores how pastors work amid the tensions of rapid social change and suggests how pastors can constructively respond to social change by using it as an opportunity in their pastoral ministry. Contemporary society is characterized by three cultural spheres: the economic sphere, the public sphere, and the democratic or self-governance rule, the realities of which many pastors seem to overlook. Church authorities seem to adhere...

Non-degree and undergraduate students are both inexperienced essay writers who need close guidance to become effective writers. One of the puzzles which they encounter at the college and university after reporting for studies is the course assignments offered to them by their lecturers, which demand them to be critical thinkers and argumentative essay writers. In most colleges and universities, lecturers provide to students broad questions to answer in the form of essays, either in group or individual assignments. How should they turn the broad assignment questions provided to them by their...

This book examines the challenges posed by English, a foreign language, as a language of teaching and learning for community secondary schools in Tanzania in terms of academic performance. The book probes the necessity for having two languages of instruction in the Tanzanian educational system. While Kiswahili, the native language, is predominantly understood by the majority of people, the discussion in this book indicates that most students in community secondary schools in Tanzania are incompetent in understanding, writing, listening, reading, and speaking English, a language they use in...