A POTENTIAL THEOLOGICAL PEDAGOGY FOR RECONSTRUCTING LIFE-GIVING MASCULINITIES IN AFRICAN CONTEXT: THE CASE OF THE PILOT PROGRAMME ON GENDER, RELIGION AND HEALTH

Abstract

In this article I claim that the theological pedagogy of the Pilot Programme on Gender, Health and Religion (Theology), has the promise for creating a potential life-giving theology of masculinities within the African context. To achieve this, I have analysed the interviews that were conducted for the Church of Sweden on the eight male postgraduate students in the Pilot Programme about the effectiveness of such an approach. The interviews highlighted that the Pilot model of theological education at UKZN enabled students to search for alternative ways of expressing their masculinities. I have argued that this theological pedagogy is not about changing the students’ behaviour but enabling them to reflect on their formative cultural and theological experiences by putting incentives in place to empower them to hold themselves accountable to issues of gender justice and wholeness.