Christian Response to Gender Issues in Africa in the Era of HIV and AIDS

Some areas of sexual violence have been perpetuated by cultural practices like wife inheritance (a male relative inheriting his kinsman’s wife after he dies). While on the surface the church seemed to challenge cultural practices, this has not been the case with practices that have been sexual and which largely affect women. Wife inheritance and gender prejudice is a major contributing factor to the spread of HIV and AIDS. This session will seek to analyze reasons why the church has largely remained silent about the need for change and how biblical teaching against wife inheritance is needed. We will explore how the church can engage biblically with the issues of wife inheritance in general, and particularly, those that emanate from cultural heritage and deny the teaching of biblical equality.