Contextual Bible Study Manual

[Draft October 2007]
Doing Contextual Bible Study:

A Resource Manual
Gerald West
And Ujamaa Centre staff
Produced by
The Ujamaa Centre for Biblical & Theological

Community Development & Research
(formerly the Institute for the Study of the Bible & Worker Ministry Project)
Contents
A Letter to the User of this Manual
Chapter 1:
Chapter 2:
Chapter 3:
Chapter 4:
Chapter 5:
5
7
12
17
18
More about the Ujamaa Centre and how we work

Understanding the construction of a Contextual Bible Study
The role of the Contextual Bible Study facilitator
The role of the Contextual Bible Study participants
An example of a Contextual Bible Study
Bible study 0
Bible study 1
Bible study 2
Bible study 3
Bible study 4
Bible study 5
Bible study 6
Bible study 7
Bible study 8
Bible study 9
Bible study 10
Bible study 11
Bible study 12
Bible study 13
Bible study 14
Bible study 15
Bible study 16
Bible study 17
Bible study 18
Bible study 19
Bible study 20
Bible study 21
Bible study 22
Economic exploitation
Women/youth and agency
Family and community; leadership
Silenced voices
Rape, violence against women
Economic exploitation
Women & culture
HIV/AIDS; disability
HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS
Land & dispossession
Women & land
Land & food security
Land & leadership
The storm of HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS: Jesus must wake up!
Abuse of power; violence against women
The manifesto of Jesus
Repentance & restitution
Rape of men
Jesus and gender; masculinities
HIV and AIDS and lament
A concluding reflection on the potential of Contextual Bible Study
Mark 12:41-44
2 Kings 5:1-19a
Genesis 37-50
2 Samuel 21:1-14
2 Samuel 13:1-22
Mark 12:41-44
Mark 5:21-6:1
Mark 3:1-8
Job 3
Job 40, 41
1 Kings 21:1-16
Numbers 27:1-11
Matthew 6: 9-13
Genesis 41:46-17; 47:13-26
Matthew 14:22-33
Mark 4:35-41
2 Samuel 11:1-27
Luke 4:14-21
Luke 19:1-10
Genesis 19:1-14
Mark 5:21-6:1
Matthew 20:17-33
Job 3, Psalm 22, etc.
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26
30
34
41
48
51
55
59
66
73
76
79
82
85
87
89
92
94
96
98
100
102
105
A Letter to the User of this Manual

Welcome to this Resource Manual for Contextual Bible Study! The contents of this manual have
been produced over more than seventeen years of doing Contextual Bible Study. It has been
compiled by myself, with input from staff from the Ujamaa Centre for Biblical and Theological
Community Development and Research, in the School of Religion and Theology, at the University
of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.
At the Ujamaa Centre, we have not only done Contextual Bible Study for more than seventeen
years, we have also reflected on Contextual Bible Study for more than seventeen years. So this
Manual is the product of praxis a cycle of action and reflection. As we have sought to use the
Bible as a resource for transformation, we have done many hundreds of Bible studies in many
hundreds of different contexts, most of them among black South Africans from poor, working-class,
and marginalised communities. But we have not just done Bible study, we have also tried to
understand what we have done, and why we have done it. In this way we have reflected on each
and every Bible study. Reflection has led us to refine and revise what we do and how we do it; it
has also led us to understand what we do in different ways.
The picture on the front cover is of a bronze-caste figure which comes from Kolkata, India. It
seems to represent praxis. The figure is frozen in the moment between action (the right hand) and
reflection (the left hand). Work and analysis are beautifully captured in this moment. This figure,
then, captures rather well the work of Contextual Bible Study.
This Manual is designed as a pedagogical tool. This means it is designed to teach the process of
Contextual Bible Study. The only way to learn about Contextual Bible Study is to do it! Learning
is by doing. So this Manual offers a number of Bible studies we have done, presenting them in a
way that enables others to do them too.
This Manual is not, however, a model answer. The Bible studies and the reflections on them are
guides. Each study has itself been through a long process of revision and refinement. We have
learned by doing, and encourage you to do so too. You need to make these Bible studies your own,
be flexible in your use of them, adapt them for your own context, and construct others like these
that will also meet the needs of your context. So flexibility is important.
The methods used here come from our understanding of our context, and as you proceed through
this Manual you will have to decide whether these methods are of use to your context or not.
Contextual Bible Study is not a method in a strong sense, but it is a carefully reflected process
which this Manual attempts to explain.
The Contextual Bible Study method is similar to many other forms of Bible study that have their
origins in the interface between socially engaged biblical scholars, organic intellectuals, and
ordinary Christian readers (whether literate or not) of the Bible. Many will be familiar with the
See-Judge-Act method, where the Bible study process begins with analysis of the local context
(See), and then moves to the Bible to allow the biblical text to speak to (Judge) the context, and
then moves to the participants planning a course of action arising from the Bible study (Act).
Contextual Bible Study is itself a form of the See-Judge-Act method.
As a user of this Manual, there is some important information which will help you as you set out:
This manual has been designed to complement and supplement the resources already available in:
Contextual Bible Study (Pietermaritzburg: Cluster Publications, 1993)
The Academy of the Poor: Towards a Dialogical Reading of the Bible (Pietermaritzburg:
Cluster Publications, 2003)
The studies are presented in a straightforward 'stepped' approach. The idea here is that this
gives the Bible study facilitator clear guidelines on how to get going. However, it cannot be
emphasised enough that the steps for each study are not a rigid 'curriculum'. Rather they are a
framework onto which the facilitator and the study participants may 'hang' their exploration of the
theme and the associated texts.
There are different ways to use the Manual. A group of readers could work systematically
through the Manual, starting with the first study and following each study, one after the other, until
the last. Another way to approach the Manual (and an altogether better one, really) is to think about
what contextual challenges people are facing in a particular community, and then to select an
appropriate Bible study from the Manual which has the same or a similar theme.
It should be noted that the studies are written in English, but all of them have also been done in
other African languages. Please feel free to translate them into the language that you will be using.
Each study has two or even three sections to it (including the 'steps' mentioned above). It is not
essential to use or even read every section rather this depends on what you are trying to achieve.
If a group of readers wish to use a study in a straightforward way (as described above), then only
the first stepped section is needed. By contrast, if you are a biblical scholar looking for a more indepth approach to Contextual Bible Study, then you could draw on the sections called "Summary of
the Reading Process in a Typical Bible Study" and "Hermeneutical and Pedagogical Principles"
which many of the studies have to offer.
By now, the following should be clear: the studies in this Manual are for anyone to use. The
facilitator of a study does not need to be a trained person with a theological background. Nor do
they need to be ordained clergy (or a minister). These studies are for any and everyone who wants
to read and understand their own experiences and context in the light of the Bible.
Lastly, a Glossary of Terms is supplied at the end of the Manual. It is hoped that this will be
useful as you explore contextual study of the Bible.
We wish to thank Ruth Osborne for taking the raw materials of our work and turning them into a
format that is more user-friendly. We will all benefit from her care and expertise.
Warmest regards,
Gerald & the Ujamaa Team
Chapter 1:
More about the Ujamaa Centre and How We Work
The Ujamaa Centre is an organisation that locates itself in the interface between biblical studies in
academic institutions and ordinary African readers (whether literate or not) of the Bible in local
communities of faith. Staff from the Ujamaa Centre are mostly organic intellectuals, coming
themselves from among the poor, working class, and marginalised.
The Bible studies in this Manual all come from 'real life' situations and community contexts. They
have been 'constructed' over a period of time, involving a number of people or groups of people.
Typically, what happens is that the Ujamaa Centre is approached by a particular group to participate
with them in Bible study or theological reflection. When invited, staff from the Ujamaa Centre first
ascertain whether the invitation comes from a group that already has some degree of structured
organisation. Organised groups tend to have a stronger sense of identity than unorganised groups.
It is this sense of identity that enables a group both to own the particular project they are inviting
the Ujamaa Centre to participate in, and to talk back to the Ujamaa Centre. Implicit in any
participation with church and/or community based groups are complex matrices of power.
Therefore, the Ujamaa Centre prefers to work with groups which will not be intimidated by the
presence of the Ujamaa Centre staff and their resources, and have a fairly clear idea of what they
want from a particular project, and what resources they themselves bring to it. A key commitment
of the Ujamaa Centre is to work within the reality of the group, as it is experienced and understood
by the group.
If the invitation comes from an unorganised group or if the organised group has only a vague idea
of their project, then the Ujamaa Centre offers resources which would assist the group to structure
itself and/or to formulate their project more carefully. The Ujamaa Centre also encourages groups
to, where possible, draw in related groups from their community and/or church which share similar
concerns. For example the Ujamaa Centre would suggest to an Anglican womens group that they
invite other womens groups in their area to join with them to form an ecumenical project.
Once the organised group has ownership of the project, the Ujamaa Centre then joins with them in
facilitating a workshop. Usually the workshop is based on a theme or issue that is of vital concern
to the group. For example, the group may want to deal with the question of violence against
women, or leadership, or unemployment. Because the Bible is a resource for groups with which we
work, Bible study is always one of the activities of a workshop. There may be other activities in the
workshop as well, but it is the Bible study part of the workshop that the Ujamaa Centre is
specifically invited to facilitate, and it is this part that is the focus of this Manual.
Different communities have invited the Ujamaa Centre to work with them on Bible studies that
highlight the way in which structures and systems may become corrupt. For example, we have
been invited by church leaders in South Africa to facilitate Bible studies on matters of national and
international concern such as economic globalisation. At a national level we have also been invited
to lead Bible studies on public morality, as our country struggles with corruption in many spheres of
public life. We have also been invited, more locally, to do Bible studies that address the experience
of ordinary Christians whom the church often oppresses through the demands it makes on their
giving.
The Bible studies in this Manual have all been constructed during these kinds of workshops. The
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participants in these workshops have always made the study their own, as this is one of the central
elements of Contextual Bible Study (see Step 4 in Chapter 2). In the same way, you and the
participants in your group are encouraged to make these Bible studies your own, and to use them as
is fitting to your context. This is explained in greater detail in the next chapter.
Chapter 2:
Understanding the Construction of a Contextual Bible Study
Much of what is discussed in this chapter will make more sense once you have actually participated
in a Contextual Bible Study, or facilitated one. Nevertheless, some orientation to the Contextual
Bible Study process is useful. In fact, it is strongly encouraged that you read through this section
before using any of the studies in the Manual.
There are five steps which can be identified in the construction of a Contextual Bible Study. But
please not once again that these steps are a guide rather than a set formula.
Step 1 Choosing a Theme

Contextual Bible Study always begins with the reality of the local community. It is always guided
by the issues or themes that a particular local community is dealing with. Groups which are
already organised usually have a very good idea of the issues confronting them in their community.
Newly formed groups, however, may need some assistance in coming together to do social analysis
of their context. This is an important first step! Contextual Bible Study always begins with the
contextual concerns of the community.
A Note to the User on Choosing a Theme

Each of the studies in this Manual has a theme. Some can be used for more than one theme.
When you choose which of the studies to use, it is important to choose one with a theme which is
relevant to the context of the study group. In fact it is a good idea for the group to see a list of
themes, and to decide for themselves which one is of the greatest concern to them and their
community. The 'Contents' page provides a list which may be used when deciding upon a theme.
Step 2 Finding a Biblical Text

Once the theme is determined, the actual planning of the Bible study can start. Now that there is a
theme, a biblical text that also refers to this theme, or speaks into it is needed. The Ujamaa
Centre uses two approaches here. While we can and do read the texts that the group chooses, we
also bring to them texts and resources with which they are less familiar. In other words, we read
familiar texts in unfamiliar ways (by approaching them differently), and we read unfamiliar texts
(those texts that are neglected or forgotten).
Reading familiar texts in unfamiliar ways and reading unfamiliar texts allows the group participants
to engage with aspects and parts of the Bible to which they have not previously had access. In this
way, the Contextual Bible Study process enables the group to establish lines of connection between
their own context and community, and new discoveries within the Bible.
A Note to the User on Finding a Text

For the studies in this Manual, certain scriptural texts have been chosen and worked with during
the construction of the studies. You and the group participants should feel free to make the study
your own by adding and exploring other texts pertinent to the chosen theme.
Step 3 Questioning and Reading

Once the biblical text has been chosen, the task of constructing the Bible study itself begins. To do
this, two kinds of questions are typically used.
The Bible study begins and ends with contextual questions which provide the framework for the
study. These contextual questions are also called 'community consciousness questions', because
they draw on the resources of the community. They draw on the lived experience and the embodied
theologies of the participants themselves.
Within this framework of contextual questions, we construct carefully formulated textual
questions, which force the group to constantly engage with the biblical text. These textual
questions are also called 'critical consciousness questions', because they draw on the systematic and
structured resources of biblical scholarship. (The challenge for the socially engaged biblical scholar
is to construct questions that open up the biblical text in such a way that it has the potential to
address the context of the participants.)
The resources of biblical scholarship can be characterised as consisting of three dimensions of the
text (in other words, three ways of reading the text; see the diagram below):
behind the text (focussing on the socio-historical world that produced the text);
on the text (focussing on the text itself as a literary composition); and
in front of the text (focussing on the possible worlds the text projects beyond itself towards the
active reader).
When the text is examined for the construction of a Bible study, generally these three dimensions
are used in a specific way:
1. We begin with an in front of the text mode of reading, asking participants what they think the
text is about. Here they are asked to draw on their own understandings of the what the text
projects towards them, or is telling them directly.
2. Then the focus moves on to the text itself, allowing it to 'have its own voice' among the voices
of the participants. Questions which draw the readers in to a close, careful and slow reading of
the text are used here.
3. Next, questions which invite the participants to probe the world behind the text can be used.
Often these kinds of questions will be generated by a careful focus on the text (see above), but if
not, the facilitator can construct a question or set of questions which explore the historical and
social world from which the biblical text originates.
4. Finally, we return again to in front of the text, to examine what the text now projects to us as
participants, only to discover that this is deeper, fuller, more meaningful or even quite different
to our first reading of the biblical text!
Literary questions (point 2 above) slow down the reading process, enabling the participants to read
the text more carefully and closely than they usually do. John Riches from the Contextual Bible
Study Group in Glasgow, Scotland, talks of the need to slow down the reading process, allowing
readers more time with the text. Literary questions also open up the narrative world to the reader,
inviting the reader to enter and locate themselves within this world. Linked to this, socio-historical
questions, whether arising from the participants or given by the facilitator (point 3 above), allow us
to move back in time and space to enter the real world of biblical times in all its rich detail.
In summary, having heard the voice of the text in its own world (the world of the text and the world
behind the text that produced the text) we now allow the text to speak afresh to us. We move from
our initial engagement with the text, to the text in detail (literary and socio-historical detail)
granting it a voice and then back to our engagement with the text, but this time having heard its
voice. Through this process we allow the biblical text to have a clear and distinct voice among us
as readers; our voices join with its voice to hear God speaking a new word to us.
It is this combination of contextual and textual questions that constitutes the Contextual Bible
Study method. By fusing community consciousness with textual consciousness, the text speaks
anew to our realities.
A Note to the User on Questioning and Reading

Many of the Bible studies in this Manual offer the user useful information about this questioning
and reading process. Two sections, namely A Summary of the Reading Process in a Typical
Bible Study, and "Hermeneutical and Pedagogical Principles" are included at the end of some of
the studies. These are based on the experiences of the Ujamaa Centre staff and offer facilitators
additional resources.
Step 4 Articulating and Owning

Once the questions have been designed, the Contextual Bible Study now has a life of its own! What
emerges now belongs to the group. The power of the Contextual Bible Study process is that it
allows participants to articulate and own theological understandings of their context. The
combination of contextual and textual questions has the potential to establish lines of connection
between the biblical text and the embodied local/contextual theologies of the participants. This
connection often gives the participants an increased capacity to articulate these incipient (partially
formed) and inchoate (not yet clear) embodied local theologies.
If the Bible study is a safe place for participants a place of trust and affirmation then they may
begin to articulate their lived theologies. When they do so, others in the group may be encouraged
to do similarly. It is when there is an overlap between individual embodied theologies that the
group is empowered to own the theology being expressed as their own. In most cases,
participants from marginalised contexts have very little opportunity to test out whether their own
embodied theology is shared by anyone else. Contextual Bible Study provides this opportunity to
try out and then own local contextual theologies.
In the normal life of most church-goers their embodied theologies are only partially engaged,
affirmed, articulated and enacted within their own local church. Because of this, many Christians
go to one church by day and another church by night! Because they are made in the image and
likeness of God, there is a deep yearning to have their embodied theology engaged by the church,
affirmed by the church, articulated by the church and enacted by the church. Alas, this seldom
happens. The Contextual Bible Study process provides an opportunity for this.
A Note to the User on Articulating and Owning

The questions for each Bible study in this Manual are based on those expressed by participants
during workshops and studies during the construction process of each study. As such, they are
the embodiment of those participants own theologies. As mentioned in the introductory letter,
the studies in this Manual are not static model answers. If you use a study, you need to be
flexible, making it your own, and adapting it to suit your context. The studies in this Manual are
simply a starting place (or framework) for contextual exploration of a biblical text along a certain
theme.
Step 5 Developing a Plan of Action

Contextual Bible Study always ends with action. Each small group, and the larger group which
they make up, is required to develop an action plan. Contextual Bible Study is not merely about
interpreting the Bible; it is about allowing the Bible to equip us to change our world so that the
kingdom of God may come on earth, as it is in heaven! Because the Bible study empowers
participants to articulate and own local contextual theologies, there is now increased capacity to act.
Provided the group remains in control of the process, action is a necessary outworking of
Contextual Bible Study. Groups usually know what can and cannot be done in their local
communities. Certain actions may not be possible within the constraints of their context, however
this should not prevent some kind of possible action being planned.
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The Ujamaa Centre usually encourages participants to plan action at three levels: first, to plan an
action that can be done with no additional resources; second, to plan an action that can be done with
some additional resources; and third, to plan an action that will require substantial resources, but
which is a vision to hold on to.
Contextual Bible Study should make a difference in the public realm! So participants are
encouraged to plan an action that moves from the Bible study group into the public realm of the
church and/or society.
A Note to the User on Developing a Plan of Action

Contextual Bible Study on its own cannot accomplish the move from study to action. It is a
good idea therefore, to provide participants with additional resources from non-governmental,
governmental, and community-based organisations to take their plan of action forward.
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Chapter 3:
The Role of the Contextual Bible Study Facilitator
Key to all forms of Contextual Bible Study (in the broadest sense) is the role of the facilitator.
Bible study which strives to be collaborative depends on a leadership style that facilitates. We are
all too familiar with dominating forms of leadership. These styles of leadership are inappropriate
for Contextual Bible Study. The leader must be a facilitator, and this chapter of the Manual looks at
this role in greater depth.
The primary role of the facilitator is to assist the overall purpose of Contextual Bible Study, namely
group collaboration. Therefore, the facilitator needs to be someone who enables the group to
work together collaboratively, sharing their resources and coming to some common action.
To be the facilitator of a Contextual Bible Study, you do not have to have a qualification;
facilitation is for ordinary African Christians! Anyone is welcome to organise and facilitate the
studies in this Manual, and they are not intended for ordained clergy (or ministers) alone. The
studies in this Manual talk directly to you as a facilitator, are easy to follow, and are designed to
help you walk with the group through the Contextual Bible Study process.
Facilitating the Process of the Contextual Bible Study

The following are important 'tips' for facilitation, but remember that the more you practise
facilitation in a 'real life' context, the better you will become.
1. It is important to understand the group which is doing the Bible study. The facilitator should
be familiar with the demographics of the group participants: age, race, denomination, language,
gender, cultures, traditions, similarities and differences, how many in the group etc. Preferably
the facilitator should come from within the group itself. There is also some value in thinking
about the knowledge and experiences of the participants regarding the theme of the Bible study.
This is so that you dont 'miss' the group completely when you are trying to encourage their
participation.
2. The style of these studies is one of participation and discussion. This means that they are
compiled with the understanding that each and every participant has wisdom the 'answers' are
not all with one person. In fact the participants play a key role and have a valid contribution to
make (see Chapter 4). So when a study is done, it should not be undertaken as if in a school
classroom (with the facilitator as the 'teacher'), but rather like a round table discussion between
equals.
3. The facilitator is just one voice in the Contextual Bible Study, so it is important to defer to the
group, even if what the group is saying does not appeal to the facilitator. This does not mean
that the facilitator does not have a voice, but it does mean that their voice is not the most
important one. The overall purpose is group collaboration.
4. Including group participants in the practical aspects of the Contextual Bible Study is also crucial
to the success of the study. The notes in this Manual indirectly make reference to tasks or roles
which may be taken up by group participants rather than the facilitator adding a great
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sense of participation to the study. The facilitator should be aware of these roles and use them
to include participants. Examples of these roles are as follows: someone who reads the key
text/s; someone who writes notes onto the newsprint paper; the note-taker of each small group;
the spokesperson of each small group; and someone who could open and/or close in prayer.
5. The facilitator needs to enable the group process to take place. In other words, he/she
should manage group dynamics, promote turn-taking, keep to time, summarise and systematise
the reading results, find creative and empowering ways for participants to report back their
findings to the plenary, and to move the group from reflection into action.
6. It is important to be able to manage conflict when it arises between the participants. Conflict
can be creative, so it is not a bad thing. However, it usually needs to be managed. Often the
small group itself can manage conflict, but sometimes the facilitator may need to step in.
7. Since the Bible study is driven by questions, the facilitator needs to enable the participants to
engage with the questions (and in so doing to engage with each other and the text of
Scripture).
8. The facilitator should try to provide information when requested, but always in a way that
draws on the resources of the group. If the facilitator does not know the information, or an
answer to a question, then he/she should say so! It is better to go and find out the information
than to pretend.
9. It is important to stimulate the use of local reading resources, and to introduce critical reading
resources from biblical studies into the reading process as these are requested and required.
10. The facilitator should be sensitive to the fact that not all of the participants may be literate. It
is the role of the facilitator to ensure that there is sufficient discussion, explanation or even
repetition of any written material, so that those who 'read' through hearing are also able to
participate fully in the study, and not feel left out.
11. The facilitator should make sure that the Bible study questions are allocated sufficient time for
group discussion, and then for participants to report back. If time is short, the facilitator need
not ask each group to report on every question. Instead report backs can be rotated, allowing
each group a chance to lead the report back on a question, and then the other groups only need
to report on what has not already been covered.
12. The facilitator should keep the Bible study process moving forward to the conclusion.
13. Ice-breaker exercises before the Bible study are an excellent way to help people to get to
know one-another. Some examples of these are included at the end of the chapter.
14. Dividing the participants into small groups is a creative process that can be done in different
ways, depending on the nature of the Bible study. For example, in a Bible study of a gendersensitive issue like sexual abuse, it is usually wise to divide people into groups of older women,
older men, younger women and younger men. In other studies, where it is best to mix up the
participants, then some simple exercises may be used to divide the participants, and examples of
these are included at the end of the chapter.
15. Doing these studies may evoke great emotion in participants. This is because the themes may
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be painful and difficult for many people. The facilitator will need to be ready for this and
sensitive to the needs of participants. It may even be necessary to take a break at some point
within the study, have disposable tissues available, or to allow participants a reprieve from
having to face what is difficult for them. If the study opens up old wounds for an individual, it
may even be necessary to offer or find future counselling or other support if he/she would find
this helpful.
16. There is value in doing some preparation before the study begins. You will need to:
Read through the whole study.
Read through the key text, and be sure you have an understanding of what it is about.
Gather the things you will need for the study (see the list below).
Read through all the questions within the study, and reflect on what you think the
participants' responses may be.
Write a few notes for yourself in preparation.
Write the questions for the study on a large piece of newsprint or a chalkboard.
Facilitating the Practicalities of the Contextual Bible Study

There are some very practical aspects to facilitating a Contextual Bible Study. It is one thing to
work well with a group of participants, but it is quite another when very basic, practical details of a
group gathering are not taken sorted out! The facilitator of a Contextual Bible Study does well to
consider the following:
1. Check that you have all the necessary equipment on hand, that there is enough of it, and that it
works properly. These are some of the things which you will have to gather: Pens, paper, a
Bible, large newsprint paper (or a chalk board and chalk), large newsprint pens (koki), a
newsprint stand, and masking tape (or prestick, or drawing pins). The Bible studies in this
Manual in some cases will require that you photocopy a picture or arrange for each small group
of participants to have a Bible to use. Furthermore, you may need to find local reading
resources (other than the Manual itself) which are pertinent to the participants and their context.
2. Make sure that the responses of the participants and their group reports are written onto the
newsprint for all to see. The facilitator does not have to do this him/herself, and could get
someone else to do it. It is also a good idea to write the study questions onto the newsprint
ahead of time, so that these can simply and quickly be stuck up for the participants to see when
the time arrives during the study. When writing on the newsprint (or chalkboard), the following
is important:
Make sure the writing is easy to read and big enough for someone at the back of the room to
see the participants must not have to struggle to see what you have written.
Make sure the writing is legible and clear handwriting is not always easy to read!
3. Think about the venue where the Bible study will be held: how big is it, does it have electricity,
does it have chairs, what kind of equipment is available, will it cost much (if you are paying),
and will it generally be a good venue in which to hold the Bible study? Plan appropriately for
the venue. If there is no electricity, and you wish to meet at night, then you will have to think
about alternative lighting. You will need some walls or other places to pin or stick up the sheets
of newsprint paper. If you are meeting in the open air, then perhaps a tree would be a good
place to do this.
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4. When you are facilitating a Bible study, it is important to ensure that there is no obstacle
between yourself and the participants. Do not hide behind a lectern, pulpit or table. Rather
have a table to the side of the room, on which the equipment is available.
5. In fact it is best to set out the seating arrangements in such a way that participants sit in a
semi-circle and look at each other, rather than a 'classroom' style, where everyone is facing the
'front'. It is best to not have people sitting behind tables. Remember that the role of the
facilitator is to help participants play an active part in the Contextual Bible Study, and the way
that participants are seated is crucial to this. Make sure the venue is set up before the study
begins, so that when participants arrive, the study may begin right away.
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Great Ideas for Facilitators

'Icebreaker' Exercises
Taxis: For example, people can be asked to join taxis, with a limit being placed on how many
passengers the taxi has space for. So, for example, the facilitator will say, Get into a taxi in
groups of three! Participants have a great time jostling and pushing and pulling each other as
they try to form small groups of three. Each time this is done, those in the taxi are asked to
say something about themselves.
Getting to know you: Ask the participants to get into pairs. Each person should tell their
partner something small and fairly unimportant about themselves that no-one else knows. This
can be a different thing for different people. (Examples of 'something small' are: where their
mother was born OR what their favourite colour is.) Their partner should listen carefully and
also have a chance to say something. Then get each person to report back to the whole group on
what their partner said e.g.: "Nonhlanhla told me that her favourite food is curry". The idea
here is to get participants sharing comfortably in small and large groups without feeling
threatened.
Broken telephone line: Ask everyone to be quiet. Whisper a short message into the ear of the
first person. Only whisper once. Get them to in turn to whisper the message they heard from
you into the ear of the next person. That person should pass on the 'telephone message' quietly
to the next person. No-one should be allowed to repeat their message. Go around the room.
The last person should share out loud the message which came through the broken telephone
line!
Dividing Participants into Small Groups

Numbering: Start with one participant, and number them as number 1. The person next to
them is number 2, and the person next to them is number 3. Then the next person is number 1
again, the next number 2 and so on. Point at each person giving them a number: 1,2,3 ... 1,2,3 ...
1,2,3 etc. Then get all the number 1's to join together, all the number 2's and so on. This is an
excellent way of dividing participants into mixed groups because it separates those who sit
together.
Mini-choirs: Ask the participants to organise themselves into Mini-choirs. Each choir should
have a person with a bass voice, a tenor voice, an alto voice and a soprano voice. (This is a
particularly good way of dividing participants into groups where it is important for there to be a
mixture of genders and ages.) Some small groups may need to have more than one type of
voice. This is also a good way to make the point that everyone has a unique 'voice' to offer
when doing a Contextual Bible Study, and that we all need to listen carefully to each other.
Don't be surprised if spontaneous singing begins!
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Chapter 4:
The Role of the Contextual Bible Study Participants
Contextual Bible Study always begins with the reality of the local community. Contextual Bible
Study is always guided by the issues or themes that a particular local community is dealing with.
Because of this, the role of the participants doing the Contextual Bible Study is as important as that
of the facilitator, as they bring with them the themes of their local community. Since participants
have a crucial contribution to make, the intention of this chapter is to help the facilitator understand
this better.
Contextual Bible Study has important insights to offer the church and community. And ordinary
readers of the Bible also have important insights to offer the church and community. This Manual
is really for those who want to use their biblical training to serve the church and community, but
who also want to learn from the insights and resources on offer by ordinary readers of the Bible.
Participants in a Contextual Bible Study are usually these 'ordinary readers' of the Bible referred to
above. These readers of the Bible are 'ordinary' because they read the Bible in an untrained way.
They are also 'ordinary' because often they are poor, working-class, or marginalised in our
society. Thus these ordinary readers have something significant to offer when it comes to reading
the Bible and hearing God from this perspective within the South African context.
We all bring our contexts with us when we read the Bible, and Contextual Bible Study recognises
that we are all to some extent shaped by our contexts, and that our contexts are influenced by our
readings of the Bible. Recognising the role that our South African context has on our reading of the
Bible is important because we want to read the Bible explicitly from and for the South African
context. The Bible itself shows that God speaks specifically to specific people in specific life
situations.
In the South African context however, we know that there are different contexts or realities. The
Ujamaa Centre privileges the perspective of South Africans who are poor, working-class, and
marginalised. This choice is made because we believe that God is particularly concerned for the
poor and the oppressed those who are socially, politically, economically, or culturally
marginalised and exploited. Throughout the Bible we read that God hears the cry of widows,
orphans, women, strangers, those with disabilities, the poor, and the oppressed. Jesus himself was
born amongst the poor and chose to live and work with the poor, and then also died the death of the
oppressed on a cross. So when the perspectives of the poor and oppressed are heard in the
Contextual Bible Study through the participants, we are echoing God's concern for them.
This is particularly important for facilitators who do not come from this South African context. It is
important to be committed to reading the Bible in community with others whose contexts are
different to our own. And this "in community with" means that the facilitator recognises that in the
group, he/she may have power which comes from a privileged background. It also means that the
facilitator's role is to empower the group participants during the Bible study process to discover,
acknowledge and recognise their own identity, and the value and importance of their contributions.
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Chapter 5:
An Example of a Contextual Bible Study
Having given the user of this manual an introduction to the work of the Ujamaa Centre, the basis for
how the Contextual Bible Study questions are constructed, and a clearer idea of the roles of the
facilitator and the participants, it may be useful to lastly by way of introduction supply a
description of a typical Contextual Bible Study.
What follows is one typical example of a Bible study the Ujamaa Centre has facilitated on a number
of occasions. It is described here to give you an idea of how a Contextual Bible Study proceeds,
and uses the fifth study in this manual, that of Mark 12: 41 44.
Different communities have invited the Ujamaa Centre to work with them on Bible studies that
highlight the way in which structures and systems may become corrupt. For example, we have been
invited to do Bible studies that address the experience of ordinary Christians whom the church often
oppresses through the demands it makes on their giving. This Bible study addresses such issues.
Again it should be stressed that this is not a 'model answer', but rather an idea of generally how a
Contextual Bible Study proceeds.
Contextual Bible Study is of the kind that is deeply and profoundly an act of faith. The Bible study
is immersed and saturated with spontaneous prayer and singing; nothing happens among African
Christians without spontaneous prayer and singing! Not only does every Bible study begin with
prayer and singing, but nobody takes a position in the front of the group without being escorted to
the front with singing. Ordinary African Christians believe that God is with them, always, and that
the Bible is a resource through which God speaks into their lives and contexts.
The people who make up our Bible study groups vary. As indicated above, we are invited to work
with a broad range of believers, ranging from church leaders to local womens groups. Our
preference is to work with actual local groups of believers who have some ongoing commitment to
each other their context, but we do not refuse the invitation from church leaders. In our South
African context, a call by the church leaders means that we are doing a Bible study primarily with
men; a call by a local group of believers usually means that we are doing a Bible study largely with
women.
Because the Ujamaa Centre believes that ordinary people have as much to contribute to the Bible
study process as those with biblical studies training (see Chapter 4), our Bible studies are
constructed around questions, and not input by or answers from experts. The rationale behind the
kinds of questions used is discussed in Chapter 2.
Here you are invited to imagine you are participating in a Contextual Bible Study being facilitated
by staff from the Ujamaa Centre. The Bible study begins with the following question:
Read Mark 12:41-44.

Question 1: What is this text about?
The Bible study begins with all the participants together in a plenary session. The text is read aloud
by a participant. This is very important, given that there will always be those present who are not
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fully literate; their reading of the Bible is through hearing. Question 1 is then written on
newsprint paper and the participants are invited by the facilitator to buzz with their neighbour
concerning what they think the text is about. After about five minutes the facilitator calls for
responses to the first general question. Each and every response is then summarised by a note-taker
(from among the participants) on the newsprint, in front of all the participants. The facilitator
makes no judgements or comments, except to encourage participants to share their responses and to
ask a participant expand on a response if it is not clear. When everyone has had their say, the
process moves on.
By discussing the opening question in buzz-groups, the ice is broken and each and every participant
is able to share something. Though tentative at first, there is usually a building crescendo of sound
as participants discover that it really is okay to say whatever they want.
Typical responses from ordinary South African Christians (and their pastors, ministers, and priests)
concerning what this passage is about include the following: faithful giving, sacrificial giving, the
importance of the right motives in giving, how the poor tend to give more proportionally than the
rich, and other similar responses.
Once this question has been exhausted and the responses of the participants surround them on the
walls where the newsprint has been hung, the next phase of the Bible study begins, this time in
groups.
For the rest of the questions the participants will work together in small groups of no more than five
in a group. When the participants know who is in their small group, Question 2 is written on the
newsprint:
Question 2: Now read Mark 12:38-40, the text that immediately precedes Mark 12:41-44. Are
there connections between 12:41-44 and 12:38-40? If so, what are they?
In their small groups, Question 2 is discussed, but not before each group appoints its own facilitator
and note-taker. The task of the facilitator in each small group is to enable discussion and the task of
the note-taker is to summarise the key points of the discussion. Depending on time constraints,
about 10-20 minutes can be allocated to this question. In our experience there is never enough
time! When the time is up, each group is asked to report on their discussions, with the note-taker
reporting on behalf of the group (after which, time permitting, other members can add to the report).
Each groups responses are summarised on newsprint.
In our context, as participants move to and from their groups there is singing (and even dancing).
Group work is enormously empowering and the energy of the groups finds expression in singing
and dancing.
All groups with which we have done this Bible study detect connections between 12:41-44 and
12:38-40. Some of the connections they identify are the following: in both texts Jesus contrasts the
powerful and the powerless; in both texts Jesus points to a difference of perspective between what
society generally sees and what he (Jesus) sees; in both texts there is judgement; in both texts Jesus
takes sides; in the texts there is a connection between the scribes who devour widows houses (40)
and the poor widow (42). These and other connections are reported and elaborated by the groups.
By this stage in the Bible study there is considerable energy and excitement! Participants can
hardly wait to get back into their groups.
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Question 3: Now read Mark 13:1-2, the text that immediately follows Mark 12:41-44. Are there
connections between 13:1-2 and 12:38-44? If so, what are they?
After the plenary reportback, the participants go back into their groups for Question 3. By now they
have grasped the basic idea and readily take up Question 3, even though there is a chapter division.
Similarly, after sufficient time, each group reports (though in a different order). As with the
previous question, all groups do find connections between 12:38-44 and 13:1-2. They find that
Jesus again contrasts and compares differing perspectives things are not what they seem!
Furthermore, Jesus once again judges. And, as in 12:38-40, 12:41-44, here in 13:1-2 Jesus is
dealing in and with the temple.
The plenary reportback again allows for each group to report on its findings, which are once more
written up on newsprint.
Question 4: Jesus comes into the temple at 11:27 and leaves the temple at 13:2. In this literary
unit who are the main characters or groups of characters, what do we know about them, and
what are the relationships between them? Draw a picture of the relationships between the
characters in the temple. What does your picture say about the literary unit as a whole?
Back in their groups, participants tackle Question 4. This is a demanding question, but one that
groups relish. We usually give plenty of time for this question (about 30-45 minutes) and
encourage groups to actually draw a picture of their findings on a sheet of newsprint. Here is an
example of what one group drew: a soccer match between the leaders of the temple and the ordinary
people (including the poor widow) with Jesus as the referee!
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During the plenary reportback, each group puts up its newsprint and reports on its discussion. The
general facilitator then tries to summarise the responses in a communal picture of the characters and
relationships in Mark 11:27-13:2 (see, for example, below).
The discussion which accompanies the drawing is usually wide-ranging and full of insight into the
text. Some participants will draw on socio-historical resources in their reports and others will ask
for this kind of information from the general facilitator. So, for example, participants might ask
who the Herodians were, or how the temple functioned in the time of Jesus. When asked, the
facilitator, should provide the information requested.
What emerges from Question 4 is a reading of the text which can be summarised as follows:
Most Christians are familiar with this passage in Marks gospel. We have heard sermons and
participated in Bible studies on this text. Most of us know what the text is about; it is about being
a good steward, faithful giving, sacrificial giving, the importance of the right motives in giving,
how the poor tend to give more proportionally than the rich, etc. While such interpretations do
capture certain important aspects of the text (12:41-44), we realise that we must be prepared to go
deeper if we are to equip the Church in its work in South Africa.
First, we discover that it is useful to take account of the literary or linguistic context of the passage
we are reading. Initially, there may not appear to be much of a connection between 12:41-44 and
those texts that precede and follow it. However, a careful reading reveals that there are a number
of interesting connections between Mark 12:35-40 and Mark 12:41-44. In Mark 12:35-40 Jesus is
arguing against the teaching (verses 35-37) and the practices (38-40) of the scribes. One of the
practices of the scribes which Jesus warns his disciples and the crowd to beware of is that they
devour widows houses (40; NRSV). While it is not quite clear from the text what this means,
what is clear is that in the very next verse, as Jesus watches people putting money into the treasury,
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there among them is a poor widow (42)! The attentive reader can therefore make the connection:
the scribes who devour widows houses are probably the reason this widow is poor! She is not
simply a faithful giver; she is also a victim of the oppressive practices of the scribes. This
connection shifts our focus from an individual (the widow) to an oppressive system (the practices
by which the scribes devour widows houses). Of course, knowing now that her poverty is as a
result of an oppressive system only makes her giving that much more remarkable. But in addition
to portraying this widows sacrificial giving, Mark also wants us to notice the connection between
the practices of the scribes and this womans poverty.
When we turn to the section that immediately follows the text we began with, we find similar
connections. Unfortunately, however, there is a chapter division here, but disregarding it we find
much of that resonates with we have already. So when we ignore the chapter division and carry on
with our reading we find that Jesus leaves the temple in 13:1 and then pronounces judgement on it
(the temple) in 13:2. Clearly Jesus has been in the temple until this point in the story. Another
connection now emerges: while in the temple Jesus criticises the scribes; while in the temple Jesus
watches a victim of the scribes, the poor widow, put her money into the temple treasury; and finally
Jesus leaves the temple and predicts its destruction. The temple is common to each passage: 12:3540, 12:41-44, and 13:1-2. Is there something about the temple that Jesus is opposed to? What is the
relationship between the temple and the scribes? What is the relationship between the temple, the
scribes, and the ordinary people that were listening to Jesus with delight as he denounced the
scribes? Does the literary context provide us with some answers to these questions?
Question 4 gives us a literary context in which to explore these questions. Jesus leaves the temple
in 13:2, and the scene then shifts to Jesus discussing the future with his disciples on the Mount of
Olives (13:3). If the temple is a key issue in the passages we have read, and if Jesus leaves the
temple in 13:2, then we will need to go back in Mark to find when Jesus entered the temple. Jesus
enters the temple for the first time in Marks gospel in 11:11, but he does not stay long. Rather
strangely, he goes to the temple, looks around, and then leaves the temple and Jerusalem, returning
to Bethany. The next day he returns to Jerusalem and enters the temple again (11:15). This time
Jesus acts: he began to drive our those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple,
and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves; and he
would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple (11:15-16). Having acted, Jesus then
teaches, saying, Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations?
But you have made it a den of robbers (11:17). Immediately after this we read that when the
chief priests and the scribes heard it [all that had happened in the temple], they kept looking for a
way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his
teaching (11:18). Once again, Jesus does not stay in Jerusalem, he leaves Jerusalem and returns to
Bethany (11:19). The next day Jesus enters Jerusalem and the temple for the third time (11:27), and
this time he does not leave the temple until 13:2! Given that the passage we began with, Mark
12:41-44, is a part of this section, it is important that we read the literary unit 11:27-13:2 carefully,
in order to establish its main concerns.
The entire literary unit is located within the temple in Jerusalem; the temple is the setting in which
all the action of the literary unit takes place. The literary unit 11:27-13:2 contains a number of
smaller sections which have a number of common elements. The literary unit begins with Jesus
being confronted by the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders as he enters the temple (11:27). In
the first section of the literary unit (11:27-12:12) Jesus argues with the temple leadership - the chief
priests, the scribes, and the elders. Conflict with the temple leadership characterises each of the
sections of the literary unit, as we will see. Moreover, when we read the literary unit as a whole, it
is clear that Jesus is supported by the crowd (12:12). This is an important feature of the literary
22
unit: that the crowd is on the side of Jesus and that Jesus is on the side of the crowd (see 11:32,
12:12, 12:37). It is Jesus support among the ordinary people that prevents the temple leadership
from acting against him.
In the second section of the literary unit (12:13-17), we are introduced to more of the temple
leadership, the Pharisees and Herodians. Once again, they attempt to trap Jesus, but he is able to
counter their attempts at entrapment. Similarly, in the third section of the literary unit (12:18-27),
where Jesus is confronted by some Sadducees, and in the fourth section (12:28-34), where one of
the scribes engages Jesus in discussion. Jesus responds quite positively to this lone scribe,
recognising, that he is genuinely interested in understanding who Jesus is and what he is doing.
However, after this discussion, and having been confronted by the full array of temple leadership,
Jesus turns to the crowd and begins to offer them his own analysis of the temple and its leadership.
This brings us to the sections we have already read.
In the fifth section of the literary unit (12:35-40) Jesus provides a devastating critique of the scribes.
As we have seen, he analyses both their teaching (12:35-37) and their practices (12:38-40), much to
the delight of the large crowd that is now listening to him (12:37). Without a pause in the narrative,
Jesus then sits down opposite the temple treasury and watches the victims of the teaching and
practices of the scribes - and of the whole temple system - making their offerings. In this
penultimate section of the literary unit, Jesus attempts to demonstrate to his disciples how the
temple system exploits and oppressors - he shows them one of its victims, the poor widow. But the
disciples are slow to understand, as they often are in Marks gospel, and so when they leave the
temple in the final scene of the literary unit (13:1-2) they admire the beautiful temple building. But
Jesus does not see a beautiful building, he sees an oppressive institution that is administered by
corrupt and oppressive officials. This institution, this system, Jesus says, and all those whose
teachings and practices sustain it will be thrown down (13:2); God will not tolerate such an
abomination.
We now have a quite different reading of Mark 12:41-44 than the one we began with. A careful
reading of this passage in its literary context has generated a reading that opens up a whole range of
other (related) possible interpretations.
Question 5: How did the temple function in first century Palestine, in the time of Jesus?
The offering of and request for socio-historical information enhances our picture. For example, a
socio-historical understanding of the temple recognises that the temple ordered the religious, social,
political, and economic life of Israel. The temple was not a religious institution only. First, the
temple ordered each person's status in the social order. The outer walls of the temple identified the
holy people, Israel, setting this people aside from all others. Within the temple there was a separate
court for women, men, priests, and then the Holy of Holies, where only the High Priest entered once
a year. Significantly, the sick, the maimed and mutilated, the mentally and physically disabled, and
unclean women were excluded from temple worship. Second, the temple ordered time through its
annual cycle of festivals, including, for example, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Booths,
Passover, Pentecost, and many more. Third, the temple ordered the political life of Israel. After the
Roman procurator, the High Priest was the most powerful individual in Roman occupied Palestine.
The High Priest controlled the governing body of the temple and the high council of the Sanhedrin.
The 70 members of the Sanhedrin (a sort of parliament under the Roman procurators) were drawn
largely from the chief priests, Sadducees, Pharisees, and scribes - all of whom were closely
connected with the temple. Members of the Sanhedrin were also drawn from the Jewish secular
aristocracy the elders and the Herodians. So the groups mentioned in Mark are not just religious
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figures, they are clearly political figures too. Furthermore, there are additional political dimensions
to the relationships between the temple and its leadership and Roman imperial power. The Roman
procurators, when resident in Jerusalem, were quartered, together their military troops, in the
fortress of Antonia, which looked down on the temple court from the north-west corner;
furthermore, the fortress Antonia also housed the high priestly vestments, a sign of Rome's control
and the subjection and collaboration entailed in the appointment of the High Priest.
Finally, the temple ordered the economic life of Israel. In fact, the only groups that were hostile to
the temple, the Essenes and what we can call the Jesus movement, focussed on the economic
dimension of the temple system. The Essenes, for example, rebelled against what they saw as a
corrupted temple, mainly because it compromised for the sake of riches, and piled up money and
wealth by plundering the people. Jesus, as our reading has already suggested, had similar reasons
for acting prophetically against the temple. Socio-historical resources such as these make the
position of Jesus even clearer.
By now the participants excitement is tinged with awe; they are amazed that the Bible can be such
a rich resource and that they have been empowered to make sense of a complex text for themselves.
The next phase of the Bible study enhances their sense of contribution, for it shifts now into how
the text speaks to their contexts.
Question 6: How does this text speak to our respective contexts?

Question 7: What actions will you plan in response to this Bible study?
The final two questions are again answered together in groups. Once more, groups are encouraged
to summarise their responses and their action plan on a piece of newsprint. If time permits, there
should be plenary reportback on these questions so that all the participants can share in the
contextual responses of the other groups and learn from their various action plans.
The responses to these questions are as various as the groups that come together to discuss them.
All participants find resonances between their corporate reading of the Scripture and their context.
With respect to Question 7 some South African groups have argued that our governments new
economic policy actually results in increased unemployment, though it is designed, we are told, to
create more jobs. Others argue that there are structures and systems in their churches and/or
cultures that exploit and exclude the powerless (whether they be women or people who are living
with HIV/Aids) when they should be protecting and providing for them.
When it comes to their action plans, groups are very creative. In some cases groups have decided to
design a liturgy that can be incorporated into the worship of their church which calls the church to
be a safe place for people infected and affected by HIV/Aids. Other groups have planned more
politically and have begun to lobby our government for a Basic Income Grant to provide for and
protect the poor.
All our Bible studies begin and end (and are interspersed) with prayer and singing. The Bible study
described here is a real Bible study, not an academic exercise. The description hardly captures the
energy and excitement of ordinary African Christians engaging deeply with the Scriptures.
On the next page, readers will find some further reflections about the hermeneutical and
pedagogical principles that shape this Bible study. Most have been discussed already, but they
serve here as a reminder and as further clarification.
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Hermeneutical and Pedagogical Principles

Two types of questions are used in the Bible study process:
Contextual or community consciousness questions which draw on the experiences, resources,
and feelings of the community, as well as the reception history of the text in the community (e.g.
questions 1, 6, and 7).
Textual or critical consciousness questions which draw on the structured and systematic
resources of biblical studies (e.g. questions 2-5).
Two forms of textual or critical consciousness were used:
Literary modes of reading were used which facilitate a careful and close reading of the text. The
focus here is on the internal relationships within the text: beginning and ending of text, character,
plot, setting, role of narrator, etc. Ordinary readers of the Bible do not normally read the Bible like
this, so these are additional resources for their use.
Historical and sociological modes of reading are used to explore the relationship between the text
and the world that produced the text. The focus here is on the world behind the text: historical
origins, author, date, and social, cultural, economic, political, economic, and religious analysis of
the society that produced the text.
We tend to begin with literary modes of reading for two reasons:
Because they offer more equal access to the text, and make the people less dependent on experts.
Because the historical and sociological questions that then emerge in the reading process are
questions of the people and not those of the scholars.
The role of the biblical scholar is to read with ordinary people, not to read for them. So we
should facilitate the reading process by offering questions rather than answers. Knowledge is
power, and belongs to the people. Ordinary people must discover that they too are producers of
knowledge; this is empowering.
Feedback and affirmation of all responses is important. Ordinary people seldom have the space
or the place to speak what is hidden in their hearts. Writing up their responses is empowering.
Notes or minutes should emerge from the Bible study process which capture the voices of the
participants. These notes or minutes are a valuable resource because they embody the articulation
and owning of local incipient readings and theologies.
Bible study is a communal and socially transformative process and so must lead to various forms of
organising and acting.
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Bible Study 1
Theme/s:
Key text:
Women and agency

2 Kings 5: 1 19a
Background
This Bible study was first used when the Ujamaa Centre was invited by a womens group to
facilitate a Bible study on the theme of Women, Water and Healing. It has since been used many
times to address other themes dealing with the agency of women, youth, or other marginalised
sectors.
Important Information for the Facilitator

This Bible study is taken from a Manual which has been compiled by the Ujamaa Centre for
Biblical and Theological Community Development and Research. It is a Contextual Bible Study.
Before doing this study, it is important to read the introductory chapters from the manual, and in
particular those entitled "Understanding the Construction of a Contextual Bible Study" (Chapter
2) and "The Role of the Contextual Bible Study Facilitator" (Chapter 3).
Step 1.
You may wish to start the Bible study by welcoming everyone, and opening with prayer.
Step 2.
Read the key text in the Bible translations used by the workshop participants. Ask a participant to
read the text, and it is best if this is done by someone who has a strong, loud voice. If participants
have their own Bibles with them, they may choose to follow the reading in their own Bibles.
Encourage participants to listen carefully.
Step 3.
Ask everyone present the following question:
1. What is this text about?
This question should be discussed by the participants as a whole group. Write the responses offered
by participants on a piece of newsprint, so that everyone can see these. Allow time for this; it takes
time for participants to realise that you really do want to hear what they have to say! Once
participants realise that you are serious, as they watch you record their responses there will be an
avalanche of responses.
Step 4.
Divide the participants into small groups. Ideally, there should be about four to six people in each
group. Each group should have a piece of paper, a Bible and a pen or pencil. Stick up the sheet of
newsprint with Questions 2 and 3. Each group should be able to see it easily.
2. Who are the main characters in the story and what do we know about each of them?
26
3. As a small group, prepare to re-tell this story by drawing a picture or doing a drama.
For Question 2 each group should summarise their discussions on some newsprint for report back.
A Good Idea
This Bible Study uses a very creative approach, and the facilitator and group are invited to make
the most of creative ways to tell stories during this study.
Step 5.
The small groups should then each report back to everyone on their discussions and present their
creative retelling of the story.
Step 6.
After the reportback the participants should return to their small groups. Stick up the newsprint
with Question 4 below. Each group should be able to see it easily. The small groups should then
discuss together and do the task.
4. What is the untold story of the young slave girl who is the
key agent in this story?
Try and be creative in telling the untold story. For example, write a
letter from the young slave girl to her family, compose a poem, sing a
song, etc.
Step 7.
At the end of the story time, each small group should report back to
the big group. Each small group should tell their version of the
'untold story' of the slave girl to the larger group.
What does this

mean ?
AGENCY
The action, medium or
means by which
something gets done OR
the ability and authority
to take action and get
things done.
Step 8.
After the stories the participants should return to their small groups. Stick up the newsprint with the
Questions 5 and 6 below. Each group should be able to see it easily. The small groups should then
discuss together and answer the questions. They should write their plan of action on a piece of
newsprint.
5. What untold stories in your context does the telling of this story bring to your memory? Tell
your stories to each other in your small group.
6. What will you do in response to this Bible study? For example, how will you plan to bring these
untold stories into the public life of the church?
Step 9.
The small groups should then report to everyone on their discussion and answers. Stick up each
group's plan of action for all to see. Some stories may be too personal to share in the whole
workshop. Encourage the small groups to keep such stories within the small group.
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Step 10.
Bring the Bible study to a close. You may wish to do this by leading all in a prayer, thanking God
for bringing the untold stories to the attention of all present, and asking God to help all as they
begin to tell the untold stories around them.
Bible Study 1
Summary of the Reading Process in a Typical Bible Study

In response to the first question (a contextual question) there were a wide range of responses
that picked up on many important aspects of the text. This process opened up a number of
themes that could be pursued.
The second question (a textual question) returned participants to the text in order to identify
and describe the main characters. Namaan, Elisha, the little girl, and the servants of Namaan
were identified as major characters, and the two kings, the God of Israel, the foreign god were
identified as minor characters.
The third question enables the participants to re-present the text either through a drawing or a
drama. In either case, the role of the little slave girl is central. The participants clearly show
her centrality to the plot; she is the primary agent of the action. Without her there would be
no story!
And yet she herself is without a story! The text implies her story but does not tell it; it is
present by its absence! So the text itself seems to invite our attempts to hear her story. This
can be done in a variety of creative ways. Here the Bible reader brings his/her experience to
bear on the text, filling a gap in the text, and providing a voice for minor characters whose
stories are only partially told. Excluded by the dominant patriarchal tradition, our readings
recover this implied story.
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Bible Study 1

Two forms of textual/critical consciousness were used:
Literary modes of reading, specifically questions concerning characterisation and plot.
An in front of the text approach was used to allow the reader to engage in an active
way with the text. The focus of this approach is on the possible worlds projected by the
text, whether they were intended by the author or not. Texts always have multiple
meanings. This mode of reading allows readers to bring their experiences, needs, and
questions to the text and to interact with one or more of the possible trajectories or
themes of the text.
In these first two Bible studies (including the example Bible study) we have introduced the
full range of resources Biblical Studies has to offer to the ordinary reader:
Historical-critical resources (behind the text). Modern biblical criticism begins with
a shift away from an a historical approach to an emphasis on questions of origin:
sources, authorship, autographa, historical reconstruction. From these historical
interests developed the various historical-critical approaches: textual criticism, source
criticism, form criticism, tradition criticism and redaction criticism. The central concern
of all these critical approaches is the relationship between the text and the author or
source. The impact of reader response criticism (see below) contributed to the
recognition of the importance of sociological resources, and so sociological criticism has
recently become an important component of reading behind the text. Sociological
criticism focuses on the way in which society is structured, and includes analysis of
class, race, gender, etc.
Literary resources (on the text). A shift then occurred with the advent and
subsequent influence of structuralism which was reflected in a move from an interest in
the origins of a text to an interest in the text itself. The text itself became the focus. The
predominant interest of this shift was the synchronic analysis of the text on its own terms
without recourse to external factors. In other words, there was a move away from
explanation in terms of origins, and explanation in terms of extratextual reality. From
these interests in the text itself developed structuralist, literary, and canonical
approaches.
Reader/reception resources (in front of the text). A more recent development in
biblical studies is an interest in the relationship between the text and the reader. The
reader is no longer seen as merely a passive acceptor of the text but as an active, even
creative, contributor in the interpretative process. Reader-response criticism,
autobiographical criticism, and the way the Bible is read in contextual theologies are
examples of a focus on the reader. The recognition that readers are located in a context
led to the realization that authors too are located in a thick context which includes
sociological as well as historical dimensions (see above).
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Bible Study 2
Theme/s:
Key text:
Using local resources; family and community; leadership

Genesis 37 50
Background
This Bible study demonstrates the importance of local resources for reading the Bible, and also uses
creative resources to do a Bible study on a large section of biblical text. See the picture of the
woodcut at the end of this study, used with the permission of the artist, Azariah Mbatha. We have
used this Bible study to address a number of contextual themes, including African culture, the
family, political power, leadership, etc.

Step 1.
Step 2.
Hold up and point to the woodcut picture of the Joseph Story. Ask everyone present the following
question:
1. What is your first impression of the woodcut of the Joseph Story by Azariah Mbatha (a South
African artist)?
Encourage the participants to discuss their impressions and share them with the whole group.
Step 3.
After the discussion, put up Question 2 on newsprint. Make sure everyone can see the question.
Ask everyone to look at the woodcut, and answer Questions 2:
2. Can you identify each of the scenes in the Joseph story as it is retold by Mbatha? Try and locate
each scene in the Bible and give chapter and verse references for each panel of the woodcut.
Ensure that participants all have access to a Bible, some sharing if necessary. Encourage feedback
from the participants, providing the correct answers where necessary, so that participants are clear
about which panel relates to which part of the story.
30
Step 4.
group. Each group should have a piece of paper, a Bible and a pen or pencil. Put up Question 3
and 4 on newsprint, and ask the groups to answer the questions:
3. What is the focus of each panel in the woodcut? In other words, what are the major themes and
concerns of Mbatha's retelling of the Joseph story?
4. In what ways does Mbathas interpretation of the Joseph story support or differ from your own
reading or memory of the Joseph story?
A Good Idea
If time is short, divide up the panels in the woodcut amongst the groups, making sure there are
nine groups one for each panel. Ask each group to work on one particular panel in the
woodcut, noting down their answers on a piece of paper. Then let each group share their panel
discussions with everyone.
Step 5.
After the discussions, let each group share their findings with everyone. You should summarise
their responses to questions on a piece of newsprint, so that everyone can see them.
Step 6.
Participants should return to their small groups. Put up Questions 5, 6 and 7 on newsprint so that
all the groups can see it:
5. What resources does Mbatha use to retell the Joseph story?
6. Do similar resources exist in your own context? Give examples.
7. How does this retelling of the Joseph story speak to your context,
and what will you do in response to this interpretation?
The groups should write down their answers on a piece of paper.
After the discussions, let each group share their findings with
everyone. Summarise their responses to questions on a
piece of newsprint, so that everyone can see them.
What does
this mean ?
RESOURCE
Something that can be
used as a source of help
or information; an asset.
A Good Idea
The results of Step 6 the newsprint summary provide an excellent resource for Christian
action. Encourage the groups to take home their findings as a reminder and a plan of action.
Step 7.
Bring the Bible study to a close. You may wish to do this by leading all in a prayer, thanking God
for the resources available to help in reading the Bible, and asking God for assistance to act.
31
32
Bible Study 2

This study demonstrates that local non-academic resources can be used for reading the Bible. A
local African resource provides the way into the biblical text. Significantly, questions 2 and 3 do
exactly the same work as a textual question (focus on the text) usually does! By trying to read
Mbathas woodcut, participants are forced to return to the text again and again.
The non-textual perspective of Mbatha opens up new ways of seeing, and enables the rediscovery
of neglected aspects of the text. For many Christians (who went to Sunday School) the Joseph
Story is about an individual. Mbathas woodcut reminds us that the story is a story about a family
and a community. Every panel is full of people.
Mbatha's reading offers postcolonial perspectives for reading the Bible in that it adopts a western
form (top to bottom and left to right reading), which it then subverts by working in pictures
rather than words. Mbathas woodcut is an African commentary on the Bible!
Experience with non-literate people indicates that they do not read the woodcut in a top to
bottom and left to right way; this may suggest that it is possible to read the woodcut in other ways.
Mbatha's woodcut offers a creative and critical way of reading a long text (Genesis 37-50) which
would otherwise prove very difficult to read with ordinary readers. The woodcut draws us back to
the biblical (textual) account as we soon discover how little we remember the Joseph story. So the
woodcut is a resource for a more careful and close reading of the text.
This Bible study has generated many insights, some of which have been recorded in the books
Contextual Bible Study and The Academy of the Poor.
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Bible Study 3
Theme/s:
Key text:
Silence voices; contending theologies

2 Samuel 21: 1 14
Introduction
This Bible study introduces us to the reality that there are often contending theologies within the
biblical text and/or silenced voices, particularly those of women.

Step 1.
Step 2.
Step 3.
This question should be discussed by the participants as a whole group. Write the responses offered
by participants on a piece of newsprint, so that everyone can see these.
Step 4.
group. Each group should have a piece of paper, a Bible and a pen or pencil. Put up Questions 2 4 on newsprint. Each group should be able to see it clearly. Each group should discuss amongst
themselves while noting the answers down:
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2. Who are the characters and what do we know about each of them?
3. What is the theology of each of the main characters? Using the text as a basis, try and
reconstruct elements of each characters' way of looking at God and life.
4. What is the theology of the narrator? A careful reading of the text gives us some clues to the
narrator's point of view. For example, what does the phrase
after that in the last verse refer to?
What does
this mean ?
Step 5.
At the end of the discussion time, each small group should report back
to everyone. Summarise their responses to the questions on a piece of
newsprint, so that everyone can see these. Ensure that participants are
understanding the questions and answers and hold some discussion on
these.
Step 6.
THEOLOGY
The study of the
Christian faith, or
a religious theory,
belief or system.
The participants should return to their small groups. Put up Questions 5, 6 and 7 on newsprint.
Each group should be able to see it clearly. Ask the groups the questions:
5. Which character and theology do you identify with and why?
6. Who in your context is like David, the Gibeonites, Rizpah, etc?
7. How does this text speak into your live and what will you do in response?
The small groups should then discuss each question separately, and write down some of their
responses in summary form.
Step 7.
The small groups should then report to everyone on their discussion and answers. You should
summarise their responses to the questions on a piece of newsprint, so that everyone can see them.
A Good Idea
The results of Step 7 are a useful reminder and resource for Christian action. Encourage the
groups to each write up their own copy to take away with them.
Step 9.
Bring the Bible study to a close. You may wish to do this by leading all in a prayer.
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Bible Study 3

Questions 1, 5, 6, and 7 focus on community consciousness, concentrating on forms of engagement
with the text and each other. Questions 2, 3 and 4 focus on critical consciousness, concentrating on
forms of critical distance generated by a close and careful reading of the text.
Most readers initially read with David, a godly character whom they know and trust from their
readings of other texts. And this story seemed to confirm their confidence in David; his response to
the famine is to seek the face of God (1a). But then some readers pointed out that the famine was
already in its third year (1a). Why had it taken David so long to seek the face of God? Did this
suggest that David was not as close to God as he should have been? Unease with David grew when
he did not immediately choose the first of the options offered by the Gibeonites: restitution through
silver or gold (4a). How could he agree to restitution through blood? Did this mean that David
was not as close to his people as he should have been? Or did it indicate, as some argued, that
David was being particularly sensitive to the power dynamics implicit in the situation; namely, that
because the Gibeonites were a marginalised community their initial response was one of deference
(4a). Being aware of relations of power, David gave them the space to articulate their real request
by making it clear to them that he was giving them the right to decide: What do you say that I
should do for you? (4b).
Perhaps, some said, David was even using this opportunity to rid himself of potential opposition
from Saul's house. David might have been using the Gibeonites, pushing them to execute his own
political interests. This line of reasoning appeared to be supported, some readers argued, by the
repeated presence of Saul and his house in the story. Participants pointed to the reference to
Sauls house of blood (1b), the Gibeonites reminder that Saul was the chosen of God (6a), and
also drew on what they knew about the tensions between David and Saul from other texts. This
would explain, they suggested, why David did not take up the opportunity provided by the first
response of the Gibeonites to offer financial compensation (4a). Some went further and argued that
Davids refusal to take this option and the repetition of the question allowed or even prompted the
Gibeonites to make the decision they did. They understood the illocutionary force the unspoken
intent of Davids repeated question: David wanted Sauls family to be eliminated as a potential
threat to his throne. Realising this, the Gibeonites obliged, either for reasons of their own or
because they had little option given their position. In their initial request the option of silver or
gold is grammatically linked to Saul and his family and the option of putting to death to
anyone in Israel (4a), but when David asks the second time, the object of the killing is clear,
though Saul is not mentioned by name (5-6a).
36
None of the readers much liked the idea of David using the Gibeonites for his own ends; in fact,
those reading with David became more and more uncomfortable with the David of this story. But
those reading with the Gibeonites, and this was often the majority, applauded David for doing the
appropriate thing. Some form of restitution was clearly implied by Gods statement (1b and 2b),
and rather than imposing his form of restitution, David asked the Gibeonites for theirs. And when
they behaved deferentially, David rightly recognised this as the behaviour of a vulnerable and
marginalised group, and so persisted until they felt free to state their preference. David was being
remarkably sensitive to the power dynamics in that situation.
These readers went further, arguing that the perspective of the Gibeonites was appropriate and right.
Many of these black South African readers were adamant that the Gibeonites were right to demand
blood restitution; they too knew what it was to be systematically slaughtered. Blood restitution was
an appropriate response to a house of blood (1b) that consumed and planned to destroy (5),
particularly when the house in question was the house of the dominant who had used their power to
oppress and decimate the vulnerable and marginalised.
This reading led to a heated discussion of capital punishment, which was at that time being debated
by the new Constitutional Court in South Africa. Those reading with the Gibeonites insisted that the
death penalty must remain and must be reactivated (there being a moratorium at that time), so that
those guilty of blood could be appropriately punished. So those reading with the Gibeonites, and
those reading with David, sharing as they did a similar theology, felt that David was right when he
gave seven relations of Saul into the hands of the Gibeonites (9a) and that the Gibeonites were
justified in exposing/impaling them (9a). Further, they showed that their readings were
substantiated by the final sentence of the story: And God answered prayer for the land after that
(14b). The phrase after that, the concluding phrase in Hebrew, clearly referred to the handing
over and exposing/hanging/impaling of the family of Saul.
But it was not that clear to all that this phrase should be interpreted in this way. What about Rizpah,
some asked? Does she not have a part in this story? All the small groups, in working through the
questions outlined above, had agreed that Rizpah was one of the major characters, and yet she had
played no role in the reading thus far. So the question was pertinent. This question, it proved,
probed a deep disquiet in all readers. Rizpah, it slowly began to emerge, had also done the right
thing; she had shown honour to the dead.
Reading from a largely African culture, most readers were very uncomfortable with the
hanging/exposing (9) of the bodies. Even those who were deeply committed to the perspective of
the Gibeonites found this practice difficult to understand. Relatives of the dead must be allowed to
bury the dead properly. Disrespect towards the dead was wrong. And so cracks in the dominant
reading began to appear.
37
Those who read with David found fresh resources for their reading. While Saul had broken the oath
of Israel to the Amorites (2b), David had kept his oath to Jonathan by sparing Mephibosheth (7).
This showed that David did honour his relationships, even with those who had a claim to the throne.
Moreover, David did honour the dead by bringing the bones of Saul and Jonathan, and the bones of
their relatives that had been hung/exposed/impaled, and gave them a proper burial (12-14a). In this
respect, then, David did have a different theology to that of the Gibeonites. So, some suggested, the
phrase after that probably included not only right restitution but also right burial.
But this reading in turn opened additional fissures and gaps in the text. Those who read with
Rizpah, mainly women, located their readings in these places. In providing a proper burial for the
dead of Israel, they argued, David had been responding to Rizpahs actions. It was only when
David was told what Rizpah had done (11) that he responded appropriately. She had shamed and
challenged him by her solidarity with the dead. Verse 10, Rizpahs story, now became
foregrounded. How were Rizpahs actions to be interpreted? What was Rizpah saying in her
silence?
Among those who read with Rizpah were those who emphasised her silent solidarity with the dead.
She was doing what women all over the world do, caring for the dead. And because she was in a
marginalised position, being a woman and a concubine/secondary wife (11), she understood the
need to be in solidarity with these victims. So she chose to care for and bury the dead, including her
children; she stayed in solidarity with them, doing what she could to honour them. Others who read
with Rizpah emphasised the deafening silence of her protest. Although silent, by publicly
associating herself with the victims of the kings policy, she was engaging in a political act of
protest. She was caring for the dead while and because men with power do not care for the living.
This was one of those rare moments when the hidden transcript of womens resistance to dominant
ideologies and theologies ruptured the public transcript of deference and disguise; what was usually
acted and spoken offstage by women, behind the backs of the dominant, now found a public form at
centre-stage.
The after that in the final sentence (14b), these readers argued, referred to Rizpahs actions, not
Davids! Gods answering/responding was associated with Rizpahs resistance. This was clear
from the narrative where the rains, which were Gods response, were directly related to Rizpahs
actions (10a). The narrator tells us that Rizpah stayed in solidarity with the dead from the
beginning of the harvest until the rains poured down on them from the heavens. The silent cry of
Rizpah and the dead were heard by God.
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While the narrator seems to suggest, these readers continued, that David might have heard God
speak when he sought the face of God (1a), and that he therefore probably had identified the
problem as the need to provide some form of restitution for the Gibeonites, the narrator leaves
David to find his own solution. God does not speak again. And Rizpah never speaks. But
Rizpahs act of solidarity with the victims of the theology of David and the Gibeonites demands a
response, from David and from God. God responds first, and the rain falls on Rizpah and the
dead (10a). David then also responds, recognising, we hope, another more accountable,
responsible, and compassionate theology.
Finally, it was pointed out, Rizpah was not alone in her solidarity with the dead and her protest.
While she was the only one to risk death by rupturing the public transcript of deference and
devotion to male leadership, she could not have survived day and night, month after month (10),
without the support of her sisters. Perhaps even Sauls daughter, Michal (or Merab) was among
those who sustained and strengthened Rizpah. But maybe not. Michal, like the leaders of the
Gibeonites, may have actively embraced the dominant theology of retribution and death. Perhaps
the class position that came with being a daughter of a king made it difficult to identify with
her sisters. Certainly these African readers knew that the class position of white women in South
Africa often had this consequence. Their experience too of black (male) leaders, both in civic
and church structures, who had lost their community consciousness, who had abandoned ubuntu
(a person is a person because of other people), made the theology of the Gibeonite leaders
uncomfortably familiar. And this was the saddest aspect of this story for those who read with
Rizpah, that marginalised communities of people could embrace a theology of domination and
death.
It would be nice to report that this is where our readings rested. But this reading too was
deconstructed. Those who read with David continued to claim textual clues for their reading,
contending that the juxtaposition of the final two sentences (And they did all that the king
commanded. And God answered prayer for the land after that. (14)) was clear textual
attestation that it was Davids actions that elicited Gods response. Those reading with the
Gibeonites responded to Rizpah by reminding those who read with her that theologies of
compassion and life had been easily coopted by apartheid, and that such theologies were
inadequate if apartheid and its architects were to be completely destroyed.
And so this text remains contested. Perhaps that is the narrator's primary point, that there are
contending theologies and theologies of life and death coexist in our communities. The Bible,
like the church, is a site of struggle. But those of us who came to know Rizpah cannot forget
her. She is our sister and we are her people. We have been partially constituted by her story; by
sharing in her story we have also been strengthened in our struggle for survival, liberation, and
life.
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Bible Study 3

This text is a very good example of a neglected part of our tradition. Fortunately, however, this
fragment has been preserved, even if the various redactors of the story of the David could find no
proper place for it. The text itself portrays the theological struggles that existed at a particular
time. By reading texts like this we allow the neglected traditions in our Christian tradition to
speak. The Bible does not speak with one voice; we must therefore be alert to the silences,
absences, and partial presences.
Recovering and studying neglected aspects of the biblical tradition will open up additional lines of
connection between the struggles of our people and the similar struggles of those who have gone
before us in the tradition. This is both encouraging and empowering for those who often wonder
whether they belong in the church.
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Bible Study 4
Theme/s:
Key text:
Rape; violence against women

2 Samuel 13: 1 22
Background
This Bible study engages with a text that most people do not even know is in the Bible. This text
has become the basic resource for the Ujamaa Centres Tamar Campaign. Warning!!! This Bible
study is tremendously powerful, creating safe and sacred space for women (and men) to talk about
sexual abuse. Do not do this Bible study unless you have counsellors available.

Step 1.
Step 2.
Step 3.
This question should be discussed by the participants as a whole group. Write down the responses
offered by participants on a piece of newsprint, so that everyone can see these.
A Good Idea
You may like to ask a group, possibly the youth or a group of women, beforehand to prepare a
drama that re-enacts the story. This drama can then become a local resource for the Bible study.
41
Step 4.
Divide the participants into small groups. For a study with this theme, it is wise to divide the
participants into groups of older women, older men, younger women and younger men, so that
people may speak comfortably with each other. Each group should have a piece of paper, a Bible
and a pen or pencil. Put up Questions 2, 3 and 4 on some newsprint. Each group should be able to
see it clearly:
2. Who are the main characters in this story and what do we know about them?
3. What is the role of each of the male characters in the rape of Tamar?
4. What does Tamar say and do?
The small groups should then discuss each question separately and write down some answers.
Step 5.
At the end of the discussion time, each small group should present a summary of their answers to
everyone. This could be done in a variety of ways. If there is time, each group could be asked to
report on each question, but if time is a constraint then each group should report on only one
question. The full report, which the note-taker of the group puts up on newsprint, is then displayed
for everyone to read at some other time.
A Good Idea
The report backs can also be presented more creatively, using a drama, a poem or a song.
Step 6.
After the report backs, the participants should return to their small groups. Put up Questions 5, 6
and 7 on newsprint. Each group should be able to see it easily:
5. Are there women like Tamar in your church and/or community? Tell their story.
6. What is the theology of women who have been raped?
7. What resources are there in your area for survivors of rape?
The small groups should then discuss the questions and note down some answers.
Step 7.
Once again, the small groups present their report back to everyone. Gather together the creative
responses and summarise the outcomes of the report backs, writing them up on newsprint for all to
see.
42

For women participants this report back may be uncomfortable, difficult, or even too painful to
do. Suggest creative ways in which responses could be articulated, such as a drawing or a drama.
This may enable all groups to successfully report back, but no-one should be 'pushed' into this.
Step 8.
After the report back, the participants should return to their small groups. Put up Question 8 on
newsprint:
8. What will you now do in response to this Bible study?
Each group should now formulate an action plan. The action plan is either reported to everyone or
presented on newsprint for other participants to look at after the Bible study is over.
Step 9.
Bring the Bible study to a close. Encourage participants to look again at the outcomes of the Bible
study, and the action plan.
Close by leading all in a prayer that encourages the women participants in particular, and prays for
the victims of rape.
Additional Uses of Bible Study 4

1. Working with Children
Given that Tamar was probably between 12-14 years old when she was raped, this Bible study may
be adapted so that it can be used with children. Clearly care needs to be taken in doing this and
those attempting this task should consult with those who have been trained in work with children.
2. Working with Men
How would you adapt this Bible study, or design another Bible study, to explore with male
participants the problem of rape? In a Bible study Ujamaa Centre has substituted the following
questions for questions 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8:
4.
5.
6.
7.
Why does Amnon rape Tamar?

Why do men rape?
What does the church do about men who rape?
How can we intervene to address the issue of rape, focussing on men who rape?
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Bible Study 4

In our experience the effects of this Bible study are substantial. Women are amazed that such a
text exists, are angry that they have never heard it read or preached, are relieved to discover that
they are not alone, are empowered because the silence has been broken and their stories have
been told. As one women said, If such a text exists in the Bible, how can we be silent about
these things in the church? How indeed?
The initial, opening question generates a host of responses as readers share their early
impressions of this seldom read text. Ordinary readers, whether literate or not, readily engage
with questions 2, 3 and 4, returning to the text again and again to find out as much as they can
about each of the characters, missing nothing. They note the way in which Jonadab, a relative of
Amnons, attempts to draw himself nearer to the potential heir to the throne of David by
identifying his restrained lust. Reminding Amnon that he is indeed son of the king (13:4) and
thereby implying that he should have whatever he wants, Jonadab provides a plan for the rape of
Tamar. The slow pace of the story, with the graphic description of the plan and then its
execution, are also picked by ordinary readers as they delve into 13:5-11. David, it seems to
them, is somewhat irresponsible, unable to detect that Amnons request is a ruse (13:6), and so he
sends Tamar to be raped (13:7). (Some readers remember the earlier stories in 2 Samuel and
comment on how often damage is done when David sends.) Whatever restraint Amnon may
have had now collapses as he premeditates the rape of his sister (13:9-14). Women readers, in
particular, applaud the clear and careful way in which Tamar responds. She trusts her brother
and willingly serves him while he is sick; and even when she finds herself trapped, she argues
articulately with him. First, she says a clear No (13:12), which should be enough. Second, she
reminds him that he is her brother (13:12). Third, she makes it clear that she is not a willing
participant and so names what he is doing, forcing her (13:12). Fourth, she reminds him of
their cultural heritage and communal values, for such a thing is not done in Israel (13:12).
Fifth, she declares his intentions to be vile and evil (13:12). Sixth, she appeals to what she hopes
is some recognition of her situation, reminding him of the consequences of his actions for her
(13:13). Seventh, she then turns the question on him, asking what the consequences of such an
act on him will be (13:13). Eighth, she offers him a way out, at considerable cost to herself,
suggesting that he speak to the king about marrying her (13:13). Alas, even this most articulate
of all biblical women is not listened to, and being stronger than she, he forced her and raped
her (13:14).
And even after the rape she does not remain silent, arguing with Amnon again, this time urging
him not to abandon her to the consequences of rape on her own (13:16). But the male ego again
refuses to hear, and she is forcefully (again) removed (13:16-17).
44
Tamars public acknowledgement of the rape (13:19) is met with mixed reactions by women
readers as they both applaud her decision to go public and worry at the cost of such a public
statement in a patriarchal society. They find some comfort in Absaloms offer of sanctuary, but
reject his silencing of her (13:20). Finally, they are appalled by Davids empty anger, and his
impulse to protect his son (13:21).
Clearly, each of the male characters, whether it be David, Amnon, Jonadab, the servants, or
Absalom, plays a role in the rape of Tamar, though their roles are different. This is how many
men it takes to rape a woman!
The point of view of the narrator is interesting, with most readers commenting that this male
character (presuming the narrator to be a male) is surprisingly sympathetic to the concerns of
women. They are grateful that he names rape for what it is: a violent assault on a woman
(13:14). They are amazed by how articulate Tamar is and find many of her arguments
convincing. They especially like the fact that she finds aspects of her cultural and religious
heritage potentially liberating, even if they are often used to oppress and dominate. Most of all
they are astounded that such a text exists in the Bible, for they find it a remarkable resource with
which to raise and discuss rape in their own contexts.
Questions 5, 6, and 7 provide plenty of opportunity for precisely such discussions, with many
women finding sacred space to share the unshareable. They quickly discover that they are not
alone, and soon the Davids, Amnons, Jonadabs, servants, and Absaloms in their own
experiences are named. As Bridgit Masaiti and Lilian Siwila learned from one of the participants
when they did this Bible study as part of the Ujamaa Centres Tamar Campaign, the church is
our Absalom, because they tell us to keep quiet right in our own houses.
In many cases professional counselling is required in such situations, and it is irresponsible to
proceed without it.
Question 8 provides an opportunity to do something about it, and groups come up with
wonderfully creative actions plans, whether to compose a liturgy for their local church or to
challenge the local police station to provide resources for the survivors of rape.
45
Bible Study 4

This text is hardly ever read publicly in church. Most participants, therefore, are unaware that
such a text exists. And this is part of its power. By reading and studying a text like this we find
new lines of connection between our lived faith and the biblical tradition. Women who have been
abused often find, for the first time, a story that connects with their experience of abuse.
If the Bible study group is a safe place, and some thought needs to go into the composition of the
small groups when doing a Bible study like this, then women may begin to articulate aspects of
their lived/working theologies that they have never given expression to before. This can be a very
traumatic experience, and so it is important to make sure that there are counselling resources
available.
This Bible study recovers the voice of one of the most articulate women in the Bible. It is worth
reflecting carefully on the verbal responses of Tamar as she confronts her half-brother, Amnon.
She counters many of the myths associated with rape. She is raped because Amnon is stronger
than she is rape is about power, not intellectual and moral power, but physical power. Tamar is
remarkably clear and coherent in her in arguments against Amnon, but he will not hear.
Implicit in the Bible study as outlined above are all the elements of the contextual Bible study
process. The Bible study begins and ends with what can be called community consciousness
questions. Questions 1, 5, 6, 7, and 8 draw on the readings and resources of the local community
group. By using small groups and writing up all responses the contributions of all participants are
affirmed. Habitually, responses to question 1 elicit the public transcript; participants offer
interpretations they have received and which they feel are safe to proclaim publicly. They know
what they are expected to believe about the Bible. However, there are usually some responses
which are more ambiguous and which potentially provide space for more authentic interpretations
interpretations that articulate something of their experiential/ working theologies. If the group
becomes a safe place, if there are resources to articulate what is often incipient and inchoate, and if
there are resonance's with others in the group, then gradually elements of working, lived faith
may be more overtly and vigorously voiced and owned.
Clustered in between the community consciousness questions are a series of what might be called
critical consciousness questions. These questions are the contribution of the socially engaged
biblical scholar, and provide resources for repeated returns to the text and more careful and close
reading. In this example, the critical consciousness questions draw on literary modes of
interpretation, posing questions about characters, plot, setting, etc. Such structured and systematic
questions are not usually in the repertoire of ordinary readers, though once asked, the questions
are readily grasped and appropriated. The advantage of using questions which draw on literary
modes of interpretation is that they do not require any input from the socially engaged biblical
scholar ( the expert). The questions are contribution enough, and ordinary readers make of them
what they will. However, in many instances ordinary readers want access to resources that are
only available to the trained reader. So, for example, participants may want to know the
46
significance of Tamar tearing her clothing. In such cases, the socially engaged biblical scholar
may offer socio-historical resources in response to this question, choosing to do this, preferably
and where possible, by drawing on parallels in the participants own socio-historical context.
In our experience literary-type questions almost always lead into socio-historical-type questions;
this is important, because it indicates the need ordinary readers have to locate faith in real
concrete contexts. But by beginning with literary-type questions and by allowing socio-historicaltype questions to emerge from the participants, the powerful presence of the biblical scholar is held
in check. Equally importantly, by waiting for the questions to arise from the participants, we can
be sure that we are answering questions of interest to them rather than questions of interest to us
biblical scholars (on which the industry of biblical scholarship is based).
Critical consciousness questions facilitate a more careful and close reading of the text than is
usually the case among ordinary readers. They give the text a voice, and in so doing open up
potential lines of connection with faith trajectories in the biblical tradition that have been neglected
or suppressed. Women discover, to return to our example, that they are not alone, that their terror
can be found in the Bible, and while this text of terror (Trible 1984) perhaps offers little comfort,
it does at least acknowledge the reality of their experience.
The concluding community consciousness questions (5, 6, 7, and 8) ground the Bible study firmly
in the life of the participants. In responding to these questions, community consciousness and
critical consciousness fuse and fashion faith interpretations (Patte 1995) that make sense and
which are an expression of the lived, working theologies of ordinary believers. Whether or how
these incipient and inchoate faith interpretations are articulated depends on how safe the contextual
Bible study process is. In safe places women who have been touched by Tamar tell their stories,
help and hold the pain of their sisters, and plan for the transformation of their churches and
communities. Unfortunately, not all Bible study groups are safe, and so some women may remain
silent, waiting still. But the potential is there, implicit within the contextual Bible study process
and this text for the articulation, owning, and acting out of those interpretations and theologies that
ordinary readers of the Bible live by.
47
Bible Study 5
Theme/s:
Key text:
Economic exploitation; systemic sin

Mark 12: 41 44
Introduction
We have already discussed this Bible study in detail (see pages 18-24); here we offer the basic
template of the Bible study. This study addresses the experience of ordinary Christians whom the
church often oppresses through the demands it makes on their giving. It uses a lot of the 'in and out'
approach where for each of the questions participants move from the big group into their small
groups and back again into the big group.

Step 1.
Step 2.
Step 3.
offered by participants on a piece of newsprint, so that everyone can see these.
A Good Idea
When doing Step 3, it is a good idea to do it by inviting participants to buzz with their
neighbour concerning what they think the text is about. By discussing the opening question in
'buzz-groups', the ice is broken and each and every participant is able to share something.
Though tentative at first, the participants may discover that it really is okay to say whatever they
want, and this sets the right atmosphere for the rest of the study.
48
Step 4.
group. Each group should have a piece of paper, a Bible and a pen or pencil. Put up Question 2 on
some newsprint. Each group should be able to see it clearly:
2. Read Mark 12: 38 40 (the text that immediately precedes verses 41-44). Are there connections
between 12: 41 44 and 12: 38 40? If so, what are they?
The small groups should then discuss each question separately and write down some answers.
Step 5.
At the end of the discussion time, each small group should present a summary of their answers to
everyone. You should write their report on a piece of newsprint, so that everyone can see it. If
there is enough time, other participants can add to the report.
Step 6.
After the reports the participants should return to their small groups. Put up Question 3 on
newsprint. Each group should be able to see it easily. Ask the groups the questions:
3. Now read Mark 13: 1 2, the text that immediately follows Mark 12: 41 44. Are there
connections between 13: 1 2 and 12: 38 44? If so, what are they?
The small groups should then discuss the questions and write down some answers.
Step 7.
The small groups should then each report to everyone on their discussion and answers. It is good to
get the groups to report in a different order. Again write up their answers on newsprint, so that
everyone can see and add to the reports.
Step 8.
After the reports the participants should return to their small groups. Put up Question 4 on
newsprint. Each group should be able to see it easily. Ask the question:
4. Jesus comes into the temple at 11: 27 and leaves the temple at 13: 2. In this section of the text:
Who are the main characters or groups of characters?
What do we know about them?
What are the relationships between them?
Draw a picture of the relationships between the characters in the temple. What does your picture
say about the literary unit as a whole?
The small groups should then discuss and answer the question.

This is a demanding question, so give plenty of time for it (about 30 45 minutes) and encourage
the groups to actually draw a picture of their findings on a sheet of newsprint.
49
Step 9.
Again, at the end of the discussion time, each small group should report back to everyone. Each
small group should present their 'relationship picture' to the larger group.
Step 10.
You need to then try to summarise the responses of all the groups in one communal picture of the
characters and relationships in Mark 11: 27 13: 2. You will need one very big piece of newsprint
for this. Encourage further group discussion amongst the participants whilst doing this.
Step 11.
After the reports the participants should return once again to their small groups. Put up Questions 5
and 6 on newsprint. Each group should be able to see it easily.
5. How did the Jerusalem temple function in first century Palestine, in the time of Jesus?
6. If Mark were to send an SMS or telegram of this section, what would he say?
The small groups should then discuss the questions.
Step 12.
After the reports the participants should return once again to their small groups. Put up Questions 7
and 8 on newsprint. Each group should be able to see it easily.
7. How does this text speak to our contexts?
8. What actions will we plan in response to this Bible study?
The small groups should then discuss the questions.
Step 13.
The small groups should then each report to everyone on their discussion and action plan. It is good
to get the groups to report in a different order. Again write up their answers on a piece of
newsprint, so that everyone can see and share in the responses of the other groups, learning from the
action plans of others.
Step 14.
Bring the Bible study to a close. You may wish to close by leading all a prayer, and asking God to
help all present as they implement their plans of action.
50
Bible Study 6
Theme/s:
Key text:
Women and culture

Mark 5: 21 6: 1
Introduction
This Bible study deals with the important issues of culture and gender.

Step 1.
Step 2.

From this point on, there is a detailed commentary on the Bible Study, question by question. The
commentary text is indented. This commentary may help you are you prepare the Bible study.
Step 3.
offered by participants on a piece of newsprint, so that everyone can see them.
Commentary: Responses to this question probably include some of the following: healing,
compassion, faith, love, hope, despair, and many others. Readers could probably extend this
51
list. Some groups may include women as a theme of this text, as did one of the groups of
ordinary readers with whom this exercise was done.
Step 4.
group. Each group should have a piece of paper, a Bible and a pen or pencil. Put up Questions 2, 3
and 4 on newsprint so that each group can see them easily. Each group should summarise their
discussions on each question on some newsprint for the report back.
2. Who are the main characters, and what do we know about them?
Commentary: This question returns the 'readers' to the text as they try to glean as much as
they can about the various characters. What begins to emerge is that this text seems to be
about women. This suggestion is supported by a careful reading of the text. First, the story
of the two women is a literary unit, delimited by the geographic shifts in verses 21 and 6:1.
Second, although the central character appears initially to be a man, Jairus, the central
characters in the story are in fact two women. Jairus does initiate the action, but is then
ignored as first the woman with the flow of blood and then Jairus' daughter move to centrestage. The actual absence of the first woman mentioned (Jairus' daughter), emphasises her
narrative presence. The plot depends on her presence. Similarly, the woman with the flow
of blood, the second woman, is foregrounded even though she seeks to be self-effacing.
And while Jesus is still speaking to the second woman, the first woman is again represented
by others (verse 35). It is almost as if the narrator himself (herself?) is interrupted - the
narrative certainly is - by the unnamed woman with the flow of blood. (This woman is
named Berenice by some in Latin America.) The careful narrative introduction of Jairus, a
named male with power (verse 22) is first interrupted, and then deconstructed, by the
unnamed woman with no power.
Third, that the plot and sub-plot are carefully connected is stressed by the repetition of
"daughter", in verse 34 with reference to the second woman and in verse 35 with reference
to the first woman. The ambiguity of "your daughter", referring to Jairus and possibly to
Jesus, in verse 35 reinforces this connection. The women, and so their stories, are also
linked by the repetition of "twelve years" (verse 25 and 42). It has also been suggested by
some readers that "twelve years" may, in the case of the young woman, be an allusion to the
onset of menstruation and so the beginning of fertility. The flow of blood for the younger
woman meant life was possible, but the flow of blood for the older woman meant that life
was no longer possible. The young woman of twelve years of age is a narrative reminder of
the child(ren) that the older woman has not been able to bear. Here is another link between
the two stories. There is also a parallel structure to each episode. In each case the woman is
defined by her social location; in each case the woman is in need; in each case Jesus
responds to her need; in each case the woman is unclean; in each case there is contact,
touching, between Jesus and the woman; in each case Jesus speaks to the woman; in each
case there is healing and restoration of the woman to the community.
While Jesus is always seen as a major character who is on the side of the women, the
emerging presence of the women as central characters did sometimes cast him in another
light. Some women participants wondered whether Jesus was not conscientized by the faith
of the woman who touched him. Would Jesus have been as radical as he was without this
52
woman? For most women participants, however, the Jesus of the story is the Jesus who they
know and experience as being with them in their daily struggle for survival, liberation, and
life, and so their focus in the reading is firmly on the women. While the text may be about
the things they initially mentioned, they now know it is about women about them.
3. What do the two main women characters have in common?
Commentary: Once again, this question returns participants to the text as they attempt to
understand the message. Extensive discussion and digging into the text with a whole range
of experiences and resources yield some fruit and some frustration. A partial picture begins
to emerge of two women bound by social systems similar to their own from which they
are liberated by Jesus. Adding to the textual and socio-historical resources of the ordinary
"readers" the socially engaged biblical scholar in the group facilitates further exchange. The
partial picture already constructed begins to take on a clearer shape as the responses of the
ordinary "readers" are supported by some input on the sociological setting of these women.
Both women are initially identified in terms of patriarchal social systems, and not in their
own right. They are not named, they are described in terms of their location within two
interlocking social systems. The first woman is defined by the patriarchal system of first
century Palestine. She is defined in terms of her relationship to a male, her father. The
second woman is defined by the purity system of first century Palestine. She is defined in
terms of her uncleanness, her flow of blood. Both women, in other words, are situated in
social systems that determine how the world in which they live relates to them.
4. How does Jesus respond to these women?
Commentary: But Jesus responds differently. Having heard the story of the second
woman, he embraces her uncleanness by affirming her faith and healing. Her twelve years
of uncleanness and social alienation are ended when she is healed and restored to the
community. The acceptance and affirmation of Jesus, together with her faith, bring freedom
from her religious, economic (verse 26), sexual, and social suffering. The nameless, selfeffacing woman has become a part of the Jesus movement, has become 'daughter'. Jesus has
literally empowered her! (verse 30). There will still be times when this woman will not be
able to worship in the temple, when she will not be able to be touched, when she will be
unclean, when she will be marginalised by the patriarchal purity system. But that system
has been challenged and changed by her story.
Similarly with the first woman. Not only does Jesus touch her unclean dead body (verse
41), he also refers to her in her own right rather than as the property of her father. Her
father and 'some men' (used by certain English translations) refer to her in the patriarchal
genitive (verses 23 and 35). Jesus relates to the young woman as a subject, not as an object
(verse 39 and 41). Significantly, the narrator adopts Jesus' subject designation in verse 40 in
his implicit refusal to describe the young woman as the property of her father, in contrast to
the patriarchal positioning language of Jairus and his men. Instead of defining the young
woman as possessed by her father, as an object (see verse 23 where Jairus refers to her as
'My little daughter'), the narrator now designates her as a subject, possessing her father and
mother (verse 40). There will still be times when this young woman is defined in terms of
53
her social location within a patriarchal household, when she will be described with the
possessive case, when she will be treated as an object by the patriarchal system. But that
system has been challenged and changed by her story.
Step 4.
After each question has been discussed in the small groups, everyone should get together to report
back their answers. Summarise the group responses on newsprint so that everyone can see them.
Step 5.
After reporting back to everyone, participants should now return to their small groups for the final
series of questions. Put Questions 5, 6 and 7 up on newsprint so that everyone can see them. As
before, each group should summarise their discussions on each question on some newsprint for the
report back.
5. What are the similarities and differences between these two women and women in your
communities?
6. What does Jesus and this text say to women (and men) in your community?
7. What will your group do in response to this Bible study?
Commentary: Of course, each community will answer these questions differently.
However, what generally occurs is that groups begin to do a social analysis of their context
in an attempt to identify structures that oppress and marginalize women in their
communities. In India, for example, caste is identified as a structure that impacts directly on
women.
Question 6 usually leads to a discussion of how women hear Jesus standing in solidarity
with them against oppressive structures. Jesus affirms their identity and agency. In some
groups, lists are drawn up of the different ways in which this text speaks to men and
women!
Finally, groups plan actions that are possible within the constraints of their context. Some
groups are able to plan actions that emerge into the public realm, but some are more
tentative planning more disguised or hidden actions, often among women themselves.
Step 6.
The small groups should then each report to everyone on their discussion and their responses to the
Bible Study. It is good to get the groups to report in a different order. You should summarise the
important points made on a piece of newsprint, so that everyone can see and share in the responses
of the other groups, learning from the action plans of others.
Step 7.
Bring the Bible study to a close. You may wish to close by leading all present in a prayer for the
justice of Jesus to come to the women in this church and community, and for courage for those
present to implement their plans of action.
54
Bible Study 7
Theme/s:
Key text:
HIV/Aids; disability
Mark 3: 1 8
Background
This Bible study has emerged from Bible studies that people who are living with HIV and AIDS
have developed. This is the kind of text they choose to reflect on.

Step 1.
Step 2.
Step 3.
1. What do you think the text is about?
offered by participants on a piece of newsprint, so that everyone can see them.
Step 4.
Divide the participants into small groups. Ideally, there should be about
four to six people in each group. Each group should have a piece of
paper, a Bible and a pen or pencil. Put up Questions 2, 3, 4 and 5 on
newsprint. Each group should be able to see them clearly:
2. From the text, what image do you think the Pharisees have of God?
3. From the text, what view of synagogue tradition do the Pharisees hold?
4. From the text, what image do you think Jesus has of God?
5. From the text, what view of synagogue tradition does Jesus hold?
55
What does this

mean ?
SYNAGOGUE
The place of worship
for a Jewish
congregation; the
communal centre of
Jewish life.
The small groups should then discuss each question separately and summarise their answers to each
on a separate piece of newsprint.
Step 5.
At the end of the discussion time, each small group should report back to everyone. The summaries
on newsprint, should be used to report back and displayed for everyone to see.
A Good Idea
The report back could be done in a variety of ways. If there is time, each group could be asked
to report on each question, but if time is a constraint then each group should report on only one
question.
Step 6.
After the report back, the participants should return to their small groups. Put up Questions 6 and 7
on newsprint. Each group should be able to see it easily. The small groups should then discuss the
questions and summarise their discussions as before:
6. What image of God do you think the disabled man has?
7. What view of synagogue tradition do you think the disabled man has?
Step 7.
Once again, the small groups present their report back to everyone. Put up the group's newsprint so
everyone can see them.
Step 8.
After the report back, the participants should return once again to their small groups. Put up
Questions 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 on newsprint. Each group should be able to see it easily. The small
groups should then discuss the questions and summarise their discussions as before:
8. What image of God do people living with HIV/AIDS have?
9. What view of church tradition do people living with HIV/AIDS have?
10. Why was Jesus angry?
11. How should the church respond to people living with HIV/AIDS?
12. What will you now do to assist your church to work more positively with people living with
HIV/Aids?
A Good Idea
Given the number of questions, the report back on some of the questions could be more
creatively presented to everyone, for example by way of a creative poster.
56
Step 9.
Once again, the small groups present their report back to everyone. Put up the group's newsprint or
posters so everyone can see them.
Step 10.
Bring the Bible study to a close. You may wish to close by leading everyone in a prayer of blessing
for people living with HIV/Aids, and a pledge of support towards them.
57
Bible Study 7

This Bible study is an attempt to read the signs of the times. Our current context demands that
we respond in a Godly way to people living with HIV/AIDS. Our churches and their theological
traditions are struggling to respond in a life-affirming way. Most people who are living with HIV
and AIDS feel alienated from their families and churches, particularly those who have become
open about their status. Those who have not declared their status are reluctant to do so because
they fear the stigma and discrimination of church and society.
This Bible study builds on the actual experience of Bible study groups facilitated by an Ujamaa
Centre staff member, Bongi Zengele. She facilitates Bible studies with groups who have been
tested and who are open about their status. These group members choose to work with texts in
which Jesus stands overtly over and against the prevailing views of society. Clearly their
experience is that society, whether it be their families, their church or society generally, rails
against them. This is why the group is so important; for a moment they are with people that stand
with them, not against them. That Jesus regularly appears to take a stand with those who are
discriminated against by their families, their religious institutions, and society generally, has been
recognised and embraced by the members. Zengele emphasises that the group members do not
deny their reality, nor do they deny their responsibility for contracting the virus (given that most of
the group members are young people who have probably contracted the virus through sexual
intercourse of one kind or another). What they will not accept is the denigration of their dignity
being treated as less than human. The loss of immunity does not mean loss of humanity! Their
deep desire is for an alternative theological perspective that grants them dignity, given that the
predominant theology they encounter from the church is extremely damaging to people like them.
This kind of Bible study provides resources for forging a new and more positive theology.
Question 10 interrupts the community consciousness set of questions by returning the groups to
the biblical text. While it is usually more productive to work with similar types of questions at a
time, this sudden return to the text may help to remind the group of an appropriate role for anger in
the midst of the churchs failure to be prophetic and compassionate in the context of HIV and
AIDS.
What is useful about this text is that it opens up space to talk about at least two important aspects
of living with HIV. First, the experience of those who know their status is that Jesus and God
stand with them, even if the theology of those around them says otherwise. Second, their
experience is similar to the man with the withered hand in this gospel story; people in the
synagogue talk about him! Even Jesus does this! People who are HIV-positive have to live with
everyone talking about them! Fortunately, Jesus also talks to the disabled man, just as he also
speaks directly to those who are living positively.
Jesus calls the disabled man into the centre of the synagogue, away from the back rows, and into
the very central space where the Torah/Word of God is located. Contextual Bible Study does
something similar with those living with HIV and AIDS; it gives them a central place in
interpreting the Bible!
58
Bible Study 8
Theme/s:
Key text:
HIV/AIDS
Job 3
Introduction
This Bible study was developed to address the context of HIV/AIDS, and in particular the kind of
theology that is prominent in many churches. The predominant view in most Christian
communities is that HIV/AIDS is a punishment from God. That HIV is transmitted mainly by
sexual intercourse (in our context) only confirms this opinion.

Step 1.
Step 2.
Put up on a piece of newsprint the following text so that everyone can see it. This is a text that is
often read at funerals.
Job 1:21: the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord
Then put up Questions 1 and 2 on some newsprint so that everyone can see it. Ask everyone to
discuss the questions:
1. What does this text say to people about people who have died of AIDS-related illnesses?
2. What does it say to people living with HIV and AIDS?
Step 3.
Encourage participants to listen carefully. Read the text again to ensure participants have a good
grasp of it; it is poetry and so needs a re-reading to grasp its depths.
Step 4.
Ask everyone present to consider what has just been read by answering Questions 3 and 4 that you
put up on newsprint:
59
3. What is Job trying to say in this text?

4. What images or metaphors does Job use in his lament?
These questions should be discussed by the participants as a whole group.
Write down the key points offered by participants on a piece of newsprint,
so that everyone can see them.
Step 5.
What does
this mean ?
LAMENT
An expression of
sorrow or grief or
sadness.
Now apply the key text to the context of people living with HIV and Aids.
Put up Questions 5 and 6 on newsprint so that everyone can see them. Let participants discuss them
while being aware of the need to facilitate discussion in an encouraging manner:
5. What does this text say to people living with HIV and AIDS?
6. Which of Jobs images or metaphors are particularly relevant?
Note down the key points of the discussion on newsprint so that participants can see them.

This is likely to be an emotional experience for most HIV positive participants. You need to
handle the groups in a sensitive and encouraging manner. Let participants share their individual
stories with their small group, but no-one should be pressurised to do so.
Step 6.
The discussion now becomes personal. Divide the participants into small groups. Ideally, there
should be about four to six people in each group. For a study with this theme, it is wise to divide the
participants into groups of older women, older men, younger women and younger men, so that
people may speak comfortably with each other. Put up Questions 7, 8 and 9 on newsprint so that all
the small groups can see them.
7. What would be your own version of Job 3? Share it with your group. You may want to write it
down to share with others.
8. What is Gods view of how Job has spoken in chapter 3? Read Job 42:7.
9. How can you share your version of Job 3 with your local church or community? Think about
creative and practical ways of doing this.
Step 7.
Get all participants together and let them share some of their responses to Question 8 in particular,
as they feel comfortable to do so. Where relevant, note these down on a piece of newsprint so that
everyone can benefit.
Step 8.
Bring the Bible study to a close, perhaps by asking someone to lead in a reaffirming prayer.
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Bible Study 8

We took this Bible study to a local Pietermaritzburg Siyaphila group (an HIV/AIDS support
group) on the 11th March 2004. Bongi Zengele, who runs our Solidarity with People Living with
HIV and Aids Programme, invited me to co-facilitate a Bible study with this Siyaphila group.
Before we read the text, we introduced the Bible study to Ntombenhle Ngcobo, Thembi Ndawo,
Nonhlanhla Zuma, Mduduzi Mshengu, Hlengiwe Zulu, Nelly Nene, Sfiso Zuma, Fikile Ngcobo,
Jabu Molefe, Xolani Khumalo, Sbongile Shezi and Phindile Ndlovu (The group agreed that they
would like to be acknowledged for their contributions, but decided that we should not identify
who said what.)
We asked the group if they knew of the book of Job, and many said they did. We then asked if
they had heard Job read in church and funerals, and most said that they knew Job 1:21: the Lord
gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. We followed this up by
briefly sketching the literary context of this text, before asking Zengele to read Job chapter 3.
Fortunately, as we had been a little late to arrive, the group had already had the opportunity to
read the text for themselves.
After we had read Job 3, we asked the group to say what they thought about this text. The first
response came from a young man who asked me what could have happened to Job to make him
curse the day of his birth. We were impressed that he had grasped the thrust of the poetry so
easily and were tempted not to answer him directly, but merely to acknowledge his response and
then wait for others to share their thoughts. But we quickly saw that the others were waiting for
our response. This had been a genuine, not a rhetorical, question. We responded by going over
chapters one and two in more detail, cataloguing the calamities that had come upon Jobs
homestead. He nodded at this, but did not say anything more at this point.
The next person to respond was a young woman who drew our attention to verse 18, commenting
that she and those who had been diagnosed as HIV-positive felt just like prisoners. This was
followed by another member of the group asking, with great yearning, why things like this
happened/happen. Our response was: This is precisely Jobs question! At this point the young
man who had set the discussion in motion re-entered, saying that the heading to this section in the
Zulu Bible, Job curses the day of his birth, was most apt. This is exactly how he felt on the day
he was diagnosed. He literally cursed the day he had been born.
Another member, someone who had not yet spoken, joined the discussion by saying that she
thought this text showed that the more faith you had the more you would be tested. Our first
impulse was to question this, and we did, by wondering aloud whether Job himself would have
agreed with her. However, even as we said this it struck us that she was perhaps making a
positive comment about herself, namely, that because of her great faith she was now being
greatly tested.
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The discussion then turned again to Jobs cursing his birth, but this time it was followed up
by a number of members agreeing that they too had seriously considered taking their own
lives. Again they asked us quite directly what advice we had for them concerning this.
Given their situation, what about the option of them taking their lives? As one person said,
We are like Job; we are good people who were not looking for this thing, and yet now we
are infected. So close was their identification with Job and his deep depression. At this
moment we realised the dangers of the Bible study and began to wonder if this was not just
another misguided attempt to offer resources by a non-infected people. Bongi was
reassuring, however, so we moved on, saying that we did not think that Job was
contemplating taking his own life. For him, we suggested, it was God who was responsible
for his life, and until God took it, he was not going to keep silent and accept the dominant
theology of his day. He was going to take his considerable anger directly to God and call
God to account.
We then quickly voiced our fear by asking the group directly whether this text was of any
help to them or was it just a reminder of their desperation. The response was unanimous, but
varied. They found the text immensely empowering. So we asked them in what ways they
found it empowering. One of the group linked her experience directly to our comments,
saying that she found the text comforting, because like Job, the day she received her HIV
results she wondered why God had not taken her life earlier, when as a child she had almost
drowned. Others said chapter 3 affirmed the enormous anger they had and that it was
theologically permissible to express this anger. Bongi Zengele confirmed this, reminding the
group of all they had been through together, specifically of how important it had been for
them to learn that it was okay to own all their feelings, even if this required cursing God in
prayer. The group agreed, with someone adding that this kind of emotional freedom also
contributed to them dealing with other matters unrelated to HIV and Aids. By expressing
their anger, Zengele continued, they had begun to find healing, for both their psyches and
their bodies.
The terrible thing, they agreed, was that the church silenced their anger. And so we were
challenged directly, with one of the members asking whether we would be willing to lead this
kind of Bible study with a wider grouping, including their families and churches. Others
assented, making it clear that they felt that this kind of Bible study on this kind of text would
make a huge difference to prevailing views. They acknowledged that many people they
knew simply had no opportunity to share about these things.
A young man who had said very little in the discussion thus far interrupted this flow by
asking us, What about those who do deserve it? By now we were used to this kind of
direct request. Again, we drew them back to the text by saying that we thought that Job was
having to thoroughly rethink the very notion that people deserved suffering. We went on,
and here we were drawing on Elsa Tamezs A letter to Job, saying that Jobs suffering had
taken him out of his comfortable life-style and had shown him the suffering of others.
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A young woman then brought the discussion back to where we had started, narrating how she
had begun the process of killing herself, using alcohol, until she had realised that she still had
responsibilities to her dependants. She understood this realisation as God calling her back to life,
even though she had cursed God. This echoed what had been said earlier, that they were amazed
to discover from Job that even though they cursed God, God still welcomed them. We had
mentioned in our introductory comments that despite Jobs unrelenting outbursts against his
friends, the theology they represented and God, God had affirmed that Job had spoken of me
what is right (Job 42:7). We reread this final God speech and wondered aloud whether, by
engaging so fully with God, Job had come see God more fully.
These comments of ours, and the explicit comparison of Job and his friends in these verses,
prompted a number of the group to talk about their experiences of being judged by their families
and friends and churches. One young woman said people in her church had judged her, unjustly,
once they knew she was HIV-positive. This text, she said, was a homecoming. A young man
then shared how he had been talked about in his community when he had begun to lose weight.
This had been very hard, he said, to be the object of other peoples judgmental attitudes.
However, he had learned to cope with this, he said, through the resources of the Siyaphila group,
including this Bible study. What he had learned from the group and this Bible study was that
even people close to God face difficulties. Finally, another young man, the same one who had
asked about those who might deserve it, commented on how he and other activists were judged
when they did awareness work in their communities. People asked them, assuming they were
HIV-positive, Now where is your God? He now knew how to respond, he shared with us, by
saying, Job shows that God stays with him.
At this point there was a pause in the discussion. The group seemed satisfied with what had been
said. Bongi Zengele allowed the quiet to persist, nodding encouragingly at each member,
affirming their openness and their contributions. She then brought this part of our Bible study to
an end by saying that though their bodies were HIV-positive, they were more than their bodies.
They were spiritual beings as well. Siyaphila, she went on to say, deliberately worked for an
integration of the spiritual and the bodily, believing that both needed attention and that both
could take the other with along with it. Today, she said, we have uplifted our souls and so our
bodies.
We then suggested that we conclude our Bible study, as is our practice in the Ujamaa Centre, by
being quite practical. Given that they had stated that their experiences were not allowed any
space in the church, what about them writing their own versions of Job 3? We would then collate
them and make them available to churches who would use them in their liturgies. They liked this
idea and set to work. We concluded our time together with each person reading or talking to
their version of Job 3.
With their permission, we include their own individual laments here:
1. God you have allowed me to feel this painful experience. I dont know whether
this is because I am a bad person in your eyes, or because of my sinfulness. You
have taken away my husband, I am left alone with four young children to look
after and I am unemployed. My prayer is: please help me to raise these children
under your guidance, let them do good in your eyes like Job. I am begging you to
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keep me alive for a longer time so that I can be there for my children. Give me
strength to come closer to you, more than before God. I curse the family (my inlaws) I stay with, they are horrible to me!
2. My cry to God.
My God why did you give me such a heavy burden? I thought I was doing well,
obeying your laws. I beg you to forgive me if I have sinned against you. Curse
this incurable disease in my body. If this is the result of my sins, please guide me
in your ways; show me the way I should go. I thank you loving father and Good
Shepherd. Amen.
3. I curse God for allowing me to be HIV-positive. I have obeyed God all my life;
I am crying deeply now as I see that God is so far away from me. I will hold onto
the cross as things are so difficult for me.
4. My God I cry before you, I am like your servant Job. I am sick of an incurable
disease -- AIDS. I know I will die and be buried underground because of AIDS. I
am not blaming anybody. I put all in the hands of God if this is his will let it
be. As Ecclesiastes says, There is time for everything. God hear my prayer.
Amen.
5. My cry is, Why have you forsaken me my God! Is it because I did not know
you are there? I know now that you are with me. Getting infected with HIV
brought me closer to you and I have taken a commitment to praise you as the Lord
and my Saviour.
6. I cry like Job; I am very angry at the person who infected me with this virus. I
thought I would never speak to him again, but listening to the story of Job is
challenging me to change my perception. My own parents have rejected me and I
had thought I would never speak to them either. But now I am challenged to go
back home. I want to work for the community, helping those who are like me,
infected with HIV. Give me strong faith .
7. My God my God why did you allow me to have AIDS!!! Why did you give me
this one child, when you know that my life-span is short? I will soon die and
leave him with no parent! I wish I were not even born into this world! I am an
orphan and unemployed. It would be better if I did not even exist in this world!
8. Dear God, pour your Holy Spirit into us who are living with HIV and AIDS; we
are hoping in your strength to conquer AIDS!
9. God I do accept that I am a sinner, that is why I am HIV positive. I did not do
your will; please give me life for longer now so that I can raise my only child you
gave me. Help me to show others who are living with HIV that it is possible to
live longer, doing your will. Help me to face challenges that come with my HIV
status.
10. God the Father, you can see the trials and tribulations we are faced with in our
daily lives. We are sick and tired; we ask you to diminish HIV/AIDS, let it not
spread inside our bodies, so that your people are able to live longer, prosperous
lives. Our Father God, you see our anger, pain and suffering; we have no power.
We ask you Lord to suppress HIV so that it will not spread, and that more people
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will live healthy lives.

11. Oh Lord, why me; why have you deserted me; what have I done to deserve
such punishment?
12. My God, why is so difficult for me to accept that I am HIV positive? I do try,
but it is so hard to accept; this is so difficult to deal with it my mind. I am the
only one left in my family; they have all gone to you. Why is it Lord that this
remains so difficult in my mind? I curse the day I first heard that I was HIV
positive. If I knew how to care for myself I would have gained weight by now. I
repeat again, God why dont you give me more freedom to live positively in my
HIV status?
Their versions of Job 3 ranged from commitments to return to their families, having fled their
rejection but having found resources which now enabled a return, to sustained interrogations of
God, asking repeatedly Why? to prayers asking for help to accept the virus, to requests for
enough life to support her sons, to probing questions about Gods reputation as a healer and as a
God who intervenes.
By the end of this Bible study we were exhausted, and Bongi Zenele made us all take deep
breaths. There was an amazing sense of relief in the group to have spoken what had been
spoken, and yet it had also been traumatic to relive those first moments of being informed that
you are HIV-positive. Job chapter 3 had taken us back to this moment, but also beyond it. This
positive reading of Job 3 now occupies that vast space between diagnosis and death, providing
resources to live positively.
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Bible Study 9
Theme/s:
Key text:
HIV/AIDS
Job 3:1-10, 40:15-24, and 41:1-34
Introduction
This Bible study has no biblical text. In fact, it is a Bible study that is in search of a biblical text!
Using the art of the late local KwaZulu-Natal artist Trevor Makhoba (with the permission of his
wife, Mrs G. Makhoba), this Bible study attempts to probe what biblical texts we use when we
speak theologically about HIV and Aids. See the linocut on page 68.

Step 1.
Step 2.
group. Each group should have a piece of paper, and a pen or pencil. Put up Trevor Makhobas
linocut so that everyone can see it, or preferably give each group their own photocopy of the
linocut. Put up Questions 1 and 2 on newsprint for all the small groups to see:
1. What is your interpretation of Makhoba's linocut? What does the linocut say to you?
2. Which biblical texts do you think Makhoba is drawing on in this linocut?
Encourage the groups to discuss these questions and summarise their discussions on the paper
provided.
Step 3.
At the end of the discussion time, each small group should report back to everyone using their
summary papers.
Step 4.
The participants should return to their small groups. Put up Questions 3 and 4 on newsprint. Each
group should be able to see them clearly. The small groups should then discuss the questions and
summarise their discussions as before:
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3. What is Makhobas theology of HIV and AIDS?

4. Do you think Makhoba may be drawing on Job 3, Job 40:15-24, and Job 41:1-34?
Step 5.
summary papers.
Step 6.
After the report back, the participants should return to their small groups. Put up Questions 5, 6 and
7 on newsprint. Each group should be able to see it clearly. The small groups should then discuss
the questions and summarise their discussions as before:
5. What is your theology of HIV and AIDS?
6. What biblical texts do you draw on to speak theologically about HIV and AIDS?
7. How can we make an impact on the churchs theology about HIV and AIDS?
Step 7.
Again the small groups should report back to everyone. Write the answers on newsprint to
Questions 5 and 6 so that everyone is able to see these.
A Good Idea
Encourage the participants to turn the newsprint write-up to Questions 6 and 7 into a Plan of
Action to use within their church and community.
Step 8.
Bring the Bible study to a close. You may wish to close by leading all present in an appropriate
prayer.
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68
Bible Study 9
Reflection on Makhobas linocut

The predominant view in most Christian communities is that HIV/AIDS is a punishment from God.
That HIV is transmitted mainly by sexual intercourse (in our South African context) only confirms
this opinion in the minds of many, including (perhaps) Makhoba. That HIV/AIDS is a punishment
from or the discipline of God is corroborated, some argue, by aspects of African Religion.
Whatever the mix of African and Christian origins, there is no doubt that this is the dominant
theology that people living with HIV/Aids encounter in our South African society, both in and
outside the church. They bear in their bodies, they are led to believe, Gods punishment for their
sins', particularly their sexual sins'. Anglican Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane admits to the
prevalence of this theology in the Christian church when he said, Christianity has too often
espoused a destructive theology that links sex and sin and guilt and punishment (The Witness July
30, 2004: 3).
What we know of Makhobas Christian and cultural commitments would predispose him to some
form of theology of retribution, and this particular work of Makhobas seems to support this view.
The mouth of some great beast is waiting (or perhaps advancing) to devour those who do not repent
with its twin gaping jaws: HIV (the upper jaw) and AIDS (the lower jaw). Tombstone and coffinlike teeth are posed to crush. Yet Makhobas theology provides some hope: there is time, he
proclaims, for repentance. The jaws have not yet closed, they remain open. IT GIVES
SUFFICEINT TIME. The IT he refers to is unclear, but probably refers to this beast, whose
millennial nostrils provide an overt date. The darkness, he seems to be saying, of the new
millennium and its heraldic disease are almost upon us, but there is still time to repent.
Here Makhoba aligns himself with a long line of biblical prophets who read the signs of the times
and speak accordingly to the people of God. GOD WANTS HIS PEOPLE Makhoba proclaims,
along with Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, John the Baptist and the many others Makhoba
has encountered in his well-used Bible. The implication of this prophetic call is that Gods people
have gone astray, that they must repent and return to God, and that if they do not God will punish
them.
While his predominant role is that of prophet, there are indications that at times he stands with the
bewildered people, lamenting, waiting in hope to receive the prophetic oracle. Such, I think, is the
case with respect to the linocut.
However, before I come to this, it must be emphasised that Makhoba locates himself, primarily, as
social commentator and religious prophet. The linocut fits the prophetic pattern well. The horror of
the punishment that awaits those who refuse Gods call is vividly portrayed. But the prophets
voice/text is equally clear: God wants his people, and there is therefore sufficient time to repent.
This work of Makhobas also fits the disciplinary parameters of the deuteronomistic theology of
retribution (which pervades the books of Deuteronomy, Judges, Samuel and Kings): the people of
God have forsaken their God, so God has therefore given them over to the consequences of their
sinfulness, but when they cry out to God and/or the ancestors (as Makhobas pictures do), God
hears, raises up a prophetic leader, and restores the people.
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But is this all we can read in Makhobas work? I think not. Makhobas theology is more complex,
and this is clearest in the work under discussion. HIV/Aids demands a more complex theology.
Fortunately, there are biblical theological trajectories that interrupt the dominant theology of
retribution, and there are signs of these in this work of Makhobas. The clearest clue to the presence
of other theological voices is the identity of Makhobas beast. It seems that this beast most closely
resembles the hippopotamus, though it may also exhibit some of the features of the crocodile.
These beasts, the crocodile and the hippopotamus, share significant features. They are both beasts
that lurk beneath the surface of life, seemingly still and disinterested in human activity, and yet they
can be roused with ferocious force and devastating effects. While the real beasts reside in rural
communities, they are present in other forms in urban township life, or so Makhoba seems to be
saying.
Makhobas beast is, I think, also found in the Bible, in the book of Job. For it is in this book that we
encounter Behemoth, sometimes translated as hippopotamus, as it is in the both the old and new
Zulu translations (imvubu) (Job 40:15-24) and Leviathan, sometimes translated as crocodile, as it
is in the new Zulu translation (ingwenya) (Job 41:1-34). In these two concluding chapters of the
book of Job we come to two strange and wonderful beasts, beasts over which human beings clearly
have no control (which is Gods point in these chapters), but beasts over which even God does not
have complete control (which is perhaps the poets point in these chapters) (Perdue 1991). Might
part of Makhobas theology be found here, with Behemoth (the hippopotamus) and Leviathan (the
crocodile) in the book of Job? Look at Behemoth, says God, It is the first of the great acts of
God only its Maker can approach it with the sword (Job 40:15 and 19, NRSV). As for Leviathan,
says God,
were not even the gods overwhelmed at the sight of it?
No one is so fierce as to dare to stir it up.
Who can stand before it?
Who can confront it and be safe?
under the whole heaven, who? (Job 41:9b-11)
The book of Job is an excellent example of an intense debate about the theology of retribution. In
the prose prologue we enter a world in which the theology of retribution is taken seriously. Job, we
are told, was not only himself blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from
evil (1:1), but he would also send and sanctify his sons and daughters after they had feasted,
rising early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for
Job said, It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts (1:5). Jobs
health and wealth, and the health and wealth of his sons and daughters, it is implied, is directly
related to Jobs righteous life. The theology of retribution holds.
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The story then becomes complicated, particularly for the reader, who is privy to the heavenly
debate between God and his colleague, the Satan (1:6-12). Job, however, is unaware of the
heavenly wager (though its victim), and so is forced to live in a world which, from his perspective,
no longer conforms to the principle of retribution. Job has lived righteously all agree but is
punished rather than rewarded. At first Job doggedly accepts his fate, refusing to question Gods
control. So much so that he can say, having experienced the loss of his livestock and servants, the
destruction of his property and the death of all of his children, and his own deteriorating health
after all this, he can say, the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the
Lord (1:21). Even the theologically astute call of his wife to put an end to his suffering by
questioning Gods so-called, alleged, order Do you still persist in your integrity [i.e. your
theology]? Curse God, and die (2:9) is met with an affirmation of Gods control from her
husband: Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad? (2:10)
Here is the beginnings of another theology; here is a cry of rage and pain; here is an incipient and
inchoate theology. Here is an attempt to undo what God did in Genesis 1! God says, Let there be
light (Genesis 1:3); Job counters with, Let the day be darkness!
(for further discussion see Clines 1989: 67-105; and Gutierrez 1991:7-10). Here Job struggles
with how to speak of God how to do theology in the context of immense suffering and loss.
And so does Makhoba; he too struggles, I would suggest, with how to speak of God in the context
of HIV and Aids. His beast, like Behemoth and Leviathan, poses the profound theological
question of whether God is fully in control.
I have cited Job chapter 3 because it seems to me that some of its images are to be found in this
work of Makhobas. While his beast, I think, derives from or resonates with Behemoth and
Leviathan in Job chapters 40-41, the darkened human forms and the nights sky behind the beasts
gaping mouth and crushing teeth, I suggest, derive from or resonate with Job chapter 3. Like Job, I
hear Makhoba in this work lamenting the day of his birth and calling for the day to become night.
As prophet, Makhoba stands outside the picture, proclaiming the words of the frame to others. As
fellow-sufferer, Makhoba stands inside the picture, with the darkened figures, with the devouring
beast in the darkness of the night.
Job, it would appear, accepts the bad from God, remaining silent, refusing to sin with his lips
(2:10) by questioning God or this theology. As he silently sits his friends come among him, to
console and comfort him (2:11). And we know what they will say; they will each explain to him
how he must have sinned, in some sense, for how else can he (or, more importantly, they) explain
his suffering. By looking at the destroyed and diseased Job they can tell that God must be
punishing him in some way for something he has done this is how their theology works.
But before they can say anything, and to their credit they do not immediately counsel Job, Job
speaks. At last he takes his wifes advice! Perhaps the death and destruction around him and
within him had numbed him; one hopes so. Now, however, the radical challenge of his wife has
registered in his numbed mind; the marvellous ambiguity of the Masoretic texts Bless/curse God,
and die have their theological effect. If being righteous and blessing God brings about such
havoc, then what damage can cursing God do? Having earlier refused to sin with his lips he
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now lets rip! Perhaps reluctant to follow his wifes theological proposition the whole way, Job
curses God indirectly rather than directly, cursing the day of his birth (3:1). Prose is no longer
adequate for what Job is about to say, and so the text shifts into poetry. This shift is more than a
shift from prose to poetry however, it is also a shift in theology!
In this linocut Makhoba grapples theologically with the presence of HIV and Aids in his
community. The beast is before us, but precisely what does God want from or for his people?
GOD WANTS HIS PEOPLE to do or be what? The incompleteness and ambiguity of these
words portrays Makhobas theological torment, and yet he does find hope in the Bible, both in the
book of Job, as we have seen, though the message is a mixed one, and, I think in two other texts.
Rather boldly, Makhoba amends and adapts, I think, the biblical text of 1 Peter 4:1-3 and 2
Corinthians 12:9 respectively.
For we read in 1 Peter 4:1-3, though I am not sure what translation Makhoba alludes to, the
following:
Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same
purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live
the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of
God. For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of
the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousals,
drinking parties and abominable idolatries (NASB).
If Makhoba is alluding to this text in his words within the linocut, IT GIVES SUFFICEINT
TIME FOR REPENTANCE, then he alters their import, granting still more time than the author
of 1 Peter for repentance to those viewing. Here Makhoba extends Gods grace into the future,
appropriating the other text referred to above: My grace is sufficient for you, for power is
perfected in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9, NASB). Makhoba boldly declares Gods grace
beyond the limits set by the Bible.
But what if IT is not God but HIV and AIDS? Will IT pay heed to Makhobas declaration?
Makhoba, like Job, yearns for God to be in control, but what if he is not (fully)? So the tension
remains, but so does Makhobas hope.
In this work more than any other of his that I have seen, Makhoba inhabits the creative, honest and
tensive space between subject and object. His care for his culture, faith and community and his
prophetic calling make him the subject, identifying the signs of the times, warning his people of
coming calamity, and offering words of hope. His human integrity and his awareness of his own
sinfulness place him as the object, lamenting as he wonders and waits for a word of comfort and
hope, and perhaps, a more relevant theology. Is the HIV/AIDS beast Gods punisher, like the
accuser (the Satan) in the book of Job (2:1-7), or is the HIV/AIDS beast more like Behemoth and
Leviathan, creatures that even God himself struggles to control? The answers are not easy, as Job
found, but he and Makhoba are commended by God (Job 42:7) for asking the hard questions in
face of conventional theology and even of God.
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Bible Study 10
Theme/s:
Key text:
Land and dispossession

1 Kings 21: 1 16
Introduction
This Bible study deals with land issues, and may be seen as a 'companion' to studies 11, 12 and 13
in this manual. They are part of a series of Bible studies in the process of being developed by the
Ujamaa Centre with a working group of the Church Land Programme, an NGO dealing with land
owned by churches in the context of land redistribution in South Africa.

Step 1.
Step 2.
A Good Idea
You may like to ask a group of young people to prepare a drama that re-enacts the story in this
text before you read the key text. The drama would serve to break the ice and to generate local
interpretations of this story.
Step 3.
This question should be discussed by the participants as a whole group, with the responses of each
person being recorded on newsprint. This question requires about 20 minutes.
Step 4.
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group. Each group should have a piece of paper, a Bible and a pen or pencil. Put up Questions 2, 3,
4, 5 and 6 on newsprint so that each group can see them. Each small group should then discuss the
questions, summarising discussions to each question on the paper provided.
2. Who are the characters and what do we know about them?
3. Why does Ahab want Naboths vineyard?
4. Why does Naboth want to keep his vineyard?
5. What strategies are used to take Naboths vineyard from him?
6. What role do race and class and ethnicity play in this story?

The final question in this series, Question 6, may require some input from the facilitator should
the groups request it. So the facilitator needs to be prepared to say something about the
structures of early Israelite society. The groups would need at least 30 minutes to do these
questions.
Step 5.
summary papers. This should take about 20 minutes.
A Good Idea
To save time, the groups should take turns in reporting on particular questions.

While the previous set of questions (Questions 2 to 6) draw attention to the text, the current
questions (Questions 7 to 10) draw on the experiences and realities of the community. The
facilitator will need to be creative and flexible here because different questions may need to be
asked in different contexts.
At this stage in the Bible Study a choice needs to be made as to which step is appropriate to do
with the group. If the participants are part of a community that has lost their land, proceed to
Step 6. If the participants are on land they consider to be theirs, but their tenure is being
threatened, skip Step 6 and proceed directly to Step 7.
27
Step 6.
After the report back, the participants should return to their small groups. Put up Questions 7, 8, 9
and 10 on newsprint. Each group should be able to see them clearly. The small groups should then
discuss the questions and summarise their discussions as before:
7. Why and how have people in your community lost their land?
8. Why is this land your land?
9. What strategies are there to regain your land?
10. What will be your plan of action?
Step 7.
and 10 on newsprint. Each group should be able to see it clearly. The small groups should then
discuss the questions and summarise their discussions as before:
7. Why is this land your land?
8. What strategies are being used to take away your land?
9. What resources are there for you to retain your land?
Step 8.
At the end of the discussion time (whether Step 6 or Step 7 has been followed), each small group
should report back to everyone using their summary papers. Particular emphasis during the
reportback should be placed on each small group presenting their plan of action to the larger group.
For these questions to be done properly and for there to be adequate time for reportback and the
sharing of action plans, at least 60 minutes should be allocated.
Step 9.
prayer for justice on the land, and encouraging the participants to implement their action plans.
28
Bible Study 11
Theme/s:
Key text:
Women and land

Numbers 27: 1 11
Introduction

Step 1.
Step 2.
Step 3.
person being recorded on newsprint. This question requires about 20 minutes.
A Good Idea
You may like to ask a group, preferably a group of women, to prepare a drama that re-enacts the
story in this text before you read the key text. The drama would serve to break the ice and
introduce the story.
29
Step 4.
4, and 5 on newsprint so that each group can see them. Each small group should then discuss the
questions, summarising discussions to each question on the paper provided.
2. Who are the characters and what do we know about them?
3. What reasons do the daughters of Zelophehad give to inherit land?
4. What structures prevented women from owning land?
5. What role does Moses as leader and the law play in this story?
Step 5.
summary papers. This should take about 20 minutes.
A Good Idea
To save time, the groups should take turns in reporting on particular questions.
Step 6.
After the report back, the participants should return to their small
groups. Put up Questions 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 on newsprint.
Each group should be able to see them clearly. The small groups
should then discuss together the questions and summarise their
discussions as before:
6. What does this story say about womens agency?
7. Do women in your community own land?
8. What reasons do women in your community give to
own/inherit land?
9. What do traditional authorities in your area say about women
owning land?
10. What does the church say about women owning land?
11. What does the constitution/law say about women owning land?
What does this

mean ?
AGENCY
The action, medium or
means by which
something gets done OR
the ability and authority
to take action and get
things done.

While the previous set of questions (Questions 2 to 5) draw attention to the text, the current
questions (Questions 6 to 12) draw on the personal experiences of women and land ownership.
The facilitator will need to be creative and flexible here because different questions may need to
be asked in different contexts.
30
Step 7.
summary newsprints. Particular emphasis during the reportback should be placed on each small
group presenting their plan of action to the larger group. For these questions to be done properly
and for there to be adequate time for reportback and the sharing of action plans, at least 60 minutes
should be allocated.
Step 8.
prayer for the strengthening of women, and encouraging the participants to implement their action
plans.
31
Bible Study 12
Theme/s:
Key text:
Land and food security

Matthew 6: 9 13
Introduction

Step 1.
Step 2.
Read the key text in the Bible translations used by the workshop
participants. Ask a participant to read the text, and it is best if this
is done by someone who has a strong, loud voice. If participants
have their own Bibles with them, they may choose to follow the
reading in their own Bibles. Encourage participants to listen carefully.
Step 3.
What does
this mean ?
FOOD SECURITY
The reliable and daily
availability of food
necessary to appease
hunger. A certainty that
there will be enough
food.
person being recorded on newsprint.
32
A Good Idea
Often we are so familiar with 'The Lord's Prayer', that we fail to see and understand what it is
really saying. To help the participants think deeply about the text and how it applies to their
lives, get everyone to sit quietly for a short while, and imagine that they have never heard this
prayer before. They should pretend it is completely new to them, and try to see it with 'new
eyes'.
Step 4.
4 and 5 on newsprint so that each group can see them clearly. Each small group should then discuss
the questions, summarising their responses to each question on the paper provided.
2. According to Matthew's version of the prayer, where will God's kingdom come?
3. How do verses 11 and 12 describe the kingdom of God?
4. Why is Jesus so concerned about "bread for today" (verse 11)?
5. Why is Jesus so concerned about "debt" (verse 12)?
Step 5.
The small groups should then each report back to everyone on their answers. To save time, the
groups should take turns in reporting on different questions.
Step 6.
After the report back, the participants should return to their small groups. Put up Questions 5, 6, 7,
8 and 9 on newsprint. Each group should be able to see them clearly. The small groups should then
discuss and answer the questions. Their answers should be recorded on the paper provided.
5. Who in your context needs "bread for today"? Why?
6. Who in your context needs release from "debt"? Why?
7. What will the kingdom of God bring about for these people?
8. What "temptations" and what "evil" (verse 13) will prevent us from establishing God's kingdom
on earth?
9. What will you do to ensure that God's kingdom will come on earth? Write a list or plan of action
of what you will do.
Step 7.
Again, at the end of the discussion time, each small group should report back to the big group.
Each small group should present their list or plan of action to the larger group.
Step 8.
Bring the Bible study to a close. Now that everyone has a new understanding of food security, you
may wish to close by leading all in The Lord's Prayer, and asking God to help all present as they
bring His kingdom on earth.
33
Bible Study 12

This is a very familiar text, and like other familiar texts, has become domesticated. We no longer
pay attention to its details. We think we already know what it means. This Bible study is
therefore designed to try to make the text a bit unfamiliar, allowing us to actually listen to it again!
A careful reading of this text makes us realise how concerned Jesus was for the daily needs of the
poor and marginalised that were his first followers. Matthews version of the prayer captures these
concerns of Jesus and the Lords Prayer before it became the prayer of a more middle class
church (see Lukes version).
The prayer may have to do with land issues, particularly when one remembers how vulnerable
people become when they lose their land. Samuels critique of the monarchy in 1 Samuel 8
provides a clear picture of what happens to people when the king takes control of their property.
The end result is slavery! Many of those who followed Jesus would have lost their land through
the temple-state system (described by Samuel and critiqued by Jesus in Mark 11 and 12 see the
example Bible study in this Manual, pages 18-24). Jesus understands that because they have lost
their land, they need daily bread. Furthermore, having lost their land through indebtedness, the
only way they can be restored to their land is through the release of their debts. However, Jesus
knows that there are many temptations and much evil that prevents Gods kingdom from being
realised on earth, as it is in heaven.
We have lost the power of this prayer because we have failed to listen carefully to it; we recite it
but we do not hear it!
34
Bible Study 13
Theme/s:
Key texts:
Land and leadership

Genesis 41: 46 47; 47: 13 26
Introduction

Step 1.
Step 2.
Show participants a picture Azariah Mbathas woodcut to remind them of the Joseph story (see
page 32). This picture of the woodcut is found at the end of this study. Discuss as a group what the
story of Joseph was about in general.

Explain to participants that 'the Joseph story' does not end with the reuniting of Joseph's family.
As Prime Minister of Egypt, Joseph implements plans to deal with the years of plenty and the
years of famine.
Step 3.
Read the first key text (Genesis 41:46-57) in the Bible translations used by the workshop
participants. Ask a participant to read the text, and it is best if this is done by someone who has a
strong, loud voice. If participants have their own Bibles with them, they may choose to follow the
reading in their own Bibles. Encourage participants to listen carefully.
35
Step 4.
group. Each group should have a piece of paper, a Bible and a pen or pencil. Put up Questions 1
and 2 on newsprint so that each group can see them. Each small group should then discuss the
questions, summarising their responses to each question on the paper provided.
1. How did Joseph get the grain which he stored?
2. During the famine, what did Joseph do with the stored grain?
Step 5.
Get all participants together again for the second key text reading. Read Genesis 47:13-26 in the
same way as you did in Step 3.
Step 6.
Let participants return to their small groups. Put up Question 3 on newsprint so that each group can
see it clearly. Each small group should then discuss the question, summarising the answer on paper
for the reportback.
3. What must the people do in order to get grain from Joseph?
Step 7.
At the end of the discussion time, get all participants back together. Each small group should then
report back on to everyone on Questions 1, 2 and 3 using their summary papers.
Step 8.
6 on newsprint. Each group should be able to see them clearly. The small groups should then
discuss the questions and summarise their answers as before.
4. Do you think Joseph was a good leader?
5. What alternative forms of redistribution could Joseph have used?
6. What should be the role of government in land allocation/reallocation?
Step 9.
summary answers for Questions 4, 5 and 6.
A Good Idea
It would beneficial for all groups to have a chance to report back on all the questions. The
facilitator should decide whether there is sufficient time available. To save time, the groups
could take turns in reporting on particular questions.
Step 10.
prayer about leadership, justice and redistribution issues.
36
Bible Study 13

In most of our memories, the Joseph story has a happy ending, with the family being reunited.
But, in fact, the end of the actual biblical story is more ambiguous. Joseph does not always know
how to cope with the power he has. The way he torments his brothers before revealing himself to
them is one example. Another example is the failure of Joseph to administer the famine in a way
that serves rather than enslaves the people.
This Bible study explores Josephs financial administration of the Egyptian empire and the
effects of his leadership on the enslavement of the people.
37
Bible Study 14
Theme/s:
Key text:
The storm of HIV and AIDS

Matthew 14: 22 33
Introduction
This Bible study is inspired by one of the Siyaphila HIV/AIDS Support Groups, who chose this text
in one of their Bible studies.

Step 1.
Step 2.
A Good Idea
You may like to ask a group to prepare a drama that re-enacts the story in this text before you
read the key text. The drama would serve to break the ice and introduce the story.
Step 3.
This question should be discussed by the participants as a whole group, with the responses being
recorded on a piece of newsprint.
38
Step 4.
and 4 on newsprint so that each group can see them clearly. Each small group should then discuss
the questions, summarising discussions to each question on a piece of paper.
2. What makes Peter get out of the boat?
3. Why is Peter able to walk in the midst of the storm?
4. What makes Peter begin to sink into the waves?
Step 5.
summary answers.
A Good Idea
To save time, the groups could take turns in reporting on particular questions.
Step 6.
discuss the questions and summarise their discussions as before.
5. What prevents church leaders from getting out of the boat with Jesus in the midst of the HIV and
AIDS storm?
6. Why do we need to get out of the boat to walk with Jesus in the midst of the HIV and AIDS
storm?
7. What makes us sink into the waves when we try to walk with Jesus in the midst of the HIV and
AIDS storm?
8. What resources do we need to remain standing with Jesus in the midst of the HIV and AIDS
storm?
Step 7.
summary answers.
A Good Idea
Step 8.
Bring the Bible study to a close. You may wish to close by leading all present in an encouraging
prayer about faith in Jesus in the midst of the HIV and AIDS storm: we will remain standing!
39
Bible Study 15
Theme/s:
Key text:
HIV/AIDS: Jesus must wake up!

Mark 4: 35 41
Introduction
This Bible study is inspired by one of the Siyaphila HIV/AIDS Support Groups, who chose this text
in one of their Bible studies.

Step 1.
Step 2.
A Good Idea
read the key text. The drama could portray their understanding of this text.
Step 3.
40
Step 4.
group. Each group should have a piece of paper, a Bible and a pen or pencil. Put up Questions 2
2. Why do the disciples wake Jesus?
3. What are they afraid of?
Step 5.
summary answers.
Step 6.
After the report back, the participants should return to their small groups. Put up Questions 4, 5, 6,
4. What are those who living with HIV and AIDS afraid of?
5. Why do they want Jesus to wake up?
6. What would it mean for Jesus to wake up?
7. What can we do to make Jesus wake up?
Step 7.
summary answers.
A Good Idea
Step 8.
prayer, asking God to come to our rescue.
41
Bible Study 16
Theme/s:
Key text:
Abuse of power; violence against women

2 Samuel 11: 1 27
Background
This Bible study is based on one developed by Phumzile Zondi-Mabizela.

Step 1.
Step 2.
A Good Idea
read the key text. The drama could portray their understanding of this text.
Step 3.
42
Step 4.
2. Who are the main characters and what does this text tell us about them?
3. What is the role of each of the characters in making Bathsheba Davids wife?
4. What are the power relations between each of these characters?
Step 5.
summary answers.
Step 6.
After the report back, the participants should return to their small groups. Put up the small group
task on newsprint that appears below:
5. Retell the story from Bathshebas perspective. Be as creative as you can use a drama, a diary,
a poem, or something else creative!
Step 7.
Once the task has been done, each small group should present their creative retelling of Bathsheba's
story to everyone.
Step 8.
After the groups have retold Bathsheba's story, they should remain in their small groups. Put up
Questions 6, 7, 8 and 9 on newsprint. Each group should be able to see them clearly. The small
groups should then discuss the questions and summarise their discussions as before.
6. Are there other women in our churches and communities who have gone through this kind of
experience? Briefly share their stories.
7. How does the church usually deal with power issues, particularly as they affect women?
8. Are there resources for women like these in your community?
9. What are we going to do in response to this Bible study?
Step 9.
summary answers.
A Good Idea
43
Step 10.
prayer of support for women.
44
Bible Study 17
Theme/s:
Key text:
The manifesto of Jesus

Luke 4: 14 21

Step 1.
Step 2.
Now read the key text again in another translation.

The facilitator should ensure that there are at least two different translations available for use
during the Bible study.
Step 3.
1. What do you think this text about?
Step 4.
45
2. Jesus says that the Spirit of the Lord has anointed him to do five things. What are these five
things?
3. Who are the poor, the prisoners, the blind, and the bruised/broken/oppressed in the time of
Jesus?
4. Can you find an example of each of these from the gospels?
Step 5.
summarised answers.
Step 6.
With everyone still together, put up Questions 5 and 6 on some newsprint. Discuss as a group
while recording responses on a piece of newsprint so that everyone can see.
5. What did it mean to proclaim the year of the Lords favour/the acceptable year of the Lord?
[Read Leviticus 25]
6. In summary, What is Jesus saying God has anointed him to do?
A Good Idea
Question 5 entails reading a long chapter. The facilitator should do the reading and encourage
the participants to think about Question 5 as the reading is happening. This should save some
time.
Step 7.
After the discussion, the participants should return to their small groups. Put up Questions 7, 8 and
7. Who are the poor, the prisoners, the blind, and the bruised/broken/oppressed in our context?
8. What does this text call us to do with each of these groups?
9. What plan will be made to do these things in our context?
Step 8.
summary answers.
Step 9.
prayer and encouraging them in their action plans.
46
Bible Study 18
Theme/s:
Key text:
Repentance and restitution

Luke 19: 1 10

Step 1.
Step 2.
Step 3.
Step 4.
group. Each group should have a piece of paper, a Bible and a pen or pencil. Put up Question 2 on
newsprint so that each group can see it clearly. Each small group should then discuss the question,
summarising discussions to each question on a piece of paper.
2. What work does Zacchaeus do and how has he become rich?
Step 5.
summary answer.
47

After the discussion time, there may be a need for the facilitator to give some input on the
role of tax collectors in the city-state system.
Step 6.
3. How does Zacchaeus respond once he has seen Jesus?
4. What form does his repentance take (see verse 8)?
5. When does salvation come to Zacchaeus, before or after he makes restitution (see verse 9)?
Step 7.
summary answers.
Step 8.
6. Who are the Zacchaeuses in your context, and how do they become rich?
7. What must they do to be saved?
8. What can we do to bring salvation to them?
Step 9.
prayer of repentance and action.
48
Bible Study 19
Theme/s:
Key text:
Rape of men
Genesis 19: 1 14
Introduction:
The Bible study engages with the issue of homosexuality and male rape. Our hope is that it will
help people to distinguish between homosexuality and male rape, and then to deal with male rape
(and, indeed, the rape of women too). The text chosen is one commonly associated with
homosexuality, but is actually a text about rape, as is Judges 19.

Step 1.
Step 2.
Step 3.
Step 4.
group. For a study with this theme, it is wise to divide the participants into groups of older women,
older men, younger women and younger men, so that people may speak comfortably with each
other. Each group should have a piece of paper, a Bible and a pen or pencil. Put up Questions 2
49
2. What does Lot do when he sees two strangers entering his city?
3. What do the other men of Sodom want to do to these strangers?
Step 5.
summarised answers.

After the discussion time, there may be a need for the facilitator to give some socio-historical
input on the prevalence of male rape in the ancient world. Reference to Judges 19 may also be
useful. The facilitator should also be sensitive to the discomfort that this topic may cause certain
men participants who have been either the victims or perpetrators of male rape.
Step 6.
4. Why do the men of Sodom want to rape these strangers?
5. How does Lot intervene to stop the rape?
6. Why do the men of Sodom then want to rape Lot?
7. What do Lot and the strangers have in common?
Step 7.
summary answers.
Step 8.
8. In what contexts in our society do men rape men?
9. Why do men rape other men?
10. How can we address this issue?
Step 9.
summary answers.
Step 10.
prayer, and also for strength to address this issue.
50
Bible Study 20
Theme/s:
Key text:

Mark 5: 21 - 6:1
Introduction:
This text has been used earlier in the Manual to focus on women and gender. We now use it to
focus on men and gender.

Step 1.
Step 2.
Step 3.
Step 4.
other. Each group should have a piece of paper, a Bible and a pen or pencil. Put up Questions 2, 3
2. Who are the characters in this story and what do we know about them?
3. What do the two main female characters have in common?
4. What do the two main male characters have in common?
51
Step 5.
summarised answers.
Step 6.
5. How do Jesus and Jairus relate to women?
6. What are the positive aspects of masculinity exhibited by Jesus and Jairus?
7. What are the similarities and differences between Jesus and Jairus and men in your
communities?
Step 7.
summary answers.
Step 8.
on newsprint. Each group should be able to see them clearly. The small groups should then discuss
the questions and summarise their discussions as before.
8. What are the dominant forms of masculinity in your church and community?
9. How will you work for a change in the dominant forms of masculinity in your church and
community?
Step 9.
summary answers.
Step 10.
52
Bible Study 21
Theme/s:
Key text:

Matthew 20: 17 - 33
Introduction:
This Bible study is part of a series the Ujamaa Centre is developing to deal with issues of
masculinity.

Step 1.
Step 2.
Step 3.
Step 4.
other. Each group should have a piece of paper, a Bible and a pen or pencil. Put up Questions 2, 3,
4 and 5 on newsprint so that each group can see them clearly. Each small group should then discuss
2. What does the mother of Zebedee want from her sons?
3. How does Jesus respond to this request?
53
4. What do the two blind men want from Jesus?

5. How does Jesus respond to this request?
Step 5.
summarised answers.
Step 6.
6. What kind of masculinities are reflected by these two sets of men, the two disciples and the two
blind men?
7. Which of these kinds of masculinity are most common in your church/community?
Step 7.
summary answers.
Step 8.
8. What is the role of mothers in your church/community in shaping the masculinities of their sons?
9. What will you do to try and change the dominant masculinities in your church and community?
Step 9.
summary answers.
Step 10.
54
Bible Study 22
Theme/s:
Key text:
HIV and AIDS and lament

Job 3, Psalm 22, Psalm 31, Psalm 55, Psalm 13, Psalm 44, Psalm 88
Introduction:
We have used art to dialogue with the Bible about HIV and AIDS; we now use music to dialogue
with the Bible in the context of HIV and AIDS.

Step 1.
Step 2.
Listen to Mzwakhe Mbulis song, Song of the spirit.
Listen again, this time following the words of the song (provided on a sheet of paper for
each participant).
Mzwakhe Mbuli, "Song of the Spirit," in Kwazulu-Natal (MZ Music, 1996)
Song of the Spirit
Friday Mavuso, special tribute to the late President of the DPSA the Disabled
People of South Africa died June 1995, car accident.
When he died I wished I could stage a sit-in in heaven./ Magundulela ngubani
oyohaya inkondlo ngawe?/ Yini eyakungenza ngikuhloniphe ukufa na?/ Lord my
God I do not understand./ Pardon me, I am ignorant./ Here I stand in search of thy
wisdom./ Is death an idiom, or is death an idiot?/ Lord my God, I do not understand.
When are you on duty, and when are you on leave?/ Is there a holiday in heaven or
not?/ Few years ago tragedy deprived us of two great talents./ In one week you took
away Arthur Fighting Prince Mayisela and Paul Ndlovu the singer./ Again,
death deprived us of two great talents, legends, Friday Mavuso and Harry Gwala,
both paralysed.
Lord my God, I do not understand./ Punish me not, for I am ignorant./ Is there a new
commandment?/ Thou shall suffer perpetually/ Thou shall die more than other
races?/ Now I understand why other nations weep when the child is born.
55
Lord my God, do you care about the poor?/ Why then remove the shepherd from the
sheep?/ Is there a hidden prophecy about the plight of the black people?/ Is there a
curse bestowed upon us?/ Senzeni thina sizwe esimnyama?/ Was the bullet that
riddled Fridays spinal cord not enough?/ Why did you remove Friday Mavuso and
leave Barend Strydom alone?/ I repeat, why did you remove Friday Mavuso and
leave Barend Strydom alone?
Lord my God, I cannot fax nor telephone you, but to continue with my provocative
poetry / Why are there so many more funerals than weddings?/ Do you know that
our graves are overcrowded?/ Is death an idiom, or death an idiot?
Lord my God, why allow people with unfinished projects to enter your kingdom?/
When Friday Mavuso finally enters thy kingdom, honour him with a noble crown./
When he enters thy kingdom, ask him who should look after his sheep./ When he
enters thy kingdom, ask him what should we do with his wheelchair./ When he
enters thy kingdom, tell him I say his departure was too early and too soon for
heaven, too soon for burial.
Step 3.
1. What do you think this song is about?
Step 4.
other. Each group should have a piece of paper, a Bible and a pen or pencil. Put up Questions 2, 3
2. What kind of theological discourse is Mbuli using in this song?
3. Are you familiar with this kind of theological discourse? What does it remind you of? Give
examples to each other?
4. Where can you find similar kinds of questioning of God in the Bible? Share examples with each
other.
Step 5.
summarised answers.
Step 6.
After the report back, the participants should return to their small groups. Give each small group
one of the following biblical texts: Job 3, Psalm 22, Psalm 31, Psalm 55, Psalm 13, Psalm 44, Psalm
88. Ask them to read the text in their small groups. Then put up Questions 5, 6 and 7 on newsprint.
56
Each group should be able to see them clearly. The small groups should then discuss the questions
and summarise their discussions as before.
5. What does your text say about individual physical and social distress?
6. What does your text say about relationships?
7. What does your text say about and to God?
Step 7.
summary answers.
Step 8.
8. Do you identify with your text? In what ways do you and in what ways do you not?
9. Write your own song of lament?
10. How can you encourage the church to recognise lament as an important theological discourse
in our time?
Step 9.
summary answers.
Step 10.
57
Articulating, Owning and Mainstreaming Local Theologies:

A Concluding Reflection on the Potential of Contextual Bible Study1
Introduction
One of the symptoms of our failure as church to articulate and mainstream the local theologies that
have been forged in our various struggles over the past two decades has been a dislocation within
individuals particularly activists between their default public theology and their communitybased practice.
The public theology of the church tends to be about and I am following Walter Brueggemans
analysis here consolidation and structure legitimation. The churchs public theology tends to be
a movement of consolidation which is situated among the established and secure and which
articulates its theological vision in terms of a God who faithfully abides and sustains on behalf of
the present ordering (Brueggemann 1993:202). This kind of theology is what the Kairos
Document characterised as Church Theology, a theology that was inherently passive then it came
to the socio-political realm (theologians 1986). The dark side of this theology, according to Charles
Villa-Vicencio (Villa-Vicencio 1989:16), is that it is the breeding ground of right wing religion.
In constant dialogue with this conserving theological tradition is another, a theology that tends to
be a movement of protest which is situated among the disinherited and which articulates its
theological vision in terms of a God who decisively intrudes, even against seemingly impenetrable
institutions and orderings (Brueggemann 1993:202). This Prophetic Theology, in the language
of the Kairos Document, while present in the church, is not the public theology of the church and
probably never will be. However, the challenge that remains is to find ways of enabling the
prophetic theologies formed in particular struggles to shape the public theology of the church.
Praxis: action and reflection
My opening comments seem to place the blame for the activists dislocation on the church. While
the church does need to accept responsibility for failing to provide its Christian activists with
appropriate theology for their tasks, activists and their organisations too must take some blame.
Those of us involved in activist organisations have become reasonably good at action, but have
tended to neglect the theologically reflective moment of the praxis cycle. In other words, our work
is driven by social analysis, but not social analysis and the gospel!
Praxis has two moments: a moment of action and a moment of reflection, following each other in a
forward cyclical process. The failure of activist organisations is the failure to allow sufficient time,
space and resources for the reflective moment. The result has been burned out and theologically
bankrupt activists whose default theology remains the status quo theology of their churches, which
is usually an evangelical-like theology of structure legitimation. Scratch an activist, even one who
has now gone into the government sector, and this what we tend to find a version of Church
Theology. Perhaps, a black colleague has suggested on reading an earlier draft of this, the newly
emerging black middle-class actually wants Church Theology, for it dulls their activist memory
and legitimises the new status quo.
But while I am handing out blame, the theologian and biblical scholar should not be neglected. As
Albert Nolan has so clearly argued (Nolan 1996), ordinary workers (and we could include here also
1
A more fully developed version of this reflection has been published as: Gerald O. West,
2005. Articulating, Owning and Mainstreaming Local Theologies: The Contribution of Contextual
Bible Study, Journal of Theology for Southern Africa, 122, 23-35.
58
the unemployed and rural women) do not have the time, space or resources to do theology within
the constraints of their lives. They need socially engaged theologians and biblical scholars to come
alongside them and to do theology with them, by serving them with their time and resources. So
biblical scholars and theologians who do not make themselves available in this way must share the
blame for our current theologically bankrupt context.
Local, embodied theology
Having said this, I do not want to give the impression that ordinary Christians and activists do not
do theology. They do! However, the theology that they do is an embodied theology and not
usually an articulated theology (Cochrane 1999). But they do have a working theology that they
live by. The problem is that this embodied theology2 is not usually associated with the public
theology of the church. So the problem is not the absence of relevant local theology, but the
dislocation between these local prophetic, pain embracing (to use Brueggemanns phrase)
theologies and the dominant (and dominating) public theologies of the church.
The question then remains of, first, how we enable an articulation and ownership of embodied
theologies, and, second, how be bring these local theologies into the public realm what I have
called mainstreaming, a term I have borrowed from pedagogy, and which refers to the need to
integrate elements into the curriculum which are often tagged on to it as afterthoughts.
Contextual Bible study
One way of doing this, formulated in many contexts around the world, though in diverse forms, has
been through community-based Bible study. This is not the place for a history and categorisation of
this family of practices, suffice it to say that the following form a part of it: the Centro de Estudos
Bblicos (CEBI) in Brasil, with whom socially engaged scholars like Carlos Mesters (Mesters 1984;
Mesters 1989) worked and which included the Four Sides approach of Gilberto Gorgulho; the
See-Judge-Act method of the Young Christian Workers and the Institute for Contextual Theology
(among others) (Stevens 1985; Dumortier 1983; Speckman and Kaufmann 2001:4; Cochrane
2001:77); the Ilimo Community Project Bible studies (Philpott 1993); and the Contextual Bible
study method of the Institute for the Study of the Bible and Worker Ministry Project (now Ujamaa
Centre) (West 1995, 2003).
What all these approaches have in common is the construction of a safe and secure site in which
what is disguised or hidden (Scott 1990) may be articulated and owned, the sharing of local and
academic resources for accessing and articulating embodied theologies, and an
animating/facilitating process that allows for the articulation and owning of local, embodied
theologies (for a fuller discussion see West 2003). The precise mechanism that facilitates this
articulation and owning and an understanding of the constraints of this being mainstreamed is part
of an ongoing debate (West 2003; Haddad 2000; Nadar 2003).
Some case studies
The following case studies will demonstrate aspects of what I have been arguing.
Case study 1: Violence against women
Given the reality of violence against women in our context, the Ujamaa Centre has since 1996 used
a contextual Bible study on the story of Tamar (2 Samuel 13:1-22) as a resource for the articulation,
owning and mainstreaming of the embodied theologies that are constructed out of contexts of abuse
2
While sharing some of these ideas with theological students in Chennai, India, they
preferred the phrase embodied theology for what I had up to that point called lived or working
theology. I have taken up their term.
59
(West and Zondi-Mabizela 2004; West et al. 2004; West 2004). Through a careful reading of
Tamars story (using the following questions: Who are the main characters, and what do we know
about them?; What is the role of each of the male characters in the rape of Tamar?; and What does
Tamar say and do?) participants draw on the resources of biblical scholarship (ie. literary resources)
and in so doing engage more closely with the text than is their usual practice. Having done this, and
having shared their readings with one another, participants then bring their corporate readings into
dialogue with their reality their experience (using the following questions: Are there women like
Tamar in your church and/or community? Tell their story.; What is the theology of women who
have been raped/abused?; What resources are there in your church and/or community for survivors
of rape?).
The dialogue between text and context enables participants to find and forge lines of connection
between their embodied theologies and the Bible. Because the Bible is a sacred text and because
Christians locate themselves in relation to it, establishing such lines of connection can be
enormously empowering, particularly when the resources of biblical scholarship enable unfamiliar
texts (such as 2 Samuel 13) to be read, and familiar texts to read in unfamiliar ways (see Case study
3 below). In this case, women who have been raped discover that they are not alone. Not only do
their stories connect with Tamars story, they also discover that other women in the Bible study
group have similar stories. And so embodied theologies are given voice and become owned.
But the Bible study does not end here. There remains one final question: What will you now do in
response to this Bible study? While groups plan various kinds of creative actions, including
tackling social structures, in many instances groups plan actions that will take the products of their
Bible study into the church, whether through a drama or a song or a liturgy or through the setting up
of church-based counselling or similar resources. Here we have, then, attempts at mainstreaming
the embodied theologies that have been articulated and owned.
Case study 2: HIV and AIDS
Well intentioned, affected, but non-infected people imagine that infected people would want to do
Bible study on texts about leprosy. They are wrong. Through Ujamaas work with the Siyaphila
network of groups an organised network of support groups of people living with HIV and AIDS
we have been taught that the texts they choose are texts in which Jesus takes an overt stand with the
victims of social and religious discrimination and stigma and against the social and religious status
quo (West 2003). In a situation where the predominant message they hear proclaimed from the
churches concerning people like them is bad news, their hope is that this is not all there is to the
Christian message. Indeed, their own personal and corporate experience and lived theology affirm
otherwise; they know that God is with them. So they dare to believe that what they hear from the
churches is not the full gospel and turn in hope and trust to the Bible to hear the good news of Jesus
Christ.
The texts they choose are those texts where the good news for them is clearest; texts in which Jesus
takes a clear stand against prevailing social perspectives and dominant theologies in favour of those
who have been pushed to the margins by these perspectives and theologies. In declaring another
perspective and another theology, the texts they choose articulate their incipient sense of Gods
presence with them. Remarkably, despite the almost constant assault from the church, these young
women and men remain resolute in their belief that God is with them. Their embodied theology,
though inchoate and incipient, is that God is on their side.
And yet, as a Bible study on the stilling of the storm in Mark 4:35-41 articulated, though they know
that God and Jesus stand with them against the dominant discriminating theology of the church,
they also experience a Jesus who is in some senses asleep. It is time for Jesus to wake up, they
said! Here is the beginnings of a profound theology of both Gods presence and absence in the
60
context of HIV and AIDS! Would that the church had ears to hear.
In another Bible study with a Siyaphila group we explored together a fuller reading of Job than their
churches have allowed them. Confronted weekend after weekend, at funeral after funeral with the
compliant words of Job: the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the
Lord (1:21), we interpreted together those parts of Job denied them by their churches. Together
we read Job chapter 3 (West and Zengele 2004).
Job, we all know, accepts the bad from God, remaining silent, refusing to sin with his lips
(2:10) by questioning God or the dominant theology. As he silently sits, his friends come among
him, to console and comfort him (2:11). And we know what they will say; they will each explain
to him how he must have sinned, in some sense, for how else can he (or, more importantly, they)
explain his suffering. By looking at the destroyed and diseased Job they can tell that God must be
punishing him in some way for something he has done this is how their theology works (as does
the prevailing theology of HIV and AIDS and the Tsunami).
But before they can say anything, and to their credit they do not immediately counsel Job, Job
speaks. At last he takes his wifes advice! Perhaps the death and destruction around him and
within him had numbed him; one hopes so. Now, however, the radical challenge of his wife has
registered in his numbed mind; the marvellous ambiguity of the Masoretic texts Bless/curse God,
and die have their theological effect. If being righteous and blessing God brings about such havoc,
then what damage can cursing God do? Having earlier refused to sin with his lips he now lets
rip! Perhaps reluctant to follow his wifes theological proposition the whole way, Job curses God
indirectly rather than directly, cursing the day of his birth (3:1). Prose is no longer adequate for
what Job is about to say, and so the text shifts into poetry. This shift is more than a shift from prose
to poetry however, it is also a shift in theology!
Here is the beginnings of another theology; here is a cry of rage and pain; here is an incipient and
inchoate theology. Here is an attempt to undo what God did in Genesis 1! God says, Let there be
light (Genesis 1:3); Job counters with, Let the day be darkness! (for further discussion see Clines
1989: 67-105; and Gutierrez 1991:7-10). Here Job struggles with how to speak of God how to do
theology in the context of immense suffering and loss. Would that we read this text at the
countless funerals of our people who have died from AIDS-related illnesses. Would that Job 3:3-26
would be read rather than Job 1:21: the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the
name of the Lord.
Reading Job 3 together in the Siyaphila contextual Bible study generated a frighteningly embodied
theology of anger, pain, rejection, desolation and despair. So much so that I feared that I had made
a grave mistake in taking this text to the group. But after some hours the very act of articulating
this embodied theology brought healing and hope (West and Zengele 2004). We concluded the
Bible study with each person writing their own version of Job 3. We have collected these laments
and intend to offer them to the churches so that their liturgies and life may be enriched.
Case study 3: Land and food security
This final case study is an example of a Bible study in process, and emerges from work I am doing
with the Church Land Programme. A team of community-based activists and I are constructing a
series of Bible studies on land issues in our country. One of the issues we have been asked to
address is that of land and food security.
As we brained-stormed about possible texts for such a Bible study, one of the participants in the
planning group suggested that the Lords Prayer was a good example. Puzzled at first, we all
nodded in affirmation when he quoted the familiar Give us today our daily bread. Clearly, he
61
said, this was about food security.

I must confess that at this point in the planning I became rather distracted. I had never thought of
this text in this way, but having been prompted by this persons observation based as it was on his
very real experience of the need for bread each day I began to reassess my previous
understandings of this text and my many careful exegetical studies of it. I had been taught by the
Ilimo Community Project in Amawoti, an informal settlement near Durban, that this sentence was
about actual bread for an actual day, and not some metaphorical (middle-class) bread. But I had
not followed this thought to its logical conclusion. What, I began to ask myself (while talk went on
around me), if this sentence was the beginning of a series of petitions on food security?
The first petition has to do, as one of our planning group had recognised, with food security for
each day: Our bread for this day, give us today (Matthew 6:11). Here is a community that Jesus
knows does not have food security, and yet he knows that Gods good news for these people is that
they should have food for each day. The next clause, I reflected, could then be read as a
development of this idea. And release us from our debts, read in the context of food security then
explores the reasons for a lack of food security. The reason, Jesus indicates, is that their
indebtedness has led to the loss of their land a common problem in the time of Jesus. Peasant
farmers under the monarchy and later the temple-state system often became victims of the debt
cycle (see Gottwald 1979, 1985; Pixley 1991). To have food security, Jesus implies (via the prayer
he teaches) not only means food for each day, but also access to land. However, if the community
of Gods kingdom (to use Matthews phrase) is to be a just one then not only must those who
follow him be released from their debts (and so reacquire their land), they too must release others
from indebtedness, hence the next clause in the prayer: as even we have released our debtors.
The use of the aorist here signals a completed action, indicating an act that has been completed by
the community making the prayer. Having released their compatriots from their debts, they too cry
out to God to be released from their indebtedness. Taking the initiative and releasing those who
owe them a debt is no easy thing, and so Jesus urges them to pray, And do not bring us into
temptation, for the temptation is not to release the debts of others but to benefit from them.
However, and here the prayer of Jesus comes to its conclusion, the final petition is that God should
rescue or deliver the vulnerable from evil (or the evil one) (13). The final deliverance, to ensure
food security, must be a deliverance from the evil of systems like structural indebtedness.
All this was beginning to buzz around in my head as we prepared the Bible study on food security.
After we had discussed some other texts I shared the above preliminary thoughts with the group,
who became very excited about the possible connections between the various petitions and food
security. And so the seeds for a Bible study on the so-called Lords Prayer have been planted. How
we turn this into a Bible study remains a task for our next meeting.
What this case study illustrates rather nicely is the sharing of resources and the collaborative project
that contextual Bible study is. Biblical scholarship here serves the insights and experience of
community-based activists, providing additional resources for the articulation and owning of
embodied theologies.
The potential in this case for mainstreaming is massive, for by praying this prayer with this
understanding in our churches we participate performatively in proclaiming and preparing the way
for a more just socio-economic system.
Conclusion
Under the dried crust of the often bereft public theology we carry resides a deeper, usually
unarticulated and incipient, theology. This embodied theology has been generated by our lived
faith and experiences, but it is inchoate and unformed. A challenge that awaits the church is to tap
62
into this rich residual substratum of theology and to bring it into the public realm. Only then will
the church be the kind of safe and sacred space where women, people living with HIV and AIDS,
those marginalised and abused by society, and the poor are fully at home.
Bibliography
Brueggemann, Walter. 1993. Trajectories in Old Testament literature and the sociology of ancient
Israel. In The Bible and liberation: political and social hermeneutics, edited by N. K.
Gottwald and R. A. Horsley. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.
Clines, David J.A. 1989. Job 1-20. Dallas: Word Books.
Cochrane, James R. 1999. Circles of diginity: community wisdom and theological reflection.
Minneapolis: Fortress.
. 2001. Questioning contextual theology. In Towards an agenda for contextual theology:
essays in honour of Albert Nolan, edited by M. T. Speckman and L. T. Kaufmann.
Pietermaritzburg: Cluster Publications.
Dumortier, J.M. 1983. Many in this city are my people: Young Christian Workers. Durban: Young
Christian Workers.
Gottwald, Norman K. 1979. The tribes of Yahweh: a sociology of the religion of liberated Israel,
1250-1050 B.C. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis.
. 1985. The Hebrew Bible: a socio-literary introduction. Philadelphia: Fortress.
Gutierrez, Gustavo. 1991. On Job: God-talk and the suffering of the innocent. Maryknoll, NY:
Orbis Books.
Haddad, Beverley G. 2000. African women's theologies of survival: intersecting faith, feminisms,
and development. PhD, School of Theology, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg.
Mesters, C. 1984. The use of the Bible in Christian communities of the common people. In The
Bible and liberation: political and social hermeneutics, edited by N. K. Gottwald and R. A.
Horsley. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books.
Mesters, Carlos. 1989. Defenseless flower: a new reading of the Bible. Translated by F. McDonagh.
Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books.
Nadar, Sarojini. 2003. Power, ideology and interpretation/s: womanist and literary perspectives on
the book of Esther as resources for gender-social transformation, School of Theology,
University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg.
Nolan, Albert. 1996. Work, the Bible, workers, and theologians: elements of a workers' theology.
Semeia 73:213-220.
Perdue, L. G. 1991. Wisdom in revolt: metaphorical theology in the book of Job. Sheffield: Almond
Press.
Philpott, Graham. 1993. Jesus is tricky and God is undemocratic: the kin-dom of God in Amawoti.
Pietermaritzburg: Cluster Publications.
Pixley, George V. 1991. A Latin American perspective: the option for the poor in the Old
Testament. In Voices from the margin: interpreting the Bible in the Third World, edited by
R. S. Sugirtharajah. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.
Scott, James C. 1990. Domination and the arts of resistance: hidden transcripts. New Haven and
London: Yale University Press.
Society, The Scottish Bible, and The Contextual Bible Study Group. 2005. Conversations: the
companion. Glasgow: Scottish Bible Society.
Speckman, McGlory T., and Larry T. Kaufmann. 2001. Introduction. In Towards an agenda for
contextual theology: essays in honour of Albert Nolan, edited by M. T. Speckman and L. T.
Kaufmann. Pietermaritzburg: Cluster Publications.
Stevens, I.D. 1985. The role of the church in industry and industrial relations; focusing on the
supportive role with worker organisations, especially the independent trade unions in South
Africa. Honours, University of Natal, Pietermartizburg.
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theologians, Kairos. 1986. The Kairos document: challenge to the church. Revised Second Edition
ed. Braamfontein: Skotaville.
Villa-Vicencio, Charles. 1989. Right wing religion: have the chickens come home to roost? Journal
of Theology for Southern Africa 69:7-16.
West, Gerald O. 1995. Biblical hermeneutics of liberation: modes of reading the Bible in the South
African context. Second Edition ed. Maryknoll, NY and Pietermaritzburg: Orbis Books and
Cluster Publications.
. 2003. The academy of the poor: towards a dialogical reading of the Bible.
Pietermaritzburg: Cluster Publications. Original edition, Sheffield Academic Press, 1999.
. 2003. Reading the Bible in the light of HIV/AIDS in South Africa. The Ecumenical Review
55 (4):335-344.
. 2004. 1 and 2 Samuel. In Global Bible commentary, edited by D. Patte. Nashville:
Abingdon Press.
West, Gerald O., and Bongi Zengele. 2004. Reading Job positively' in the context of HIV/AIDS in
South Africa. Concilium 4:112-124.
West, Gerald O., and Phumzile Zondi-Mabizela. 2004. The Bible story that became a campaign: the
Tamar Campaign in South Africa (and beyond). Ministerial Formation 103:4-12.
West, Gerald O., Phumzile Zondi-Mabizela, Martin Maluleke, Happiness Khumalo, P. Smadz
Matsepe, and Mirolyn Naidoo. 2004. Rape in the house of David: the biblical story of
Tamar as a resource for transformation. Agenda 61:36-41.
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[Draft October 2007]

Doing Contextual Bible Study:

The Ujamaa Centre for Biblical & Theological

More about the Ujamaa Centre and how we work

A concluding reflection on the potential of Contextual Bible Study

A Letter to the User of this Manual

Step 1 Choosing a Theme

A Note to the User on Choosing a Theme

Step 2 Finding a Biblical Text

A Note to the User on Finding a Text

Step 3 Questioning and Reading

A Note to the User on Questioning and Reading

Step 4 Articulating and Owning

A Note to the User on Articulating and Owning

Step 5 Developing a Plan of Action

A Note to the User on Developing a Plan of Action

Facilitating the Process of the Contextual Bible Study

Facilitating the Practicalities of the Contextual Bible Study

Great Ideas for Facilitators

Dividing Participants into Small Groups

Read Mark 12:41-44.

Question 6: How does this text speak to our respective contexts?

Hermeneutical and Pedagogical Principles

Women and agency

Important Information for the Facilitator

What does this

Summary of the Reading Process in a Typical Bible Study

Hermeneutical and Pedagogical Principles

Using local resources; family and community; leadership

Important Information for the Facilitator

Hermeneutical and Pedagogical Principles

Silence voices; contending theologies

Important Information for the Facilitator

Summary of the Reading Process in a Typical Bible Study

Hermeneutical and Pedagogical Principles

Rape; violence against women

Important Information for the Facilitator

Important Information for the Facilitator

Additional Uses of Bible Study 4

Why does Amnon rape Tamar?

Summary of the Reading Process in a Typical Bible Study

Hermeneutical and Pedagogical Principles

Economic exploitation; systemic sin

Important Information for the Facilitator

Important Information for the Facilitator

Women and culture

Important Information for the Facilitator

Important Information for the Facilitator

Important Information for the Facilitator

What does this

Hermeneutical and Pedagogical Principles

Important Information for the Facilitator

3. What is Job trying to say in this text?

Important Information for the Facilitator

Summary of the Reading Process in a Typical Bible Study

will live healthy lives.

Important Information for the Facilitator

3. What is Makhobas theology of HIV and AIDS?

Reflection on Makhobas linocut

Land and dispossession

Important Information for the Facilitator

Important Information for the Facilitator

Important Information for the Facilitator

Women and land