Description
The project of decolonization in the Caribbean is an ongoing one. The emergence of Caribbean theological reflection and the development of Caribbean Theology has naturally been part and parcel of the growing consciousness of Caribbean identity that began in the 1960s. Initially stymied by influences from the North that wrongly identified the movement as Liberation Theology with the attendant tentacles of socialism, Neville W. deSouza was the outspoken 12th Bishop of the Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands whose expressions of the role of the church and the state and the alignment of the church with the working class, the people, rather than elite, to bring about social change, gave voice to the indigenization of the Church in Jamaica.
In Journey to the Promised Land, Howard K.A. Gregory presents deSouza’s Synod sermons between 1980 and 2000. Delivered during a socially and economically tumultuous time in Jamaica’s contemporary history, deSouza brought theological and biblical reflection on the challenges facing the country and the mission to which the Church and the nation were called. Two decades later, the messages still resonate and reflect the depth of Bishop deSouza’s theological reflection.
The Bishop rarely spoke from a prepared text and so this collection has been prepared from recordings of deSouza’s addresses. Eloquently contextualized by Gregory’s introduction and Epilogue, the work is further enhanced by Professor Patrick Bryan’s biographical sketch making Journey to the Promised Land a welcomed addition to the burgeoning work in not only Caribbean Theology, but also in Black Theology and Feminist Theology and Caribbean studies generally.
Contents
Foreword – Dr the Hon. Barbara Gloudon
Prologue: A Biographical Sketch: The Man and His Time – Professor Patrick Bryan
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Bishop Neville De Souza: Church and Nation Howard K.A. Gregory
CHAPTER ONE
The One Hundred and Tenth Synod – Tuesday, April 8, 1980
CHAPTER TWO
The One Hundred and Eleventh Synod – Tuesday, April 21, 1981
CHAPTER THREE
The One Hundred and Twelfth Synod – Tuesday, April 13, 1982
CHAPTER FOUR
The One Hundred and Thirteenth Synod – Tuesday, April 5, 1983
CHAPTER FIVE
The One Hundred and Fourteenth Synod – Tuesday, April 27, 1984
CHAPTER SIX
The One Hundred and Fifteenth Synod – Tuesday, April 9, 1985
CHAPTER SEVEN
The One Hundred and Seventeenth Synod Tuesday, April 21, 1987
CHAPTER EIGHT
The One Hundred and Eighteenth Synod – Tuesday, April 5, 1988
CHAPTER NINE
The One Hundred and Nineteenth Synod – Tuesday, April 5, 1989
CHAPTER TEN / 183
The One Hundred and Twentieth Synod – Tuesday, April 17, 1990
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The One Hundred and Twenty-first Synod – Tuesday, April 2, 1991
CHAPTER TWELVE
The One Hundred and Twenty-second Synod – Tuesday, April 21, 1992
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The One Hundred and Twenty-third Synod –Tuesday, April 13, 1993
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The One Hundred and Twenty-fourth Synod – Tuesday, April 5, 1994
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Synod – Tuesday, April 18, 1995
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Synod – Tuesday, April 9, 1996
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The One Hundred and Twenty-seventh Synod – Tuesday, April 1, 1997
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Synod – Tuesday, April 15, 1998
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Synod – Tuesday, April 6, 1999
CHAPTER TWENTY
The One Hundred and Thirtieth Synod – Tuesday, April 25, 2000
Epilogue – Howard K. A. Gregory
References
About the Author
Howard K. A. Gregory is head of the Anglican Church in Jamaica having been enthroned as the 14th Bishop of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands in 2012. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology and a Diploma in Education from The University of the West Indies; a Master of Sacred Theology from the Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, Virginia; a Doctor of Sacred Theology degree from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia; a Master’s degree in business administration from the Graduate Theological Foundation in South Bend, Indiana; and the Doctor of Divinity degree from the Graduate Theological Foundation and the Virginia Theological Seminary. A prolific writer himself, Bishop Gregory has made numerous contributions to scholarly collections and journals and at various times has been Editor of the Caribbean Journal of Religious Studies and a contributing newspaper columnist.
