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From ‚A Theology of Genocide‘ To A ‚Theology of Reconciliation‘? On the Role of Christian Churches in the Nexus of Religion and Genocide in Rwanda

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cris.virtualsource.author-orcideaf0245a-cf3b-448c-a547-680c3218a6c8
dc.contributor.authorSchliesser, Christine
dc.date.accessioned2024-10-08T15:36:53Z
dc.date.available2024-10-08T15:36:53Z
dc.date.issued2018
dc.description.abstractThis paper explores the role of a specific religious actor, namely Christian churches, in the nexus of religion and genocide in Rwanda. Four factors are identified that point to the churches' complicity in creating and sustaining the conditions in which the 1994 genocide could occur, leaving up to one million people dead. These factors include the close relationship between church and state, the churches' endorsement of ethnic policies, power struggles within the churches, and a problematic theology emphasizing obedience instead of responsibility. Nevertheless, the portrayal of all Christian churches as collaborators of the genocide appears too simplistic and one-sided. Various church-led initiatives for peace and reconciliation prior to the genocide indicate a more complex picture of church involvement. Turning away from a " Theology of Genocide " that endorsed ethnic violence, numerous Christian churches in Rwanda now propagate a " Theology of Reconciliation. " A modest empirical case study of the Presbyterian Church (EPR) reveals how their " Theology of Reconciliation " embraces the four dimensions of theology, institutions, relationships, and remembrance. Based on their own confession of guilt in the Detmold Confession of 1996, the EPR's engagement for reconciliation demonstrates religion's constructive contribution in Rwanda's ongoing quest for sustainable peace and development.
dc.description.numberOfPages14
dc.description.sponsorshipInstitut für Historische Theologie
dc.identifier.doi10.7892/boris.128149
dc.identifier.publisherDOI10.3390/rel9020034
dc.identifier.urihttps://boris-portal.unibe.ch/handle/20.500.12422/65307
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherMDPI
dc.relation.ispartofReligions
dc.relation.issn2077-1444
dc.relation.organization5F20A266621A592AE053960C5C825E84
dc.subject.ddc200 - Religion::230 - Christianity & Christian theology
dc.subject.ddc300 - Social sciences, sociology & anthropology::320 - Political science
dc.subject.ddc300 - Social sciences, sociology & anthropology::350 - Public administration & military science
dc.titleFrom ‚A Theology of Genocide‘ To A ‚Theology of Reconciliation‘? On the Role of Christian Churches in the Nexus of Religion and Genocide in Rwanda
dc.typearticle
dspace.entity.typePublication
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oaire.citation.endPage14
oaire.citation.issue2
oaire.citation.startPage1
oaire.citation.volume9
oairecerif.author.affiliationInstitut für Historische Theologie
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unibe.contributor.rolecreator
unibe.date.licenseChanged2019-10-23 16:26:59
unibe.description.ispublishedpub
unibe.eprints.legacyId128149
unibe.refereedTRUE
unibe.subtype.articlejournal

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