Original Research
The need for continued decolonisation and Africanisation of ordination in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa
Theologia Viatorum | Vol 44, No 1 | a50 |
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/tv.v44i1.50
| © 2020 Donald M. Williams, Wessel Bentley
| This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 14 January 2020 | Published: 02 September 2020
Submitted: 14 January 2020 | Published: 02 September 2020
About the author(s)
Donald M. Williams, Department of Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South AfricaWessel Bentley, College of Human Sciences, Research Institute for Theology and Religion, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
Abstract
Being the church in Africa requires a continuous self-assessment by Christian denominations, asking whether it is sufficiently contextualised both in its doctrines and practices. This self-critique is essential so as to not perpetuate negative colonial influences in the way churches operate. The Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) has a rich history of challenging itself to become truly instrumental in working towards ‘A Christ-healed Africa for the healing of the nations’. This article explores the history of the MCSA’s engagement with its doctrine and practices of ordination, its journey of decolonisation and its presentation of an emerging Africanised theology of the presbytery.
Keywords
Africanisation; decolonisation; ordination; Methodist Church of Southern Africa; presbytery; Wesleyan theology
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