Born from Lament: The Theology and Politics of Hope in Africa

by Emmanuel Katongole

Overview

There is no more urgent theological task than to provide an account of hope in Africa, given its endless cycles of violence, war, poverty, and displacement. So claims Emmanuel Katongole, an innovative theological voice from Africa.

In the midst of suffering, Katongole says, hope takes the form of "arguing" and "wrestling" with God. Such lament is not merely a cry of pain--it is a way of mourning, protesting, and appealing to God. As he unpacks the rich theological and social dimensions of the practice of lament in Africa, Katongole tells the stories of courageous Christian activists working for change in East Africa and invites readers to enter into lament along with them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802874344
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	04/25/2017
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	314
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Emmanuel Katongole is associate professor of theology and peace studies at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, and a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Kampala, Uganda. His other books include The Sacrifice of Africa: A Political Theology for Africa and Mirror to the Church: Resurrecting Faith after Genocide in Rwanda.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction: On Arguing and Wrestling with God in Africa xi

Part 1 A Hope-less Continent?

1 The Possibility and the Nature of Hope in Africa 3

2 The Need and Urgency of a Theology of Hope 21

Part 2 Soundscapes of Lament

3 The Strange Gift of the Discipline of Lament 41

4 The Threefold Gift of Cultural Expressions of Lament 62

Part 3 The God of Lament

5 The Psalms of Lament and the Silence of God 103

6 The Saving Power of "Christ Crucified" 112

Part 4 The Peace of Lament

7 The Peace-Building Dimensions of Prophetic Lament 145

8 Christopher Munzihirwa and the Politics of Nonviolent Love 164

9 The Costly Loss of Lament 179

Part 5 The Politics of Lament

10 Rachel's Cry in the Gospel of Matthew 189

11 David Kasali and the Université Chrétienne Bilingue du Congo in Beni 200

12 Maggy Barankitse and the Politics of Forgiveness in Burundi 225

13 Refusing to Be Consoled for the Death of the Martyrs 243

Conclusion: "Une herbe qui brûle" (The Grass That Burns) 260

Works Cited 266

Index of Names and Subjects 277

Index of Scripture References 291

Editorial Reviews

Mark R. Gornik
-- City Seminary of New York
"What an extraordinary gift! Emmanuel Katongole helps us see how God and the everyday, lament and hope, Scripture and prayer, church and public life all hold together. Born from Lament is about Africa, yet it speaks to the world. This is a landmark work by one of the most remarkable and transformational theological leaders of our time."

Stan Chu Ilo
-- DePaul University
"Katongole in this book redefines the method for doing public theology in Africa and the world church by giving voice to those on the margins. He argues that hope in Africa should be presented not simply as a wish or pious claims but as a light that one can discover in Africa by following stories of faith, courage, and the practice of hopeful living among many African Christians."

Elias Kifon Bongmba
-- Rice University
"A rich ethnographic and theological analysis. . . . Born from Lament is a refreshing political theology grounded in human practices rather than the sovereignty of the state and its rulers. This compelling invitation to rethink the theology of hope should be on everyone's reading list."

From the Publisher