TEOLOGIA PARA O CAMPO: A EXPERIÊNCIA DAS PRIMEIRAS MISSÕES EM MOÇAMBIQUE

Abstract

This article aims to demonstrate that excellent theological preparation is essential for the mission. The best equipped the missionary is, the less problems in the field the missionary will have. The missionary will face different theological perspectives that a consistent basis must deal with, or difficulties related to faith and culture will perpetuate. This investigation presents the beginning of Christianity in Mozambique, with an overview of the work developed by Anglicans and Presbyterians in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The work focuses on the southern region of the country, where the first evangelical denominations arrived. The missionary action developed from the natives is reported according to the different forms of training they received. The paper also discusses the arrival of cross-cultural missionaries from Europe, how they assumed the ministries and dealt with some aspects of the local culture. The Anglicans and Presbyterians missionary’s work has differences in its establishment, but local theological challenges have similarities. Analyzing these problems can help to understand the importance of theology equipment. The article will demonstrate that different cultures have their theological presuppositions that the missionary should consider. From the local perspective, biblical changes must be presented above any cultural behavior. The training of a national missionary can be more complex since specific changes are native’s culture and traditions part, seen by the national missionary as elements that involve culture and origins.