Browsing by Author "Cochrane, James R"

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    ARHAP Tools Workshop Report
    (2004-06) Cochrane, James R; Schmid, Barbara
    The African Religious Health Assets Programme (ARHAP) was proposed in April 2002 and initiated in December of that same year, under the joint leadership of three individuals: Dr Gary Gunderson and Prof Deborah McFarland, both of Emory University (Department of International Health), and Prof James Cochrane of the University of Cape Town (Department of Religious Studies). It is the front edge of a global religious health assets initiative. It was predicated upon a conviction that faith-based organizations, groups and movements, though playing a significant role in the delivery and promotion of health, are generally not well understood or sufficiently visible to public health systems in most societies. The underlying assumption, of course, is that we need a much more “intelligent science” about the role and importance of religious health assets (RHAs) than is currently available (or if available, then only in scattered and fragmented form). This assumption stems from the growing awareness in public health bodies of all kinds, from multilateral bodies such as the UN or the WHO and international NGOs to local governments, that faith-based health activities are a very important part of the effective meeting of ideals such as those embodied in the Millennium Development Goals and their equivalents at less global levels.
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    The Church and development in the new South Africa : towards a theology of development
    (2002) Pillay, G J; Cochrane, James R
    The Churches in South Africa played a vital role in the dismantling of apartheid. However, since the establishment of the new democratic government the Church seems to have retreated into denominational and ecclesiological interests. The Church claims that it was forced into the liberation struggle because all our (political) leaders were either in exile or imprisoned. And now that our leaders have been elected into political office it is their responsibility to build a new South Africa. This research takes issue with the latter view. It is our claim that the Church has an even greater role to play now in the development of the new South Africa. The task of the Church is not only to break down unjust structures but to also build new ones. The task of the Church is to point to the "Kingdom of God. " Development has captured the central stage of history and it is also a key word in the new South Africa. This ambiguous process is often depicted as the crucible through which all societies must pass and, if successful, emerge purified: modem, affluent, and efficient. Is this what development is all about? Is this the Christian understanding of development? By defining the Christian understanding of development as humanisation this research offers its central thesis: The Christian Church has always had a notion of development and under girding this is a theology (of development) that the Church has not fully understood or adequately embraced. Hence it is no longer a question of whether the Church must be involved in development instead it is the question of: What kind of development must the Church engage? This research prepared the way for a "theology of development" by: (1) offering a comprehensive discussion on the concept and theories of development (Chapter Two), (2) showing development as an integral part of the mission of the church in history (Chapter Three) and, (3) examining Biblical material on the poor and pointing to a preferential option for the poor (Chapter Four). Then in Chapter Five, in using a qualitative research design that is explorative, descriptive and contextual, we looked at two local churches and their attempts to transform (develop) their communities. In doing the latter we were able to identify, from within these communities, theological themes that contribute to a Theology of Development. These theological themes were then further explored and discussed in Chapter Six as we attempted to formulate a theology of development Having proved our central thesis in this research, that the Christian Church has always had a notion of development and having established a rheological mandate for development, what remained is to see how the Church is challenged in the area of development. Thus in the concluding Chapter we more specifically looked at the Church in the new South Africa and her role in the development of the country.
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    The churches' response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic: a case study of Christian agencies in the Cape Town area
    (2002) Schmid, Maria Barbara; Cochrane, James R
    It is two decades since the start of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Since then it has caused the death of millions and untold suffering to many more, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, while some Christian response soon developed, until a few years ago the majority of churches have struggled to recognise in this disaster a challenge to themselves. The last few years have seen a flurry of activity from churches and Christian agencies in this field. New AIDS ministries are springing up, often in a rather haphazard fashion. This study aims to establish what the response of churches and Christian groups in the Cape Town area is to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The starting point for the response lies in the perceptions shaping the churches' AIDS discourse, since church activities are to a large degree discourse based. Hence the study starts with an investigation of the relationship between discourse and practice, paying special attention to the common metaphors and discourses used when referring to HIV/AIDS. Since the African context is crucial to the way HIV/AIDS is developing here, questions are posed to these discourses from an African point of view. The study further considers the type of programmes emerging from this discourse. A survey was conducted by questionnaire in the Cape Town area to collect information from 30 Christian service providers end denominations. The aim is to evaluate whether the response is appropriate to the needs, to our African context and to the churches' mission. It is my hypothesis that while the Christian contribution to AIDS services is valuable, it is in many respects not appropriate. To support this hypothesis the study develops criteria for an appropriate AIDS discourse, and based on that for an appropriate practical response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. These were derived from relevant literature as well as a series of informal interviews with local AIDS activists. Finally, some pointers are given as to how the Christian response to HIV/AIDS could be developed on a solid theological foundation in order to offer a service that is more appropriate to the needs, to our African context and to the churches' mission.
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    Confronting poverty and impoverishment : the challenges. : A comparative study of some church responses in South Africa and Zambia
    (2001) Silungwe, Samuel; Cochrane, James R
    'Absolute poverty', wrote Robert McNamara, President of the World Bank, in 1978, is "a condition of life so limited by malnutrition, illiteracy, disease, squalid surroundings, high infant mortality and low life expectancy as to be beneath an reasonable definition of human decency" (Cited in Kevin Watkins 1995:13). That remains a powerful description of the reality experienced by a large segment of the population in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). Although this study does not measure poverty directly, the various literature reviewed reveals the nature and extent to which poverty is prevalent in the SADC region.
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    The contribution of Religious Entities to Health Sub-Saharan Africa
    (2008-05) Schmid, Barbara; Thomas, Elizabeth; Olivier, Jill; Cochrane, James R
    Background: While most partners in providing health care in sub-Saharan Africa agree that religious entities play an important role in providing health services, there is little comprehensive data about the scope and scale of their contribution, beyond data held by particular religious entities about their own health related work. In addition not much is known, beyond claims and often repeated statements, about the ways in which such health care is different from services provided in the public health system. 2. Aims and Objectives The overall purpose of this study was to provide a description of the contribution of faith based organisations (FBOs), institutions, and networks to the health of vulnerable populations in resource-poor areas of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA); and to identify key areas for investment that would accelerate, scale up and sustain access to effective services, and/or encourage policy and resource advocacy among and in African countries. There were two main parts to the objectives: 1) To give an overview for SSA of the coverage, role, and core health related activities of religious entities, including major networks, vis a vis public and other private sector health services delivery, and their relationship to government and to each other. 2) To give more detailed information for three country case studies in Mali, Uganda and Zambia: a) describing the capacity of faith based organisations to deliver health services and impact on health behaviour; the financial and/or material support they receive and how they are perceived by stakeholders; b) characterizing key faith based networks and describing how they work; c) describing how faith based organisations collaborate with each other and with governments. From these were to be drawn recommendations about key areas for potential investment that would improve population health outcomes. 3. Research overview: The research was conducted under the auspices of the African Religious Health Assets Programme (ARHAP), a research networks focussed on gaining a better understanding of the contribution of religious health assets to public health in Africa. The team of ARHAP researchers, from the University of Cape Town and the Medical Research Council was supported by an international, inter-disciplinary and multi-religious advisory group as well as in-country researchers.
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    The role of English-speaking churches in South Africa : a critical historical analysis and theological evaluation with special reference to the Church of the Province and the Methodist Church, 1903-1930
    (1983) Cochrane, James R; De Gruchy, John W
    PART ONE elucidates the theoretical basis of the study and its assumptions. After surveying South African church historiography and concluding that synchronic political economic history is seldom integrated into the Church story, it is argued that critical social theory should inform church historiography. An historical material framework is adopted and the relationship of theory and practice established... PART TWO, the bulk of the study, analyses the churches in context. To set the scene, the missionary period of the nineteenth century is discussed in relation to Victorian expansionism, concluding that, whatever their value, the missions were closely tied in to imperial interests and the penetration of capital, fundamentally altering the indigenous societies. This leads to a brief consideration of race and class in the South African political economy. A class definition is adopted that allows for fractions within the dominant capital-labour dichotomy. Finally, an overview of the first stage of industrialisation follows in respect of primitive accumulation, gold mining, farming, alcohol and domestic workers. With that background to the 1903-1930 period clear, extensive archival material is used to describe and analyse the churches in relation to their political economic context. The focus is the Church in industrialisation, including the shaping of its practice, polity and theology by the conflicts and interests of foreign and national capital... PART THREE returns to the earlier theoretical framework in order to found a theory of religion and theology. David Tracy's notions of the limits-to human agency and the limits-of experience locate the religious phenomenon in relation to empirical-analytic and historical-hermeneutic sciences. Questions of meaning, meaningfulness and truth are introduced. Utilising Theodore Jennings, William Lynch and Paul Ricoeur, the structure of analogical imagination is explored and applied to Bernard Lonergan's investigation of insight, to be finally related to religion as a way-of-being-in- the-world. Lastly, the culminating chapter pursues ecclesiological directions, within a historical material framework, applicable to a Church caught in social contradictions but anticipating an emancipated world, and concludes with a definition of the Church-at-the-limits.