The role of the Evangelical Fellowship of Botswana (EFB) regarding socio-economic and political development: a practical-theological study

Abstract

Putting together theology and development, especially for an evangelical, may seem odd. Socio-economic development is commonly associated with politicians, and other disciplines such as law, engineering, agriculture, economics, and other social sciences. Theology on the other hand is often deemed a private matter, a highly personal thing, an abstraction that belongs to the unseen, and the hereafter. Yet human problems are too huge for few disciplines to address. There is a greater need for a holistic interdisciplinary approach to address human challenges. A theology that is missional and transformational is what Jesus Christ embodied when He was physically on earth. He forgave sins, healed the sick and fed the hungry. The Church should emulate and manifest the same in its earthly mission. The seeming indifference of evangelicals in the socio- economic- and political affairs of the nation of Botswana is therefore a deviance from the Christological norm. This indifference is often attributed to the evangelicals’ eschatological view of the world; that the world is evil and is unavoidably going towards final destruction, and the work of the church is to save people from the world and consequently from the coming destruction. If this be a true notion, it ought to be challenged and the role that practical theology may play within the Evangelical Fellowship of Botswana with regard to socio-economic development be shown. Towards that end, this thesis follows the four tasks of practical theological interpretation which are espoused by Osmer (2008:11) namely: Descriptive Empirical, Interpretive, Normative and Pragmatic. The four tasks will help to coagulate the various findings of the research into a new Evangelical model of doing socio-economic and political development in Botswana.