scholarly journals Kerk en volk

1991 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J.C. Van Wyk

Church and nation In this essay the relationship between the church and the nation, is once more investigated. It has become necessary in the light of the fact that the concept of ‘nation’ is being treated more and more negatively, especially in the ecumenical theology of mission and the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. The background to this negative attitude is not only the racial situation in South Africa, but also the experiences of church and theology in Nazi Germany. The conclusion at which the author arrives, is that, because of its assosiation with apartheid in South Africa, the word ‘nation’ has became more and more a curse. This attutude is irresponsible, and not in line with biblical thought.

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ockie C. Vermeulen

In good times and in bad: The tumultuous relationship between the church and the organ - is divorce inevitable? Through the ages, a delicate relationship has existed between the church and the pipe organ. Since the 10th century, the organ established itself as a unique instrument in service of worship. This relationship was not always a steady one, and this article investigates the tumultuous affair between the two parties. In part one of the article, which is a historic perspective, the relationship is discussed by looking at different cultures and uses of the organ in the worship service. This gives a sense of when and how the relationship came into being and developed or deteriorated. In part two, the current situation in the Afrikaans Reformed service is explored by conducting several unstructured interviews with key role players in the theological and musical world of South Africa. In part three, the study ventures into speculating about the future of the organ in the worship service by briefly looking at the attitude of the organist and spirituality of the postmodern church goer. In essence, this article reflects on whether the marriage between church and music instrument is solid or on its way to the divorce court.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The relationship between organ and church has to be reconsidered. The use of the organ in the worship service has to be taken under scrutiny, and a new relationship agreement between the two partners has to be formulated.


2005 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
W.A. Dreyer

The new political dispensation since 1994 requires the Reformed churches in South Africa to redefine their role in society and their relationship with the government. This short journey through history helps us to understand the complexity of the relationship between the Church and the government. This article focuses on the concepts formulated by the Reformers in the 16th century, presenting the view that the revolutionary and radical way in which the Reformed concepts changed society and the government is still relevant to South Africa and opens up meaningful dialogue.


2018 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor D'Assonville

Terwyl Philipp Melanchthon allerweë in wetenskaplike kringe in Wes-Europa sowel as die VSA erkenning geniet vir sy reuse bydrae tot die Reformasie en die Westerse universiteitswese, is hy in sommige dele van die wêreld, ongelukkig ook in Suid-Afrika, taamlik onbekend. Dikwels verdwyn hy in die skadu van Luther en Calvyn. In eie reg was sy bydrae tot die hervorming van die kerk, sowel as die ontwikkeling van geesteswetenskappe en feitlik die volledige spektrum van wetenskappe in sy tyd egter só geweldig groot dat dit moeilik is om nie slegs in die oortreffende trap daarvan te praat nie. In hierdie artikel word doelbewus aandag aan die verhouding tussen sy rol as humanistiese geleerde in die sestiende-eeuse konteks en sy bydrae as kerkhervormer gegee, om sodoende meer insig oor die agtergrond van die komplekse reformasiegeskiedenis te bied. Abstract While Philip Melanchthon enjoys wide acclaim in scientific circles in Western Europe as well as the USA for his tremendous contribution to the Reformation and establishment of Western universities, he is unfortunately relatively unknown in some parts of the world, including South Africa. Often he recedes into the shadow of Luther and Calvin. In his own right his contribution to the sixteenth-century reformation of the church and the development of the Humanities – and in fact close to the entire spectrum of the sciences of his time – was so profound that it is hard not to acclaim him to the superlative degree. In this article, attention is deliberately given to the relationship between his role as humanistic scholar in the sixteenth century context and his contribution as church reformer, in order to provide more clarity on the context of the complexity of church reformation history.


2019 ◽  
pp. 38-52
Author(s):  
Михаил Степанович Иванов

Написание статьи обусловлено ведущимся в наше время поиском путей духовного и культурного преображения современной России. Значительное внимание в этом поиске обращается на религиозно-философские истоки общечеловеческой культуры. Особый интерес в этой связи вызывает творчество отечественных мыслителей, стремившихся (по выражению П. П. Гайденко) «строить философию на религиозном основании, сближая её с богословием». Такая попытка была предпринята и знаменитым русским философом Владимиром Соловьёвым. В статье анализируются религиозно-философские искания В. Соловьёва, его личная религиозность, понимание философом соотношения философии и теологии и разработка им «свободной теософии», а также негативное отношение Соловьёва к «историческому христианству» и к догматическому учению Церкви как к «отвлечённому догматизму», изучается попытка философа «ввести вечное содержание христианства в новую форму» и создать «новое» богословие. The reseason for writing this article is due to the ongoing search for ways of a spiritual and cultural transformation of modern Russia. Considerable attention in this search is drawn to the religious and philosophical origins of human culture. Of interest in this regard is the work of Russian thinkers who sought (in the words of P. P. Gaydenko) “to build philosophy on a religious basis, bringing it closer to theology”. Such an attempt was made by the famous Russian philosopher Vladimir Solovyev. The article analyzes the religious and philosophical quest of V. Solovyev, his personal religiosity, the philosopher’s understanding of the relationship between philosophy and theology and his development of “free theosophy”, as well as Solovyev’s negative attitude to “historical Christianity” and to the dogmatic teaching of the Church as “abstract dogmatism”, and the philosopher’s attempt to “introduce the eternal content of Christianity in a new form” and create a “new” theology.


2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-98
Author(s):  
Philip Morris

2010 marked the 90th anniversary of disestablishment; and the Archbishop noted in his April Presidential Address to the Governing Body that though disestablishment had been forced on the Church and its result had been to deplete assets, congregations had twice raised sufficient money to secure the Church's territorial ministry. Though the Church now had fewer attenders, clergy and ordinands than hitherto, it had survived greater challenges in the past. In his September address, as well as looking outwards and comparing the relationship between Gaza and Israel with apartheid in South Africa, he warned that the ‘Big Society’ might merely make life harder for the most vulnerable and reminded the Government that everyone needed good quality education, health and other public services.


2017 ◽  
Vol 80 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 222-235
Author(s):  
Peter Lodberg

Vatican II represented a fresh start for studies in missiology and ecumenical theology. Especially its call to contextualize and rethink old theological dogmas was well received in many churches in Latin America and Africa that were involved in a process of liberation from old colonial structures. In South Africa the church struggle resulted in the formulation of the Kairos document in 1985. It has since inspired theologians in Palestine/Israel to formulate a Palestinian Kairos document in 2009. In both documents the concepts of reconciliation and restorative justice are used to express interrelated realities. A group of international theologians marked the 500 year of the Reformation by publishing a declaration in January 2017 in Wittenberg, Germany, in line with the two Kairos documents. This shows that in missiology and ecumenical theology new theological inspiration is now coming from the Global South, thereby challenging the Western churches to take a stand in the on-going conflict in Palestine/Israel.


2007 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Smit

The letter of calling in the Reformed Churches in South Africa – a contractual labour proposal? In the Schreuder case the court found that the letter of calling should be considered a legally valid letter of service. Therefore the relationship between a congregation and a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church is regulated by a contract of employ- ment. Consequently Labour Law applies to the position of this church’s ministers. In the court’s verdict on the Church of the Province case, the court found that a priest/minister of the Anglican Church does not enter into a legal binding contract of employment with the church. According to the court the rela- tionship between the Anglican Church and a priest/minister cannot be described as a contractual relationship, but rather a spiritual or religious agreement that is regulated by the canons of the church. Therefore the question should be asked: Is the letter of calling to a minister in the RCSA a contractual labour proposal by a local church? In this article it is argued that a letter of calling in the RCSA should not be considered a letter of service. In the light of Scripture, the confession and the church order the aim of the letter of calling is merely to inform a minister of a religious calling by the Lord. It is therefore suggested that the draft form of the letter of calling currently in use, should be adapted to avoid misunderstandings regarding the position and service of a minister in the RCSA.


2005 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
T.F.J. Dreyer

Before the new political dispensation in South Africa (1994), the Dutch Reformed Church in Africa (Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika) referred to the church as a “peoples church” (volkskerk). Owing to political changes the qualification “volkskerk” has created a certain degree of disturbance in the ranks of the church. The relationship between “church and culture” became a topical issue. Since 1994 the focus of the homiletical debate shifted to the question of the role of the church within a changing environment and again the answer to the question of “church and culture” was of utmost importance. Nowadays the reality of a multicultural society becomes a new challenge to the church. This article is an attempt to define the relation between culture and preaching from different hermeneutic perspectives, namely the cultural embedding of the biblical kerygma; the interwovenness of language and culture; and the necessity for contextuality in preaching.


1992 ◽  
Vol 48 (3/4) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Strauss

Church, state and political models in ‘Church and Society - 1990’ In this article the author looks into motives and trends surrounding the viewpoints of the document ‘Church and Society - 1990’ with regard to the relationship between both the church and the state and the church and practical political models in South Africa. This document of the 1990 General Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church - traditionally labelled as a significant pro-apartheid church - is the sequel to a statement by a previous Synod four years earlier. The main finding is that ‘Church and Society - 1990’ tends to give a Scriptural basis to current political tendencies and thinking in South African government circles.


Author(s):  
О. Р. Tsys’

The study investigates the relationship between the spiritual and secular authorities regarding travelling arrangements for clergy in the territory of the Tobolsk North during the Synodical Period in the history of Russian Orthodoxy. The difficulties that abbots had to face when travelling to parishes were studied. For a long time travelling arrangements for clergy were unregulated and accompanied by abuse of indigenous population of the region. The search for mechanisms to ensure proper conditions for religious service, including the possibility of visiting parishes, required joint efforts of the state and the church. The secular authorities generally took a negative attitude to the requirements of priests and clergymen to freely use state-owned horses and questioned their travelling needs. Serving the fiscal interests of the State Treasury, the secular authorities were critical of the ‘excessive zeal’ of the clergy and tried to restrain the abuse of wandering and nomadic minorities. By the end of the studied period, the adoption of necessary legislative acts solved the problems of organizing trips for priests and clergymen to entrusted parishes.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document