Joseph Gyanvi Blay

ABSTRACT The Catholic Church believes in the intrinsic and inseparable bond of the Holy Eucharist and the Church. In reference to its dogmatic Constitution, Lumen Gentium paragraph 11 (LG 11) the Church professes that the Eucharist, which is the body and blood of Jesus Christ, is “the source and summit of Christian life.” Each of these two sacraments effects and builds each other. This implies that as the church celebrates the Eucharist, the members as they partake in the Holy Communion manifest concretely their unity and become one body of Christ. This article seeks to underscore the indissoluble reciprocal causality of the Eucharist and the Church, while it stresses on the Eucharist as the origin, the being, and the destiny of the Church. The study drums home critically the idea that the Eucharist builds the Church, and the Church makes the Eucharist. These are but two complementary terms, the Body of Christ, the Church which lives and continuously builds itself up through the Eucharist, Body of Christ. This great theological theme is one of the central points of deeper interest in Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Anglican ecclesiology. However, the paper examines critically the reciprocal causality between the Church and the Eucharist from the Catholic perspective as proposed by H. de Lubac, a French theologian. It finally treats the interpenetration of the Eucharist as the Body of Christ and the Church as the Body of Christ from the perspective of sacramental theology.

This paper evaluates the place of justice in sexual interactions between males and females in Ghana in particular and in Africa in general. It discusses the unfairness inherent in cases of rape, adultery and divorce and sexting in Ghana in light of African Biblical Hermeneutics. The study has discovered that issues of sexual injustices date back to ancient times with sexting being its latest dimension, especially in Ghana. Sexual injustices in any form have both cultural as well as religious connotations. Employing Narrative Criticism on the sexual stories of Dinah and Tamar in Genesis 34 and 2 Samuel 13 respectively, the study has established that the culture from which the Christian scripture originated was chauvinistic. Undoubtedly, one of the most integral causes is inherent in interpretation. The authors have therefore advocated for a reconstruction of those texts and worldviews by incorporating hermeneutics of inclusiveness and equality before God, using Jesus as the standard....

This paper deals with the African reading of Psalm 24:3-6: The implications for the enforcement of morality among Christians in Africa. The book of Psalms is subdivided into five books comparable to the Pentateuch. Psalm 24 falls into the first book which is used as a liturgy of entrance into the Israelite temple. In Psalm 24:3-6 a worshipper asks for entry requirements to be met which are clean hands and pure hearts, not lifting up the soul to what is false, and not swearing deceitfully. The methodology used is the African perspective of readers’ response. Pastors and Christian leaders must lead the people with integrity befitting the sacredness of the hill of the Lord. Christians are the temple of God and are expected to observe ritual purity everywhere every time in order to receive blessings from God, (Onyame). Keywords: Morality, Shrine, clean hands, pure hearts, ritual purity.

This paper evaluates the place of justice in sexual interactions between males and females in Ghana in particular and in Africa in general. It discusses the unfairness inherent in cases of rape, adultery and divorce and sexting in Ghana in light of African Biblical Hermeneutics. The study has discovered that issues of sexual injustices date back to ancient times with sexting being its latest dimension, especially in Ghana. Sexual injustices in any form have both cultural as well as religious connotations. Employing Narrative Criticism on the sexual stories of Dinah and Tamar in Genesis 34 and 2 Samuel 13 respectively, the study has established that the culture from which the Christian scripture originated was chauvinistic. Undoubtedly, one of the most integral causes is inherent in interpretation. The authors have therefore advocated for a reconstruction of those texts and worldviews by incorporating hermeneutics of inclusiveness and equality before God, using Jesus as the standard.

This paper explores the opportunity for Tax Administration in Ghana to widen the tax net via taxation of other sources of income, including incomes accruing to Churches. Evolution of Taxation of Religious bodies and Charitable Faith based Organisations in Ghana, Constitutional perspectives of taxation of Religious bodies, Functions of Churches, Tax Exempt Provisions, and Tax decided cases were discussed. It was observed that limited companies registered by guarantee commit an offence, when they engage in profit making ventures, and shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds for every day during which it shall carry on such business. It also came to light that some churches were engaged in income generating activities such as transportation, church farm, bookshops or guest houses, private Universities, money transfers, consultation fees, sale of olive oil, water from the well, lemon, porridge, oranges, handkerchiefs, stickers, Anti-Witchcraft Pomade (“Abiyifoo Nku”),commission on lotto winnings, and microfinance companies which does not fall under the tax exempt clauses as stipulated in the Income Tax Act 2015, Act 896.The study therefore recommended for the Taxation of the Business and Investment Income of Religious and Faith based organisations, strict application and enforcement of the Tax law by the Commissioner of Ghana Revenue Authority, and filing of returns by religious bodies.

The diverse forms of divination that occur in the Old Testament
(OT) have become a Biblical warrant for the current divination
trend in Ghana. The study identifies the prominence of
divination in African Religion as a predisposing factor. It finds
out that the similarities between African traditional beliefs and
the ancient Jewish culture make the OT more appealing to
African prophets. Hence the incessant consultation of human
intermediaries popularly designated “men of God” by clients to
provide ritual solutions to personal misfortunes as it was in the
days of Samuel. The concept of divination reveals the meaning
of misfortune and prescribes the ritual means to counter their
effects. The study recommends that since Jesus is the centre and
bearer of the divine full revelation, attention should be directed
to relationship with Him and not on the charismatic
ministration by prophets.

The focus of this paper is basically, on the concept of the fear of God in the wisdom literature. A cursory look reveals it is a unifying factor a principle of wisdom and steps or curriculum to wisdom. Content analysis of the wisdom literature is done, and it revealed that the fear of God is to hate evil or turn away from evil and lead a blameless life. Some of the benefits are long life, security, confidence and hope during the time of crisis. In literature the concept is arranged first in Proverbs as the foundation of wisdom, embodiment of wisdom in Job and conclusion of life in Qoheleth. The pedagogical steps of acquiring wisdom through the fear of God will equip every Ghanaian learner with the matured conscience of knowing what is right and being delighted to do it.