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Christian spirituality.
Christian spirituality is derived from and inspired by the revelation of God in Christ Jesus. Newlands (1980:159) says that “Christian concepts of God involve salvation through Christ as core element”. This Christian spirituality is, therefore, rooted in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The centre of Christian spirituality is the incarnated Word of God (John 1:1). Peterson (1995:28; cf John 10:36; 17:19) explains that in the Gospel of John, “Jesus uses the language of sanctification with reference to his own role as the saviour and sanctifier of others.”
From a historical perspective, Christian spirituality is in itself a synthesis and has undergone many developments. Wakefield (1983:363) points out that “in the first millennium, it was profoundly influenced by Neo-Platonist philosophy and later monasticism.” Two Christian types of spirituality have distinguished themselves since the 16th century. One is Roman Catholic and the other is Protestant. However, a third has emerged tracing its origins to the eighteenth century. The third one is called “Pentecostalism.” Catholics, Protestants and, Pentecostals differ with each other, and have developed distinctive kinds of spiritualities. Though their differences should not be exaggerated, a distinction can clearly be made according to their respective emphases; the Catholic Church emphasizes our own effort towards God, the Protestants emphasize our justification by faith in Christ, and the Pentecostals emphasize the Holy Spirit.
In a general sense, the way of understanding Christian spirituality, is in terms of sanctification, a godly life and its power to transform “the entire person”, not just the human mind. This means that Christian spirituality is not simply for the interior life or the inward person, being as much for the body as for the soul, and equally directed to the implementation of both the commandments of Christ to love God and our neighbour.
David Bosch (1979:3) says that spirituality which concerns and embraces “the whole life” can never be something that can be isolated from the rest of our existence. And, according to the New Testament, in the Epistles of Paul, Paul’s new life is not another life, but the life which God has renewed, transformed and transfigured by the Holy Spirit. On this holistic view of spirituality incorporating the whole person, McGrath (1995:125) said that “in it fundamental sense, spirituality is concerned with the shaping, empowering and maturing of the ‘spiritual person’ (1Cor 2:14-15) that is, the person who is alive to and responsive to God in the world, as opposed to the person who merely exists within and responds to the world.” Therefore, Christian spirituality is the whole expression of faith of a sanctified individual and or a group of individuals.
CHAPTER 1: ORIENTATION
1.1. Introduction
1.2. Subject of research
1.3. Problem statement
1.4. Aim of the research
1.5. Nature of the research and hypothesis
1.6. Motivation and purpose of the research.
1.7. Research procedures and methodology
1.8. Delimitation
1.9. Value of the research.
1.10. Definitions of terms
1.11. Outline of the thesis
CHAPTER 2: SPIRITUALITY THROUGH THE AGES.
2.1. Introduction
2.1.1. The term “spirituality”
2.1.2. Christian spirituality
2.2. Brief historical overview
2.2.1. Protestant spirituality
2.2.2. Pietist spiritualit
2.2.3. Wesleyan spirituality
2.2.4. Azusa Street spirituality
2.2.5 Evangelical spirituality
2.2.6. Pentecostal spirituality
2.2.7. The need for a Pentecostal spirituality for missions
2.2.8. Evangelical (Puritan) spirituality shaped by the Pentecostal view of sanctification.80.
2.2.9. The grass-roots spirituality of the Zambian Pentecostal churches
2.2.10. African Christian spiritual
2.3. Conclusion
CHAPTER 3: ASPECTS OF AFRICAN TRADITIONAL SPIRITUALITY: THE CHEWA PEOPLE OF ZAMBIA
3.1. Introductio
3.2. Some Aspects of the Chewa cosmology
3.2.1. Ancestral spirits
3.2.2. Tribal spirits
3.2.3. God (Mulungu)
3.2.4. Spirits (Midzimu)
3.3. Chewa traditional understanding of spirit-possession.
3.4. Witchcraft and magic among the Chewa
3.5. Different dimensions of sickness as experienced in African culture
3.5.1. Physical
3.5.2. Social
3.5.3. Spiritual
3.5.4. Magical
3.6. Chewa traditional healers and healing methods
3.6.1.Traditional healers (ng’angas).
3.6.2. Traditional healing methods
3.7. The attitude and response of Christianity to the African worldview
3.8. The need to develop a holistic African theology.
3.9. Conclusion
CHAPTER 4: AFRICAN PENTECOSTALISM IN ZAMBIA
4.1. Introduction
4.2. A brief historical background to the formation
4.3. The birth of the ministry/church
4.4. The urban African Pentecostal Church
4.4.1. The membership
4.4.2. Liturgy and worship
4.4.3. The manifestation of the Spirit in African Pentecostal churches
4.5. Pattern and reasons for the growth of the African Pentecostal churches.
4.5.1. Main growth factors
4.6. Healing: case studies from Grace Outreach Missions International:
4.6.1. Case 1.
4.6.2. Case 2
4.6.3. Case 3
4.7. Conflicting views on healing and its place in the mission of the church today.
4.8. Conclusion
CHAPTER 5: THE IMPACT OF PENTECOSTALISM ON THE REFORMED CHURCH IN ZAMBIA
CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
APPENDICES
1. Appendix A: Map of Zambia
2. Appendix B: Community borehole drilled (photo)
3. Appendix C: The Questionnaire
4. Bibliography
