Books and Publications
The
Courage to Hope
The World Council of Churches
(WCC) Risk Book Series has a deserved reputation
for sharp and challenging writing accessible to a wide
readership.
The Courage to Hope by
Samuel Kobia, the new WCC general secretary, promises to
continue this tradition.
His latest book, subtitled The
Roots for a New Vision and the Calling of the Church
in Africa , examines the reality of life, and its
potential in today's Africa.
Samuel Kobia raises important
questions: "How are we to live authentic lives in the face
of untold suffering within the continent of Africa? How
are Africans, and others with a concern for Africa, to
escape a sense of estrangement in the 21st century?"
The Courage to Hope surveys
the natural and historical legacies of Africa, which Dr
Kobia describes as, "the primordial home of all humanity".
Africa, he says, has nurtured a rich diversity of traditions,
values and spirituality.
More widely - indeed, much
more widely - he describes a moral universe that is predicated
on a web connecting all life.
He regrets that, in post-colonial
Africa, life and hope have been diminished by the failure
of spiritual liberation to keep pace with political emancipation.
Addressing key contemporary
issues and threats to the well being of the world, the
author calls for a transformation of human consciousness
and community practices.
Samuel Kobia was elected
in August 2003 to be the sixth general secretary of the
World Council of Churches (see p. X ) ; he succeeds
Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser. A Methodist minister and former
leader of the National Council of Churches in Kenya, Dr
Kobia served the WCC as director and special representative
of the general secretary for Africa when he wrote this
book.
The Courage to Hope
The Roots for a New
Vision and the Calling of the Church in Africa
WCC Publications, World
Council of Churches, PO Box 2100, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland.
ISBN:2-8254-1388-7
Sfr24.00;
US$16.95; GB£10.95; €14.50
