Publisher: Langaa RPCIG, Cameroon
Pages: 190
Year: 2010
Category: Religion, Social Sciences
Dimensions: 216 x 140 mm
Confronting an Identity Problem
This is a timely book on the contemporary African priesthood. Just as in other parts of the globe, the African priesthood currently faces a serious crisis of identity. The unfolding crisis puts stress on the clerics and augments the tension with lay people. The model of the Church-as-Family of God opted for by the Church in Africa is a new milestone that puts pressure on Catholic priests to define their role in the new context. The identity and image of priests need to be specified as lay ministries render the Church active from the grassroots. Reflection about the ministry of the clergy in Africa is urgent, and indeed it is an important aspect of enculturation. Nyenyembe demonstrates an admirable capacity to situate his rich theological reflections in an African context.
£39.00
About the author
Jordan Nyenyembe is a Catholic theologian and priest of the Diocese of Mbinga in Tanzania. He has lectured at St. Augustine University of Tanzania and Vienna University respectively; where he earned his Doctoral title at the Faculty of Catholic Theology. Currently, he is doing pastoral work at St. Alois Gonzaga Parish in his home Diocese.
Review
“There is a growing attention in academic and policy circles for the subject of security in an era of increasing global violence and rebellion. Nyenyembe’s book is really innovative in this field in the sense that it focuses on the security of the pope and that it is written not by a security specialist but by a theologian. While the author pleads for reinforcement of security for the Pope, he equally emphasises that this should not be done in a way that prevents the Pope from carrying out his pastoral mission. This is a well-written study based on sound theological arguments.”
Dr Piet Konings, African Studies Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands
“This is a very interesting work. The author explores important images that have been used to define the office of the priest arguing that in many cases these images have further mystified the priestly office and in a political context where political domination has been the rule, priest have ignored their prophetic office and not been effective servants of God and the people. This is a welcomed voice on the issue of church leadership at a time when Africans need to deal with concrete realities than continue to perpetuate mystifications that has distanced the clergy from their lives.”
Professor Elias Bongmba, Rice University, USA
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