Liberating Mission in Mozambique: Faith and Revolution in the Life of Eduardo Mondlane

by Robert N. Faris, John W. de Gruchy (Foreword by)

Overview

Few people have any extensive knowledge of the life and witness of the Protestant churches in the former Portuguese colonies of southern Africa. Yet these communities of faith played a significant role in the liberation struggles that led to the independence of both Mozambique and Angola and subsequently to the independence of Zimbabwe and the ending of apartheid in South Africa. In Mozambique, Eduardo Mondlane emerged from the Swiss Mission to become the first president of the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO). This book examines Mondlane's role in challenging the churches both in Mozambique and globally to support the struggle for independence through a renewed understanding of the missio Dei, God's liberating mission in the world. Mondlane maintained a strong connection with the World Council of Churches and was a key player in bringing about its Programme to Combat Racism after the 1968 Assembly in Uppsala before his assassination in 1969. This connection was to have important implications for the WCC's complex relationship with Mozambique and its Protestant churches following independence.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781630874841
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	08/26/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	236
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Robert Faris taught at the ecumenical Seminario Unido de Ricatla in Mozambique during a period of significant transition, from 1989 to 1994. His experience there led him into an examination of the largely untold story of the role of the Protestant churches in the country's struggle for liberation. He is currently Associate Minister at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Toronto, Canada.
One of South Africa's most celebrated theologians, John W. de Gruchy is also a woodworker, with pieces in many churches, schools, and homes throughout the country and abroad. Among his recent books are Confessions of a Christian Humanist and Led into Mystery. He and his wife, Isobel, are members of the Volmoed Christian Community near Hermanus, South Africa, where he writes, gives seminars, and does woodworking, while Isobel paints and writes poetry.

Table of Contents

Foreword John W. de Gruchy ix

Acknowledgments xiii

List of Abbreviations xvii

1 The Protestant Churches in Mozambique in Context 1

2 A Grounding in Faith: Mondlane's Early Life in Mozambique and Integration into the Swiss Mission 14

3 Reformed and Reforming: Living Faith in South Africa 29

4 Into the Heart of Empire 46

5 Study in the United States-Oberlin College 62

6 Study in the United States-Northwestern University, Chicago 89

7 Discerning the Future 110

8 Return to Mozambique 130

9 Faith in FRELIMO 151

10 Mondlane's Legacy of Faith 181

Bibliography 211

Archives Consulted 217