NAGEL RESEARCH PROJECT PROGRESS WORKSHOP ON 11TH JAN 2022

Nagel Institute, Calvin University with the support of Templeton Religion Trust is sponsoring twelve research projects across Africa under the theme: “Engaging African Realities: Integrating Social Science within African Theology.”  Their aim is to support African theologians to engage in fresh social-scientific integrated approaches with the goal of producing creative and original projects in grounded theology. One of the two projects in Kenya is hosted by the University of Nairobi under the leadership of Dr. Telesia Musili from the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies. The team comprises seven researchers drawn from different public and private universities who are conducting a research entitled: “African Value of Communality and Religious Experiences in the Virtual Space amidst COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Study of Three Selected Churches in Kenya.” The Project seeks, among other objectives, to examine comparatively how the adoption of virtual spaces intersects with African value of communality and religious experiences among the three selected churches.

The project commenced in July 2021 and shall end in April 2024 with workshops and conferences being conducted within the time frame. As a result, the University of Nairobi team with the support of faculty members held a second workshop on 11th Jan.2022 at the University of Nairobi Towers. Their research progress and emerging experiences were highlighted and discussed in view of possible journal article and book themes. The Director of Engaging African Realities Project in Nagel Institute, Calvin University, Prof. Afe Adogame and the Project Advisor Dr. Damaris Parsitau were in attendance. Prof. Afe Adogame is the Maxwell M. Upson Professor of Religion and Society, and Chair of History and Ecumenics Department, Princeton Theological Seminary.