Publisher's Synopsis
The project of decolonisation in the Caribbean is an ongoing one. The emergence of Caribbean theological reflection and the development of Caribbean Theology has naturally been part and parcel of the growing consciousness of Caribbean identity that began in the 1960s. Initially stymied by influences from the North that wrongly identified the movement as Liberation Theology with the attendant tentacles of socialism, Neville W. deSouza was the outspoken 12th Bishop of the Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands whose expressions of the role of the church and the state and the alignment of the church with the working class, the people, rather than elite, to bring about social change, gave voice to the indigenization of the Church in Jamaica.
In Journey to the Promised Land, Howard K.A. Gregory presents deSouza's Synod sermons between 1980 and 2000. Delivered during a socially and economically tumultuous time in Jamaica's contemporary history, deSouza brought theological and biblical reflection on the challenges facing the country and the mission to which the Church and the nation were called. Two decades later, the messages still resonate and reflect the depth of Bishop deSouza's theological reflection.
The Bishop rarely spoke from a prepared text and so this collection has been prepared from recordings of deSouza's addresses. Eloquently contextualised by Gregory's introduction and Epilogue, the work is further enhanced by Professor Patrick Bryan's biographical sketch making Journey to the Promised Land a welcomed addition to the burgeoning work in not only Caribbean Theology, but also in Black Theology and Feminist Theology and Caribbean studies generally.
