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Item Disaster And Posttraumatic Adaptation: Risk And Protective Factors(University of Ghana, 2019-07) Dziwornu, E.This research investigated the role of risk and protective factors in how disaster victims adapt to the impacts of the adversity. This adaptation was examined at two levels: posttraumatic distress (PTD) and posttraumatic growth (PTG). Four risk factors and five protective factors were examined. The concurrent nexted mixed methods approach with 336 sample from the population of 3rd June 2015 flood/fire disaster victims in Accra was used; 13 of which participated in both quantitative and qualitative studies. The quantitative study used standardised measures of PTG, PTSD, and general distress (using the global severity index of the symptoms checklist) as outcome variables, social support, religiosity, resilience, belief in just world, and self-efficacy (protective factors) as moderating variables, and neuroticism, assumptive world, previous traumatic history and independent self-construal (risk factors) as predictors. Five hypotheses were tested using hierarchical multiple regression and Pearson correlations. The results indicate that risk factors namely neuroticism, and previous traumatic history significantly predict PTD (general psychological distress and PTSD). It was also found that protective factors namely social support, belief in just world, resilience, and religiosity significantly predict PTG. Again, it was found that protective factors significantly moderate the relationship between risk factors and psychological distress. Finally, the quantitative study also found that social support, self-efficacy, belief in just world, resilience and religiosity are negatively and significantly correlated with PTD (psychological distress and PTSD), and there is rather a significant positive correlation between PTG and PTD. The qualitative study used the phenomenological approach with thematic analysis to answered three research questions. It was found that victims perceive the causes of the disaster to include engineering failures and anti-environmental behaviours. Their experiences include loss and biographical disruption such as disfigurement, death and loss of property, and psychological impacts such as anxiety, and mood problems. Participants’ adjustment experiences involve societal and family level interventions, spiritual support and post disaster vulnerability. It was concluded that indeed disaster victims suffer distress with risk factors exacerbating it. However, victims also experience growth following the disaster and this is facilitated by protective factors. The implications of the findings regarding clinical practice, policy, disaster management, research and theory are discusseItem The Influence of the Brukung Cult in the Social Organization of Shiare(University of Ghana, 1979-06) Pollock, R.Item The Ethical Dimension of Pentecostal/Charismatic Church Leadership in Ghana(University Of Ghana, 2012-05) Quampah, D.The emergence of Pentecoastalism in Ghana from early 1900 has registered a massive following with institutional structures that have significantly impacted Christian discourse and national life. The said Churches have produced prominent leaders, developed Christian education programmes and generated volumes of Christian literature that is unprecedented in Ghanaian Christianity. These accomplishments notwithstanding, public opinion often upbraids the leaders for unethical conduct. The functional evidence of ethical concepts in these ministries reveals a continuum between principles and utility, demonstrating a challenge of integrating traditional ethics with Christian moral values. The prevailing church polity, administrative structures and ministerial ethical codes suggest an overriding concern for high moral standards. Nevertheless media reports on Pentecostal ministerial conduct, which sometimes borders on sensationalism and stereotyping, abound on promiscuity, power abuse, financial misappropriation, and superstition. Although congregation members and more perceptive observers appreciate the constructive moral impact of the Pentecostal ministers, available data reveals a gap between travesty and ideal in Pentecostal ministerial ethics. Ascribable factors to unethical ministerial conduct include inadequate training, poor accountability and a general low level of ethical reflection. One would suggest that a multidimensional approach of responsible reportage, emphatic moral education, adequate but sympathetic response to moral failure, and peer review accountability could help to approximate to appreciable standards in ministerial ethics.Item The Ethical Dimension of Pentecostal/Charismatic Church Leadership in Ghana(University of Ghana, 2012-05) Quampah, D.The emergence of Pentecoastalism in Ghana from early 1900 has registered a massive following with institutional structures that have significantly impacted Christian discourse and national life. The said Churches have produced prominent leaders, developed Christian education programmes and generated volumes of Christian literature that is unprecedented in Ghanaian Christianity. These accomplishments notwithstanding, public opinion often upbraids the leaders for unethical conduct. The functional evidence of ethical concepts in these ministries reveals a continuum between principles and utility, demonstrating a challenge of integrating traditional ethics with Christian moral values. The prevailing church polity, administrative structures and ministerial ethical codes suggest an overriding concern for high moral standards. Nevertheless media reports on Pentecostal ministerial conduct, which sometimes borders on sensationalism and stereotyping, abound on promiscuity, power abuse, financial misappropriation, and superstition. Although congregation members and more perceptive observers appreciate the constructive moral impact of the Pentecostal ministers, available data reveals a gap between travesty and ideal in Pentecostal ministerial ethics. Ascribable factors to unethical ministerial conduct include inadequate training, poor accountability and a general low level of ethical reflection. One would suggest that a multidimensional approach of responsible reportage, emphatic moral education, adequate but sympathetic response to moral failure, and peer review accountability could help to approximate to appreciable standards in ministerial ethics.Item Education and Health in Pastoral Ministry: A Study of Bishop Joseph Oliver Bowers SVD, Catholic Diocese of Accra (1953-1971)(University Of Ghana, 2019-07) Quarshie, E.In recent years, the religious dimension of life has become a central issue in develop-ment discourse, but it has been generally ignored or dismissed by development policy-makers. Recent events, however, suggest that religion has become an important force in the world. Religion shows no sign of diminishing in public importance as some de-velopment theorists have universally claimed. In fact, in Africa, religion constitutes the foundation of upliftment and transformation of lives. In effect, evidence abounds that the religious dimension of life has contributed immensely to integral human develop-ment in Ghana, specifically in the fields of education and health. It is against this background that the study investigated how Bishop Bowers contributed to integral human development in Ghana through the establishment of educational in-stitutions and health facilities. The study employed qualitative research methods and approaches to generate novel insights into phenomena that were difficult to quantify, which emerged from data. The study area is the Accra Diocese at the time of Bishop Bowers (1953 to 1971). Data was collected and collated using the snowball technique. Focus Group Discussions were conducted at Pope John Seminary and Senior High, Koforidua (a boys’ school) and St Rose’s Senior High, Akwatia (a girls’ school) and with the Handmaids of the Divine Redeemer of Accra Convent, Agomanya (the house of elderly nuns). Archival material from Robert M. Myers Archives, Techny, USA; SVD Guest House, Accra; St. Dominikus Institut, Speyer, Germany of OP Sisters; Accra Archdiocesan Archives, and the Ghana National Archives, Accra were consulted. For personal observation, visits were paid to six schools (Pope John’s Minor Seminary and Senior High School at Koforidua, St. Peter’s Senor High School at Nkwatia, St Martin’s Senior High School at Adoagyiri, St. Rose’s Senior High School at Akwatia and St. Anne Vocational Insti-tute at Nuaso) and four hospitals (St. Dominic Hospital at Akwatia, Battor Catholic Hospital at Battor, St. Joseph Hospital in Koforidua and St. Martin’s Hospital at Agom-anya. The data generated from the narratives of the interviewees and archival material was analysed and organised into themes. The findings of the study reveal that Bowers’ upbringing and formative years impacted his ministry as a Bishop. This translated into his concern for the holistic development of every person and the whole person. Furthermore, the research revealed that religion is a key element in development discourse in Ghana and that religion has always af-fected the socio-economic and political life of Ghanaians. Lastly, it revealed that the Roman Catholic Church in Ghana has promoted integral human development through the establishment of educational and health facilities. Key words: Bishop Bowers, Biography, Integral Human Development, Religion, Spirituality, Pastoral Ministry, Education and HealthItem Education and Health in Pastoral Ministry: a Study of Bishop Joseph Oliver Bowers SVD, Catholic Diocese of Accra (1953-1971)(University of Ghana, 2020-07) Quarshie, E.In recent years, the religious dimension of life has become a central issue in development discourse, but it has been generally ignored or dismissed by development policy-makers. Recent events, however, suggest that religion has become an important force in the world. Religion shows no sign of diminishing in public importance as some development theorists have universally claimed. In fact, in Africa, religion constitutes the foundation of upliftment and transformation of lives. In effect, evidence abounds that the religious dimension of life has contributed immensely to integral human development in Ghana, specifically in the fields of education and health. It is against this background that the study investigated how Bishop Bowers contributed to integral human development in Ghana through the establishment of educational institutions and health facilities. The study employed qualitative research methods and approaches to generate novel insights into phenomena that were difficult to quantify, which emerged from data. The study area is the Accra Diocese at the time of Bishop Bowers (1953 to 1971). Data was collected and collated using the snowball technique. Focus Group Discussions were conducted at Pope John Seminary and Senior High, Koforidua (a boys’ school), and St Rose’s Senior High, Akwatia (a girls’ school) and with the Handmaids of the Divine Redeemer of Accra Convent, Agomanya (the house of elderly nuns). Archival material from Robert M. Myers Archives, Techny, USA; SVD Guest House, Accra; St. Dominikus Institut, Speyer, Germany of OP Sisters; Accra Archdiocesan Archives, and the Ghana National Archives, Accra were consulted. For personal observation, visits were paid to six schools (Pope John’s Minor Seminary and Senior High School at Koforidua, St. Peter’s Senior High School at Nkwatia, St Martin’s Senior High School at Adoagyiri, St. Rose’s Senior High School at Akwatia, and St. Anne Vocational Institute at Nuaso) and four hospitals (St. Dominic Hospital at Akwatia, Battor Catholic Hospital at Battor, St. Joseph Hospital in Koforidua, and St. Martin’s Hospital at Agom-anya. The data generated from the narratives of the interviewees and archival material was analyzed and organized into themes. The findings of the study reveal that Bowers’ upbringing and formative years impacted his ministry as a Bishop. This translated into his concern for the holistic development of every person and the whole person. Furthermore, the research revealed that religion is a key element in development discourse in Ghana and that religion has always affected the socio-economic and political life of Ghanaians. Lastly, it revealed that the Roman Catholic Church in Ghana has promoted integral human development through the establishment of educational and health facilities.Item Education and Health in Pastoral Ministry: A Study of Bishop Joseph Oliver Bowers Svd, Catholic Diocese of Accra (1953-1971)(University of Ghana, 2019-07) Quarshie, E.In recent years, the religious dimension of life has become a central issue in develop-ment discourse, but it has been generally ignored or dismissed by development policy-makers. Recent events, however, suggest that religion has become an important force in the world. Religion shows no sign of diminishing in public importance as some de-velopment theorists have universally claimed. In fact, in Africa, religion constitutes the foundation of upliftment and transformation of lives. In effect, evidence abounds that the religious dimension of life has contributed immensely to integral human develop-ment in Ghana, specifically in the fields of education and health. It is against this background that the study investigated how Bishop Bowers contributed to integral human development in Ghana through the establishment of educational in-stitutions and health facilities. The study employed qualitative research methods and approaches to generate novel insights into phenomena that were difficult to quantify, which emerged from data. The study area is the Accra Diocese at the time of Bishop Bowers (1953 to 1971). Data was collected and collated using the snowball technique. Focus Group Discussions were conducted at Pope John Seminary and Senior High, Koforidua (a boys’ school) and St Rose’s Senior High, Akwatia (a girls’ school) and with the Handmaids of the Divine Redeemer of Accra Convent, Agomanya (the house of elderly nuns). Archival material from Robert M. Myers Archives, Techny, USA; SVD Guest House, Accra; St. Dominikus Institut, Speyer, Germany of OP Sisters; Accra Archdiocesan Archives, and the Ghana National Archives, Accra were consulted. For personal observation, visits were paid to six schools (Pope John’s Minor Seminary and Senior High School at Koforidua, St. Peter’s Senor High School at Nkwatia, St Martin’s Senior High School at Adoagyiri, St. Rose’s Senior High School at Akwatia and St. Anne Vocational Insti-tute at Nuaso) and four hospitals (St. Dominic Hospital at Akwatia, Battor Catholic Hospital at Battor, St. Joseph Hospital in Koforidua and St. Martin’s Hospital at Agom-anya. The data generated from the narratives of the interviewees and archival material was analysed and organised into themes. The findings of the study reveal that Bowers’ upbringing and formative years impacted his ministry as a Bishop. This translated into his concern for the holistic development of every person and the whole person. Furthermore, the research revealed that religion is a key element in development discourse in Ghana and that religion has always af-fected the socio-economic and political life of Ghanaians. Lastly, it revealed that the Roman Catholic Church in Ghana has promoted integral human development through the establishment of educational and health facilities. Key words: Bishop Bowers, Biography, Integral Human Development, Religion, Spirituality, Pastoral Ministry, Education and Health.Item Historical-Archaeological Investigations at the Frederiksgave Plantation, Ghana: A Case Study of Slavery and Plantation Life on a Nineteenth Century Danish Plantation on the Gold Coast(University of Ghana, 2002-01) Bredwah-Mensah, Y.The global processes that were unleashed due to the maritime exploration and commercial expansion of Europe made an impact on indigenous cultures of the Atlantic world. Between the late fifteenth and the nineteenth century the Atlantic Slave Trade, which existed due to the European contact, and basically involved trade in Africa's human cargoes, affected traditional institutions and local life. On the Gold Coast, the Royal Danish Government established agricultural plantations in the foothills of the Akuapem Mountains and along the estuary of the Volta River. The plantations, which were established in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, produced agricultural commodities for consumption and industrial processing. The thesis surveyed the Danish plantations on the Gold Coast, highlighting on their location. historical development and production management as portrayed by Danish documentary sources. The present state of the plantations is also described. The study has demonstrated that the Danish plantations on the Gold Coast developed as a result of the European global expansionist activities particularly the Atlantic Slave Trade. The diverse archaeological objects particularly, the exotic trade goods obtained at the Frederiksgave plantation is an indication of the incorporation of the Danish plantation complex into the European dominated world economic system of the nineteenth century. xix Resident enslaved African workers provided labour on the plantations. This work investigated the social conditions of the enslaved African workforce who tirelessly cultivated the plantations in the Akuapem Mountains. Originally, the Danes, who participated in the Atlantic Slave Trade, used enslaved Africans in their forts and private homes. However, when they became involved in plantation agriculture on the Gold Coast, these slaves were transferred to work on the farms as plantation workers. Archaeological data recovered from the Frederiksgave plantation was combined with documentary, ethnographic and oral information to provide insights into what the daily life was like for the enslaved workers on the plantations. The enslaved workers on the plantations were drawn from different ethnic backgrounds on the Gold Coast. They engaged in diverse servile tasks, which ranged from weeding, planting, harvesting and head loading and transporting harvested commodities to warehouses on the Accra coast. The subsistence and building construction patterns on the plantations strongly remained African. It was clear that all categories of slaves on the plantation were trapped by their enslaved condition. The slaves therefore adopted appropriate responses to resist their disadvantaged social conditions.Item Akyem Abuakwa C.1874 - 1943: A Study of the Impact of Missionary Activities and Colonial Rule on a Traditional State(University of Ghana, 1980-04) Addo-Fening, R.This thesis is a study of the nature and extent of the pressures -social, economic and political - that the Basel Missionaries and British colonial Administrators brought to bear on Akyem Abuakwa society during the period 1874-1943. The study also examines the state's responses to these pressures and the extent to which they were conditioned by her pre-european historical experience, her ethos, the strengths and weaknesses of her institutional arrangements, the quality of her political leadership and her resources. The general conclusions that emerge from this study are that missionary activities and colonial policies brought a great deal of material progress to Akyem Abuakwa society: the quality of life was improved by the spread of western-style education, by the adoption of new skills, by improved medical care and by infrastructural developments; changes in the customary penal system made the administration of justice more humane; while the evolution of a modem-style bureaucracy at the courts of the chiefs and the adoption of certain administrative routines enabled the complicated and diverse functions of modem government to be effectively discharged. Those positive results were, however, off-set by negative and harmful results: the spiritual foundations of Akyem Abuakwa were seriously undermined by widespread and wilful violation of time-honoured customary taboos by missionary converts in the name of religious freedom as well as by the introduction of a dichotomy between 'church’ and ‘state’, between religion and politics; the cohesion and solidarity of Abuakwa society suffered great damage by the creation of salems whose Christian inhabitants held aloof from the life of the wider community; existing social conflicts were sharpened while new, more serious and harmful ones were introduced by the concept of territorial jurisdiction as embodied in the N.J.O., by the distortion of the character and role of chieftaincy, and by the destruction of the religious conformity of the state; the wakening of extended family ties, growing emphasis on individualism and the failure of Christianity to deal adequately with the trauma. of rapid social and. economic change created problems of security which expressed themselves in alcoholism and neurosis; above all the exploitation of Abuakwa’s immense resources -human and natural - for the greater benefit of her alien rulers resulted in the under-development of the state.Item Persecution and Martyrdom of the Early Christians: The Martyr and Apologetic Texts from the 2nd century(University of Ghana, 2018-07) Boamah, K.Some Christian expression present in music, sermons and life styles of contemporary Ghanaian preachers suggest that once a person becomes a Christian they will not face predicaments such as sickness, barrenness and pains. However, in reference to Christian history, there is no Christianity without a cross; in essence, suffering is part of the Christian tradition and theology. It is important therefore to reminisce from the examples and from the history of the early Christians and the coming of Christianity to Ghana how contemporary Ghanaian Christians can deal with the question of suffering. In its early history, Christians were subjected to persecutions and martyrdoms at the hands of the Romans. The character of these persecutions and the motives of the persecutors are ―classic‖ issues that have been debated over the centuries in ancient history, theology, religious studies, classical philology and legal history. Traditionally, most studies on the persecution and martyrdom of the early Christians in the Roman Empire have employed the martyr narratives and pagan texts as sources while references to apologetic literature are found only sparingly. In the martyr-texts the Christian author‘s projected images of the persecutions and presented that image to their Christian readers in order to console and make sense of suffering. Similarly, contemporary apologetic texts projected images of suffering and persecution. However little is noted of scholars who have attempted to compare the contemporary images projected in these two types of texts, and no one has done so systematically. It is debated in scholarship whether the apologists were defending against `real` accusations raised by the outsiders or whether they invented accusations as a pretext for promoting their own ideas. Additionally, it is claimed by many scholars that the apologies addressed to authorities were not intended for submissions to their addresses. How does the martyr and apologetic texts corroborate, supplement or contradict each other in regard to the images of the persecution and martyrdom of the early Christians the two types of text promote? This question is best addressed when the martyr and apologetic sources are compared systematically. This comparison is relevant because the two types of texts emerge as different Christian responses to the hostilities against the early Christians in the Roman Empire. Both kinds of texts emerged as crisis literature, born out of the persecutions and martyrdom, from the same geographical area and written during the same decades. The two types of texts were however addressed to different audiences, the martyr-texts implicitly or explicitly to Christian readers, the apologetic texts to outsiders (Roman magistrates or emperors on the one hand and the general public on the other).Based on this, my thesis is that a detailed and minute agreement in the image projected by the two types of texts will suggest that both kinds of texts do reflect the actual character of the persecutions; but at the same time suggests that the addressing of the apologetic texts to outsiders was a literary ―fiction‖ since the authors obviously found no need to target their addresses. Conversely, if there is little agreement in the image projected, this suggests that images of persecution and martyrdom were constructed at liberty by the authors and fashioned to serve different rhetoric and ideological purposes aimed at specific inside and outside audiences. The ―balance‖ is stuck, if the study reveals a general agreement in the image projected by the two types of texts with some detailed differences that can be argued to be based on the authors‘ consideration for their respective audiences. If such a general agreement with detailed changes is found, it will arguably show, that the image projected is generally accurate, and it will show that the two types of texts were intended for different audiences.Two distinct, but each of them formative and challenging and therefore on some level comparable (in the sense that they may be fruitfully compared with a view to both differences and similarities), periods will be studied. The main effort is devoted to a study of texts written in the mid-second to early third centuries of the Roman Empire, for comparison the missionary period of Ghanaian church history and how persecution and martyrdom in this period is presented is also studied. The main purpose of this dissertation was to systematically compare the early Christian martyr-literature to the early Christian apologetic literature in order to investigate if these sources corroborate, supplement or even contradict their pictures of the character of the persecutions and the motives of the persecutors.Furthermore, it was the purpose to discuss the submission status of the apologetic texts, i.e. were those texts that were addressed to emperors and magistrates really intended for submission..This project thereforesurveys the picture of the persecution and martyrdom of the early Christians as portrayed in the martyr and apologetic texts, and it discusses texts presenting an image of persecution and martyrdom in the missionary history of Ghana, and it discusses the relevance of these texts to Ghanaian Christianity. The objectives of this study are attained through a systematic comparison of the texts both internally (i.e. martyr texts are compared to martyr texts and apologetic texts are compared to apologetic texts)and externally (martyr texts are compared to apologetic texts) to identify their similarities and differences in relation to the image they project of the persecutions, the persecutors and their motives. The texts are analyzed by adopting the literary critical method in studying the rhetorical features of persuasions by focusing on the speakers, audience, context and the discourse of the texts. In this way, the texts are each divided into two different sub-categories and compared internally and externally at three levels that I have termed; harmony, synthesis and a fusion. The objective was to find out if the two classes of texts when compared corroborate, supplement or even contradict themselves. These methods also help to scientifically determine the submission status of the apologetic texts to their addresses especially the authorities. In view of these methods, the internal and external comparisons showed that the apologetic texts are useful sources for the study of the persecution and martyrdom of the early church. More importantly, the methods employed showed that even though there are some nuances (pointing to different audiences) between the texts, the two type of accounts do not contradict but rather provide evidence and support each other. Additionally, regarding the submission status of the apologies, it is argued that those apologies that were addressed to the authorities were intended for submission. This conclusion is based on the nuances in the internal comparison within the apologetic texts and in the external comparison with the martyr texts. The subject of the persecution and martyrdom is also an African story where there are examples of hostilities especially from the missionary era. Both historical contexts offer some lessons and perspectives for the contemporary African Christians who may suffer, but who recently face a prosperity gospel out of tune with the roots of Christianity (also in Ghana).. The project contributes to academic study in many respects. The novelty in the methods, sources and contextualization of the African examples, break grounds in the studies of the persecution and martyrdom of Christians. The study offers a paradigm shift in academia where scholars are encouraged to use both genres of texts to explore the hostilities against the Christians because the texts lend credence and complement one another. The methods adopted in this study scientifically suggest that the texts were intended to receive the attention of their addresses. Moreover, it is clear from the studies that the subject of the persecution and martyrdom is very relevant to Africa. The attempt to compare the early beginnings of Christianity in the Roman and African contexts is a novelty. Keywords: Persecution, Martyrdom, Comparison, Apologetics, Early Christians.
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