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Esther Moraa Mombo
Esther Moraa Mombo is a  female Kenyan Anglican theologian and a full professor in the school of theology at St. Paul's University, Limuru. She is one of the notable member of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians. Esther Mombo is known for her research and teaching interests span in the fields of Church History, with a focus on Mission History, interfaith Relations, and Theology & Gender Studies with a focus on African women's Theologies.

Early Life
Mombo was born to a Seventh-day Adventist father and a Quaker mother on 15th May, 1957 at Birongo Village in Kisii County Kenya. (From Wikipedia)

Mombo was born to Stanley Mombo Maikururi and Maria Vulimu Mombo on 15th May, 1957 at Birongo Village in Kisii County, Kenya. [https://www.ecumenicalnews.com/article/esther-mombo-says-african-christianity-is-young-and-vibrant-but-needs-to-listen-to-its-women/60711.htm Her father was a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and her mother was a member of the Religious Society of Friends. However, she was brought up by a Quaker grandmother who she referred to as her first pastor and theological educator.]

Academic Life
Mombo attended primary and secondary schools in Kisii before she moved to Nairobi to attend high school.

Mombo received a BD from St Paul's United Theological College (now St. Paul's University, Limuru) and an MPhil from the Irish School of Ecumenics of Trinity College Dublin. She returned to Kenya to teach at an Anglican bible college, where she became an Anglican herself. Mombo completed a PhD in 1998 at School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh as part of the Centre for the Study of Christianity in the Non-Western World. She wrote her PhD thesis on the topic "A historical and cultural analysis of the position of Abaluyia Women in Kenyan Quaker Christianity: 1902-1979." (From Wikipedia)

Career Life
After graduating with her PhD, Mombo returned to St. Paul's United Theological College, Limuru Kenya, presently known as St. Paul's University in 1999 as a lecturer in historical studies and women's studies.

Since completing her PhD, Mombo has held various administrative posts at St. Paul's University, Limuru, during a period when the institution moved from a theological college to a fully-fledged private ecumenical university. Mombo worked in top management at the same university for fifteen years, from academic dean to Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs (2007 to 2013). (From Wikipedia)

She is currently a Professor of Theology and Director of International Partnerships and Alumni Relations at St. Paul's University, Limuru.(From Wikipedia)

She is a gender activist, working with religious organizations on issues of Gender and how patriarchy affects full participation of women in church and society.

Awards and Recognition
Mombo has received honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees from Virginia Theological Seminary (2007), Church Divinity School of the Pacific (2023), and her alma mater the University of Edinburgh (2023).(From Wikipedia)

Mombo has received honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees from Virginia Theological Seminary (2007), Church Divinity School of the Pacific (2023), and her alma mater the University of Edinburgh (2023) for her work of bringing to the fore issues of gender disparity and gender justice in Church and society.

Mombo is recognized as [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieIeXXHgJHY one of the leading 20th century Anglican theologian in a book of that title. it is subtitled from Evelyn Underhill to Esther Mombo]

Leadership and Responsibility
Mombo has served as an external examiner for postgraduate students in several universities including African International University, Kenyatta University, Makumira University in Tanzania and Kwa Zulu Natal, and Pretoria Universities in South Africa.

Mombo has been a visiting professor at several universities including the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology (EGEST) Bright School of Divinity at Texas Christian University, Graduate Institute of Theology in Yonseo University Seoul, South Korea, Candler School of Theology, Emory University and Utrecht University.

Mombo has co-chaired the World Council of Churches Commission on education and formation. She is also a co-clerk of the Friends World Committee of consultation

Mombo is a member of numerous ecumenical committees, including the World Council of Churches' Commission on Education and Ecumenical Formation and the All Africa Conference of Churches' Advisor on Education. Previously, she was a member of the Inter-Anglican Doctrinal and Theological Commission (From Wikipedia)

Community Engagement
She has been involved in work on Christian-Muslim relations in Africa, the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians. Mombo was installed as a Lay Canon Theologian at the Cathedral in 2017, and has served as a Lay Canon Theologian at Southwark Cathedral. (From Wikipedia)

[https://www.spu.ac.ke/index.php/prof-esther-mombo Currently, Mombo serves as a member of board in the American Friends Service Commission and Friends World Committee of Consultation. She also serves as a board member in Gianchere High School in Kisii County and Umoja High School in Kiambu County.]

She is a founder member of the Tamar campaign in Kenya, which acknowledges gender-based violence in society and empower churches to address it

She is a founder member of Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians St. Paul’s chapter in Kenya. This chapter started among students of theology has grown to be a national chapter.

Research
Mombo is known for her research in missiology and HIV/AIDS thus her contention that in the context of HIV/AIDS and traditional rites of widow-inheritance, the church is challenged to offer more than just funeral services for the dead. The missiological challenges and opportunities include: rethinking the relationship between gospel and culture in the era of HIV/AIDS; developing a theology and spirituality to cope with the growth of a countervailing “prosperity gospel”; ameliorating the root causes of poverty that lie at the heart of the HIV/AIDS pandemic; and engaging in vigorous public moral advocacy on behalf of those most vulnerable in society.

In matters sexuality, Mombo theorized that due to colonialism, classism and patriarchy, LGBTIQ+ persons have suffered exclusion and marginalization at different levels in society. Their experiences are often reduced to anecdotes and treated as irrelevant.

Mombo is also known for examining how patriarchy affects full participation of women  in church and society and championing for African woman theology thus her philosophy, ‘women are in the pews and men are at the pulpits.’ This is so because of the existing  strong link between the study of theology and ordination. In Africa, theological education was an investment and churches invested in men. Some churches also were not open to ordination of women, so they had no reason to send women to study theology. Women's ordination in Africa plays a vital role in helping to overcome gender inequality, poverty, violence and HIV/AIDS as it provides an important place for women to contribute to the wellbeing of people in society

However, the church in Africa is held together by women, they contribute immensely to the growth and sustenance of the church, they constitute a huge vital resource to the community of faith, but they are still downplayed. It is a church in which the ideology of patriarchy is alive and well in church, theological colleges and in society. Therefore, to understand African Christianity, means listening to women in their work as they serve God and humanity in society.

As an African feminist theologian, Mombo propose that any theology that is going to be inclusive and global needs to interrogate the pervasive nature of patriarchy that continues to appear in church and society .Therefore, she advocated and raised her voice to building an inclusive Church where both men and women will see themselves as children of God.

Selected Works[edit]
·        ''Mombo, Esther Moraa (1998). A historical and cultural analysis of the position of Abaluyia Women in Kenyan Quaker Christianity: 1902-1979 (PhD thesis). University of Edinburgh.''

·        ''Kabue, Samuel; Mombo, Esther; Galgalo, Joseph; Peter, C. B., eds. (2012). Disability, Society and Theology. Voices from Africa. Zapf Chancery. ISBN 978-9966-7341-7-4.''

·        ''Wafula, R. S.; Mombo, Esther; Wandera, Joseph, eds. (2016). The Postcolonial Church: Bible, Theology, and Mission. Borderless Press.''

·        ''Mombo, Esther; Nyiramana, Cecile (2019). Mending broken hearts, rebuilding shattered lives: Quaker peacebuilding in East and Central Africa. Quaker Books. ISBN 978-1-907123-95-5.''

·        ''Chirongoma, Sophia; Mombo, Esther, eds. (2021). Mother Earth, Postcolonial and Liberation Theologies. Fortress Academic. ISBN 978-1-9787-1161-7.''

·        ''Chitando, Ezra; Mombo, Esther; Gunda, Masiiwa Ragies, eds. (2021). That all may live! Essays in honour of Nyambura J. Njoroge. University of Bamberg Press. ISBN 9783863098117.''

·        ''Kaunda, Chammah J.; Longkumer, Atola; Ross, Kenneth R.; Mombo, Esther, eds. (2021). Christianity and COVID-19: Pathways for Faith. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-000-52229-7.''

Further reading[edit]

·        ''Corey, Emmy (2020). "Esther Mombo (1957–)". In Burns, Stephen; Cones, Bryan; Tengatenga, James (eds.). Twentieth Century Anglican Theologians: From Evelyn Underhill to Esther Mombo. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 217–225. ISBN 978-1-119-61118-9.''

·        ''Kwaka-Sumba, Truphosa; le Roux, Elisabet (2019). "African Women's Leadership: Realities and Opportunities". In Priest, Robert; Barine, Kirimi (eds.). African Christian Leadership: Realities, Opportunities, and Impact. Langham Publishing. pp. 135–154. ISBN 978-1-78368-751-0.''

References[edit]
1.    ^ ''"Born into ecumenism, Esther Mombo says African Christianity is 'young and vibrant'". World Council of Churches. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2021.''

2.    ^ Jump up to:a b ''Corey, Emmy (2020). "Esther Mombo (1957–)". In Burns, Stephen; Cones, Bryan; Tengatenga, James (eds.). Twentieth Century Anglican Theologians: From Evelyn Underhill to Esther Mombo. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 217–225. ISBN 978-1-119-61118-9.''

3.    ^ ''Stanley, Brian (2011). "Founding the Centre for the Study of Christianity in the Non-Western World". In Burrows, William R.; Gornik, Mark R.; McLean, Janice A. (eds.). Understanding World Christianity: The Vision and Work of Andrew F. Walls. Orbis Books. pp. 51–59. ISBN 9781608330218.''

4.    ^ ''"Esther Mombo". Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs. Retrieved 28 July 2022.''

5.    ^ ''Mombo, Esther Moraa (1998). A historical and cultural analysis of the position of Abaluyia Women in Kenyan Quaker Christianity: 1902-1979 (PhD thesis). University of Edinburgh.''

6.    ^ ''"Interview with Professor Esther Mombo : Sexuality and Religion Network in East Africa". serene.leeds.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 November 2021.''

7.    ^ Jump up to:a b ''"Esther Mombo". Henry Center. Archived from the original on 28 July 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2022.''

8.    ^ Jump up to:a b ''"Professor Esther Mombo". Southwark Cathedral. Retrieved 28 July 2022.''

9.    ^ ''"Prof. Esther Mombo". St. Paul's University. Retrieved 1 February 2021.''

10. ^ ''"Commencement 2023". Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Retrieved 25 May 2023.''

11. ^ ''"Honorary DD Conferred upon Centre Alumna, Professor Esther Mombo". Centre for the Study of World Christianity. 29 November 2023.''