RP-Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies

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Browsing RP-Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies by Author "Gitome, Josephine"

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    Condom use and Culture of Life: The Roman Catholic Church Dilemma in the Wake of New HIV Infection
    (International Institute for Science, Technology and Education (IISTE), 2018) Musili, Telesia K.; Gecaga, Margaret; Gitome, Josephine
    The World has devotedly committed to ending HIV and AIDS epidemic by 2030. However, the latest global data demonstrate among other challenges an increase in new HIV infections. In 2015 there was an increase of new HIV infections from 1.8 million to 2.4 million, an average of 2.1 million. In light of this challenge of increasing new HIV infections, a scrutiny on the effectiveness of HIV prevention strategies and measures is important. Abstinence, fidelity and condom use are among the strategies that have been lauded to prevent further transmission of HIV infections. However, the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) stance and repression of condom use by her adherents bars the positive strides of preventing the spread of HIV. This paper addresses the possible grounds for review of the RCC negative stance on condom use. This is premised on the famous Pope John Paul II’s culture of life theology that upholds not only the sanctity of human life but also the intrinsic value and dignity of the human person. A phenomenological approach was employed in guiding this discourse. The following concepts illuminate this worth course. They include the primacy of subjective interiority in sexual choices, valued inter-relational sociability of human persons and pursuance of eschatological hope. In this era of HIV and AIDS, we argue for a relational eschatology rather than a punitive eschaton. This is believed to cushion a time that is permeated with relational challenges that are meant to steer the values of love and trust. Keywords: Condom use, culture of life, HIV and AIDS, new infections, church teaching on sexuality
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    The Effectiveness of Handbooks and Teaching Materials Used For Holistic Nurture of Children Aged 5-13 Years in Nairobi Baptist Church, Nairobi County, Kenya
    (2023) Gitome, Josephine; James, Ruth Muthei
    This study dealt with contemporary developments in the holistic nurturing of children in Sunday school (SS) teaching in the Nairobi Baptist Church (NBC) which is one of the major support systems for church growth. The researcher was motivated to study Holistic Nurture to Children (HNC) because of the many issues and challenges that hound children like fighting, stealing, unruly behaviour patterns, wrong morals, drug abuse, teenage pregnancies, and evil vices among others affecting the traditional beliefs in children ministry globally. These problems make the approaches adopted for children's ministry a great challenge in Kenya. The empirical basis was defined by 5-13-year-olds in NBC. To understand the complex and dynamic nature of such phenomena, the study endeavoured to unravel and understand the HNC in NBC. The study assumed that there were some subtle underlying factors that (might) hinder the effective holistic nurture of children in NBC. These include history, handbooks and materials. The study was anchored on three key theories: Kelvin E. Lawson (Cognitive Spiritual theory), James Fowler (faith development theory) and Ivan Pavlov (Social learning theory). NBC was the study locale. Handbooks and materials nurtures discovery in the child in all areas, the leaders are facilitators of faith formation and activities help children to construct knowledge. Purposive sampling was used to select fifty (50) participants. The sample was in proportion to the population size which was 500. This study adopted a descriptive survey on HNC in NBC. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed. The primary research instrument used were questionnaires, interviews, and Focus Group Discussions. In the analysis of the data, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 16.0 was used. The primary and secondary sources were consulted. Holistic approaches included preparing the process for examination of the whole person: physical, mental/emotional, spiritual and social. The findings of the study dispelled obscurity on issues that affect HNC on holistic formation, as well as providing a safe alternative on how children should develop in the four areas to experience balanced growth. Thus, the study proposed useful ways of handling children for their holistic development. They included: first, the support by the whole congregation; secondly, children make early decisions to know God when guided by holistic approaches. The study further suggested the need to incorporate the biblical values which are unified in the integration of a child's learning. It is hoped that the findings of this study will contribute to policy formulation regarding the spiritual nurture of children. The findings may contribute to the existing literature on the holistic nurture of children.
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    Use of Social Media for Evangelisation: A Case of Full Gospel Churches of Kenya (Fgck)-Meru County
    (Consortium Publishing, 2022) Kathambi, Fridah; Gitome, Josephine; Bwire, John P.
    The study’s objective was to analyse the use of social media in evangelisation. The study employed a descriptive research design to seek information from various congregants. Interview guides, observation schedules, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and questionnaires were used to collect data. The clergy and lay leaders were interviewed, and the congregants of different age groups filled out questionnaires. Key informants were selected by the use of a purposive sampling technique coupled with stratified random sampling. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis, whereas descriptive quantitative data analysis was performed in SPSS 21. The results indicated that social media had been used for evangelisation through ICT tools such as mobile phones and computers. However, the use of social media for evangelisation has been faced with various challenges, including lack of internet connectivity, misuse of social media by non-Christians through posting of pornographic materials and unavailability of ICT tools. Some proposed ways of mitigating these challenges include educating Christians on the proper use of social media for evangelisation and maintaining active Gospel-based church websites.