Philosophiae Doctor - PhD (Religion and Theology)

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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, Christoffel
This 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 citizenship
Congregational schisms in the Full Gospel Church: An analysis of three selected case studies in Cape Town
(University of the Western Cape, 2021) Bock, Heather; Conradie, Ernst
This thesis is under permanent embargo to protect the identities of the subjects involved.
The contemplative life and a life of contemplation: The cases of Thomas Keating (1923-2018) and Henri J M Nouwen (1932-1996
(University of Western Cape, 2021) Marankey, Robert Martin; Conradie, E M
There has been an upsurge of interest in Christian spirituality in recent years. In this thesis I will provide a brief survey of the history and forms of Christian spirituality in order to sketch the background against which this study will be situated with specific reference to the history of contemplative spirituality. Beginning with the life and teachings of the Desert Fathers it will show that contemplative prayer is firmly rooted in the ancient Christian tradition. More specifically, I will focus on two contemporary exponents of the contemplative tradition of spirituality, namely Thomas Keating (1923-2018) and Henri Nouwen (1932-1996).
A critical analysis of Stanley J Samartha's concept of Christian dialogue with people of other living faiths, and its relevance to the Indonesian context
(University of the Western Cape, 2011) Rajagukguk, Nimrot; Lombard, Christo; Dept. of Religion and Theology; Faculty of Arts
This study will investigate the WCC concept of 'Dialogue between Christianity and other Living Faith', and its contributions in Asia, more specifically its impact on the relationship between Christians and Muslims in Indonesia. The study will focus on an Indian theologian, Stanley J Samartha, one of the most influential figures in the promotion of this concept within the WCC. The research will entail an analysis of Samartha's views on Christian dialogue with other faiths, and a critical assessment of his work in the field of 'mission', through his publications and various WCC documents. The contextual relevance of the study is highlighted by several spheres of tensions and conflicts: a) in the global context: the clash of cultures; b) in the ecumenical world: the divide between evangelicals and ecumenical; c) in the Asian context: the tension between dialogue and mission, between gospel and context; and d) in the Indonesian context: the ongoing tension between Muslims and Christians, and the tension between 'local gospel' and the Biblical gospel.
A critical analysis of the word ?ABB�AT?N in Colossians 2:16
(University of the Western Cape, 2018) du Preez, Ronald Alwyn Gerald; Lawrie, Douglas
Across the centuries, and especially in the more recent past, the question of the observance of the weekly Sabbath has been an ongoing matter of discussion and debate among scholars and Bible commentators of various religious backgrounds, particularly among seventh-day Sabbatarians. Since the only place that the lexical Greek term �� appears in the New Testament, after the Gospels and the book of Acts, is located in Colossians 2:16, this passage has become the focus of much attention � more so, since the text seems to suggest that Sabbath-keeping is an optional issue. Due to the fact that, in both Hebrew and Greek, the basic term for �sabbath� has more than one possible meaning, the major challenge has surrounded the question as to whether Colossians 2:16 refers to the weekly seventh-day Sabbath (as noted in the decalogue of Exod 20), or to the ceremonial sabbaths (as in the ritual code of Lev 23:4-37). To a large degree, based on the notion that this epistle includes an allusion to an oft-occurring trilogy of terms in the Old Testament, a majority of scholars have concluded that the seventh-day Sabbath is in view here. The minority maintain that the context shows that Colossians 2:16 is dealing with annual cultic sabbaths, that were fulfilled at the Cross. Approaching the final form of the canon, from a Protestant perspective, and operating within the essential principles of the historico-grammatical hermeneutic, this thesis seeks to meticulously analyze the meaning of �� (especially as it appears in the triad of �feast, new moon, sabbath�). Taking into account the theme and setting of this epistle, it seems there is sufficient contextual, intertextual, etymological, lexical, linguistic, semantic, syntactical, structural and typological data to reasonably conclude that the �� of Colossians 2:16 does not refer to the seventh-day Sabbath.
A critical assessment of ubuntu as a source for moral formation in contemporary Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2022) Anofuechi, Benson Onyekachukwu; Klaasen, John Stephanus
This study presented a critical evaluation of Ubuntu as a source of moral formation in contemporary Africa. In African society, Ubuntu as a notion of African humanism has been and still is subject to much criticism. Although Ubuntu plays a role in African literature, philosophy, anthropology, ethics and theology, scholars on the continent and beyond find it to be a contested concept. The concept and approach to moral formation described in this study contributes uniquely to the already existing corpus of literature. The study explored African thinkers� perspectives of Ubuntu as a resource of moral formation and assessed its relevance in contemporary Africa.
Dade of deugde? Implikasies vir Suid-Afrikaanse kerke van 'n modern-postmoderne debat oor die moraliteit
(University of the Western Cape, 2000) Koopman, Nico Norman; Smit, D.J; Reinders, J.S; Dept. of Religion and Theology; Faculty of Arts
Daughters as water-fetchers: �Streamlining� water-gender dialectics in biblical narrative
(2021) Dorapalli; Nadar, Sarojini
Biblical interpreters have often been unwittingly anthropocentric in their reading of biblical narratives, ignoring the living and nonliving presence of physical world characteristics that underpin the narrative�s overall framework. Moreover, with a focus on men, women�s role as water fetchers has been overlooked, resulting in the text�s dual undermining of ecological and gender issues. This thesis attempts to move away from such interpretations and reread selected biblical texts about water and women using a dual-mode of inquiry, namely gender-ecocriticism. A central question within ecocritical inquiry is�how is nature represented in the narrative? Furthermore, on the subject of gender criticism� how are daughters narrativized in the text? These are the two critical questions that this thesis intends to explore. There are only five explicit narratives of �daughters fetching water at the well� in the Bible. Nevertheless, these scenic activities are significant because of their historical link to the waterfetching daughters in the contemporary world. This study draws attention to the gendering of the water-fetching task by a gender analysis of the five texts. To understand why only daughters are assigned the task of water-fetching, the study draws on theories of the sexual division of labour. The first theme I discuss in this dissertation is water symbolism as found in Judeo-Christian and contemporary stories of water and its interplay with current issues of water scarcity. The focus of the second part is the water-gender intersections found in those five narratives. These themes are explored in this thesis through an exegetical analysis of the five biblical water-drawing narratives. The interpretation is based on socio-historical analysis as well as literary analysis employing narratology and biblical hermeneutical methods. This dissertation concludes that water stories demonstrate that water is more than a symbol. The current water shortage crisis in some parts of the world directs our attention to the urgency of reconfiguring water in our religious and theological imaginations. Water becomes an intrinsic feature in the reader�s mind when read from a gender-ecocritical angle. Being appreciative of each physical element in the vast expanse of the ecosystem, allows a reader�s imagination to reflect on the global negative impact and the distortion of those valuable connections we as humans have with the rest of the physical world.
Die "kritiese stem" teen apartheidsteologie in die Ned Geref Kerk (1905-1974): 'n Analise van die bydraes van Ben Marais en Beyers Naud�
(University of the Western Cape, 2010) Coetzee, Murray Hermanus; Conradie, EM
The problem investigated in this study centres around two theological trends in the Dutch Reformed Church (henceforth DRC) during the period 1905-1974, namely, on the one hand, the theology of apartheid (resulting in Ras, volk en nasie en volkereverhoudinge in die lig van die Skrif(1974)), and on the other, the so-called "critical voice" in the DRC represented in the work of Ben J Marais and CF Beyers Naud�. The emphasis is on this period because it was during this period when the theological train of thought - which was initially dominant in the DRC - was repressed by a theological trend that played a significant role in die development and establishment of the theology of apartheid. In order to identify the different points of difference between the two trends, the emphasis is initially on the development and establishment of a philosophy of apartheid on the one hand and the critical voices against a theology of apartheid as represented by Marais and Naud�. The first part deals with the development in the theology of apartheid. In this first part the emphasis is on the role played by the DRC in the development of the theology of apartheid. The research will show how pragmatic / contextual factors initially played a role in the development of apartheidrelated thinking and how this thinking became theologically and ideologically legitimised in the next phase. The emphasis will fall on the role played by socio-economic and cultural political circumstances at the onset of the development of pragmatic thinking pertaining to apartheid. Subsequently the emphasis is on the next phase in the development of the theology of apartheid when apartheid was justified dogmatically/ ideologically and from the Scriptures. In this part of the thesis the emphasis is on the roles played by particular theological trends played within the DRC resulting in a shift in theological thought. The reception of these theological trends in the 1920s and 1930s within the DRC will also be examined and will show how they were eventually merged into a reformed orthodoxy, which would replace the evangelical reformed trend as the dominant one in the church. The role played by this reformed orthodoxy in the development of a theology of apartheid in the DRC will also be analysed. In the latter part of this chapter the merging ofthe pragmatic and dogmatic thinking within the DRC will be discussed. The result of this merger is set out in the DRC's Ras, volk en nasie en volkereverhoudinge in die lig van die Skrif published in 1974. Since this policy document provides a systematic summation of the theology of apartheid as it developed between 1905 and 1974, this document will form the basis of an investigation into the development and establishment of a theology of apartheid. This part of the study is essential because it provides the specific context in which the critical voice against apartheid could function. This research deals in particular with the major points of difference between apartheid thinking in the DRC on the one hand and the critical voice against it. A complete analysis of the critical voice against the theology of apartheid within the DRC is undertaken and since this research focuses on a specific form of criticism, it is necessary to look at the origin and development of that voice. The researcher will indicate to what extent this critical voice had its origin in the Old and New Testament and how it continued throughout the history of the church and was later identified in several sectors of South African society - namely in the political, economical and church sectors. The critical voice within the ecumenical movements in South Africa, the voices within the DRC family and in particular the critical voice against apartheid within the DRC will form the gist of this investigation. Other researchers have identified critical voices within the ranks of the DRC, but the emphasis in this doctoral thesis is on the criticism already expressed earlier on by Ben Marais and Beyers Naud�. The question that arises from this relates to the differences and similarities in the thinking of the apartheid theologians and the critical voices of Marais and Naud�. What makes this problematic is the fact that the parties have so much in common. During their childhoods they grew up with the same Afrikaner values of religion, culture and politics; they receive their primary and secondary education in Afrikaner schools that affirmed these values. They studied at the same university (the University of Stellenbosch) where their theological thinking was shaped in the same cultural, political and religious climate. In the School of Theology they were exposed to the same teachers and theological trends. This issue will be examined in Chapters 4 and 5 where these mutual influences will be examined respectively in the case of Marais (Chapter 4) and Naud� (Chapter 5). Their years of serving in the DRC will also be analysed. In the final instance Marais' position as professor will also be scrutinised, whereas Naud�'s role in the ecumenical movement will also be looked at. The question that needs to be clarified is: How did these two figures, who represent the critical voice of reason, consciously or unconsciously, comprehend the differences in opinion between them and that of the theology of apartheid within the DRC? In the next chapter the major difference between the critical voice of Marais and Naud� respectively and that of the apartheid theologians will be identified and analysed. The documented analysis regarding the pragmaticI contextual and theological/ideological legitimising of apartheid in the DRC, the critical voice against apartheid, as well as the criticism of Marais and Naud� against apartheid thinking in the DRC will be examined in order to identify and describe such difference. A hermeneutic approach will be used to identify and analyse the differences between the two groups and to be in conjunction with theologians in the DRC. In this part of the investigation the following differences of opinion between the apartheid theologians and the critical voices of Marais and Naud� will be discussed: � The presence or absence of a historical and hermeneutic awareness; � The presence or absence of a hermeneutics of suspicion; � The different ways in which an analysis of the changing social context was made; � The differences in the selection of texts from the Scriptures used to contemplate the Christian message within their specific contexts; � The influence of the different theological traditions and the views of those concerned on the different stances taken; � The role of "interpretation" as the integration of all these variables. To summarise: Firstly, an analysis of the development of pragmatic and dogmatic ideas and practices of racial apartheid (Chapter 2). Secondly, an analysis of the critical voice - its origin, the role played by it within the Christian tradition and in particular that of Ben J Marais and C F Beyers Naud� within the DRC (Chapters 3-5). Thirdly, the results of this analysis are used to identify and describe hermeneutically the differences between the apartheid thinkers and the critical voices of the anti-apartheid thinkers exemplified by the criticism of Marais and Naud�.
Die plek van armoedeverligting binne die kerk se sendingtaak: 'n kritiese analise van die Suid-Afikaanse missiologiese diskoers
(University of the Western Cape, 2007) Jansen, Cedric Benjamin; Conradie, Ernst M.; Faculty of Arts
It is the aim of this study to determine the location of poverty alleviation within the framework of the church's missionary activity. The following three approaches will be examined, namely a dualistic approach, the approach of liberation theology and a multi-dimensional approach. The author analysed literature of writers within the context of South African missiological discourse.
Divine intervention? Understanding the role of Christian religious belief systems in intervention programmes for men who abuse their intimate partners
(University of Western Cape, 2021) Petersen, Elizabeth; Nadar, Sarojini
South Africans live in one of the most religious yet most violent societies the world over, with gender-based violence (GBV) against women in intimate relationships flagged as a national priority. Traditionally, and rightfully so, intervention programmes focused on women victim-survivors of intimate partner abuse (IPA). While intervention programmes for men who perpetrate IPA emerged more recently and signify an important paradigm shift in conceptualizing solutions to IPA, the literature reveals a gap in research about the role and influence of religiously pervasive contexts in communities where some of these programmes operate. South Africa claims to be a secular state; however, around 90% of its population are religious and close to 74% are affiliated with the Christian faith. Literature indicates that men who perpetrate IPA often use easily misinterpreted scriptures and religious teachings to justify their abusive behaviour.
Ecclesiology and ethics: An analysis of the history of the All Africa Conference of Churches (1963 - 2013)
(The University of the Western Cape, 2017) Sakupapa, Teddy Chalwe; Conradie, Ernst M.
This study entails an historical investigation of how the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) has addressed the ecumenical tension between ecclesiology and ethics in its history between 1963 and 2013. The study is arguably the first comprehensive analysis of the history of the AACC focussing on ecclesiology and ethics and will therefore make an original contribution to ecumenical theology in Africa in this regard. The study argues that the tension between what the church is (read: ecclesiology) and what it does (read: ethics) has undeniably been present in the ecumenical movement in Africa. The study is situated within two concentric contexts. Firstly, it is located within the context of the WCC study project on ecclesiology and ethics that was conducted during the period 1992 to 1996 and will contribute to wider discourse in this regard. The WCC project was an attempt to bridge a deep divide in the ecumenical movement between those who emphasise that the way to unity is through doctrinal agreement and those who believe that �doctrine divides� while a common moral cause (service) may unite. Secondly, this study is aimed at discerning how the AACC has addressed the relationship between the theological quest for unity (read: ecclesiology) and the social responsibility of the church (read: ethics). The study examines how the AACC assisted its member churches to respond to contemporary challenges in three distinct periods in recent African history, namely the periods of decolonisation (1963-1974), development (1975-1992) and neo-liberal globalisation (1993-2013). The hypothesis of this study is that these periods correlate with the AACC�s ways of negotiating the tension between ecclesiology and ethics. The study argues that although the AACC has privileged the social agenda of the church in society (read: ethics), the ecumenical quest for ecclesial unity (read: ecclesiology) has not been completely absent. While the study acknowledges that the tension between ecclesiology and ethics is not easily resolved, it affirms that these two ecumenical concerns are inseparable. The study therefore suggests an appropriation of the African notion of ubuntu as a horizon for ecclesiology and ethics. The intuition behind the proposal is that ubuntu resonates with biblical notions of koinonia and diakonia and is thus an apt notion for an articulation of the interconnectedness between ecclesiology and ethics. The study is divided into two parts, comprising eight chapters. The first part covers four chapters in which I offer an historical background to the modern ecumenical movement, an analysis of the ecclesiology and ethics debate in the wider ecumenical context and a brief institutional history of the AACC. The second part of the study comprises three chapters. Therein, I present a critical analysis of the AACC�s handling of the tension between ecclesiology and ethics in the period 1963-2013. Each chapter describes and analyses the various ways in which the AACC addressed the tension between the theological quest for the visible unity of the church on the one hand (read: ecclesiology) and the social responsibility of the church (read: ethics) on the other in specific socio-historical contexts. The hypothesis of the study is confirmed on the basis of such analysis. This study contributes to discourse in African theology on authenticity (read: ecclesiology) as expressed in theologies of inculturation and indigenisation and on social relevance (read: ethics) as expressed in theologies of liberation and reconstruction. It further contributes to academic reflection on the history of the ecumenical movement in Africa and the quest for an appropriate ecumenical vision on the African continent amidst the tensions between mainline churches, independent churches (AICs) and a variety of Pentecostal churches and the many social challenges that churches have to address.
Eecclesiology and ethics: An analysis of the history of the all Africa conference of churches (1963-2013)
(University of the Western Cape, 2016) Sakupapa, Teddy Chalwe; Conradie, Ernst M.
This study entails an historical investigation of how the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) has addressed the ecumenical tension between ecclesiology and ethics in its history between 1963 and 2013. The study is arguably the first comprehensive analysis of the history of the AACC focussing on ecclesiology and ethics and will therefore make an original contribution to ecumenical theology in Africa in this regard. The study argues that the tension between what the church is (read: ecclesiology) and what it does (read: ethics) has undeniably been present in the ecumenical movement in Africa. The study is situated within two concentric contexts. Firstly, it is located within the context of the WCC study project on ecclesiology and ethics that was conducted during the period 1992 to 1996 and will contribute to wider discourse in this regard. The WCC project was an attempt to bridge a deep divide in the ecumenical movement between those who emphasise that the way to unity is through doctrinal agreement and those who believe that "doctrine divides" while a common moral cause (service) may unite. Secondly, this study is aimed at discerning how the AACC has addressed the relationship between the theological quest for unity (read: ecclesiology) and the social responsibility of the church (read: ethics). The study examines how the AACC assisted its member churches to respond to contemporary challenges in three distinct periods in recent African history, namely the periods of decolonisation (1963-1974), development (1975-1992) and neo-liberal globalisation (1993-2013). The hypothesis of this study is that these periods correlate with the AACC's ways of negotiating the tension between ecclesiology and ethics. The study argues that although the AACC has privileged the social agenda of the church in society (read: ethics), the ecumenical quest for ecclesial unity (read: ecclesiology) has not been completely absent. While the study acknowledges that the tension between ecclesiology and ethics is not easily resolved, it affirms that these two ecumenical concerns are inseparable. The study therefore suggests an appropriation of the African notion of ubuntu as a horizon for ecclesiology and ethics. The intuition behind the proposal is that ubuntu resonates with biblical notions of koinonia and diakonia and is thus an apt notion for an articulation of the interconnectedness between ecclesiology and ethics. The study is divided into two parts, comprising eight chapters. The first part covers four chapters in which I offer an historical background to the modern ecumenical movement, an analysis of the ecclesiology and ethics debate in the wider ecumenical context and a brief institutional history of the AACC. The second part of the study comprises three chapters. Therein, I present a critical analysis of the AACC's handling of the tension between ecclesiology and ethics in the period 1963-2013. Each chapter describes and analyses the various ways in which the AACC addressed the tension between the theological quest for the visible unity of the church on the one hand (read: ecclesiology) and the social responsibility of the church (read: ethics) on the other in specific socio-historical contexts. The hypothesis of the study is confirmed on the basis of such analysis. This study contributes to discourse in African theology on authenticity (read: ecclesiology) as expressed in theologies of inculturation and indigenisation and on social relevance (read: ethics) as expressed in theologies of liberation and reconstruction. It further contributes to academic reflection on the history of the ecumenical movement in Africa and the quest for an appropriate ecumenical vision on the African continent amidst the tensions between mainline churches, independent churches (AICs) and a variety of Pentecostal churches and the many social challenges that churches have to address.
An evangelical discourse on God�s response to suffering: A critical assessment of Gregory Boyd�s open theism
(University of the Western Cape, 2013) Harold, Godfrey; Conradie, Ernst M.
This research project makes a contribution to the discourse on the theodicy problem by examining the position adopted by Gregory Boyd known as open theism. Boyd would argue that an open view of God is in a better position to deal with the problem of evil because the traditional understanding of God�s attributes fails to vindicate God of guilt or responsibility for evil and should, therefore, be abandoned in favour of the attractive openness model. Boyd claims that God cannot be held responsible for evil and suffering because the future cannot be known to God. He articulates this perspective from the process thought position that the future is not a reality therefore, cannot be known. Thus, God took a risk when he/she created human being with free will because any free will future actions and thoughts cannot be known by God. God is therefore surprised by the actions and sufferings of human being and therefore has to change his/her plans to meet with the free will actions of human beings. Boyd in articulating his open theism theodicy does so by reconstructing the classical understanding of the attributes of God namely: God�s omniscience, immutability, and omnipotence to give an answer to the theodicy problem. Evangelicals understand the attributes of God to be part of God nature, therefore any changes in the attributes of God means changes to God him/herself. Because of Boyd�s claim to be an evangelical, this project examines the attributes of God as reflected in the works of the early church father to the reformers and influential evangelical scholars in contrast with the work of Boyd. In presenting an evangelical understanding on God and suffering this study concludes that the position adopted by Boyd is a radical departure from evangelicalism and orthodoxy faith and is more consonant of a deistic presentation of God in his/her relation to the world.
Facing the image in the mirror: “whiteness” in South African missional discourse
(Universty of the Western Cape, 2023) Mouton, Johannes Cornelis; Conradie, Ernst
This study is situated within the discipline of missiology and seeks to contribute to missional theology as one important contemporary school of thought within the discipline. Missional theology emerged in the 1990s especially within the Anglophone contexts of the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA). Most forms of missional theology build on the insights of Lesslie Newbigin, who in several books, reflected from his cross-cultural missionary experience on the challenges of the gospel to churches within his own cultural context in the UK. Such insights were quickly adopted in the North American context and was further explored by the Gospel and Our Cultural Network which emphasised the local-churchin-mission. Local congregations where missional theology flourished rediscovered that the fundamental reasons for the church’s existence involves an engagement within local communities.
Food, sex and text: Exploring survival sex in the context of food insecurity through communal readings of the book of Ruth
(University of Western Cape, 2021) Naicker, Linda; Nadar, Sarojini
The study explored how contextual Bible study (CBS) contributes to the understanding of survival sex in the context of food insecurity. Even though South Africa is a food secure nation, a large percentage of the population is food insecure. While researchers focus significantly on transactional sex and other forms of sexual exchange, survival sex, particularly in the context of food insecurity has not been extensively or adequately researched from the South Africa perspective. CBS as a communal, participatory, collaborative and empowering process is designed as a literary platform upon which community concerns and social justice issues are addressed. Through CBS, conducted with a group of purposefully selected Christian women, the factors that drive survival sex in the context of food insecurity in the Msunduzi Municipality was explored.
From vision to structure: assessing the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa in the light of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church
(University of the Western Cape, 2005) Andrew, Dani�l Nicolaas; Smit, D.J; Dept. of Religion and Theology; Faculty of Arts
The intention of the AFMSA to revision its policies, processes and structures is the motivation for this study. The relationship between the vision and essential nature of the church and the structure or form given to it is central to all the chapters.The first chapter gives an analysis of the origins of the Pentecostal Movement and the AFMSA in order to reveal their original vision of the church and the way in which this vision became structured in their history. After a section on the importance of a clear vision and strategic structures for organizations today, the biblical metaphors that served as a foundation for the early Christians’ vision of the church are discussed. Our Christian predecessors’ envisioning and structuring of the church in each period of history are analyzed. This gives an idea of the need for reform and the challenges involved in this process, which are still faced by later generations. The historical survey reveals the development of the marks and the vision of the early Christians to represent the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church. In the conclusion, a preliminary dialogue is established between the vision of the early Pentecostals and the leaders of the AFMSA with regard to the structuring of the church and other expressions of the same vision.The next four chapters (2-5) address the significance of the specific marks in the Pentecostal Movement and the AFMSA. This is followed by a short analysis of the biblical foundation and the historical development of these marks in the history of the Christian church. The chapters are arranged according to the prominence of each mark in the Pentecostal Movement and the AFMSA. Chapter two therefore starts with the apostolicity that is followed by the holiness in chapter three, unity in chapter four and catholicity in chapter five. It becomes clear from chapter two that the Pentecostal Movement and the AFMSA want to restore the apostolic faith of the early Christians while the rest of the Christian church confess every Sunday through the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed that they believe they stand in the tradition of the apostles. The mark of holiness that is discussed in chapter three expresses the particular view of holiness held by Pentecostals. Biblical and historical connections are made between it and other Christian expressions revealing that we can all become true followers of Christ in holiness. Chapter four addresses the fact that the church has to accept that we exist as a unity in diversity. In chapter five, the linking of all traditions is established because all have the challenge to share their unique expression of God’s fullness with the universal Body of Christ. In chapter six, all the elements so far discussed: the vision of the church that was based on the Bible, and the history of the Pentecostal Movement, AFMSA and of the Christian Churches are summarized to gain an overall perspective. This is followed by an analysis of the vision of the church today and applied to the AFMSA. The AFMSA is encouraged to revision and restructure itself in the light of the apostolicity, holiness, unity and catholicity that are shared by the witnesses in Scripture and history so that it will be an example of God’s vision for the church and the world.
God se deernis met die weerloses van sy volk. 'n Kritiese ondersoek na 'n spesifieke dimensie van die Godsverkondiging in die Ou Testament
(University of Western Cape, 1991) Goliath, August Christian; Verhoef, P A
Benewens persoonlike belangstelling in die boodskap van die Ou Testament vir die kerk van vandag, is dit veral kontempor�re teologiese debatte en verwikkelinge op die kerklike terrein, plaaslik sowel as op die bre� ekumeniese front, wat tot hierdie studie aanJeiding gegee het. Eerstens: Een van die artikels van die Belharbelydenis' lui onder andere: "Ons glo ... dat God op 'n besondere wyse (Homself geopenbaar het as) die God van die noodlydende, die arme en die verontregte ...(my kursivering); dat Hy aan die verdruktes reg laat geskied en brood aan die hongeriges gee; dat Hy die gevangenes bevry en blindes laat sien; dat Hy di� wat bedruk is ondersteun, die vreemdelinge beskerm en weeskinders en weduwees help en die pad van die goddelose versper." Toe di� spesifieke artikel van die konsepbelydenis gedurende die sinodesitting' onder bespreking gekom het, het somrnige van die afgevaardigdes ernstige besware geopper teen die wyse van formulering dat God op 'n besondere wyse die God van die noodlydende, die arme en die verontregte is. So 'n stelling skep, volgens hulle, die indruk dat God inderdaad kant gekies het vir die noodlydendes en dat Hy dus by implikasie 'n God van die armes, verdruktes en verontregtes is. Die sinodale kommissie wat VIr die formulering van die konsepbelydenis verantwoordelik was, het hierop ontkennend geantwoord en tot gerusstelling van die sinodegangers aangevoer dat die betrokke artikel eenvoudig beskou moet word as die verwoording van die "basiese, oer-Bybelse en oer-Christelike oortuiging, naamlik dat God die hulp van die hulpelose is"(Smit 1984:65). Die konsepbelydenis is aan die Kerk deurgegee met die oog op kritiese besinning gedurende die sinodereses en vir die voorlegging van kommentaar by die daaropvolgende sinode.' Vanselfsprekend sou s� 'n totaal nuwe belydenisskrif sy eie invloed op die kerklike lewe uitoefen. Daar kan verwag word dat verskillende aksente op sekere artikels mettertyd gel� sal word. Oor sommige van die stellings sal gaandeweg nuwe interpretasies na vore kom en 'n verskeidenheid van betekenisnuanses sal met verloop van tyd verwag kan word Belangrikste van alles is dat bepaalde formuleringe deur die loop van die kerk se geskiedenis opnuut aan die hand van die Skrif getoets sal word. Die studie is indertyd ge�nisieer in die hoop om in so 'n Wirkungsgeschichte 'n bydrae te lewer.
God's unique priest (Nyamesofopreko): christology in the Akan context
(University of the Western Cape, 2009) Agyarko, Robert Owusu; Conradie, Ernst M.; Dept. of Religion and Theology; Faculty of Arts
This study entails a constructive contribution towards a contemporary reinterpretation, within the Akan context, of the classic Christian notion of Christ's person and work as Mediator between God and humanity. Specifically, I endeavour to reinterpret aspects of the Christian confession of faith as formulated by the Council of Chalcedon (451) that, Jesus Christ is �truly God� (vere Deus) as well as �truly human�(vere homo). I build on the notion that the relationship between these two claims may also be understood in terms of the one "person" and the two "natures" of Jesus Christ. The work of Christ is reinterpreted from this perspective. The thesis is divided into two main parts. The first part, which covers the first four chapters, entail reviews of some of the dominant African Christologies - with particular reference to divine conqueror and ancestor Christologies. In these chapters, the adequacy of the mentioned Christologies is assessed with reference to the Nicene/Chalcedonian confessional definition concerning the person of Christ. The conclusion reached is that these Christologies do not adequately express the person of Christ as truly divine as well as truly human as defined by the first four ecumenical councils. As a result, these Christologies also express the work of Christ, particularly his atonement in a less adequate way.
God�s Chosen People? A critical investigation of discourses in North American Black and Pan-African Theologies
(University of Western Cape, 2021) Potgieter, Andr�; Conradie, Ernst M.
In Black and African theology, especially in the North American and African contexts, there is consensus that claims of people of European descent being regarded as God�s chosen people, are heretical and serve to legitimise the domination in the name of differences with regard to race, class and culture. Such discourses may be understood to be a sustained critique, rejection, and even condemnation, of the injustices of imperialism, colonialism, human subjugation like slavery, and racial supremacy. In constructive responses to racial supremacy, claims have been made in certain political discourses, cultural philosophies and theologies, that instead, Black Africans who currently reside in Africa and those Black Africans whose ancestry is vest in Africa, may be regarded as God�s chosen people, and Africa as God�s chosen country. Such views are also expressed in some Christian circles and are discussed in the context of certain historical and contemporary North-American, and Pan-African theologies.

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