Academic literature on the topic 'Misunderstood Saviours'

Redeeming a society, and bearing its burden, can be a gruelling mission. It becomes even more demanding when one’s mission is misconstrued. Beyond the dangers that such arduous tasks attract, the saviour must demonstrate the urgency of his mission and the need for solidarity in executing it. Unfettering societies from impending danger calls for great personality. In this study, I employ a post-modern intertextual literary theory in my critical analysis of the artistic vision projected in Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s The River Between. I argue that Ngugi’s novel leverages the messianic portraits in the Gospel of Luke in its characterisation of the protagonist, Waiyaki. Waiyaki’s call for unity, a political vision that is geared towards redemption, is mistaken for betrayal. Through his downfall, outright rejection by members of the tribe, which is presented more like that of a tragic heroism of Christ, the novel suggests that these divisions, internal rivalries, tribal squabbles, supremacy battles and the quest for selfish gains culminated in delays in the liberation struggle in Kenya. Kabonyi’s evidently pronounced determination to outdo Waiyaki derails genuine efforts towards cultural reconciliation. What is most compelling about Ngugi’s ‘saviour’ narrative in this novel is his juxtaposition of Christian and indigenous promises of redemption.

Interdisciplinarity is among the most talked about but most misunderstood topics in education on all levels today. Seen as the savior of research and teaching, especially in universities, and of society, or the seeds of destruction, interdisciplinarity's proponents and critics talk past each other. Seldom do they seek common terms; typically, they mean very different approaches when they refer to interdisciplinarity. They erroneously dichotomize disciplines and interdisciplines, confuse specialization and synthesis, and misconstrue “integration.” They also date the historical turn to interdisciplinarity too late. This article critically reviews the history, historiography, and sociology of knowledge of interdisciplinarity with a focus on etiology, epistemology, definitions, relationships among and between disciplines, intellectual and institutional locations, and the organization of knowledge. A new, more historical approach to the “problem” of interdisciplinarity is proposed.

The psalm is very definitive about the Lord being our Light and Salvation, which is a proclamation of faith, trust, and confidence of one who relies in God’s unwavering protection and providence. In His public ministry, Jesus openly proclaimed: I am the Light of the world, he who follows me will never walk in darkness! ( Jn 8:12). St. Paul also affirmed that, our hopes are fixed on the living God who is the savior of all men (1 Tim 4:10) and, there is but one God and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim 2:5-6). This article relates to Mary as the Mother of Light and Salvation and in particular, her image as the light and salvation in the life of Christians, which earned her the titles: Nuestra Señora de la Luz and Nuestra Señora de Salvacíon. Questions were raised before when the Church referred to Mary as the co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix between God and men that were misunderstood and greatly taken out of context. In this regard, how does Mary appear to be the “light and salvation” without prejudice to the dogma of faith that Jesus is the one Savior and Light of the world? This article will revive the traditional Marian titles in line with renewed evangelization, that is, a renewed Mariology in line with her Son’s redemptive work.

Introduction.- In the year of 1894, the Adventist message was first introduced in Hindu country India. Since, then thousands of missionaries have been sent to Asian countries like India, Nepal, Maldives, and Bangladesh but very few results have been accomplished. Many missionaries and Missionary Institutions have come to the realization that the work is very challenging to this specific group of people. In order to reach them and to know how they think and perceive things it is vital to understand their worldview. Objective.- Having mentioned the above problem, this research tends to contribute in unders- tanding the worldview of Hinduism. Only if we understand their worldview, we will be able to relate with them, and will be able to explain things in a way that both parties understands with less possibilities of being misunderstood. Methodology.- In order to make it happen, this research followed thematic methodology, first planted the problematic issues, explained the antecedents, and found solutions of the problem. Results.- Found some elements that could serve as a bridge for religious dialogues with Hin- dus. When the oriental world is crying for medical assistant, medical missionary work would serve as a medium to touch their hearts, other elements that has to deal with salvation, grace, and the identity of the savior of the world is revealed using their own sacred scriptures. Conclusions.- Investigation reached to the following conclusions: First, Understanding the worldview of any group of people, or individual helps to relate and reach them. Second, Christ’s method alone will work as incredible method to reach the unreached Hindus, most of the Hin- dus people have prejudice about the western missionaries but if Christ Method was followed and if we seek nothing but their good, surely they will open their hearts for truth. Third, some elements have been found in their sacred books where it reveals about the Identity of Jesus Christ and presents Him as the redeemer of the world.

The Bible is the word of God that needs to be understood by all those who already have Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. This is called a Christian. It is different from people who are Christians as a 'religion'. Christians are obliged to study the Bible as a basic truth in order to know God's will from time to time.
 On the other hand, Bible learners often experience confusion problems, when understanding the continuity of the contents from Genesis to Revelation. Are there interrelations? Or it is just a fragmented story with different intentions.There are appropriate methods in avoiding confusion when doing this learning process. This method has been understood since the beginning of the century which then became popular throughout the world in the 19th century, with the term Dispensationalism.Dispensation is a period of time during which humans are tested in the perspective of obedience to a specific revelation of God's will. Theologically, the word dispensation means a religious system that is understood as a divine provision or as a sign of progressive revelation that expresses the changing needs of an individual nation or time period. Dispensationalism views the world as a household run or worked by God.Dispensation theology is often misunderstood by theologians, without wanting to study it carefully, where is the oddity? This discussion will show that Dispensationalism is as a sharp knife for understanding the Bible as a whole.
 
 Abstrak
 Alkitab itu firman Allah yang perlu dipahami oleh semua orang yang telah memiliki Yesus sebagai Tuhan dan Juruselamatnya secara pribadi. Ini disebut orang Kristen. Beda dengan orang yang beragama Kristen. Orang Kristen itu hukumnya wajib, untuk mempelajari Alkitab, sebagai dasar kebenaran dalam rangka mengetahui kehendak Allah dari zaman ke zaman.Di sisi lain, para pembelajar Alkitab sering mengalami kendala kebingungan, saat memahami kesinambungan dari isi Kitab Kejadian hingga Kitab Wahyu. Apakah ada saling keterkaitannya? Ataukah hanya kisah yang terpotong-potong dengan maksud yang berbeda-beda.Ada metode yang tepat guna dalam menghindarkan diri dari kebingungan saat melakukan proses pembelajaran ini. Metode ini telah dipahami sejak abad permulaan yang kemudian mulai populer ke seluruh dunia pada abad 19, dengan istilah Dispensasionalisme.Dispensasi merupakan suatu periode waktu di mana pada masa itu manusia diuji di dalam perspektif ketaatan kepada suatu wahyu spesifik dari kehendak Allah. Secara teologis kata dispensasi berarti sistem religius yang dipahami sebagai suatu ketetapan ilahi atau sebagai penunjuk cara pewahyuan secara progresif yang mengekspresikan perubahan kebutuhan bangsa secara individu atau periode waktu. Dispensasionalisme memandang dunia sebagai rumah tangga yang dijalankan atau dikerjakan oleh Allah.Teologi Dispensasi sering disalahmengerti oleh para teolog, tanpa mau mempelajari terlebih dahulu dengan teliti, di mana letak kejanggalannya? Pembahasan ini akan menunjukkan bahwa Dispensasionalisme merupakan pisau yang tajam untuk memahami Alkitab secara utuh.

Redeeming a society, and bearing its burden, can be a gruelling mission. It becomes even more demanding when one’s mission is misconstrued. Beyond the dangers that such arduous tasks attract, the saviour must demonstrate the urgency of his mission and the need for solidarity in executing it. Unfettering societies from impending danger calls for great personality. In this study, I employ a post-modern intertextual literary theory in my critical analysis of the artistic vision projected in Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s The River Between. I argue that Ngugi’s novel leverages the messianic portraits in the Gospel of Luke in its characterisation of the protagonist, Waiyaki. Waiyaki’s call for unity, a political vision that is geared towards redemption, is mistaken for betrayal. Through his downfall, outright rejection by members of the tribe, which is presented more like that of a tragic heroism of Christ, the novel suggests that these divisions, internal rivalries, tribal squabbles, supremacy battles and the quest for selfish gains culminated in delays in the liberation struggle in Kenya. Kabonyi’s evidently pronounced determination to outdo Waiyaki derails genuine efforts towards cultural reconciliation. What is most compelling about Ngugi’s ‘saviour’ narrative in this novel is his juxtaposition of Christian and indigenous promises of redemption.

I hate being misunderstood. I guess we all do, but it goes with the territory. I use the word coloured, and he seems offended: 'We Brits don't say 'coloured'. It's regarded as patronising. We say black, if we say anything. And if we do it's for reasons of simple practicality. It doesn't matter. ' Of course, what he seems to be missing, is that the word coloured in South Africa now refers less to skin colour, and more to a distinct cultural group, with it's own language (a dialect of Afrikaans), food (of Malay origin), and music. To say black in this context would be inaccurate, and cause confusion. Danya and Kyla attend the Yeoville Community School, situated in a vibrant and culturally diverse suburb of Johannesburg. On returning from school one day Danya announces: 'We have to do something at school about our culture. What is our culture Daddy?'To which her father replies, 'Go and ask your mother.' 'Well…we're sort of New Age, sort of holistic…', Toni fumbles. A few days later… 'So what did you do in the end?' Soli asks. 'Oh, us and all the other coloured kids sang, Daar Kom die Alabama'1 says Kyla. It would seem that children want to know where they come from. 'I want you to divide yourself up into your different race groups', the facilitator says. We are in a Managing Diversity workshop, and he means the old South African race classification system, but of course he wants to see what we do with it. We end up with a group of Blacks (including three 'Asians'); an African group (including two 'Whites'); a White group (two); and the Human Race (two).'Why didn't you join the white group?' Thloki asks the Human Race.'I don't define myself by my race', I reply.'Ha! Wait till there's a war over resources' he laughs, 'then you'll quickly pick a side!' The postmodernist argument ensues: 'There is no such thing as race…all these arbitrary classifications…it's nothing but a social construct!''Well you never lived as a black person under apartheid. It was very real to me!'The facilitator aims to mediate/translate for the rest of us: 'Well yes, it is just a social construct. But one which had very real consequences for people.' 'Nobody goes into town anymore' a woman says. To which Har Bhajan replies, 'When I was last in town, there were lots of people there.' Of course, what she means is, hardly any white people go into town anymore. (And she's right about that.) But what is that, the way certain people become invisible, depending on who's looking? My friend Karima and I attend an Al Jarreau concert. Fairly expensive tickets, and almost the entire audience is black. I'm not sure why I'm quite so surprised. But this is Sandton, the richest formerly white suburb of Johannesburg. Perhaps working in the NGO sector I've missed how much things are actually changing… I wonder how many people in the audience have been into town lately. With the shift in power, and the -- albeit slow -- levelling of the playing field, now it is possible for white South Africans to be at the receiving end of racial discrimination too… I am visiting my cousin. He is 60, and a musician. But times are tough for him now. His brother was shot dead in his driveway while someone stole his car. And it's hard for him to find work. 'I am too white, now', he says. He is not bitter, just saddened. In his day he had probably the most famous jazz club in Johannesburg. Rumours it was called. 'The best little bootlegger in Bellevue' he called himself. He was known for breaking the law then. His club was racially integrated long before it was allowed. Controversial South African artist, Beezy Bailey, has an alter ego: 'The creation of Joyce was born of the frustration of 'increasingly prevalent affirmative action'. Bailey submitted two artworks for a triennial exhibition. One was with the traditional 'Beezy Bailey' signature (rejected) the other signed 'Joyce Ntobe'! The latter now enjoys an honoured place in the SA National Gallery as part of its permanent collection. When the curator of the SA National Gallery wanted to work on a paper about three black women artists, Joyce Ntobe being one, Bailey let the cat out the bag which caused a huge media 'scandale'.' (Carmel Art) I spent three months in London, and I realised how easy it is to be white there. Or rather, how easy it is to not be white. Of course, it 'doesn't matter' there, because it doesn't matter. It's easy to donate a monthly cheque to Worldvision, and read about the latest chaos in Zimbabwe in the free rag on the tube, and never have to look overwhelming poverty and disease in the face. But when you live on the African continent, you are very aware of being white. At the diversity workshop, I realise how white South Africans seem to get to take the rap here for the actions of white people on the planet. It's not just the effects of apartheid that black South Africans are angry about it seems, it's also the effects of the global economy, that cause the rich to become richer, and the poor to become poorer. Oh sure, that's not just an issue of race, but the poorest on our planet remain 'people of colour', and wealth remains concentrated in the West/North. I realise also that the Black and African groups at the workshop have one thing that they agree on quite strongly - the importance of making the African continent one's focus. Though the two of us in the Human Race group have both read Naomi Klein's No Logo -- and care about the effects on the poor of economic globalisation -- our sense of 'internationalism' is not viewed in a positive light, but seen rather as 'elitist'. * * * 'The thing about the Dutch' says Gary, 'is that they're pragmatic. They're not politically correct -- call the prostitutes prostitutes, not sex workers, but tax them, and give them health care. They have a strong human rights culture.' The Afrikaners are descendents of these transparent, curtainless Dutch. Sometimes I can see it. 'It is not words that make for bigotry, but attitudes', says columnist Ira Pilgrim. 'Some of the most bigoted people I have known always used the 'correct' words.'2 I am not politically correct. There are certain words I'd never use, and couldn't bring myself to, not out of political correctness, but because they're invested with hate. But words like 'whitey', darkie' and 'honky', where I sit, are terms of endearment. I'd never use them on strangers, but amongst friends, they're terms of affection and irony, because we're laughing at ourselves, and each other. 'It's hard to explain to anyone' Gary continues, 'what it's like living in a place where -- from the time you wake up in the morning, till you close your eyes at night -- every breath that you take is politicised.' Gary left the country because he didn't want to be conscripted to fight a war he didn't believe in. He's done well for himself in Europe. But he had to give up his homeland. I catch a 'Zola', the mini-bus taxi named after South Africa's barefoot runner Zola Budd, probably most famous for inadvertently tripping Mary Decker at the 1984 Olympics (Finnegan). Zola was little and fast, like the taxi's that 'zip, zip, zip' -- often to the infuriation of other motorists -- hence the affectionate nickname. They're the peril of the road, but the saviour of the immobile masses, with their unique language and hand signals. I overhear bits of Zulu conversation, including 'Brooke…Ridge…Thorne.' Our soaps, too, are politicised. It would seem that even black South Africans watch The Bold and the Beautiful for light relief. Usually I am the only whitey here, but accepted as just another carless commuter moving from A to B. Despite the safety risks of bad driving, I enjoy it. I did a Zulu course a few years ago. I didn't learn much Zulu -- discovered I don't have the tongue or an ear for African languages -- but I learnt a lot from the course nevertheless. 'Tell us about an experience that you've had, that was a result of cultural misunderstandings' says the facilitator. 'I spent much of my first year at University hungry' says Nhlanhla. 'My white friends would offer me food when I was visiting, but I would refuse, because in our culture, if you ask you don't really want to give. We just hand you a plate.' Nombulelo tells of the time she went on a yoga retreat. She was confused when she started to undress openly in the dormitory, and got disapproving looks from the other women. 'Why?' she wondered, 'we are all women together?' But these were Hindu women, whose sense of modesty was different from the openness of African women. For the whiteys, the major confusion seems to come from the issue of timekeeping. 'African time' is often referred to. Though in London, I did hear talk of 'Caribbean time'. Perhaps the concept of being on time is a particularly Western one (Makhale-Mahlangu). We are visiting friends of friends. There's an unlikely combination at the dinner table. She is tall and dark. I am short and fair. 'So where do you two know each other from?' Cairo asks. 'I'm Andie's sister', Kim replies. She reads the dumbfoundedness in Cairo's face. 'What can I say…my line got a bit deviated!' she laughs. She has my father's sense of humour. So have I. I ask my father, when he first became aware of racial prejudice. 'I was about six years old', he says. 'I threw my ball out of the school grounds, and called to the black man outside: 'Boy, please would you throw my ball back to me?' And the man replied: 'I am not a boy. I am old enough to be your grandfather.'' I am thinking about the time in our lives before we become aware of race… A friend tells me a story about how her six-year-old daughter came home from school and asked, 'Mommy, what's a [racist-term-not-to-be-repeated]?' She'd been called that. The late Lenny Bruce, controversial American comedian and social critic in the sixties, argued that it is 'the word that gives it the power of violence'3, and if we used 'the words' colloquially often enough, and began to invest them with new meanings, they would lose their power to hurt us. I am about to board a bus…'Woza (come) Mama', says the driver. 'Uyaphi?' (Where are you going?) '…green green, I'm going away to where the grass is greener still', come the Reggae sounds from his radio. We are discussing whether we should be focusing on our sameness or our differences. 'Of course we all want the same things…a home, a job, an education for our children', says Karima, but it's our differences that make us interesting.' I agree. Notes 1 Daar Kom die Alabama (Here Comes the Alabama) is a traditional 'Cape Coloured' song, originally sung in tribute to the Alabama, a confederate ship that docked in Cape Town in 1863. On board were Al Jolson-esque (Burlesque) performers, whom the slaves admired, and they imitated their style of performance. This tradition continues still today with the 'Coon Carnival' held on New Years Day and 'Tweede Nuwe Jaar' (Second New Year). It is said that the custom of Tweede Nuwe Jaar originated as a holiday for the slaves, who were too busy attending to their masters' needs on the first. For more information on the Coon Carnival, see http://www.iias.nl/host/ccrss/cp/cp3/cp3-__171___.html. 2 While the author makes some important general points about the drawbacks of political correctness, his reference to South Africa (including the correction) are in fact incorrect. The apartheid government had four major 'population groups' in it's classification system: African (black), Coloured, Asian and White. (The term black was used then only informally.) These were then sub-divided into other categories. See http://www.csvr.org.za/race.htm for further details. 3 The relevant extract from Julian Barry's 1971 play Lenny, can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/relrpt/stories/s271585.htm. References Barry, Julian. Lenny. Random House, 1971. http://www.freenetpages.co.uk/hp/lennybruce/ Downloaded 14 April 2002. Carmel Art Galleries. Beezy Bailey Curriculum Vitae, at http://www.carmelart.co.za/site/cvbb.htm Downloaded 14 April 2002. Finnegan, Mark. 'The 10 worst mishaps in the history of sport.' Observer Sport Monthly 5 November (2000). http://www.observer.co.uk/osm/story/0,69... Downloaded 14 April 2002. Klein, Naomi. No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies. USA: Picador, 2000. http://www.nologo.org/ Downloaded 14 April 2002. Makhale-Mahlangu, Palesa. 'Reflections on Trauma Counselling Methods.' Seminar presented at the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, Johannesburg, 31 July 1996. http://www.csvr.org.za/articles/artpales.htm Downloaded 14 April 2002. Martin, Denis-Constant. 'The Famous Invincible Darkies Cape Town's Coon Carnival: Aesthetic Transformation, Collective Representations and Social Meanings', 1998. http://www.iias.nl/host/ccrss/cp/cp3/cp3-__171___.html Downloaded 14 April 2002. Pilgrim, Ira. 'Kikes, Niggers, Queers, Scotchmen and Chinamen', Mendocino County Observer, 22 March (1990). http://www.mcn.org/c/irapilgrim/race02.html Downloaded 14 April 2002. Transfer of African Language Knowledge (TALK). http://www.icon.co.za/~sadiverse/about.htm Downloaded 14 April 2002. Andie Miller was born, and spent the first 23 years of her life at the Southern-most tip of the African continent, in Cape Town. She currently works as webmaster for the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, and the National Development Agency in Johannesburg, South Africa. Links http://www.observer.co.uk/osm/story/0 http://www.iias.nl/host/ccrss/cp/cp3/cp3-__171___.html http://www.carmelart.co.za/site/cvbb.htm http://www.csvr.org.za/ http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/relrpt/stories/s271585.htm http://www.csvr.org.za/articles/artpales.htm http://www.nologo.org/ http://www.mcn.org/c/irapilgrim/race02.html http://www.freenetpages.co.uk/hp/lennybruce/ http://www.icon.co.za/~sadiverse/about.htm http://www.csvr.org.za/race.htm http://www.nda.org.za/ Citation reference for this article MLA Style Miller, Andie. "Multiculturalism and Shades of Meaning in the New South Africa" M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 5.3 (2002). [your date of access] < http://www.media-culture.org.au/0207/shadesofmeaning.php>. Chicago Style Miller, Andie, "Multiculturalism and Shades of Meaning in the New South Africa" M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 5, no. 3 (2002), < http://www.media-culture.org.au/0207/shadesofmeaning.php> ([your date of access]). APA Style Miller, Andie. (2002) Multiculturalism and Shades of Meaning in the New South Africa. M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 5(3). < http://www.media-culture.org.au/0207/shadesofmeaning.php> ([your date of access]).