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Abstract
Theology, when understood as the process of meaning-making targeted at the Christian faith, is not only or even primarily a textual activity but, rather, it first happens in the lived faith of a community. In cases when there is not much written theology, or when the non-written meaning-making differs significantly from the theological texts, one needs to study theology empirically. In this chapter, a theological methodology is developed in order to contribute to analyzing the Kimbanguist doctrine of incarnation between oral and written spheres. This is done in dialogue with anthropology. Dialogical interview approach is gleaned from Odera Oruka’s philosophy of sagacity. The role of observation as a key to interpreting the interviews and the existing Kimbanguist texts is defined and the manner of analysis is formulated to correspond with the cultural context.
Abstract
Theology, when understood as the process of meaning-making targeted at the Christian faith, is not only or even primarily a textual activity but, rather, it first happens in the lived faith of a community. In cases when there is not much written theology, or when the non-written meaning-making differs significantly from the theological texts, one needs to study theology empirically. In this chapter, a theological methodology is developed in order to contribute to analyzing the Kimbanguist doctrine of incarnation between oral and written spheres. This is done in dialogue with anthropology. Dialogical interview approach is gleaned from Odera Oruka’s philosophy of sagacity. The role of observation as a key to interpreting the interviews and the existing Kimbanguist texts is defined and the manner of analysis is formulated to correspond with the cultural context.