Silencing the Guns, Illusion or Reality? Why a Biblical Theology of Violence Matters

It is almost as if violence and the African continent are synonymous terms. Furthermore, many researchers have studied the issue of violence in the African continent. Recent studies propose that the causes of violence in Africa are multifaceted, and most of their focus is on the external causes. Su...

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Main Author: Samuel Mwangi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Network for African Congregational Theology 2024-11-01
Series:African Theological Journal for Church and Society
Subjects:
Online Access:https://atjcs.netact.org.za/index.php/netact/article/view/169
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author Samuel Mwangi
author_facet Samuel Mwangi
author_sort Samuel Mwangi
collection DOAJ
description It is almost as if violence and the African continent are synonymous terms. Furthermore, many researchers have studied the issue of violence in the African continent. Recent studies propose that the causes of violence in Africa are multifaceted, and most of their focus is on the external causes. Such views present people only as victims of circumstances, and that which leads them towards violence is always external. This paper, however, through employing a qualitative research methodology based primarily on literature review, shows that having a proper biblical theology of violence in Africa does not place humans primarily as victims but inherently as the chief perpetrators of violence because of their fundamentally flawed human nature; further, that the issue of violence is primarily a moral issue. Thus, the question whether the African Union’s quest of ‘silencing the guns’ remains an illusion or reality shows that it remains an illusion when the real problem is not addressed.  
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spelling doaj-art-82166806333c423f99bd53d019d9a2f92025-08-20T02:07:28ZengNetwork for African Congregational TheologyAfrican Theological Journal for Church and Society2708-75572708-75652024-11-0152Silencing the Guns, Illusion or Reality? Why a Biblical Theology of Violence MattersSamuel Mwangi0Presbyterian Church of East Africa It is almost as if violence and the African continent are synonymous terms. Furthermore, many researchers have studied the issue of violence in the African continent. Recent studies propose that the causes of violence in Africa are multifaceted, and most of their focus is on the external causes. Such views present people only as victims of circumstances, and that which leads them towards violence is always external. This paper, however, through employing a qualitative research methodology based primarily on literature review, shows that having a proper biblical theology of violence in Africa does not place humans primarily as victims but inherently as the chief perpetrators of violence because of their fundamentally flawed human nature; further, that the issue of violence is primarily a moral issue. Thus, the question whether the African Union’s quest of ‘silencing the guns’ remains an illusion or reality shows that it remains an illusion when the real problem is not addressed.   https://atjcs.netact.org.za/index.php/netact/article/view/169ViolenceAfrican UnionUnited NationsBiblical Theology
spellingShingle Samuel Mwangi
Silencing the Guns, Illusion or Reality? Why a Biblical Theology of Violence Matters
African Theological Journal for Church and Society
Violence
African Union
United Nations
Biblical Theology
title Silencing the Guns, Illusion or Reality? Why a Biblical Theology of Violence Matters
title_full Silencing the Guns, Illusion or Reality? Why a Biblical Theology of Violence Matters
title_fullStr Silencing the Guns, Illusion or Reality? Why a Biblical Theology of Violence Matters
title_full_unstemmed Silencing the Guns, Illusion or Reality? Why a Biblical Theology of Violence Matters
title_short Silencing the Guns, Illusion or Reality? Why a Biblical Theology of Violence Matters
title_sort silencing the guns illusion or reality why a biblical theology of violence matters
topic Violence
African Union
United Nations
Biblical Theology
url https://atjcs.netact.org.za/index.php/netact/article/view/169
work_keys_str_mv AT samuelmwangi silencingthegunsillusionorrealitywhyabiblicaltheologyofviolencematters