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Item A comparison of the views of Augustine Shutte and Thaddeus Metz on African philosophy and Ubuntu ethics(University of the Western Cape, 2017) Ehlers, Patrick Joseph; Lombard, ChristoffelIn the theoretical study of Ethics much emphasis has traditionally been placed on established ethical theories, via approaches typified e.g. as deontological, divine command, utilitarian, virtue ethics and natural ethics. At UWC all these approaches, very much entrenched in the Western academic canon, have been taught, together with ethical views carried by the world religions. Over the last few years, however, an interest in the study of African ideas (philosophy, theology, worldview studies, especially around the elusive but fascinating concept of Ubuntu) has grown. This study is an attempt to make a contribution towards a more serious exchange with African ethical ideas and their application in a global context. In this mini-thesis I compare the views of two academics, Augustine Shutte and Thaddeus Metz, who have actively and deliberately worked in the field of African philosophy and ethics. Through this comparative study of two rather different readings of Ubuntu philosophy, I wish to contribute to the growing interest in ethical views and discourse emanating from African ways of looking at the world and at humanity. The well-known, recently deceased, Augustine Shutte, a Catholic scholar of repute, taught Philosophy at the University of Cape Town, and published books such as Philosophy for Africa, The Mystery of Humanity; Ubuntu, An ethic for a New South Africa and The Quest for Humanity in Science and Religion, The South African Experience. The other scholar, the American born philosopher Thaddeus Metz, started teaching Philosophy at the University of Johannesburg and shifted his intellectual attention to African ideas and ethics. Coming from a rational Kantian approach, mixed with utilitarian ethical concerns, Metz discovered the difficulty of adding another �African mix� to main stream academia, based on the comprehensive scope of the very inclusive look at what it means to be human in the quite unique African worldview. He has published widely and in depth on many aspects of this �clash of cultures� while also holding on to enlightenment ideals and an ongoing conversation with science, especially also social science. These two authors thus share many concerns and interests, but also represent two different angles and approaches into African philosophy and ethics. The question for this limited study is formulated in the short introduction: How do Shutte and Metz connect the ethical implications of a widely shared �African worldview� with the core idea of Ubuntu, and which ethical implications do they draw from their reading of Ubuntu � for Africa and the world? These questions are addressed via five chapters: In the first an introduction to the research focus and question and the second of these the field of African Philosophy and Ethics is briefly covered via appropriate literature, thus providing a framework for comparing Shutte and Metz. The third chapter deals with Shutte�s search for an Ubuntu approach to South Africa�s problems within the African and global context - via his emphasis on an inclusive anthropology of caring and justice in which the pitfalls of individualism, materialism and consumerism can be avoided while promoting a sustainable work ethos and attunement with �science�. The fourth chapter focuses on Metz� critical deontological approach, and his attempt to take the comprehensive African worldview seriously in conversation with utility, reason and science. In the fifth chapter the comparison of these two overlapping, but still quite different with an approach that can lead to a concrete ethical conclusion and application for South Africa, Africa and the world.Item A socio-rhetorical reading of Luke 7:36-50: A contra-cultural view in a patriarchal society(University of the Western Cape, 2017) Cloete, Rynell Adrianno; Pillay, M.NA number of biblical scholars have observed that the Bible has been used by dominant groups in certain societies to justify and condone discrimination and oppression. Slavery, colonialism and apartheid are often cited as examples of racial oppression based on particular understandings of the Bible. Some biblical scholars have pointed to the fact that theologians who work in contexts of racially liberated societies, such as South Africa, are slow in recognizing the injustices caused by gender discrimination. Instead, male privilege continues to be upheld particularly through the Biblical justification of male headship. The popularity of the 'Mighty Men' Conference is a case in point as it encourages men to take their supposedly rightful, "God-given" place as prophet, priest and king in marriage and family relationships. The emerging popularity of male-headship theology thwarts whatever gains have been made in the areas of gender justice and equality in various spheres of society, including the church. Headship theology often goes unquestioned because it is supported by particular interpretation/understanding of biblical texts which are quoted out of context to support and justify male dominance. For example, Luke 7: 36-50 is often interpreted in showing the "sinful" woman as one who needs forgiveness.Item The absurdity of reconciliation. What we (should) learn from Rustenburg and the implications for South Africa(Pieter de Waal Neethling Trust, 2020) Solomons, DemaineThe quest for reconciliation in South Africa is an exercise in the absurd. To say it is an exercise for the absurd might also have some merit. Like Sisyphus, the figure in Greek mythology, those engaged in the quest for reconciliation are condemned to repeat forever the same, in some cases, meaningless task of pushing a boulder up a mountain only to see it roll down again. This is amid the human propensity to forever search for meaning irrespective of the incongruity of the ideal and the absurdity that defines our existence. The illogicality of apartheid and the subsequent pain and alienation continues to be a defining feature of a country trying to come to terms not what it ought to be, but what it is � chaotic, irrational and sometimes meaningless. In this context, Rustenburg is a symbol of the audacity to dream of something beyond the absurd. Moreover, invoking a theology of reconciliation to achieve something extraordinary amid an uncertain future.Item African Pentecostal churches and racialized xenophobia: International migrants as agents of transformational development?(SAGE, 2022) Hankela, Elina; Swart, Ignatius; Nishimwe, ClementineScholarship on Pentecostal potential and practice forms a significant part of the debate on religion and development, not least when the focus is on sub-Saharan Africa. Yet in this debate African Pentecostal migrant communities have scarcely been represented. The article focuses on two such communities in South Africa, arguing that they may be regarded as developmental agents in the context of racialized xenophobia, even if they do not portray themselves as such. The argument is based on ethnographic fieldwork and shaped through employing the concept of transformational development that centers on restoring relationships. The article concludes that the two communities � living in a context affected by racialized xenophobia � contribute meaningfully towards restoring relationships between people and God, one�s relationship with oneself, relationships within the church community as well as relationships between the church community and the neighborhood.Item African studies keywords: Queer(Cambridge University Press, 2023) Otu, Kwame E.; van Klinken, Adriaan�Queer� is a relatively recent and somewhat controversial term in African studies. Yet it is proving to be productive, not only for understanding African subjectivities of sexuality and gender, but also for situating Africa�s position in the larger economy of knowledge. Otu and van Klinken explore the productive tensions between �queer� and �Africa,� and aim to read Africa as queer and to read queer from Africa. Thus, rather than imagining Africa and queer as polar opposites, the authors seek to harness the critical, productive, and creative affinities between these two terms that are vital for the project of decolonizing and queering queer Africa.Item All theology is natural theology: The hermeneutic necessity of natural theology?(Stellenbosch University, 2011) Conradie, ErnstThis article first offers a brief overview of the history of what is understood under "natural theology". The contrast between the Barthian critique against natural theology and the dangers of repudiating natural theology as stressed within the context of contemporary discourse on science and theology is highlighted. In response, the author offers a constructive proposal in which the hermeneutic necessity of natural theology is affirmed. This follows from a notion of that which is "natural" which includes human constructs (also ideas). In this sense all theology is by definition natural theology. However, the Barthian critique against natural theology may still be appropriate as a selection of those signs that can express the inexpressible with relative adequacyItem The ambiguity of Johan Heyns: Sitting at Bavinck's left or right hand?(SUN, 2013) Conradie, ErnstFollowing some biographic introductory comments, the argument of this contribution proceeds in two steps. First, the distinction between Herman Bavinck's left and right hand is clarified, amongst others with reference to the distinction between fides qua and fides quae, and illustrated with examples from the subsequent reformed tradition. Second, an analysis of Heyns' own related theological choices is offered on this basis.Item The Anglican Church and Feminism: Challenging the patriarchy of our faith(2013) Pillay, Miranda N.Gender-based violence is a problem in most Southern African countries and yet it has generally received little attention from governments and civil society�including Christian churches. In recent years, some churches have been responding by making public pronouncements when, for example, gender-based violence resulted in acts of brutal murder. This was the case in February 2013, when the seventeen-year-old Anene Booysen was gang-raped and left for dead. For example, the Anglican Church issued public statements and called on its members to act against gender-based violence. Arguments made in this essay are underpinned by the view that gender-based violence has its roots in patriarchy and, that patriarchal privilege (embedded in male headship) gives men power over women. The essay describes how prominent leaders of the Anglican Church make public statements when and where it matters. The call �to repent of the historic patriarchy of our faith� was one such statement made by the then archbishop during the church�s synod in 2005. Other Anglican archbishops have also made public that feminist insights have raised awareness about the injustices of sexism maintained by culture and the church. Thus, based on the observation that Christianity and feminism share certain concerns for just relationships, the argument made here is that the (Anglican) church could be more intentional about employing feminist insights in challenging �the historic patriarchy of our faith.� The essay identifies the reasons usually given for dismissing feminist insights and suggests that such reasons could serve as entry-points in the church�s response to gender power-relations in general and gender-based violence in particular.Item An assessment of recent ethical discourses on globalization: comparing the critique of Joseph Stiglitz on global capital with ecumenical globalization debates on the Accra declaration(University of the Western Cape, 2013) Davids, Rochelle Nicolette; Lombard, ChristoThis research will investigate how globalization developed its own ethical discourse, based on perceived benefits and failures; also how it could be transformed within the global economic sphere, based on critique and advice given by Joseph Eugene Stiglitz, a world renowned economist. Globally, historically and currently, there has been a misunderstanding about the concept and dynamics of globalization among government officials, economists and ordinary citizens. This resulted in an economic imbalance that benefited [and still benefits] the rich and leaves the poor outside in the cold. In this research I wish to explore the critique of Stiglitz on globalization, specifically on global capital. The aim is to bring the Stiglitz critique into alignment with critical debates within ecumenical circles on the responsibility of human agents � based on middle-ground (shared ground) ethical discourse. The normative framework for such a comparison of responses to globalization, delivering middle axioms in ethical discourse, is taken from various strands of �Responsibility Theory�, especially the contributions of authors such as T�dt, Schweiker and Sacks. The important goal of this inter-disciplinary exercise is to bring about a balance between the discrepancy of the proclaimed benefits and the extreme negative effects which globalization has for millions of people worldwide, as expressed by Stiglitz and confirmed by various ecumenical discourses. For the purposes of this study ecumenical debates on globalization, called forth by the impact of the Accra Declaration on Globalization (2004), are discussed in some detail: the Agape Process within the World Council of Churches, the Stackhouse Project on Globalization and the joint Project on Globalization of the Uniting Reformed Church of Southern Africa and the Reformed Church in Germany. The results of the study show a convergence in ethical concerns and the strengthening of ethical discourse between critical economists and ecumenical theologians, especially on extreme and ever-growing discrepancies between rich and poor, and the effect of unbridled economic activity on the future of our planet. It is hoped that this study will contribute towards ongoing inter-disciplinary work on the burning social-ethical issues facing humanity and our earth.Item An assessment of recent ethical discourses on globalization: comparing the critique of Joseph Stiglitz on global capital with ecumenical globalization debates on the Accra declaration(University of the Western Cape, 2013) Davids, Rochelle Nicolette; Lombard, ChristoThis research will investigate how globalization developed its own ethical discourse, based on perceived benefits and failures; also how it could be transformed within the global economic sphere, based on critique and advice given by Joseph Eugene Stiglitz, a world renowned economist. Globally, historically and currently, there has been a misunderstanding about the concept and dynamics of globalization among government officials, economists and ordinary citizens. This resulted in an economic imbalance that benefited [and still benefits] the rich and leaves the poor outside in the cold. In this research I wish to explore the critique of Stiglitz on globalization, specifically on global capital. The aim is to bring the Stiglitz critique into alignment with critical debates within ecumenical circles on the responsibility of human agents � based on middle-ground (shared ground) ethical discourse. The normative framework for such a comparison of responses to globalization, delivering middle axioms in ethical discourse, is taken from various strands of �Responsibility Theory�, especially the contributions of authors such as T�dt, Schweiker and Sacks. The important goal of this inter-disciplinary exercise is to bring about a balance between the discrepancy of the proclaimed benefits and the extreme negative effects which globalization has for millions of people worldwide, as expressed by Stiglitz and confirmed by various ecumenical discourses. For the purposes of this study ecumenical debates on globalization, called forth by the impact of the Accra Declaration on Globalization (2004), are discussed in some detail: the Agape Process within the World Council of Churches, the Stackhouse Project on Globalization and the joint Project on Globalization of the Uniting Reformed Church of Southern Africa and the Reformed Church in Germany. The results of the study show a convergence in ethical concerns and the strengthening of ethical discourse between critical economists and ecumenical theologians, especially on extreme and ever-growing discrepancies between rich and poor, and the effect of unbridled economic activity on the future of our planet. It is hoped that this study will contribute towards ongoing inter-disciplinary work on the burning social-ethical issues facing humanity and our earth.Item An assessment of the curriculum and implementation of the subject Religious and Moral Education in Namibia: A case study of perceptions of Religious and Moral Education teachers in the Ompundja Circuit of Oshana Region(University of the Western Cape, 2014) Iita, Ananias; Lombard, ChristoffelThis research study investigated the perceptions of Religious and Moral Education (RME) teachers in Namibia with regard to the implementation of the RME syllabus, Grades 5-10 in actual teaching and learning situations. It also examined to what extent pre-service and in-service training prepare these teachers to deal with the demands of the subject in their professional classroom situations. The relevance of the study was that the continuing process of curriculum development would benefit from specific knowledge of the perceptions of teachers and learners, regarding their problems and problem-solving, shortcomings in the system, pre-service and in-service training, and support services. The study took place amidst a global debate on paradigms in the teaching of religion and moral formation. It could therefore also contribute to a growing canon of literature with specific contributions based on empirical research. The study reviewed literature in the field of religious and moral education, the official curricula and syllabi, as well as all other policy and training documents relating to the subject. A carefully sampled case study of teachers in public schools in the Ompundja Circuit of the Oshana Region was carried out. In 1990, under the new constitution, Namibia was declared a secular state, recognising all religions. This was contrary to the colonial period in which Christianity was the only recognised religion and taught under a Christian national ideology in an apartheid political setup. The new dispensation brought new challenges to the subject teachers because, in the past, most of them were only trained to teach Biblical Instruction/Biblical Studies. In the new constitution, the state neither favours nor neglects any of the religious orientations. The context of the study was, thus, the appropriate choice for a particular paradigm in which religion and morality are studied at school level, based upon the principles of a multi-religious and multi-cultural society where both teachers and learners gain knowledge and understanding of other faiths and values; a culture of tolerance is encouraged and fostered; the rights of different religions and their moral values are respected and promoted; and learners are prepared for responsible citizenshipItem Bearing one�s cross: a critical analysis of Mary Grey�s view on atonement(2008) Festus, Heather; Conradie, Ernst M.The aim of this research project was to seek a reinterpretation of the Christian motif of 'bearing one's cross'. This motif has been widely criticized by feminist theologians as an instrument that exacerbates the oppression of women, since it encourages self-sacrifice and in this way legitimizes abusive relationships. The research project focuses on Mary Grey's contribution to feminist discourse on atonement as the work of Christ and, more specifically, the symbol of the cross. In general, the problem, which will be addressed in this research project, is how oppressed women should respond to the call in Christian piety "to bear one's own cross". More specifically, the research problem, which will be investigated in this project, may be formulated in the following way: How should Mary Grey's position on a feminist reinterpretation of the doctrine of atonement and the meaning of the cross of Jesus Christ be assessed within the South African Christian context? The study assesses Mary Grey's views within the context of her own work, a feminist reinterpretation of the doctrine of atonement and the meaning of the cross of Jesus Christ in order to establish whether it is internally coherentItem Beyond a �Political Priest�: Exploring Desmond Tutu as a �Freedom-Fighter Mystic�(Black Theology An International Journal, 2021) Nadar, SarojiniThe purpose of this essay is to critically review the remarkably unique account of Desmond Tutu�s life presented by Michael Battle in his book �Desmond Tutu: A Spiritual Biography of South Africa�s Confessor.� The central contention of this essay is that Michael Battle shifts the paradigm of biographical research about Desmond Tutu beyond the popular trope of �political priest� to that of �freedom fighter-mystic.� Through a careful filtering of Tutu�s life via the three stages of mysticism � purgation, illumination and union, Battle makes a convincing case that Tutu�s political actions for justice were not in spite of his deep spirituality, but because of it. This ethnographic spiritual biography troubles the binaries between the sacred and the secular, between spiritual contemplation and social action, and between God�s justice and social justice, thereby inviting readers to the warm embrace of a more authentic spirituality.Item Beyond a �political priest�: exploring Desmond Tutu as a �freedom-fighter mystic�(Black Theology, 2021) Nadar, SarojiniThe purpose of this essay is to critically review the remarkably unique account of Desmond Tutu�s life presented by Michael Battle in his book �Desmond Tutu: A Spiritual Biography of South Africa�s Confessor.� The central contention of this essay is that Michael Battle shifts the paradigm of biographical research about Desmond Tutu beyond the popular trope of �political priest� to that of �freedom fighter-mystic.� Through a careful filtering of Tutu�s life via the three stages of mysticism � purgation, illumination and union, Battle makes a convincing case that Tutu�s political actions for justice were not in spite of his deep spirituality, but because of it. This ethnographic spiritual biography troubles the binaries between the sacred and the secular, between spiritual contemplation and social action, and between God�s justice and social justice, thereby inviting readers to the warm embrace of a more authentic spiritualityItem Beyond nostalgia in the search for identity: Black liberation theology and the politics of reconciliation(AOSIS, 2021) Solomons, Demaine J.Practitioners of Black liberation theology often reflect on the emergence of this theological expression by means of a nostalgic launch into the past, seeking ways to address some of today�s most pressing concerns. In this sense, much of what is known about Black liberation theology, including its identity, is premised on how we engage with nostalgia. However, the problem with the rendering of history through a nostalgic lens is our propensity to populate this reality with half-truths; in the process, we present an idealised version of events, sometimes ignoring the objective facts at our disposal. This is most evident in the tendency to look back at the �best� of the past whilst comparing it with the �worst� of the present. The purpose of this contribution is not to focus narrowly on what Black liberation theology (or its practitioners) has done well because this has limited value. Instead, a more productive undertaking necessarily includes what the late Vuyani Vellem refers to when he asks the question: �What lessons has Black theology not learned?� Often regarded in binary terms, liberation and reconciliation as root metaphors in Black theological thought provide a framework through which practitioners are challenged anew to reflect on some of South Africa�s most pressing concerns.Item The Black Atlantic as reversal: a reappraisal of African and black theology(AOSIS, 2017) Engdahl, HansIn this article, I will try to do three things. Firstly, pay attention to the notion of Black Atlantic as coined by Paul Gilroy, which in effect could signify a reversal of colonialism and slavery. Secondly, revisit the 1970s and the debate about the relevance of Black theology vis-�-vis African theology, using John Mbiti�s article �An African Views American Black Theology� as entry point. Here, I will discuss contributions also made by Desmond Tutu and James Cone. Thirdly, starting with the premise that both theologies are relevant and soul mates today, which would (probably) be confirmed by all the above mentioned at this point in time, an assessment of current voices will be made, that is, Tinyiko Maluleke and Vuyani Vellem on black and African ecclesiologies from a South African perspective, and Lawrence Burnley on the fate of the Black Church in the United States.Item Black health, ethics, and global ecology(Taylor and Francis Group, 2022) Conradie, Ernst M.The reflections offered here come from someone the South African government classified as white or as European under apartheid, who continues to be classified in that manner under affirmative action, and who has worked at a historically black university, the University of the Western Cape, since 1993. I teach systematic theology and ethics in a religion and theology department, and I focus on Christian ecotheology. I welcome theologian J�rgen Moltmann�s reversal of interlocutors in calling for Latin American liberation theology for the First World, black theology for white people, and feminist theology for men.Item Black theologies of liberation: how should black lives matter theologically?(The Ecumenical Review, 2022) Nadar, Sarojini; Solomons, DemaineThis article introduces this thematic issue of The Ecumenical Review, which originates from a colloquium hosted at the University of the Western Cape on Black theologies. Our aim is to propose a set of theological frames through which to consider the 11 articles presented here, as well as the study of Black theology in general. We propose that Black theologies of liberation can be understood within three theological frameworks: a theology of resistance that encompasses both the social and epistemic, a theology of existence that focuses on Black consciousness and identity, and a theology of solidarity that fully embraces African feminist and queer theological perspectives. What the contributors to this issue on Black theology succeed in doing is ushering in new ways of thinking about the subject. Not only do they open new frontiers for theorizing and conceptualizing the gospel in light of Black experiences, but they also challenge the exclusionary nature of the old frontiers, calling to attention how even liberation discourses can sometimes reinscribe hegemony.Item Brother Hauerwas: An analysis of the contribution of Stanley Hauerwas to peacemaking(University of the Western Cape, 2017) Hosler, Nathan; Conradie, ErnstThis study will assess Stanley Hauerwas's claim that peacemaking is a virtue of the church in which peace exists as a necessary characteristic of the church. Christians are formed by practices of the church and so gain the skills required to live faithfully in the world. Such formation teaches us to be truthful and to be at peace. Peace is not only part of this formation; it is this formation. Such formation is based on the present existence of peace in the church through Christ. Not only is peace a part of the local and catholic church but war has been abolished through Christ. Hauerwas claims theology as a legitimate discourse in relation to social and physical sciences. Theology has its primary locus in the church rather than in ahistorical accounts or the university. This claiming of the language of the church creates space for particularity which is often subsumed under the universalizing assertions of the nation-state. With peace as a characteristic of the church, Hauerwas asserts that peacemaking is a virtue of the church and not merely an optional aspect of its life.Item Capitalism in moral perspective - an Islamic alternative(University of the Western Cape, 2011) Mohamed, Farouq; Lombard, Christo; Dept. of Religion and Theology; Faculty of ArtsOur time has been called the age of economics; the social philosopher Edmund Burke first used this term to characterize the eighteenth century, which was his own century and also the century of Adam Smith, but this expression has since become even more appropriate. While in the middle ages the beliefs that divide society and set large blocks of people at war with each other were theological in nature, in our time the great ominous divide between peoples is based on differing philosophies of economics (Lux, 1990:1). Economists are now key advisors to governments, presidents, prime ministers, and even autocrats and dictators, in addition to their obvious and expected place in the world of business, banking, and finance. The celebrated twentieth-century economist John Maynard Keynes gives an apt description of the influence of economics in our time: �The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood.� (Lux, 1990:1). The analysis presented in this study spreads over four chapters followed by a concluding chapter and the bibliography. For the full understanding of the need of this analysis and where it comes from; the methods that are followed; the literature used; the normative framework for evaluating the different systems, a brief survey is presented in the first chapter. The second chapter argues the need for an economic system that functions economically and morally; one that satisfies the criteria set by the widely accepted theory on justice by John Rawls. An analysis of the advantages and disadvantages, but especially the moral and practical shortcomings, of the current dominating global system, Capitalism, based on short-term human vision and planning, and a preliminary critical moral assessment thereof, is given in chapter three. The fourth chapter briefly presents the Islamic economic system as a possible alternative, more reliable, economic system, claiming to depend on divine knowledge. The strengths of this system are pitted over against the shortcomings identified in Capitalism and the possible viability of the Islamic system is tested against the criteria of John Rawls� theory of justice. The concluding fifth chapter summarises the outcomes of the investigation and presents some recommendations for a viable economic philosophy and system for the future.