The role of women in the church in Africa

Kasomo Daniel

Department of Philosophy Religion and Theology, Maseno University, Kenya. E-mail: dkasomocounselling@yahoo.com. Tel: +254 722-77020, +254 733-703603.

Accepted 3 February, 2010

Abstract

This paper gives a general view of the role played by women in African instituted churches. It touches several roles of women in different instituted churches keeping in mind that there are so many African instituted churches some will be used to represent the general role played by women. The paper also will explain how women were viewed in the Old Testament, New Testament and Letters of St. Paul. This will give a background as to how women have been prominent in the churches throughout history. Interviews have also been conducted on the churches that could not be available this was to find out the general role played by women. The paper will centre its emphasis on the role of women in the African instituted churches, it will also touch some impediments that are facing women in some independent churches such as the Nomiya Luo Church in Kenya. This church that tries to bar off women from participation. This is caused by men's attitude towards women who are looked at as inferior, incapable and are in perpetual pollution due to their nature of being biologically females.

Key words: Women, Church in Africa.