International Journal of Innovative Research and Development

Abstract

Religious postmodernism is a philosophical method that attempts to analyze the present as it occurs on matters of doctrine, faith and practice particularly the view that no religion or religious view is absolutely right or wrong. This philosophy has entrenched itself in today’s society and threatens to disrupt the social order especially in churches which strictly stick to the Bible and the church traditions like the Anglican Church of Kenya. Postmodern worship practices are a great challenge to the unity Anglican Church as they threaten the traditional worship practices which are a pillar of the church. A study was carried out in Makuyu Archdeaconry of Murang’a South Diocese ACK to assess the effects of postmodern worship practices on Christian Worship between May and August 2014. Worship elements including music, prayer, and general church leadership, role of women, worship facilities and homosexuality were investigated. The theoretical framework that guided the study was the deconstruction theory first developed by Jacques Derrida in 1976 which holds that where philosophical opposition exists, you can never encounter a peaceful coexistence and thus you have to deconstruct the two opposing sides by assuming first that none is right or wrong. Data was corrected through self-report questionnaire, interview guide and observation guide. Descriptive survey was used and data analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 17). Interpretation of meaning of findings was based on objectives and existing literature. The study found that postmodernism has affected worship in the mode of dressing, music played in church and the church leadership. The findings of the research are important to Christians and religious leaders whose religions have been affected by postmodernism.

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This study sought to investigate the relevance of biblical teachings on the preservation of environment resources in Tigania west sub county, Meru County. The objectives of this study was: to determine the level of awareness by Christians in activities that promote preservation of natural resources in their environment, to find out whether Christian leaders teach their church members biblical principles regarding preservation of natural resources in their environment, to find out strategies Christians are using to preserve natural resources in their environment and to determine the level of participation by Christians in preserving the natural resources in their environment. The study reviewed literature on related themes such as theoretical review of Level of awareness by Christians, teachings by Christian Leaders and strategies by Christians Level of participation by Christians. It is hoped that the study was significant to the Christians and church leaders. The proposed study confined itself to churches in Tigania West Sub county where data was collected from Christians and church leaders.  The study adopted descriptive survey design. The target population was 917 Christians. The sample size was 92 which were 10% of the population according to Mugenda. The research instruments to be used were a questionnaire for Christians and church leaders. Piloting was done to help identify ambiguities and inadequacies of research instruments. The primary data was collected from the subjects, thoroughly sorted, edited, coded, organized and analyzed systematically using qualitative and quantitative methods. Finally results from the data collected in this study was analyzed by use of percentages and frequencies and presented in charts and tables.  From the findings, Christians knew that nature has to be respected and cared for as God’s creation. It is therefore recommended that Christian leaders schedule teaching and preaching on environmental stewardship based on the Bible and guided by their statement of beliefs on nature. The leader of any Christian church or ministry has the responsibility to lead this environmental protection and stewardship education effort or to find a qualified leader who can do so. This helped the church’s environmental stewardship program.

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