Local Church Leaders Research Articles

Review of Traditionally Used Medicinal Plants by the Kipsigis Community in Kenya

Background: Every community in Kenya have their own ways of providing good health care services for its members. Such services are geared towards providing therapeutic and medical related services for the upkeep of good health and also prevention and treatment of infections. Much before the dawn of modern medicine through sophisticated researches and advances, these societies developed their indigenous medicinal system through interaction with their environment. Aim: This paper, through secondary literature reviews and survey was aimed at examining the features of commonly used herbal medicine from plants by the Kipsigis community in Kenya. Place and Duration: The research was carried out at University of Kabianga from January to December 2015. Methodology: Semi structured interviews, group discussions and observations were used to collect information on traditional knowledge from herbalists. Details of the medical conditions treated, herbal preparations used, treatment methods, local plant names and methods of collection of herbs were recorded. The research team comprised of professionals from the fields of medicine and botany. Local leaders, community elders, church leaders and other stakeholders were used to identify herbalists and convince them to provide information. Results: The result of this survey revealed that majority of the household, even in urban places; use these commonly available herbs and plants for minor aliments in their families for immediate relief. The study provides information on medicinal and healing methods used by the Kipsigis community. It also revealed that traditional medicines are still widely used in Kericho County. Some of the identified plants have been demonstrated to possess pharmacological activities related to those mentioned by the herbalists. Conclusion: From the findings it can be concluded that use of traditional herbs as medicine is still common amongst the Kipsigis community but faces numerous challenges and weaknesses. Thus much detailed scientific study on these medicinal plants need to be conducted to ascertain the compounds responsible for such relief.

Christianity and the Shaping of Vanuatu's Social and Political Development

The Pacific island state of Vanuatu has been considerably shaped by its Christian heritage. Indeed, the role of the various Christian Churches has been pivotal in the development and sustenance of Vanuatu prior to and since its Independence. These Churches include Anglican, Catholic, Pentecostal and evangelical denominations. Missionaries and later local Church leaders were involved directly in Independence movements and shaped the legal and social infrastructure of this nation. This involvement and influence has continued to the present. This article will consider the role the Church has played in the development of Vanuatu. First, a case study analysis of both the historical and contemporary role the Church has played in the development of Vanuatu will be presented. This review will consider the impact of both key individual Church leaders who played central roles in Vanuatu’s Independence. Secondly, the paper will consider the contemporary role Christian Churches play in the provision of social service—including education and health—across Vanuatu. It will conclude that Christianity has therefore played and continues to play a central role in the political and social development of Vanuatu.

How Catholic Teaching about War Has Changed: The Issues in View

AbstractA feature of the First World War, was the consistent condemnation of it by Pope Benedict XV and his unsuccessful efforts to bring about a negotiated peace. This paper argues that the Pope realised that the nature of modern warfare demanded a new evaluation of war and that his teaching began a real shift and development in this teaching that is clearly discernible in the teachings of his successors and the Second Vatican Council, and the work of Catholic theologians and movements. However, we can see how in many ways this shift has not been recognised in the wider church, shown by the reluctance of local church leaders to question or condemn particular conflicts. On the basis of this shift the paper argues that the Catholic Church, now committed to “virtual pacifism”, should base its witness to peace on two paradigms: first, the unmasking of wickedness, seen above all in the culture engendered by the possession of nuclear weapons; and second, a marked distancing from the powers and claims of the modern nation state.

The churches and well-being: perspectives from the Australian National Church Life Survey

Australia is a nation with high levels of recorded well-being. This paper introduces a collection of papers which are concerned with the intersections between well-being and religion in an Australian context. The research is conducted on a religious population, namely Christian church attenders and local church leaders (both clergy and lay) in congregations in the Australian National Church Life Surveys (NCLS), perhaps the largest database on church life in the world. The NCLS covers more than 20 Protestant and Catholic denominations. Each survey wave has collected responses from hundreds of thousands of individual church attenders in thousands of local churches. To frame the research, we define subjective well-being as an aspect of mental health and establish the positive relationship that has been found with religion. Some features of the Australian cultural context are also provided as background. The paper then offers a brief synopsis of articles in the collection. They include a methodological overview, and studies of links between volunteering, psychological type, religious orientation and well-being, as well as work engagement among clergy.

Tyrants, Tudors, and the Digby Mary Magdalen

The ranting was superstar of early English stage. Characters like Herod, Pilate, and Caesar were dressed in most lavish costumes, assigned longest and most elaborate speeches, and often supplied actors who brought them to life with a substantial wage. (1) Scholars have conventionally seen tyrants of biblical drama primarily as comedic figures or embodiments of pride, but these tyrants have much more to offer their audiences, whether in fourteenth century or twenty-first. (2) Like all actors playing part of kings, they remind us that person of ruler is distinct from office that he holds. They invite authors, actors, and audiences to imagine how role of a king ought to be played, and to participate in a discourse of virtue and self-governance applicable to monarchs and commoners alike. The Digby Mary Magdalen offers an embarrassment of riches when it comes to tyrants: Tiberius, Herod, Pilate, Cyrus, World, and Flesh begin many of play's early scenes with their competing claims of power and supremacy, and second half of play is dominated by story of King of Marseilles. As a whole, play presents a world in which values and practices of tyrants are deeply entrenched. However, play also suggests a unique solution in its eponymous character. Mary Magdalen, a virtuous noblewoman deeply involved in faith and politics of her world, is presented as means by which tyrannical regimes may be effectively redirected towards a more proper, Christian end. Although Mary Magdalen is by no means typical biblical drama (if such a thing can even be said to exist in such a small corpus of surviving play-texts), it nonetheless draws on its audience's familiarity with and expectations of genre and thus offers a perfect crucible in which to consider tyrants' political significance. The plays in which these tyrant figures appear are conventionally referred to as medieval drama. However, they continued to flourish throughout reign of Elizabeth and even beyond: final cycle performances in York and Chester took place as first permanent theaters were opening in London, and manuscripts of Chester's Whitsun plays continued to be copied until early seventeenth century. (3) The continued popularity of tyrants in these plays suggests an enduring frustration with royal power that claimed to rule both state and church in name of the common good, yet never hesitated to prioritize national conformity and obedience at expense of local tradition and individual belief. Unlike many other plays of period, no performances of Mary Magdalen have been definitively documented. However, John Coldewey has suggested that some of Digby plays, including Magdalen, may have been performed at a drama festival in Chelmsford, Essex in 1562, (4) approximately 40-50 years following date of only surviving manuscript of play. (5) Coldewey s proposal has been subject of some skepticism; Paul Whitfield White reminds us that town was an early protestant stronghold, with local gentry and church leaders who eagerly supported Elizabethan Settlement, and he finds it unlikely that Mary Magdalen or any other play so deeply rooted in Roman Catholic doctrine and devotional practice could have been performed there in 1562. (6) Although protestant leanings of community must, of course, be taken into account, this cannot be only factor used to determine which plays were included in festival. (7) Coldewey's comparison of stages, props, and costumes recorded for these performances suggests that, were Mary Magdalen not part of Chelmsford festival, an unknown play of similarly elaborate scale, with a similarly large cast and a remarkable overlap of scenes and characters, must have been performed. (8) Without a large body of available protestant drama to choose from, a play as spectacular as Mary Magdalen might have been selected in hopes of turning a tidy profit, no small consideration given outlay of expenses made for festival: more than 21 [pounds sterling] was invested in production. …

Ethnomedicinal Plants Traditionally Used by the Keiyo Community in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya

Objective:Traditional medicinal plants have long been used to treat various ailments in Keiyo district. However to date there are no records on medicinal plants used by the Keiyo despite threats of rapid disappearance of indigenous knowledge from deforestation, overexploitation among other factors. The purpose of the study was to document medicinal plants used by the Keiyo community in order to preserve traditional medical knowledge for future research and potential development of new drugs. Methods:The research team comprised of professionals from the fields of medicine and botany. Local leaders, community elders, church leaders and other stakeholders were used to identify herbalists and convince them to provide information. Semi structured interviews, group discussions and observations were used to collect information on traditional knowledge from herbalists. Details of the medical conditions treated, herbal preparations used, treatment methods, local plant names and methods of collection of herbs were recorded. Results:A total of 73 medicinal plant species belonging to 33 families were identified, used to treat 46 common human and three veterinary diseases. Leucas calostachys was the most widely used (17 medicinal uses) followed by Vachelia xanthophloea (10), Carissa edulis (9), Trimeria grandifolia (8), Terminalia brownii (7) and Rhamnus prinoides (6). Heartburn was treated using the largest number of plants (17) followed by cancer (9). Eight plants were used to either treat infertility in women or arthritis, whereas peptic ulcers, hypertension, headache, chest congestion and colic pains were each treated using seven plants. Conclusions:The study provides information on medicinal and healing methods used by the Keiyo community. It also revealed that traditional medicines are still widely used in Keiyo district. Some of the identified plants have been demonstrated to possess pharmacological activities related to those mentioned by the herbalists.

Race, Class, and the Neoliberal Scourge

Race, Class, and the Neoliberal Scourge

A 'THICK DESCRIPTION' OF TWO BIBLE STUDIES BY THE SOKHANYA BIBLE SCHOOL

Profile of the group This group consists of Xhosa speaking church leaders who are enrolled as students of the Sokhanya Bible School. This school was founded by local church leaders, together with a white DRC minister who is still the teacher, in various townships in Cape Town in 1992.

Popular Religiosity in the “Closed City” of Soviet Ukraine: Cultural Consumption and Religion during Late Socialism, 1959-1984

Part of a larger research project about Soviet cultural consumption and identity formation, this article explores the connection between rock music and religiosity in the industrial city of Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, in the late socialist period. The Committee of State Security [Komitet gosudarstvennoi bezopasnosti, KGB] closed Dnepropetrovsk to foreigners in 1959 when one of the Soviet Union’s biggest missile factories opened there. Because of its “closed” nature, Dnepropetrovsk became a unique Soviet social and cultural laboratory where various patterns of late socialism collided with new Western cultural influences. The closed city of Dnepropetrovsk can be seen as a microcosm of Soviet society as a whole. Drawing from a wide variety of sources, including archival documents, periodicals, personal diaries and interviews, this article demonstrates how popular fascination for Western rock music, such as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar, spurred interest in Christianity. Local Protestant and Orthodox church leaders skillfully promoted such interest, even as the Party bosses tried to quash it. This study stands as a reminder of the continued draw of Christianity in Orthodoxy’s heartland—even through alternative, modernizing media—despite the official promotion of atheism.

A response to Edzi (AIDS): Malawi faith-based organizations' impact on HIV prevention and care.

African faith-based organization (FBO) leaders influence their members' HIV knowledge, beliefs, and practices, but their roles in HIV prevention and care are poorly understood. This article expands the work of Garner (2000) to test the impact of FBO influence on member risk and care behaviors, embedding it in the Theory of Planned Behavior. Qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys were collected from five FBOs (Christian and Muslim) in Malawi and analyzed using mixed methods. Contrary to Garner, we found that the level of power and influence of the FBO had no significant impact on the risk-taking behaviors of members; however, leaders' HIV knowledge predicted members' behaviors. Stigmatizing attitudes of leaders significantly decreased members' care behaviors, but FBO hierarchy tended to increase members' care behaviors. The power of local church and mosque leaders to influence behavior could be exploited more effectively by nurses by providing support, knowledge, and encouragement to churches and mosques.

1 Clement’s View of Ministerial Appointments in the Early Church

Abstract The document known as the First Epistle of Clement, probably written towards the end of the first century, provides some of the scant available documentary evidence about the early development of the Christian ministry. It contains an outline history of the passing down of authority, but the relevant part of the Greek text has ambiguities which have led various scholars to propose five broadly different views, or interpretations, of Clement’s intended meaning. These were examined in relation to Clement’s purpose, an approach which relied primarily on evidence internal to the epistle, and had not been considered in detail before. Only one of the five views was found to make Clement’s argument reasonably consistent with his aims, and this view also made his lack of clarity understandable. Thus Clement’s intended message in the ambiguous section was that the first local church leaders were appointed by the apostles, and when some of these local leaders died, replacement appointments were made by people who had been given the authority to do so from outside the local church.

Christianity in Singapore: The Voice of Moral Conscience to the State

Christianity has historically been influential in shaping morality, a project which still continues. While substantial literature has addressed the question how conservative Christians in America attempt to maintain moral control, there is little research on the way in which Christianity influences morality in other societies. This study examines the case of Singapore where conservative Christianity dominates the Christian landscape. The first part of this article discusses Christian groups which have become intricately involved in the production and policing of morality in Singapore and the state patronage which this attempt enjoys. This is based on evidence of state support for various Christian based initiatives which focus on the family and sexuality. Also, the recent sites of discord are considered which result from the state's increased tolerance of homosexuality and gambling. Interview data, public speeches, and writings of local church leaders are used to show that the Christian church wants to be the state's voice of conscience. However, while opposing moral degradation, the ‘well disciplined’ Singaporean Christian leaders have carefully negotiated their strategies and tried to avoid being labelled by the state as undesirable voices of conscience.

Values and Significance: A case study uncovering the search for meaning among young people in Central and Eastern Europe

This paper will present a few of the results of qualitative, case study research conducted among students in six cities in Central and Eastern Europe. It will describe the use of images in interviews and how this enabled digging beyond cultural, customary religious belief to uncover a search for ultimate meaning and spirituality. A summary of the findings regarding the emerging values of the young people and their descriptions of what is significant to them in life will be related to Savage, Collins-Mayo and Mayo's research conducted in the UK, specifically to their theories of formative and transformative spirituality and the happy midi-narrative. The tension between a young person's actual situation and their dream about their ideal life will be discussed in terms of the research findings regarding the students' use of celebrity images in their living space. The young people's values, as they emerged from the research, will be contrasted with the values and practices of churches in this region, as seen through the young people's perceptions of traditional church and as articulated by local church leaders. The paper will include a short analysis of the current religious situation in former Soviet countries in light of the finding of the research..

The Virgin Mary and the People of Liguria: Image and Cult

We begin with an image, and a story. Explanation will emerge from what follows. Figure 1 depicts a huge wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, once the figurehead on the prow of a ship, but now on the high altar of the church of Saints Vittore and Carlo in Genoa, and venerated as Nostra Signora della Fortuna. On the night of 16-17 January 1636 a violent storm struck the port of Genoa. Many ships were wrecked. Among them was one called the Madonna della Pieta, which had the Virgin as its figurehead. A group of Genoese sailors bought this image as part of the salvage washed up from the sea. First setting it up under a votive painting of the Virgin in the harbour, they repaired it, had it repainted, and on the eve of Corpus Christi brought it to the church of San Vittore, close by the port. A famous blind song-writer was commissioned to write a song in honour of the image. Sailors and groups of young girls went through the streets of the city singing and collecting gifts. The statue became at once the focus of an extraordinary popular cult, thousands of people arriving day and night with candles, silver crowns, necklaces, and crosses in gratitude for the graces which had immediately begun to be granted. Volleys of mortars were let off in celebration. The affair was managed by the sailors who, in the face of mounting criticism and anxiety from local church leaders, directed devotions and even conducted exorcisms before the image. To stem the gathering tide of visitors and claims of miracles, and to try to establish control, the higher clergy first questioned the identity of the statue (some held it to represent, not the Virgin, but the Queen of England); then the statue was walled up; finally the church was closed altogether. Still, devotees climbed into the church, and large-scale demonstrations of protest were held. The archbishop instituted a process of investigation, in the course of which many eye-witnesses and people who claimed to have experienced miracles were interviewed (giving, in the surviving manuscript, rich detail of their responses to the image). Eventually the prohibition was lifted, and from 1637 until well into the twentieth century devotion to Nostra Signora della Fortuna remained strong, with frequent miracles or graces being recorded. So here we have a cult focused on an image of secular origin, transformed by the promotion of the sailors into a devotional object which roused the enthusiasm of thousands of lay people. It was a cult which, significantly, sprang up at a time of unrest in the city of Genoa, and which thus focused pressing issues of authority. The late 163os witnessed growing tension between factions of ‘old’ and ‘new’ nobility, the latter being marked by their hostility to the traditional Genoese Spanish alliance. Hostilities were played out both within the Senate and in clashes in the streets of the city. The cult of Nostra Signora della Fortuna grew up in this context, but survived and developed in subsequent centuries, attracting devotion from all over Italy.

Strengthening Marriages in a Skeptical Culture: Issues and Opportunities

Questions are answered in relationship to Scott Stanley's work in marriage education and in relationship to a variety of sociocultural factors concerning the condition and treatment of marriage issues in contemporary society, including current trends for public sector efforts to strengthen marriages in the U.S. The PREP and Christian PREP approach to marital education is discussed. In addition, recommendations are made for marital interventions in general to local community and church leaders as well as marital therapists.

The Symbis Approach to Marriage Education

Questions are answered in relationship to the Parrotts’ work in marriage education and in relationship to a variety of sociocultural factors concerning the condition and treatment of marriage issues in contemporary society. The Parrotts’ SYMBIS approach to pre-marital, neomarital and early marriage education is discussed. In addition, recommendations are made for marital interventions to local community and church leaders as well as marital therapists.

Comments on Marriage in Contemporary Culture: Five Models that might help Families

Questions are answered in relationship to innovative theoretical models derived primarily from the author's teaching experiences in family theory and methodology. Implications of the models for marital interventions by local community and church leaders as well as marital therapists are discussed.

The State of Christian Marriage

Questions are answered in relationship to Tim Clinton's work in professional leadership and marriage education. Sociocultural factors concerning the condition and treatment of marriage issues in contemporary society are discussed. Dr. Clinton's approach to marital interventions and integration are presented. In addition, recommendations are made for marital interventions to local community and church leaders as well as marital therapists.

'De priester is geen druide'

The subject ofthis paper is the process of religious detraditionalization inside the Dutch Catholic Church. The analysis ofthis process builds on Giddens' conceptual scheme of conservative and modern forms oftradition. The data stem mostly from recent studies performed by the Institute forApplied Research on Religion (KASKI), with respect to the situation in catholic parishes and the attitudes of priests, lay prayers and church volunteers. In addition, two recent important policy documents conceived by the local catholic church leaders are analyzed as well. Our study reveals that the Dutch parishes, both the organizational members and the parishioners, see themselves as traditional in a modern way. The church leaders, however, stick to a sacramental church and a conservative interpretation ofthe tradition. Yet, they try to incorporate the modern conceptions within the catholic church, bytoleratingadual system: a limited sacramental praxis, completed by a free space in which new forms of religious participation may be developed.

Pilgrims' Progress: Narratives of Penitence and Reconciliation in the Dutch Reformed Church

AbstractHistorians over the past twenty years have utilized consistory records to analyze long-term patterns of illicit behavior and church punishment in Reformed congregations across Europe. Despite the value of these studies, a narrative approach to consistory records offers an opportunity to penetrate the assumptions of local church leaders and to discover real men and women in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Using examples from the pivotal moments in the discipline process in the Dutch Reformed Church at Delft, this article reconstructs the narrative framework of discipline there. The author argues that consistory secretaries recorded discipline cases as ongoing stories of penitence and reconciliation in the lives of all sorts of church members.