Contextual Bible Study Manual On Gender Based Violence

This book invites you to consider Gender-Based Violence from a biblical perspective as it relates to your life and context.

The Bible and Gender-based Violence in Botswana foregrounds the rampancy of gender-based violence against women and girls in biblical texts and how it resonates with gender-based violence (GBV) in the author’s contemporary context of Botswana. The volume reads selected texts from the Bible alongside newspaper reports of GBV against women and girls in Botswana to show that while the Bible is taken as an authoritative text within the Botswana context, it is riddled with GBV against female persons. It asserts that by acknowledging and naming GBV in biblical texts and not concealing, ignoring, or spiritualizing it, contemporary communities of faith will be able to confront the problem in these contexts. By so doing, the book argues, the Bible will become a resource for positive transformation rather than a tool for supporting gender injustice. The book appeals to everyone willing to see positive change in regard to gender in/equality and is intended for a wide readership including researchers, postgraduates, church and other representatives of religious institutions, and upper-level undergraduates.

Within academic circles, there is a longstanding issue concerning the portrayal and understanding of African womanhood. Frequently, these narratives are crafted by outsiders, predominantly Western scholars, often distorting the lived experiences and unique perspectives of African women. This has led to a skewed and sometimes negative perception of African women, reinforcing stereotypes, and sidelining their voices in critical discussions. Moreover, this misrepresentation has real-world consequences, as it impacts social justice initiatives and development projects that rely on misguided narratives rather than the authentic voices of African women. African Womanhood and the Feminist Agenda emerges as an essential solution to the misrepresentation of African women. This comprehensive and meticulously researched book offers an alternative narrative, one that is rooted in African perspectives and experiences. It addresses the historical, cultural, and political dimensions of African womanhood, providing a rich and nuanced understanding of this multifaceted topic.

The editors of this volume highlight the fact that although the Church often stands up for other public issues such as human rights, democratic political rights, economic justice, etc., sexual and gender-based violence do not receive the attention they deserve. There are no theological or cultural arguments that can justify such a position. Sexual and gender-based violence are a scourge that defies our Christian understanding of human dignity ? and challenges the Church in all its formations to respond. ÿAlthough most of the case studies are from Zimbabwe, they challenge us regardless of which country we are living in ? or the tradition of our specific denomination.ÿ In the context of Southern Africa, where the HIV and AIDS burden is among the highest in the world, sexual and gender-based violence are a major contributor to the spread of the disease. This will only change if the Church challenges this practice as part of its educational and public work ? in theological institutions, in congregations, but also in its pastoral work within families.ÿ

A comprehensive look at the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa, this volume features contributions from noted scholars from across the continent and beyond, providing badly needed social analysis and theological reflection from an African perspective.

Much has been written on servant leadership, but it is not always tied to egalitarian leadership. Sometimes authority and power instead of God’s love are presented as the core of the Christian faith. The church at times derails, imitating worldly culture, emphasizing entitlement that relies on an innate or permanent human hierarchy of rank. Responding to today’s conflict over leadership, Christian Egalitarian Leadership calls us back to its biblical roots: what is Christian egalitarian leadership? Why is it biblical? How does it work? Thoughtful and devout Christian leaders carefully explain how sharing leadership follows God’s intentions and is crucial to implement today. The theoretical and practical ramifications of these concepts are extended to many areas of the Christian life by numerous qualified individuals, women and men of different races and economic and social classes. Chapters overview New Testament teachings, biblical authority, Old Testament and contemporary examples, God’s intention at creation, pagan philosophy’s influence on Christian hierarchal leadership, multicultural and multi-ethnic leadership in the United States and Africa, marriage, rearing children, equipping youth and laity, church planting, retirement, and missions, from the cradle to the mission field.