EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN THROUGH THE CENTRE FOR CONSTRUCTIVE THEOLOGY

Abstract

Women in the South African context South Africa has a history of disempowering the majority of its people on the basis of race, class and gender. This year (i.e., 1999, Ed.) South Africa celebrates five years of democratically elected government by the majority of the people. The major issue facing South Africa today is how to empower its previously disadvantaged people so that they can have dignity and self-identity. The aim of this paper is to show how the programme on Women in the Church and Society of the Centre for Constructive Theology attempts to make a contribution towards the empowering of South African church women from different classes and racial groups through it various activities. From the outset, it is important for me to declare my own identity as it may colour the interpretation of the situation of women in the South African context. As a Malawian professional lay woman growing up in the Presbyterian and Pentecostal urban area, I stand out from among the majority of African women. They mainly live in rural areas and exist under very difficult economic, social and spiritual conditions. For the majority of African women, it is issues of survival that concern them most rather than discussions about their gender. Therefore, as observed by Denise Ackermann: Gender exists, but does not do so alone. It has to be understood in the context of other factors that make up our identity, our race, class, economic status, religion, culture, sexual preference and so on. Women are different and our differences divide us from one another. For example, women are divided according to class. The differences between privileged women who are able to exercise choice over the course of their lives and women who struggle to subsist (even if they are of the same race) are prodigious. [1] Thus, women's experience of discrimination (by men or other women) on the basis of their sex varies from woman to woman. The variety of women's experiences must be taken into account when setting the agenda for women's discussions about themselves. The Centre for Constructive Theology The Centre for Constructive Theology (CCT) is an initiative of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Durban-Westville, Durban, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. It is now housed in the Centre of Religious Studies as a unit within the Faculty of Humanities. It was established in 1996 and is funded by various churches within South Africa and abroad. The CCT seeks to play a significant role in responding to the challenge of transformation and reconstruction in the new South Africa. It does so by providing concrete mechanisms for outreach and advocacy, which are informed by theological reflection. Although this reflection arises from a Christian base, the CCT intentionally promotes openness to and dialogue with other faith communities. The CCT endeavours to bridge the gap between formal academic theological enquiry and the practical needs and concerns of communities whose faith perspectives on the critical issues confronting South Africa have been undervalued in the past. The CCT does this by facilitating contextually relevant theological responses to the unfolding social, political and religious situation in the country and region. The work of the CCT involves coordinating the research, learning and outreach efforts of its various programmes. Currently these include the programme on Women in the Church and Society, the programme on Non-Formal Theological Education, and the programme on Justice and Peace. The CCT publishes the results of its programmatic undertakings, such as curricular resources, research projects, and a bi-annual Journal of Constructive Theology. The programme on Women in the Church and Society In my ministry as coordinator for the programme on Women in the Church and Society, I work with women in ecumenical groups. I am also invited to address men and women as well as women only in particular denominations. …