The way worship works in mission: Proposing an alternative to the standard account

2021 ◽  
pp. 009182962110117
Author(s):  
David E Fitch

This article examines the relationship of worship to mission in the life of the church. How does worship shape the Christian for mission and the work of God’s justice in the world? The article sketches what the author contends to be “the standard account” of how worship works within North American mainstream evangelical Protestantism, drawing on several authors who write on spiritual formation, liturgy, and cultural engagement. Exemplary of this standard account is the influential theology of church and culture found within neo-Calvinism. By parsing the social architecture of these authors, this article reveals its strengths and weaknesses—an analysis that can be applied more widely to Protestantism as a whole in North America. Then, the article moves on to propose an alternative account for the relationship of worship to mission that overcomes the weaknesses of the standard account. This alternative approach is labeled “faithful presence,” an approach which has affinities with an Anabaptist approach to worship and mission.

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 40
Author(s):  
Muhammad Yusuf

This study used qualitative methods with participant observer to study Continuity and change of Ende Book and Yamuger's Song of the Church is an integral part of church music. Continuity and change by using synchronic and historical diachronic theory. To study the structure of music used the theory of weighted scale, rhythm, and the relationship of music with text. To study the text used semiotic theory. The origins of song and melody texts are from the German Protestant congregation, which is then translated into Batak (Ende's Book) and Indonesian (Yamunger's Song of the Church). On the other hand, there are also direct translations that give rise to differences of etymological and semantic meaning between these three types of chanting. In the context of sosioreligious, Batak language has been very fulfilled into a language of religious choice in worship, to strengthen the social sentiments that cause the emergence of religious emotions and the attainment of the inner atmosphere of the congregation. Among young people the phenomenon above is true, but not in all places or locations of the support community, so the doubt about its loyalty to Ende's Book is undoubtedly not a latent danger. Social sentiment that causes the emergence of religious emotion is still considered strong, but it is expected that there will be a system that will be a benchmark to be able to stay awake.


2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sifiso Khuzwayo

The aim of this article is to investigate the basis upon which a labour union for the clergy within the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) could be beneficial for both the church and the clergy. Such a union would recognise the clergy as personnel, rather than representatives of the church. The covenantal relationship that exists between the church and clergy is based on the premise that clergy are called by God and are, therefore, not employees of the church. However, the relationship between church and clergy is often clouded by several factors that make the judiciary hesitant to get involved in church affairs. The aim of this article is to explore how best the relationship between the church and clergy can be improved for the benefit of both parties, and so engender an authentic witness of the social justice proclamation that has become synonymous with Methodism. The effect of her social justice proclamation means the church should view the establishment of a clergy labour union as a step towards a higher standard of clergy care.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 265-272
Author(s):  
Venelin Terziev ◽  
Preslava Dimitrova

The social policy of a country is a set of specific activities aimed at regulating the social relations between different in their social status subjects. This approach to clarifying social policy is also called functional and essentially addresses social policy as an activity to regulate the relationship of equality or inequality in society. It provides an opportunity to look for inequalities in the economic positions of individuals in relation to ownership, labor and working conditions, distribution of income and consumption, social security and health, to look for the sources of these inequalities and their social justification or undue application.The modern state takes on social functions that seek to regulate imbalances, to protect weak social positions and prevent the disintegration of the social system. It regulates the processes in society by harmonizing interests and opposing marginalization. Every modern country develops social activities that reflect the specifics of a particular society, correspond to its economic, political and cultural status. They are the result of political decisions aimed at directing and regulating the process of adaptation of the national society to the transformations of the market environment. Social policy is at the heart of the development and governance of each country. Despite the fact that too many factors and problems affect it, it largely determines the physical and mental state of the population as well as the relationships and interrelationships between people. On the other hand, social policy allows for a more global study and solving of vital social problems of civil society. On the basis of the programs and actions of political parties and state bodies, the guidelines for the development of society are outlined. Social policy should be seen as an activity to regulate the relationship of equality or inequality between different individuals and social groups in society. Its importance is determined by the possibility of establishing on the basis of the complex approach: the economic positions of the different social groups and individuals, by determining the differences between them in terms of income, consumption, working conditions, health, etc .; to explain the causes of inequality; to look for concrete and specific measures to overcome the emerging social disparities.


Urban Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Marianna Charitonidou

Takis Zenetos was enthusiastic about the idea of working from home, and believed that both architecture and urban planning should be reshaped in order to respond to this. He supported the design of special public spaces in residential units, aiming to accommodate the inhabitants during working hours. This article argues that Zenetos’s design for “Electronic Urbanism” was more prophetic, and more pragmatic, than his peers such as Archigram and Constant Nieuwenhuys. Despite the fact that they shared an optimism towards technological developments and megastructure, a main difference between Zenetos’s view and the perspectives of his peers is his rejection of a generalised enthusiasm concerning increasing mobility of people. In opposition with Archigram, Zenetos insisted in minimizing citizens’ mobility and supported the replacement of daily transport with the use advanced information technologies, using terms such as “tele-activity”. Zenetos was convinced that “Electronic Urbanism” would help citizens save the time that they normally used to commute to work, and would allow them to spend this time on more creative activities, at or near their homes. The main interest of “Electronic Urbanism” lies in the fact that it not only constitutes an artistic contribution to experimental architecture, but is also characterized by a new social vision, promising to resynchronize practices of daily life. An aspect that is also examined is the relationship of Zenetos’s ideas and those of the so-called Metabolists in the 1960s in Japan, including Kenzo Tange’s conception of megastructures. Zenetos’s thought is very topical considering the ongoing debates about the advanced information society, especially regarding the social concerns of surveillance, governance, and sovereignty within the context of Big Data. His conception of “tele-activities” provides a fertile terrain for reflecting on potential implications and insights concerning home-office conditions not only within the context of the current pandemic situation but beyond it as well.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 32-51
Author(s):  
Simran Kaur Madan ◽  
Payal S. Kapoor

The research, based on uses and gratifications theory, identifies consumer motivation and factors that influence consumers' intention to follow brands on the social media platform of Instagram. Accordingly, this study empirically examines the role of need for self-enhancement, the need for entertainment, and deal-seeking behaviour on the intention to follow brands on Instagram. Further, the study investigates the mediation of social media usage behaviour for consumption decisions on eliciting brand following behaviour. Moderation of consumer skepticism on the relationship of deal-seeking behaviour, and intention to follow brands is also investigated. Findings reveal a significant direct effect of need for self-enhancement, need for entertainment, and deal-seeking behaviour on intention to follow brands. Indirect effect of social media usage behaviour for consumption decisions was also significant; however, moderation of consumer skepticism was not found to be significant. The study will help marketers create engaging content that enables consumer-brand interactions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-165
Author(s):  
Khekheti Makhudu

Having written and compiled from memory, over 700 Setswana proverbs when he was briefly resident in London, around the 1900s, Sol T. Plaatje exhibited unusual ethnographic knowledge and remarkable, creative translation skills in diaspora-like circumstances.  While most literary researchers attest to those achievements, few have been the theories that account sufficiently for Plaatje's multilingual proverb renditions. The view propounded here is that Plaatje's paremiological enterprise was probably never only an exercise of his polyglot abilities. Rather his quest appears to have been to assert the cultural similarities and convergences between African and European people's histories.  His socio-political beliefs propelled deep pride over his Setswana identity and became the driving force for highlighting the human bonds among nations of the North and the South. For Plaatje, seeing the overlaps and equivalences in and through the proverbs of the Dutch, English, French, Germans and the Batswana peoples, firstly validated orality as the bedrock of modern literary expression.  Secondly, the relationship of the two seemed to recapitulate the communicative connections among people and their languages, across time and space. Lastly, the paper makes the point that Plaatje's search for unity in the cultural diversity as exhibited in his 1916 Diane tsa Setswana collection and the 1924 A Sechuana Reader stories, provides instructive lessons that present-day South Africa would ill afford to ignore considering the social cohesion challenges the nation faces.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 83-88
Author(s):  
Anton I. Belkin

Review of the book Mind Games: towards understanding the nature of prejudice and conflict, or how to learn to live in peace by Terrence Webster-Doyle. Mind Games: To understand the roots of prejudice and how to learn live peacefully: a scientific and educational publication. T. Webster-Doyle. Samara Cultural Society Artifact-Cultural Diversity. Samara: Samara Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences; 2020. 55 p. Reviewer considers that T. Webster-Doyles book is a brilliant example of how conflicts can be resolved most effectively without theorized distraction. T. Webster-Doyles book is small in volume, but very significant in content. The author offers a real program for taming the conflicts and violence that fill the entire human history. Until now, there is a clear lack of research on the universal determinants of the emergence and dynamics of conflict. A paradoxical situation arises when methods of conflict resolution are studied and modified, despite the fact that its initial determinants are not accurately determined. The models of taming conflicts that are being replicated in the social sciences almost do not solve the very problem of overcoming violence in society. Note that T. Webster-Doyle defines her book as the most significant work of her life. The author proposes an original approach to the determination of the conflict and defines the ways of its resolution in direct relationship with the understanding of its determinants. Also, the advantage of the book is a good literary presentation of the material. T. Webster-Doyle views conflict as a phenomenon created by the human mind, which at the same time, in a paradox, is trying to solve a problem which it itself creates. This work is devoted to the study of the determinants of conflict, which are considered comprehensively in the relationship of biological and social determinants: as generated by genetically programmed brain programs and at the same time as a function of peoples perception of the world around them and each other. The author notes that the universal basis of biological programming is the general motivation the desire to survive. Consequently, this work presents a program for resolving the conflict based on a comprehensive consideration of the conflict as a sociobiological phenomenon, which is based on the conditioned thinking of a person (primordial biological protection of his brain). The advantage of the book is its versatility. The author does not just consider the problem of the conflict, its components, the parties to the conflict, conflict genes, the incident, etc. He is looking for an approach that allows you to take a fresh look at this problem and find ways to prevent and destroy the conflict.


1999 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-52
Author(s):  
M.S. Jillani

The debate over the relationship of population and development is now more than 200 years old, starting with the treatise on population by Malthus, in 1798. The increase in population, ever since, has remained a matter of concern for economists and development planners. The most recent high point of the issue was witnessed at Cairo in September, 1994. The conference which was attended by more than 10,000 persons from all over the world ended with an agreement on the issues involved in the growth of population and the economy. The outcome was a Plan of Action for the next twenty years, which would concentrate on Reproductive Health in order to obtain, “a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity in all matters relating to the reproductive system and its functions and process”. This can be a turn-around in global efforts for human health and welfare, if properly implemented.


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