Kafou Theology: Practicing Resistance
with Faith Strategies of Respiration,
Repair and Resilience found in
Characters of the Hebrew Testament
and the Early Christian Scriptures
Prepared by Carrie Roach
Saint Mark’s Feast Day
April 25, 2010
Team of Kafou Theologians at Saint Thomas University
Miami Gardens, Florida
First Meeting:
May20, 2010
1
A Prayer for Global Restoration
Good and Gracious God
Source of all life,
all creation is charged with your Divine Energy.
Send Your Holy Spirit,
Ignite your Spark within us,
that we may know ourselves
as truly human and holy,
irrevocably part of the Web of Life.
All Creation
-each star and every flower,
-each drop of water and every person,
-each and every atom, down to its very electrons,
explodes with the revelation
of your Sacred Mystery.
Our minds alone cannot fathom such splendor.
Our hearts can only respond in awe, praise and
gratitude.
Forgive us, we pray, our ignorance
And insecurities which
-blind us to your Thumbprint writ large,
- deafen us to the sacred space between two
heartbeats,
-prompt us in arrogance to demand and
dominate,
-numb us to the destruction we’ve caused,
- hold us hostage to “either-or” thinking and
living.
May we always walk gently upon this earth,
in right relationship,
-nurtured by your Love,
- taking only what we need,
-giving back to the earth in gratitude,
- sharing what we have,
- honoring all with reverence,
-reconciling and healing,
-mindful of those who will come after,
-recognizing our proper place as part of, not apart
from, your creation.
Grant us the strength and courage, we pray, for such
radical transformation into your Kin- dom.
Then we, too, with the very stones will shout,
“HOSANNA.”
2
Communication Model
Catalyst of the Story
Receiver
Sender
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Reality
Facilitator of the Story
Translator of the Story
Provides a platform for all voicesGathers information, presents it and explores it with integrity
Many forms, never complete, never boring
Seeking faith not success
Points of view are partial- contain part of the Truth
Only as good as my reflection and response to it
Source of all not bound by human intellect
3
Dialogue
Not
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Synthesis or synergistic left over stew
Persuasion or coerciveness
Debate or negotiation
Arguing or compromise
NO: name calling, blaming, blaming
or bringing up the past for an excuse,
threats, not listening, getting even,
sneering, pushing or posturing with
body language, hitting with silence,
bossing, making excuses, not- takingresponsibility
Instead
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Deconstruction of Domination
Search for ignored, suppressed and
alternative wisdom
Construct with the principle of the
promotion of true humanity and a
sustained earth system
“Change unjust structures and
distorted symbol systems so that a
new community in church and
society becomes possible, a liberating
community of all women and men
characterized by mutuality with each
other and harmony with the earth.
(Gal. 3:28)”
Elizabeth A. Johnson. She Who Is. 1992.P. 31
4
Vision- Recognition as Children of God and the Value and Connection
of Creation
Objectives to bring about the vision
from an eco-feminist, post-colonial
lens:
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Pray for wisdom and all gifts of the
Spirit to bear fruit
Create structures that involve women
and all the excluded in decision
making processes
Guarantee inclusive representation
on parish and diocesan councils,
finance and bishop commissions
Identify anti-woman, anti-people of
color, anti-earth, anti-others text
Avoid liturgy that is defamatory
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Introduce assertive women such as
Daughters of Zelophehad, Deborah,
Judith, Queen Vasthi, Junia, Lydia
and Daramis
Ensure women/dominated peoples
commissions are funded
Model justice first by insisting on just
wages for all who work in church
structures
Practice Inclusive language and
replace exclusive male symbols
Appoint women/dominated
historically professors to seminaries,
formation programs, counselors,
spiritual directors, theologians
Emphasis on the positive gifts of love
and sex- highlighting their beauty and
spirituality
5
Along with collaboration and asserting
one’s rights, we use resistance to
practice Kafou theology.
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Resistance :
Respires
Repairs
Chooses to be resilient
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Playing Instructions
Choose a character that you are most interested in from the list of characters and imagine you have met them on a street corner café in
their kind of neighborhood. Imagine striking up a conversation and asking these questions to them as a way to engage in a dialogue
of Kafou Theology.
As your dialogue progresses, try to generate and consider in your mind’s eye an imagine of you and this character being viewed from a
reflective glass plate window (mirror) from the opposite street corner as a theological observer would see the two of you. What do
you see?
Questions for your chosen character and then yourself:
1. Where are you going? What is the reason for your travel? Are you free to travel back?
2. Who are you trying to blend in with and how come? Is anyone trying to copy you?
3. When have you felt like you were the center of the conversation, if ever? Is the focus ever on
you? How come?
4. What kind of people have you known that were like a bystander, a bully, a want-to-be or a
peace maker type person? What do you think of each of these kinds of people? What life
circumstances have brought you to act like any of these kinds of people?
5. How do you feel? Do you feel included or excluded? By whom and why?
Strategies of Study- pay attention to our interpretation of the biblical characters using an
awareness of: 1. Travel assessments 2. Hybridity and Mimicry 3.De-centering focal figure 4.
Naming roles and cultural context 5. Contact Zone-
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When reading scripture, please remember these four questions to
evaluate these ancient texts on literary-rhetorical grounds and to
focus on gender so to “decolonize biblical studies”:
1. Does this text have a clear stance against the political
imperialism of its time?
2. Does this text encourage travel to distant and
inhabited lands and how does it justify itself?
3. How does this text construct difference: is there
dialogue and liberating interdependence or
condemnation of all that is foreign?
4. Does this text employ gender and divine
representations to construct relationships of
subordination and domination?
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Review of Colonized Strategies of Resistance using
faith strategies of Respiration, Repair and Resilience
• Mimicry
• Hybridization
• Breaking through
gender stereotypes with
subversive gender roles
• De-centering the
narrative characters
• Recognizing reasons for
travel in the narrative
• No Sharp dualism
• No Rigid cultural
boundaries
• No Vicious racisms
• No Heightened
nationalism
• No Hierarchical
structures
• No Patriarchy
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Resilience Models Found in Scriptures- Characters of the Early Church
Women
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Prisca- Acts 18:1-3,18-19, 24-28; 1 Cor
16:19/Rom 16:3-5; 2 Tim 4:19
Euodia and Synthcha- fighting for mutual
understanding with Paul- Phillipians 4
Rhoda- Acts 12:11-17
Lois and Eunice- Acts 16:1-3; 2 Tim 1:5Timothy’s mother and grandmother- who
transmitted the faith
Junia, hailed “foremost among the apostles”
Romans 16:7
Romans 16 litany: Mary, 6 ,Tryphaena,
12,Tryphosa, 12,Persis (named as friend,
beloved )12, Julia 15, Olympas 15, Mother of
Rufus, who Paul says is a mother to him too
13, Sister of Nereus 15
Damaris- Acts 17:22-34- Intellectual Greek
woman converted after hearing Paul before
the Areopagus in Athens-
Men
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Paul’s two years in Rome to testify to the Jews-“I have no
accusation to make against my own nation.”- Acts 28:1730
Stephen- Acts 7:54-60
Matthias- Acts 1:21-26- keeps the number twelve
significant- replaces Judas
Simeon the Zealot is part of the twelve- an insurgent
from Cana who worked to defeat the Empire – Acts 1:13
James the Just is brother to Jesus- not part of the twelvewitnessed the resurrected Christ and became the bishop
of Jerusalem. He was martyred before the Roman
destruction of 70 C.E. Acts 1:14; 15:13; 21:18; 1 Cor
15:7; Gal 1:19; 2:1-12- not to be confused with James
the lesser or younger who is Jesus’ cousin- son of
Cleopas and Mary, sister of Mary of Nazareth. James was
the brother of Jose (Joseph) and Salome.
James and John, sons of Zebedee, fishermen, two of the
twelve, sons of thunder. James martyred by Agrippa I
(beheaded 44CE) and John is known as the beloved
disciple, primary leader in the early church and Gospel of
John named after him- Acts 12:1-2; Gal 2:9Titus and Paul- God shows no partiality- Gal 2:6- call to
be mindful of the poor- Gal. 2:10- Paul’s justification by
faith argument to Peter at Antioch Gal 2: 11-21
Presbyters of the Church of Ephesus at Miletus- called to
tend the church of God- Acts 20:28-38
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Resilience Models found in the Old Testament
Women
1.
Hagar- makes herself seen- Gen
16;17:1, 18-21; 21:1-4, 6-21; Gen 25:5-6,
12-17
2. Mrs. Lot- Genesis 19:1-26- sign of hope
Ez 16:4; 2 Kgs 2:19-22; Num 18:19, 2 Chr
13:6; Ex 43:24; Lev 2:13; Ex 30:35; Mt.
5:13; Mk 9:50; Col 4:6;
3. Lot’s 2 daughters- Gen. 19
4. Leah- 8 of 12 sons-Judah provides
lineage- Gen.29:15-36; 30:1-21;31:4-55;
32:22-24; 33:1-7, 12-14; 34:1; 35:23-26;
46:8-18; 49:31
5. Tamar- Gen 38:6-30; 1 Chr 2:3-6; Mt 1:3
6. Deborah- Judges 4:1-22; 5:1-31
7. Bathseba- 2 Sam 11:1-18, 25-27; 12:1-25;
1 Kings 1:1,11-40; 2:13-25; 1 Chr 3:5
8. Rizpah- 2 Sam 3:6-11; 21:1-14
9. Slave to Naamen’s Wife- 2 Kings 5:1-15
10. Mrs. Isaiah- Prophet- Isaiah 8:1-4
11. Susanna- Dan 13:1-64
12. Queen Vashti- Esther- 1:1-21; 2:1-4, 1517
Men
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Abraham – Receives God’s covenant
at 99 Gen 17:1 Gen. 22:1 Tested
Joseph – Gen. 47- merits holding all
power for Pharaoh with his selfcontrol
Jonah- 3 days in the belly of a big
fish- Jon 2:1
Daniel in lion’s den for six days- Dan
14:31
Solomon built the temple in 7 years1 Kings 6:37-38
Moses hid in the desert for 40
years- Exodus; Acts 7:29-30
Job-
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Repair Models Found in the Early Church
Women
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Mary- Mother of Jesus Acts 1:12-14/Acts
2:1-18
Dorcus/Tabitha- Acts 9:36-42
Paul’s Sister Acts 23:12-22
Chloe 1 Cor 1:10-11
Apphia- Philemon 2- Leader of a house
church in Colossae – Philemon 1-3
Slave girl that can prophecy is released
from bondage- Acts 16: 16-18 Carrie
Philip’s Prophetic Daughters- Acts 21:8-14see Paul’s writings on prophetic acts in 1
Cor. 11-14 and in Joel -
Men
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Paul – stoned but lives- Acts 14:19-20
Simon- can’t buy grace-“Pray for me to the
Sovereign, that nothing of what you have said
may come upon me. Acts 8:18-25
Phillip and the Eunuch Ethiopian- Acts 8:2640- African orders the chariot to stop, to be
baptized! Joan H.
Jailer at Philippi-Acts 16:27-28-About to kill
himself since prisoners thought to be
escaped- he asks for light from Silas and Paul
what he must do to save himselfSilas and Paul are freed from jail with an
earthquake as they were praying and singing
hymns- Acts 16:23-34
Paralyzed Aeneas in bed for 8 years- “Jesus
Christ, heals you.” Acts 9:32-35
Apollos helped by Prisca and Aquila in his
proclaiming the gospel. Acts 18:24-26
Eutychus- fell out the window – Acts 20:7-12
Town Clerk- mediates a tense situation with
the silversmiths- Acts 19: 23-40
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Repair Models Found in the Old Testament
Women
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Rahab- Josh 2:1-24; 6:1-2, 15-25
Zilpah- Leah’s Slave- Gad and Asher- Gen 29:
24,29; Gen 30:1-13; Gen 31:17,33; Gen
32:22-24; Gen 33:1-14; Gen 35:21-22,25-26
Gen. 37:2; Gen 46:18, 23-25
Bildah- Rachel’s Slave – Dan Naphtali
Midwives- Shiprah and Puah- Exodus 1:15-22
Pharoah’s daughter- Grace in Unexpected
Places- Exodus 2:1-10
Judith- Book of JudithWise Woman of Abel-beth maacah- 2 Sam
20:14-22- convinces David not to kill innocent
Huldah- named prophet (Miriam, Deborah,
Noadiah)- 2 Kings 22:11-20; 2 Chr 34:22-28
Ruth and Naomi- Book of Ruth
Widow of Zarephath- 1 Kings 17:8-24hpsptality to Elijah
Prophet’s Widow- bottomless jar from Elisha2 Kgs 4:1-7- Elisha restores life to child of
Shunammite Woman 2 Kgs 4:8-37; 8:1-6
Abishag- Comforts David in death- 1 Kg 1:14,15; 2:13-25
Men
1. Judah- Gen.38: 26- when speaking of
Tamar;”She is more in the right than I am,
since I did not give her to my son..”
2. Battles are won as Moses lifts his staff- Ex
17:9-13
3. Joshua receives aid from an angel- Jos
5:13-6:5
4. Solomon- God’s love endures forever with
the sign of the God’s glory in the temple –
2 Chronicles 5:2-14
5. Elisha nullifies poison- 2 Kgs 4:38-41
6. Lepers helped as Invisible chariots terrify
the Aramean army 2 Kgs 7:5-7
7. Hand appears and writes on the wall Dan
5:5
8. Jeremiah’s burning desire- Jer. 20:9
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Respiration Models found in the Early Church
Women
1. Women at Pentecost Acts 1:12-14
2. Lois and Eunice- Acts 16:1-3/ 2 Tim 1:15
3. Nympha – of Laodicea(see Rev) : Leader of a
house church – Col 1:15 4. Phoebe -Romans 16:1-2-Prostatis (leader,
president or patron)carried Paul’s letter to
the Romans for Paul’s introduction. ..of
Cenchreae: Leader of a house church –
5. Lydia of Thyatira: Leader of a house church
on the crossroads of Phillipi - Hospitality
to Paul company on the way to Europeleader of Phillipi church- Acts 16:11-15, 40
6. Claudia- 2 Tim 4:21
7. Mark’s mom - Presided over a house church
of Hellenistic Jews in Jerusalem and it was
at her door that the astonished Peter
knocked to announce he was freed from jail
by an angel Acts 12:12-17
Men
1. Clement and Paul’s other co-workers
whose names are written in the Book of
Life- Philippians 4- live simply
2. Peter speaks the truth that God shows no
partiality- Cornelius and gentiles have holy
Spirit upon them- Acts 10:34-49
3. Philip and the Samarians- Acts 8:4-13
4. John Mark- went with Barnabas instead
of Paul! – Acts 12:12,25; 13:4, 5, 13, Acts
15:36-41 ; named as John Acts 13:13
5. Judas and Silas- Acts 15:30-35- delivered letter of
the apostles to Antioch- named prophets- They were strengthen
with their words. Offered greetings of peace.
6. Barnabas (Acts 14:1-14)
and Paul (thought to be
Zeus and Hermes): describing the signs and wonders of God
among the Gentiles- Acts 15:12
7. Commander that freed Paul- Acts22:30;
23:6-11- wishing to determine the truth
8. Chieftain Publius’ hospitality in Malta to
the Travelers – Acts 28:1-10
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Respiration Models in the Old Testament
Women
1.
Sarah- Gen 18:12- laughed to herself- Isaac
means laughed; 1 Peter 3:6; Romans 4:19 and
9:9, Gal 4:22-23; Hebrews 11:11
2. Hagar is led to water- Gen. 21:17-19
3.
Rebekah- Gen 22:20-23;24;25:19-34; 26:1-11,
17, 23, 34-35; 27; 28:1-5; 49:29, 31
4.
Rachel- Gen 28:1-5; 29:1-31; 30:1-26; 31:4-55;
32:22-24; 33:1-7,12-14; 35:16-21,24-25;
46:19-22; 48:7 ; Jer 31:15
5.
Mrs. Potipher’s – Gen 39:1-23
6.
Miriam – Ex 2:1-10; 15:19-21; Num 12; 20:1-2
Deut 24:8-9; 1 Chr 6:1-3; Mic 6:3-4
7.
Hannah- 1 Sam 1; 2:1-11, 18-21- Elkanah
continues to love his childless wife
8.
Abigail- 1 sam 25:1-42; 27:1-4; 30:1-18 2 Sam
2:1-4; 3:2-3; 1 Chr 3:1
9.
Daughters of Zelophehad- Num. 26:33; 27:111; 36:1-13; Josh 17:3-6-publicly challenge
laws of inheritance and won concessions from
Moses
10. Sarah, wife of Tobias- Book of Tobit
11. Lo-ruhamah- Unloved child of Gomer and
Hosea- Hos 1:2-3, 6-9; 2:1-4, 21-22
12. Jewish Mother of Maccabees-2 Macc 7:1-43
and 4 Macc 8-18
Men
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Aaron’s staff blooms-Life from the voidintended goodness for creation- Nm 17:2223
Noah- Gen. 9:1,7
Abraham- Gen. 16:2
Moses purifies water and is led to water- Ex
15: 24-25- burning bush- Ex 3:2-6- God’s
presence at the Tabernacle- Ex. 40:16-38
Ishmael- Gen 21:17-19
Daniel’s three friends survive the fiery
furnace Dn 3: 19-24, 91-94
Elisha raises the Shunammite child- 2 Kings
4:18-37
Dead man raised to life- 2 Kings 13:21
Isaiah 43:1- Never alone
True fasting- Isaiah 58- faith that does justice
Amos- Woe to the complacent-6:1;
Restoration- 9:11-15
Micah 6:8- What is required of us for life
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Respiration
Miriam- Ex 2:1-10; 15:19-21;
Num 12; 20:1-2 Deut 24:8-9; 1
Chr 6:1-3; Mic 6:3-4
Miriam's Song" by Deborah Lynn
Friedman
And Miriam was a weaver
of unique variety.
The tapestry she wove was
one which sang our
history.
With every thread and
every strand she crafted
her delight.
A woman touched with
spirit, she dances toward
the light.
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Respiration
Moses
Moses purifies water and is led to water- Ex 15:
24-25- burning bush- Ex 3:2-6- God’s presence at
the Tabernacle- Ex. 40:16-38
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Respiration
John Mark
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Repair Models Found in the Old Testament – Gen 29: 24,29; Gen 30:1-13; Gen
31:17,33; Gen 32:22-24; Gen 33:1-14; Gen 35:21-22,25-26 Gen. 37:2;
Gen 46:18, 23-25
Zilpah- Leah’s Slave- Gad and AsherBildah- Rachel’s Slave – Dan Naphtali
Zilpah
Bildah
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Resilience
Hagar- makes herself seen- Gen 16;17:1,
18-21; 21:1-4, 6-21; Gen 25:5-6, 12-17
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Resilience
Mrs. LotGenesis 19:1-26sign of hope
Ez 16:4; 2 Kgs 2:19-22; Num 18:19, 2 Chr 13:6; Ex 43:24;
Lev 2:13; Ex 30:35; Mt. 5:13; Mk 9:50; Col 4:6;
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Resilience
Tamar- Gen 38:6-30; 1 Chr 2:3-6;
Mt 1:3
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Resilience
Deborah- Judges 4:1-22; 5:1-31
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