Bringing faith to the public: Positioning church communities for social good in sub-Saharan Africa

Theologia Viatorum

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Bringing faith to the public: Positioning church communities for social good in sub-Saharan Africa
 
Creator Nanthambwe, Patrick Magezi, Vhumani
 
Subject — faith; church communities; public; social good; sub-Saharan Africa
Description The Christian faith must move beyond private belief and engage more actively in public issues to promote societal well-being. Churches, as key actors in the public sphere alongside for-profit institutions and political bodies, have the potential to contribute to the common good. This involves contestation, dialogue, and collaboration with other sectors to develop approaches that enhance human welfare. While the term ‘public good’ originates in economics, its association with social good aligns it with the mission of faith communities, which focus on community well-being. The pressing question is how church communities in sub-Saharan Africa can interact with businesses and governments to advance social good. This requires churches to engage in advocacy, provide direct services, and collaborate with secular organizations while ensuring their actions promote equity and justice. Through thoughtful engagement in the public sphere, churches can influence societal structures by upholding values such as compassion, justice, and mutual respect. By doing so, they can play a significant role in addressing challenges within their local contexts.Contribution: The article contributes to the discussions of how churches can move from private concerns to actively engaging with public issues, collaborating with various societal actors to promote social good and enhance community well-being.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2024-10-08
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — —
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/tv.v48i1.272
 
Source Theologia Viatorum; Vol 48, No 1 (2024); 10 pages 2664-2980 0378-4142
 
Language eng
 
Relation
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https://theologiaviatorum.org/index.php/tv/article/view/272/702 https://theologiaviatorum.org/index.php/tv/article/view/272/703 https://theologiaviatorum.org/index.php/tv/article/view/272/704 https://theologiaviatorum.org/index.php/tv/article/view/272/705
 
Rights Copyright (c) 2024 Patrick Nanthambwe, Vhumani Magezi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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