Pastoral Approaches to Accounts of Witchcraft in North Eastern Congo
Basing his analysis on over ten years of ministry in northeastern Congo (DRC), long conversations with Congolese church leaders, recorded interviews, and close study of anthropological and missiological analyses of witch rumor and accusation in African contexts, Tim Stabell sounds a hopeful note regarding the progress that many African believers have made in overcoming the fear and violence that so often accompany stories about the malevolent activities of witches. He argues that for a growing number, anxiety about witchcraft has receded significantly, at least in part because of good pastoral ministry and the presence of alternative Christian discourses about witches. How can these positive developments be nurtured? This paper will report on and interact with what a number of church leaders from northeastern Congo have to say about the pastoral theology that they have developed in the face of these troubling issues.
This presentation was recorded during a track of the 2014
ASM Conference, dedicated to Witchcraft Accusations.
Biography
Tim Stabell (PhD, Trinity International University) is Assistant Professor at Briercrest College and Seminary. Tim grew up in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as the son of American Baptist missionaries. In addition to his work at Briercrest, he has been returning to eastern Congo for a month or two each year, to do research and to teach at both Shalom University of Bunia and the Bilingual Christian University of Congo.
