scholarly journals Is there any hope for church unity?

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sipho Mahokoto
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
Dutch Reformed ◽  
The Past ◽  
Church Unity ◽  
History Of ◽  
African Context ◽  
Reformed Churches ◽  
Church Split ◽  
The Church

his article gives some perspectives on the causes of the Reformed Churches split since the time of reformation and how these divisions impacts on church unity discussions today. Since reformation, church divisions took place in various forms and discussions about church reunification became a focal point in the reformed world. These splits amongst reformed churches seem to have caused traumatic stress and inflicted deep wounds that are very difficult to heal in full, especially in the context of South Africa. This article briefly looks at some causes of split in the reformed world by paying attention to the work of Lukas Vischer and also by sketching some few causes of church split within the Dutch Reformed family of churches in the South African context. This article does not really pay attention to an in-depth discussion on church unity, rather, it places the interest on issues of church divisions which impact negatively on the true unity of the church. A question can be asked: can we really hope for a genuine unity of the church given the history of these splits? Put it differently: Is there any hope for an authentic church unity amongst reformed churches locally and globally? The article argues that the history of these divisions makes it very hard if not impossible to hope for an authentic church unity, given the currently lived experiences of divisions, the irreconcilability of people and the unhealed wounds inflicted in the past. For an authentic church unity to be achieved and lived positively, the article suggests that injustices of the past needs to be addressed, especially between the Dutch Reformed family of churches.

P J Hoedemaker: ‘Wat ék bedoel, is die behoud van die kerk’

1990 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. C. Van Wyk
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
South African ◽  
Dutch Reformed ◽  
History Of ◽  
Reformed Churches ◽  
The Church

P J Hoedemaker. ‘What I aim at, is the conservation of the church’ The birthday of the wellknown Dutch Reformed theologian P J Hoedemaker 150 years ago, was celebrated in the Netherlands during 1989. In his struggle against the formidable dr Abraham Kuyper, it became more and more evident that Hoedemaker was himself a very perspicacious, independent theologian. His dramatic struggle for the unity and the wholeness of the church against every schismatic action is really unique in the history of the church. The theological concepts of Hoedemaker strongly influenced the thoughts of Dutch theologians like Th L Haitjema and A A van Ruler, and consequently also a large number of South African theologians in the Dutch Reformed Churches.

scholarly journals Verkondiging deur musiek: 'n Aspek van kreatiewe geloofskommunikasie

2003 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elsabé Kloppers
Keyword(s):  
Focal Point ◽  
Spoken Word ◽  
Dutch Reformed ◽  
Reformed Church ◽  
God's Word ◽  
Musical Practices ◽  
Music Ministry ◽  
Reformed Churches ◽  
The Church ◽  
Dutch Reformed Church

Communicating faith creatively through musicThe question of music ministry has become a focal point in the Dutch Reformed Church. The debate arises primarily from discontent about rigid and uninspired musical practices in the church. These practices are promoted and affirmed by one-sided theological views, according to which the spoken word as God's Word, is over-emphasized, and proclamation through music and other means is denied. In some Reformed churches this one-sidedness led to responses in the form of a music ministry with new one-sided approaches. In this article it is argued that music, singing and other forms of art need to be recognized and promoted as ways of communicating the Gospel on various levels. An encompassing strategy for creative communication of the faith within a more active liturgy needs to be developed. Liturgists need to be well-trained for such an encompassing task.

scholarly journals The challenges facing the Dutch Reformed Churches in the South African liberal democracy

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Motshine A. Sekhaulelo
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Liberal Democracy ◽  
Political Order ◽  
Dutch Reformed ◽  
The South ◽  
Reformed Churches ◽  
The Church

This article investigates the challenges facing the Dutch Reformed Churches in the SouthAfrican liberal democracy. It is premised on the fact that the Dutch Reformed Churches areconfronted with a new context that places the church in a position to continue its work ofbearing witness in the new dispensation. Part of this reflection involved seeking out theBiblical principles and guidelines that Christians would have to take into account in associationwith the new political order.

scholarly journals Crossing spatial and temporal boundaries: Three women in search of a future

Literator ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 23-36
Author(s):  
M. Wenzel
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
White Women ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
Nadine Gordimer ◽  
Female Protagonists ◽  
The Past ◽  
Family Saga ◽  
South African Literature ◽  
History Of

The past has become a focal point in contemporary South African discourse, in public debate, newspaper articles and various forms of literature. South African literature written during the eighties and nineties, in particular English and Afrikaans novels, effectively portray this climate of confrontation and reconciliation by engaging in dialogue with the past and history. This article traces the evolution of political consciousness in the female protagonists of A Sport of Nature (1987) by Nadine Gordimer, Die reise van Isobelle (1996) by Elsa Joubert and Imaginings of Sand (1997) by André Brink. All three novelists subvert the traditional stereotypes of white women: Gordimer in an ironic quasi-picaresque form, Joubert by staging a family saga that assumes a testimonial quality and Brink in a fictionalised meta-history of women interwoven with strands of magic realism. The novels all engage with history, and in particular the role of women in history, in a constructive manner and attempt to anticipate a positive scenario for the future.

scholarly journals Politieke mag, die Ou Testament en kerkeenheid

1996 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 359-372
Author(s):  
J.H. Le Roux
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Political Power ◽  
Dutch Reformed ◽  
The Past ◽  
Church Unity ◽  
The Family ◽  
Reformed Churches

Political power, the Old Testament and church unity The  family  of Dutch  Reformed  Churches  in  South  Africa  are  involved  in tense  discussions  on  church  unity.  One  aspect  which  must  be  discussed thoroughly  is  the  legitimation  of  political  "power.  Not  only  in  the past but also  the present Mandela government  is  religiously supported.  It  is argued that  this a dangerous  venture.  Some  examples from  the Old Testament are used to  illustrate  this point.  It  is  stated that Israel became disillusioned  in political power and therefore reformulated royal theology.

scholarly journals Five hundred years on: Some traces of the Reformation in the Church Orders of two South African Reformed Churches – Seen as temporary expressions of the Church Order of the Reformed Synod of Dordrecht in 1619

2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Piet Strauss
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
Dutch Reformed ◽  
Reformed Church ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
African Churches ◽  
Reformed Churches ◽  
The Church ◽  
Dutch Reformed Church

This article examines the influence of the Reformation of the 16th century on the Church Orders of two South African Reformed Churches, namely the Dutch Reformed Church and the Reformed Churches in South Africa. The five so-called solas, namely sola gratia [by grace alone], sola scriptura [by Scripture alone], sola fidei [by faith alone], solus christus [Christ alone] and soli Deo gloria [glory to God alone], are widely accepted as key expressions of the convictions of the Reformation. Although not necessarily in the same terms, the content of the solas are also found in the thought of Calvin. These matters influenced the Synod of Dordrecht (1618–1619) in its acceptance of the Three Formulas of Unity as reformed confessions of faith and its affirmation of the Dordt Church Order. The said South African churches accept the Three Formulas of Unity as confessions of faith and view their church orders as a modern version of the Dordt Church Order – adapted to the demands of the time. This article mainly examines the consequences of sola scriptura and sola fidei on the church orders of the two churches. In terms of these two solas, both have traces of the Reformation after 500 years.

scholarly journals Die Sendingpraktyk van die Ned Geref Kerk: Enkele tendense vanaf 1952 tot met die eeuwenteling

2003 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 213-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Van der Watt
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
New World ◽  
Dutch Reformed ◽  
Reformed Church ◽  
Past Half Century ◽  
African Context ◽  
Traditional Fields ◽  
World Mission ◽  
The Church ◽  
Past Half

In this past half century the Dutch Reformed Church was continuously building  on the tradition of extended missionary involvement within South Africa as well as in several countries in Southern Africa. During the fifties and sixties there were a flourishing of activities, driven by, amongst other reasons, an idealism and optimism concerning the homeland-policy  or  grand apartheid. The seventies and eighties were therefore characterised by resistance; the DRC had to  reconsider its approach. While the church had to largely withdraw from the traditional fields, it found alternative areas for involvement, mainly abroad. In the nineties a whole new world dawned and the church once again had  to adapt.  The  emphasis  shifted  to local congregations and a variety of approaches. World mission came into the focus. The way ahead for the Dutch Reformed Family of Churches could only be as one united church, fulfilling it’s calling to mission within the African and especially South African context, while staying true to its reformed tradition.

scholarly journals Die Dordtse tradisie en binding aan die belydenis

2006 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Strauss
Keyword(s):  
Dutch Reformed ◽  
History Of ◽  
Reformed Churches ◽  
The Church ◽  
Church Tradition

The church tradition of Dordt and subscription to the confessions A thorough analysis of history shows that the National Synod of Dordrecht (1618-1619) declared that the confessions of the church, especially the three Formulas of Unity of the Dutch Reformed Churches, have confessional authority. That indicates authority on the doctrines the confessions formulate and confess because (quia) these are according to Scriptures. This insight helped some reformed churches up to now to deal with criticism levelled against non-doctrinal issues in, for instance, the Confessio Belgica.  A case can be argued that a literal approach to the question of the authority of these confessions takes us back beyond Dordt. It ignores the history of 1618-1619, fails to get a grip on the very nature of confessions of faith or creeds and does not help to solve the problem.

scholarly journals Kan die NG Kerk vandag nog iets vir Suid Afrika beteken?

2008 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-44
Author(s):  
A Boesak
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Dutch Reformed ◽  
South African Context ◽  
The South ◽  
Reformed Church ◽  
Political Tension ◽  
African Context ◽  
The University ◽  
The Church ◽  
Dutch Reformed Church

This article is the edited version of the presentation held at the University of Pretoria’s “Theological Day” on January 31, 2008. It seeks to answer the question: “Can the Dutch Reformed Church still make a difference in South Africa today?” This article places this question within the wider world and African contexts, then focuses on the South African situation. It describes the South African context as one of spiritual uncertainties and confusion, political tension, economic inequalities and social unravelling, which each in the their own way and together put particular challenges before the church. This paper answers the question the affirmative, provided that the Dutch Reformed Church meets its own direct challenges, the most important of which is the challenge toward reunification within the Dutch Reformed family of churches.

scholarly journals The shaping and formation of a missional ecclesiology of township congregations in the Mangaung Metro Municipality during COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene Baron ◽  
Khamadi J. Pali
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Missional Church ◽  
Dutch Reformed ◽  
Missional Ecclesiology ◽  
Reformed Church ◽  
African Context ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
The Church

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caught most organisations, institutions and leaders off-guard, including church leaders. This was not any different in the congregations in the townships of the Mangaung Metro Municipality. The article discusses the responses of the churches in the Mangaung district and poses the question pertinently, ‘How did (or not) the churches in the Mangaung district reimagine, restructure, and position themselves prophetically during the COVID-19 pandemic?’. This is done firstly by providing a background to the development of a missional ecclesiology in North America, United Kingdon, and South Africa. Secondly, a discussion will be focused on the characteristics of the congregations which are necessary for developing a missional ecclesiology, in terms of these phases, as argued by Baron and Maponya. However, in the final section it will bring the missional ecclesiological discourse in conversation with the shaping and developing (or not) of a missional ecclesiology in respect of congregations in the township of the Mangaung Metro Municipality. The authors provide some contours for the missional role of the church in the current South African context and the formation of a missional ecclesiology.Contribution: This article contributes to the missional church discourse in missiology, that has been a conversation within Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa. The authors have been conducting research within mostly Pentecostal church in the township of Mangaung. The article is an attempt to broaden the missional church discussion in terms of region and Pentecostal ecclesiology.

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