Deliver us from patriarchy’
A gendered perspective of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa and implications for pastoral care
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12856247 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sinenhlanhla S Chisale (0000-0001-7227-2206, University of Pretoria, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2020-03-20 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Verbum et Ecclesia (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1609-9982 • E-ISSN: 2074-7705 |
| Publisher | AOSIS (PUBLISHER • ZA) |
| DOI | 10.4102/ve.v41i1.2003 |
| OpenAlex | W3011520809 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 16 |
| References cited | 12 |
The church is a fertile ground for nurturing and protecting patriarchy. Within the Christian church, gender equality remains a theoretical notion, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (ELCSA) is no exception in this regard. Written from the perspective of African women’s theology, this article critically reflects on and interprets gender issues in ELCSA leadership structures by exploring the gender biases involved in the running of the church and the implications of these biases for gender questions about reformation and pastoral care in ELCSA congregations. Findings indicate that the gender gap in ELCSA structures is neither biblical nor constitutional but is protected by the presence of wives of bishops, deans and pastors who are placed strategically in women’s leagues, particularly the Prayer Women’s League (PWL). In addition, qualifying the bishops, deans and pastors as ex-officio members of these groups constitutes an obstacle to achieving gender equality in the Church’s leadership structures and has implications for pastoral care in the ELCSA.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The article is written from a Christian-anthropological perspective. By reviewing literature from social sciences, practical and systematic theology, it integrates sociological and African traditional assumptions of gender and religion that hinder the African church’s reformation praxis, thereby affecting pastoral care
Bishops · Feminist theology · Missiology · Pastoral care · Patriarchy · Perspective (graphical · Political science · Prayer · Sociology · Theology · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health · Christian Theology and Mission · Gender Studies · Law · Philosophy · Religion, Society, and Development
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The African Pastor as a Public Figure in Response to Gender-Based Violence in South Africa
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Her influence
Barriers Inhibiting Women's Path to the Pulpit and the Gender Gap in Compensation
| Citations per year | 2.67 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2020 - 2026 (7) |
| Highly cited | No |