https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/4218 2026-05-01T10:02:15Z 2026-05-01T10:02:15Z Buchner, Elsje https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/4538 2022-05-16T12:27:58Z 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z

Laat ander die praatwerk doen Buchner, Elsje Stories of the calling of female ministers in the Dutch Reformed Church played out over a period of approximately 107 years. The folk mother discourse, which silenced women’s voices in public, developed in the Afrikaner community during this period. It is evident that female ministers in the Dutch Reformed Church have generally not participated actively in the debate on the admission of women to specific offices. Most of the contributors to this study experience some discomfort with matters of gender and feminism. As in the folk mother discourse, they leave the talking to others. In this article the development of the folk mother discourse is examined and female ministers are asked to examine their experiences in this regard. The central question is: What can the church do to help women take co-responsibility in the gender debate. Peer reviewed; Title and text in Afrikaans with abstract in English

2008-01-01T00:00:00Z Chimhanda, Francisca Hildegardis https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/4535 2022-05-16T09:39:56Z 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z

Raising consciousness regarding the dignity and vocation of women in the Catholic Church in Zimbabwe : a historical developmental process Chimhanda, Francisca Hildegardis Shona culture, Church tradition, and the Roman Catholic Church in particular, are very patriarchal. Thus culture and Church have the capacity at once to include and exclude, liberate and oppress, empower and disengage. The corollary is that just as these structures demonstrate a history of patriarchy, so, in an agenda for an inclusive paradigm, they can be transformed. Since men in the Roman Catholic Church enjoy a monopoly on power, they are generally reluctant to liberate women from patriarchal marginalisation. In this article, the raising of consciousness regarding the dignity and vocation of women in the Roman Catholic Church in Zimbabwe is explored. The discussion is based on an important tenet of liberation theology that states that women themselves, as proactive agents of their own history, have the capacity for intentional or conscious becoming. Thus, women, in their historical situatedness, must respond to the imperative of their creation and baptismal status of imago Dei/Christi and the baptismal vocation to participate in all areas of church life. Peer reviewed

2008-01-01T00:00:00Z Molobi, Victor https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/4529 2022-05-16T10:18:24Z 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z

The marginalisation of women in the African initiated churches in South Africa, 1882 to 2006 Molobi, Victor This article contributes to the continuing debate on gender equity in the African Initiated Churches (AICs) and their leadership, emphasising the united stand taken by women of the Zionist and Apostolic wings of the AICs. The marginalisation of women and patriarchy in the AICs is thus examined from the Zionist and Apostolic perspective. Women in the AICs have initiated and established their own churches, which has established a foundation from which to interrogate male dominance in the Church and seek better approaches that accommodate women. Contributions from men are welcomed, provided these are made in support of women. Peer reviewed

2008-01-01T00:00:00Z Gathogo, Julius https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/4523 2022-05-16T11:33:59Z 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z

The struggle against patriarchalism in Kenya (1980-1992) : revisiting the history of women ministries Gathogo, Julius The recommendation to ordain women as full priests in the Anglican Church was first made at the Lambeth Conference of 1978. Usually, Lambeth Conferences are held every ten years and all bishops of the Anglican Communion normally attend them. In the Kenyan context, the House of Bishops began to discuss the ordination of women as early as the 1980s. This was a follow-up to the deliberations of the abovementioned Lambeth Conference at which member churches were given the go-ahead to consider women ordination. Ultimately, the Kenyan Anglican Province agreed in principle that women could be ordained and that each diocese was to be autonomous in taking up the issue. In Kirinyaga Diocese of the Anglican Church of Kenya, the then Bishop, David Gitari, raised the issue of women ordination in four consecutive diocesan synods, i.e. 1979, 1981, 1983 and 1986. This article seeks to describe the history of women ordination in the Anglican Church of Kenya, with special reference to Kirinyaga Diocese. In so doing, it will first attempt to locate the Anglican Communion in general and then narrow it down to Kirinyaga Diocese. In its methodology, the article will start by attempting a survey of the history and traditions of the Anglican Church in Kenya. In turn, it will be able to point out the reasons why women ordination in the locality was problematic − as both history and the patriarchal nature of the society militated against its success. The article will attempt to demonstrate that as women ordination finally took root, it turned out to be very successful. The materials in this presentation have been gathered through oral interviews with relevant individuals whose identities have been kept confidential, as well as by participant observation by the researcher who was an eyewitness to the larger part of this debate. An extensive reading of some materials under discussion has also been done. The aim of the article is to laud the critical role of those who have gallantly participated in this “new struggle” to deconstruct patriarchy and clericalism; and in the African context, Mercy Amba Oduyoye is foremost in deserving this honour. Peer reviewed

2008-01-01T00:00:00Z