Theological and Ethical Reflections on Care for Widows from an African Christian Perspective

Isaac Boaheng ORCID iD  & Samuel Boahen

Issue: Vol.3  No.4  April  2022  Article 2 pp. 102-114
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2022342  |   Published online 12th April, 2022.
© 2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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This paper is a literature-based study that offers a critical analysis of widowhood from biblical and traditional African socio-cultural perspectives. The paper anlayzed Scriptures on God’s standards for caring for widows and books, journal articles, and dissertations on widowhood in Africa and found that widowhood in most African societies is characterized by unethical rituals, mandatory remarriages, harassment, denial, solitude, impoverishment, loss of social status, and depression as well as financial, sexual and social exploitations. Having offered theological and ethical reflections on the care for widows from the African Christian perspective, the paper suggested that the church must allocate a substantial part of its income to help the needy in general, more so widows. Traditional authorities are also encouraged to eliminate/modify unethical widowhood practices. The paper contributes to the ongoing scholarly discourse on African cultural transformation and female empowerment from an African Christian perspective.

Keywords: Africa, Christianity, Ethical, Theological, Widows, Widowhood

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Isaac Boaheng holds a PhD in Theology from the University of the Free State, South Africa, a Master of Theology degree from the South African Theological Seminary, South Africa, a Master of Divinity degree from the Trinity Theological Seminary, Ghana and a Bachelor of Science degree in Geomatic Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana. He is a lecturer in Theology and Christian Ethics at the Christian Service University College, Ghana, and a Research Fellow at the Department of Biblical and Religion Studies, University of the Free State, South Africa. Boaheng has over sixty publications in Systematic Theology, Ethics, Biblical Studies, Translation Studies, African Christianity, Linguistics, Pentecostalism and Christian Mission, among others. He is an Ordained Minister of the Methodist Church Ghana serving the Nkwabeng circuit of the Sunyani Diocese.

Samuel Boahen is a minster-in-training through Theological Education by Extension (TEE) at the Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon-Accra and a Theology student at Christian Service University College, Kumasi. He is a member of the Ebenezer Methodist Society, Techiman. Boahen’s research interest lies in Biblical Studies, Systematic Theology and Missiology.

Boaheng,I. & Boahen, S. “Theological and Ethical Reflections on Care for Widows from an African Christian Perspective.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 3, no.4 (2022):102-114.  https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2022342

© 2022 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Publishers. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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