FENZA PUBLICATIONS & DOCUMENTS
Books published by FENZA
Books written by Missionaries of Africa
Here we are! 70 years of evangelisation and social concern (Regiment Parish)
For 70 years, Regiment Parish has been the locus of innovative pastoral approaches that have affected the Catholic Church in Zambia at large. In this study and collection, authors place the pastoral innovations, including the first experiments with Small Christian Communities, into their
(Click on title above for free PDF download of the book.)
Muslim associations and the resurgence of Islam in Zambia
The Muslim community in Zambia has attained remarkable visibility in recent years through the construction of mosques, schools, health facilities and active participation in social and development programmes. This book looks at the major role played by local Muslim associations in these endeavours and also traces the historical origins and development of Islam in the country.
(This book is available in the FENZA library: class-mark 297.883.)
Interfaith relations & ecumenism
What is ecumenical and interfaith dialogue?
Some practical suggestions for getting involved in ecumenism.
Islam in Zambia: Small and notable
Fr Phiri is the author of Muslim associations and the resurgence of Islam in Zambia (see book in previous section).
Christianity in Zambia
Domestic Morality and Traditional Dogma
This article is published in the Zambia Social Science Journal and engages with the concept of traditional Bemba dogma that was developed by Fr. Hugo Hinfelaar.
Revolutions in social communication also affect new approaches to mission. This paper, presented at the December 2013 FENZA conference, places new trends in mission theology within their historical contexts.
Overrun by the Gospel of Prosperity?
Because Jesus came to bring life, and life to the full (Jn. 10:10), the Prosperity Gospel teaches that believers have a divine right to the blessings of wealth, health and a happy life as part of the covenant with God and redemption by Christ. This gospel has also shaped the Christian worldview of many Catholics in Zambia and is popular and sometimes openly preached. This article looks at some of the reasons of its great success in Africa, and at some consequences.
Christian prophecy is of great importance in Zambia, yet it is understood in many different ways. This paper looks at the reality of prophecy in Zambia's townships and presents a number of case studies concerning its practice and perceived needs. The paper also looks at the practice of prophecy on the fringes of the Catholic Church.
The changing face of Christianity in Zambia
The history of one urban compound (Bauleni) of Lusaka is examined in regards to the presence of different churches from 1970 to 2010. The article looks at local facets of the Pentecostal explosion that led to the establishment of 53 different Pentecostal churches, out of which 17 were Bauleni-born. See also "The Changing Face of Zambia's Christianity" in the Research section.
Gender
From fixity to flow: Empowering theories in gender studies
Each particular human group has a partial view of reality. We all have categories or lenses through which we see things including human sexuality. For all of us it is very difficult to move out of our own frame of reference to appreciate and understand those who don’t think like ourselves; we tend to fear, to categorize and to reject what we do not understand.
Traditional, modern, and Christian teachings in marriages
A paper entitled "The man: The head of the household?" presented at the August 2010 FENZA conference.
Healing, witchcraft & Satanism
Concrete steps to help people struggling with experiences of witchcraft attacks. During the FENZA week on witchcraft (30 May – 3 June 2011) this approach was introduced and discussed. Twenty-three steps are suggested that have proven helpful in a good number of cases. Here a summary.
Film: Satanism – an eye witness account
Gives background information to the film on Satanism in Zambia.
A Ten-step pastoral approach to Satanism in Zambia
The social side of "Satanic" possession
Believing in the presence of demons does not mean to deny that social and domestic pressures and political forces also play themselves out in the dramas of possession. Experiences with possession as well as fast-spreading rumours of Satanism can give a glimpse into the tensions that accompany modern urban life in Zambia: notably, the breakup of family structures and how this is experienced by many people.
A pastoral approach to deliverance
The pastoral challenge of Satanism can hardly be avoided today in Zambia. The article argues for a patient-centred approach that builds on the concepts of the patients and their families, while increasing self-confidence and faith, and addressing also domestic and social tensions. Experiences of possession are placed in a worldview where God is present even in the "underworld".
The author was a member of the team of a famous diviner detecting charms and finding out witches in many villages in Serenje area. Here is his account of his way of working.
Witchcraft: Casting a shadow over mission
When Father Louis Oger was in charge of the Chibemba language course in Ilondola, he collected many of the archive materials that are today available in FENZA. His own works on customs and language also are available in the archives. Witchcraft beliefs and practices as well as the workings of diviners and healers (ng'anga) posed a challenge to missionaries throughout Zambia's history with Western missionaries. In these article (written toward the end of his life), Louis Oger laid out his own approach.
Publications & Documents Archive
Less current documents, formerly in the lists above, are available for research purposes in the following Archive.