Professor Joel Mokhoathi

Qualifications

Bachelor of Theology, University of Fort Hare; Bachelor of Theology (Honours), University of Fort Hare; Masters in Theology with specialization in Religion Studies, University of the Free State; Doctor of Philosophy with specialization in Religion Studies, University of the Free State.

Field of Specialisation

African Christianity; African Traditional Religion; Indigenous Knowledge Systems; Religion and social context.

Books

Mokhoathi, J. 2018. “From Contextual Theology to African Christianity: The Consideration of Adiaphora from a South African Perspective”. In: Transforming Encounters and Critical Reflection: African Thought, Critical Theory, and Liberation Theology in Dialogue. Edited by Sands J. & Verhoef A. N. (Basel, Switzerland: Religions), pp. 1-15. ISBN: 978-3-03897-151-1.

Mokhoathi, J. 2020. “Conflicting spiritualities or transforming religions? Religious intersections at Mantsopa Cave in Modderpoort. In: Battle for the Heart. Edited by Hermans Chris A.M. and Van den Berg Jan-Albert. (Netherlands: The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek), pp.169-182. ISBN 978-3-643.

Mokhoathi J & Sutton L. 2021. “Transforming Theology and Religion, with a special section on the Psalms”. University of the Free State, Bloemfontein: Acta Theologica Supplementum 32. ISSN 1015-8758 (print) | ISSN 2309-9089 (online).

Mokhoathi J. 2021. “Christianity in Transformation: The rise of African Christianity among amaXhosa”. In: Transforming Theology and Religion, with a special section on the Psalms. Edited by Mokhoathi J & Sutton L. (University of the Free State, Bloemfontein: Acta Theologica Supplementum 32), pp. 149-164. ISSN 1015-8758 (print) | ISSN 2309-9089 (online).

Mokhoathi J. 2023. “African Christianity: A dialogue between Religion and Culture”. In:  What has Religion Studies in Africa been up to? Edited by Jaco Beyers. (Eugene, USA: Wipf and Stock Publishers), pp. 242-259. ISBN 9781532668050 (eBook).

Mokhoathi J. 2023. “The Gospel and Money: A Neo-Pentecostal Re-reading of Luke-Acts”. In: Commercialisation of Religion in South Africa: A Pentecostal Approach. Edited by Kgatle M. S., Thinane J. S., & Kaunda C. J. (Switzerland: Palgrave, MacMillan), pp. 67-82. ISBN 978-3-031-41836-5 (Print). ISBN 978-3-031-41837-2 (eBook).

Journal articles

Mokhoathi, J. 2016. “Questioning the Status Quo: Defining the African Traditional Religion as Culture”. Pharos Journal of Theology, 97:1-11. Accessible online from: http://www.pharosjot.com 

Mokhoathi, J. 2017. “Imperialism and its effects on the African Traditional Religion: Towards the liberty of African Spirituality”. Pharos Journal of Theology, 98:1-15. Accessible online from: http://www.pharosjot.com

Mokhoathi, J. 2017. “Religion, Spirituality and Ethics on the Born-Again Youth: Conceptualizing the Christian Spirituality”. Pharos Journal of Theology, 98:1-17. Accessible online from: http://www.pharosjot.com

Mokhoathi, J. & Nasila S. R. 2017. “Religious Liberties and the Constitution of South Africa: A Call for Religious Accountability”. Scriptura, 116(1):1-10. http://dx.doi.org/10.7833/116-1-1145, Accessible online from: http://scriptura.journals.ac.za  

Mokhoathi, J. 2018. “Christian Piety and Pardon: The Vindication of Post-Baptismal Sins”. Pharos Journal of Theology, 99:1-12. Accessible online from: http://www.pharosjot.com

Mokhoathi, J. 2018. “Jesus Christ as an Ancestor: A critique of Ancestor Christology in Bantu Communities”. Pharos Journal of Theology, 99:1-16. Accessible online from: http://www.pharosjot.com   

Mokhoathi, J. 2019. “Religious Insularity and Its Bearing on Racial tensions: Can there be unity in diversity?” Pharos Journal of Theology, 100:1-12. Accessible online from: http://www.pharosjot.com   

Mokhoathi, J. 2019. “Episteme and the study of the African Religious Heritage: Towards the use of relative epistemologies”. Integrity Journal of Education and Training, 3(3):30-40. Available online at: http://integrityresjournals.org/journal/IJET   

Mokhoathi, J. 2020. “Religious Intersections in African Christianity: The conversion dilemma among indigenous converts”. Scriptura, 119(1):1-12. http://dx.doi.org/10.7833/118-1-1686, Accessible online from: http://scriptura.journals.ac.za

Mokhoathi, J. 2020. “Finding beauty in the eyes of justice: A socio-religious perspective”. Pharos Journal of Theology, 101:1-9. Accessible online from: http://www.pharosjot.com   

Mokhoathi, J. 2020. “African Christianity: The search for an African Personality”. Pharos Journal of Theology, 101:1-9. Accessible online from: http://www.pharosjot.com  

Mokhoathi, J. 2021. “African Christianity: intersections between culture and identity among amaXhosa”. Scriptura, 120(1):1-11. http://dx.doi.org/10.7833/120-1-2060. Accessible online from: http://scriptura.journals.ac.za/

Mokhoathi, J. 2022. ““I am an African”: A Philosophical Enquiry of Identity and Culture”. Journal of Black Studies, 53(1):92–108. https://doi.org/10.1177/00219347211047874. Accessible online from: http://www.journals.sagepub.com/home/jbs  

Mokhoathi, J. 2022. “Pragmatism in the lenses of African Christianity: An emic approach to lived religions”. Pharos Journal of Theology, 103(2):1–9. Accessible online from: http://www.pharosjot.com

Paper presentations

Event: Scholarly Conference

Conference Theme: “Creativity, Innovation and Imagination in African Religions”

Paper presented: “Diviners, healers and Prophets: Mantsopa’s Hybridization of African Christianity”

Host:   Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, University of Nairobi, Kenya

Dates: 2-4 August, 2023

Event: Scholarly Conference

Conference Theme: ProMores: Conceptualization of morality in Christianity

Paper presented: “The source of ethics in African Christianity: Reflections on the Declaration of Faith of the Ethiopian Episcopal Church”

Host: Department of Systematic and Historical Theology, University of Pretoria, South Africa

Dates: 12-13 September, 2022

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Event: Scholarly Conference

Conference Theme: Overcoming Neo-Colonialism and Increasing Enculturation of Indigenous Religions of Africa and the Diaspora

Paper presented:      “Neo-colonialism and the emancipation of Indigenous Religions of Africa: Reconnoitering reformist possibilities”

Host:   Institute of Cultural Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria

Dates: 9-13 August, 2021

Event: Scholarly Conference

Conference Theme: “A battle for the heart: How (not) to transform Church and society””

Paper presented: “Conflicting spiritualities or transforming religions? Religious intersections at Mantsopa Cave in Modderpoort”

Host:   Department of Practical and Missional Theology, University of the Free State, South Africa.

Dates: 26 February, 2020

Event: Scholarly Conference

Conference Theme: Transforming Encounters and Critical Reflection: African Thought, Critical Theory, and Liberation Theology in Dialogue.

Paper presented: “From Contextual Theology to African Christianity: The Consideration of Adiaphora”

Host:   Department of Philosophy, North West University (Potchefstroom), South Africa

Dates:  17-18 August, 2017

Professional positions, fellowships & awards

Professional positions: Member of the Association for the Study of Religion In South Africa (ASRSA); African Association for the Study of Religions (AASR); International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR); the Academy of Africana Indigenous Religions, Theology and Arts (AAIRTA); the Social Imaginaries between Secularity and Religion in a Globalizing World (SIMAGINE).

Awards: recipient of the National Research Foundation (NRF) Project fund – Thutuka Grant to the value of R220 000. Reference number: TTK200228507339 Funding period: 2021-2023

Projects

African Christianity: intersections between religion, culture, and identity.