Bishop Dr S. Dwane and the rise of Xhosa spirituality in the Ethiopian Episcopal Church (formerly the Order of Ethiopia)

Abstract

The thesis consists of seven chapters with each chapter focusing on a particular aspect of the research topic.

Chapter One deals with conventional preliminaries such as aim of study, method of approach, literature overview and other introductory material.

Chapter Two is an an overview of the foundations of Bishop Dwane's spirituality and his church's struggle for autonomy. It also covers the origins, the nature and the purpose of Ethiopianism as the central thread in Dwane's theologizing and family history.

Chapter Three reflects the attitude of the Anglican Church to African traditional culture as reflected in three historical phases - the era of total onslaught on African culture and religion, the period of accommodation, and the phase of turning a blind eye to these matters for as long as Anglicanism remains intact.

Chapter Four contains Dwane's views on various cultural issues culminating in his decision to indigenize his Ethiopian Episcopal Church's liturgy and other forms of worship by incorporating traditional healers into the church and invoking the presence of Qamata and the ancestors in worship.

Chapter Five analyses Dwane's prophetic spirituality as evidenced by his advocacy role in fighting for justice and human rights in this country. He relentlessly fought for the rights of those who were victimized by the government of the day, and those who were willfully discriminated against. Chapter Six is on the evolution of an authentic Xhosa spirituality, in particular, and African spirituality in general, in the Ethiopian Episcopal Church. While the main focus of the study is the evolution of Xhosa spirituality, it should be emphasized that the thrust of Dwane's theologizing extended to the evolution of other African spiritualities in the broader church.

Chapter Seven is a general conclusion that highlights the main elements of Dwane's spirituality and the heritage he left behind in this regard.