Communicating the Gospel in a digital age : a case study of the Dioceses of Kampala and Namirembe in the Anglican Church of Uganda

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorCloete, Anita Louisaen_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorPeel, Claytonen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorKitayimbwa, Lydia Nabunya Nsaaleen_ZA
dc.contributor.otherStellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.en_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2022-11-23T10:40:12Z
dc.date.accessioned2023-01-16T12:51:47Z
dc.date.available2022-11-23T10:40:12Z
dc.date.available2023-01-16T12:51:47Z
dc.date.issued2022-12
dc.descriptionThesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractENGLISH ABSTRACT: In response to the influx of digital media use in daily life and church work, with a specific interest in the Anglican Church of Uganda (COU), this study explores and examines the communication of the gospel in the digital age: a case study of Namirembe and Kampala Dioceses in the Anglican Church of Uganda. The Church across the globe is integrating digital media into ministry and especially in the communication of the gospel. Through different digital media gadgets, platforms and applications via the internet, spiritual information is shared and accessed. In the COU’s Vision 2025 document, the COU encourages its priests and leaders to integrate digital media into church work to communicate the gospel and Christian values. However, the church leaders’ attitudes towards digital media use are not known. There is a gap in knowledge, and great need for theological guidance, approaches, training, and strategy for digital media use to communicate the gospel. To address the situation at hand, there was a need to do research to understand the digital communication situation and to engage in theological reflection on the digital media communication of the gospel. The research study set out to explore the COU’s understanding, attitude and approaches towards the use of digital media to communicate the gospel. To carry out the study, I made use of both literature and empirical elements to respond to the research question. As a study in practical theology, I employed Osmer’s Practical Theology framework. This qualitative case study design research set out to obtain in-depth and detailed information from the selected samples to understand the situation. To collect the data, I employed focus group discussions and Individual interviews with the selected participants. The Data analysis followed inductive coding via Atlas-ti computer software. In the findings, it was discovered that although the majority of the church leaders showed a positive attitude towards digital media use, they integrated it amidst technological, economic, social, and theological challenges. Participants expressed a need for an urgent technological and theological training to guide the users. I argue that the gospel message and theologies ought to be communicated via online faith communities using a blend of media converged into digital media while also applying theological approaches based on a theologically informed strategy. To communicate the gospel in the digital age, the study provides a theological reflection on possible approaches to digital communication of the gospel. It also proposes a theologically informed digital communication strategy, which may be employed in training church leaders and may also be applied in digital communication of the gospel.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractAFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In antwoord op die groei in digitale mediagebruik in die daaglikse lewe en werk van die kerk, spesifiek dié van die Anglikaanse Kerk van Uganda (AKU), ondersoek hierdie studie die kommunikasie van die evangelie in die digitale era in ’n gevallestudie van die bisdomme van Namirembe en Kampala in die Anglikaanse Kerk van Uganda. Wêreldwyd integreer die Kerk digitale media in hulle bediening en veral in die kommunikasie van die evangelie. Met behulp van verskillende digitale mediatoestelle, -platforms en -toepassings word geestelike inligting via die internet versprei en tot toegang gekry. In die AKU se Visie 2025, word priesters en kerkleiers ook aangemoedig om digitale media te integreer in die werk van die kerk om die evangelie en Christelike waardes te versprei. Tog is nie veel bekend oor die houding van kerkleiers jeens digitale media nie en is daar ’n tekort aan noodsaaklike literatuur oor, teologiese leiding, benaderings tot, opleiding in en strategieë met die oog op die gebruik van digitale media in die kommunikasie van die evangelie. Om hierdie situasie aan te spreek was dit nodig om die digitale kommunikasiekonteks na te vors en teologies na te dink oor die kommunikasie van die evangelie via digitale media. Hierdie navorsing was dus daarop gemik om die AKU se verstaan van, houding jeens en benadering tot die gebruik van digitale media in die kommunikering van die evangelie te ondersoek. Hiervoor en om die navorsingsvraag te beantwoord, het ek gebruik gemaak van beide literatuur en empiriese komponente in die studie. As ’n prakties-teologiese studie, het ek die prakties-teologiese raamwerk van Osmer gebruik. Hierdie kwalitatiewe studie met sy gevallestudie navorsingsontwerp het ten doel gehad om gedetailleerde en in-diepte inligting te versamel vanuit geselekteerde voorbeelde ten einde die situasie te verstaan. Fokusgroepe en individuele onderhoude is gebruik om data vanaf geselekteerde deelnemers te versamel. Data-analise is gedoen via induktiewe kodering met behulp van ATLAS-ti rekenaarsagteware. Die bevinding het getoon dat, alhoewel die meerderheid kerkleiers ’n positiewe houding jeens die gebruik van digitale media het, hulle dit integreer te midde van ekonomiese, sosiale, en tegnologiese uitdagings. Hulle het ook deurgaans die dringende behoefte uitgespreek na tegnologiese opleiding en teologiese leiding. Ek argumenteer dat die evangelie en teologie gekommunikeer moet word aan aanlyn geloofsgemeenskappe met behulp van ’n mengsel van vorme van digitale media. Dit moet egter gepaardgaan met teologiese benaderings wat ’n teologies-ingeligte strategie volg. Die studie bied dus teologiese nadenke oor moontlike benaderings tot die kommunikasie van die evangelie in die digitale era. Dit stel ook ’n teologies-ingeligte digitale mediastrategie voor wat gebruik kan word in die opleiding van kerkleiers en wat toegepas kan word in die digitale kommunikasie van die evangelie.af_ZA
dc.description.versionDoctoralen_ZA
dc.format.extentxv, 264 pages : illustrations (color)
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/126133
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.rights.holderStellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.subjectCommunication -- Religious aspects -- Christianityen_ZA
dc.subjectSocial mediaen_ZA
dc.subjectChurch of Ugandaen_ZA
dc.subjectUCTDen_ZA
dc.titleCommunicating the Gospel in a digital age : a case study of the Dioceses of Kampala and Namirembe in the Anglican Church of Ugandaen_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
kitayimbwa_gospel_2022.pdf
Size:
3.29 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
Collections
Doctoral Degrees (Practical Theology and Missiology)