scholarly journals Die liminale ruimte vir inkongruensie tussen predikant en lidmaat: ’n Narratief gebaseerde prakties-teologiese ondersoek in gemeentes van die Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika

2010 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hein Delport ◽  
Julian C. Müller
Keyword(s):  
Practical Theology ◽  
Suspension Bridge ◽  
Church Member ◽  
Specific Context ◽  
Liminal Space ◽  
Reformed Church ◽  
The Social ◽  
Unresolved Conflict ◽  
Practical Theological ◽  
The Church

Disagreements between pastors and church members in the Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa (NRCH) require a unique space in the church in terms of a postmodern society. Different perspectives can easily lead to conflict in the Church. Unresolved conflict may jeopardise the work of the clergy in a congregation. In this research, I follow a contextual approach to the pursuit of practical theology. A postfundamental practical theological framework is followed in the research. The social construction discourse and narrative epistemology offer new perspectives for developing a liminal space where more than one perspective can exist. Within a society characterised by secularism and privatisation, I examine the possibility of a space of unity amid diversity in the Church. I involved six fellow researchers who have experienced conflict in a specific context within the Church. We also examined the possibility of an alternative space where moments of communitas can once again occur in these stories. The research found space for this in the description of two metaphors, namely the liminal suspension bridge of grace and the dance of peace. The stories of the fellow researchers are retold within these two metaphors. My research highlights the important contribution of an interdisciplinary conversation in research. In the study, the journey theme plays an important role, and the reader is invited along with the fellow researchers into a (liminal) space to explore the conflict between the church minister and the church member.

scholarly journals The Role of the Church in Socio-Economic Transformation: Reformation as a Transformation Process

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leepo Johannes Modise
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Transformation Process ◽  
Economic Transformation ◽  
Economic Situation ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
Reformed Church ◽  
The Social ◽  
Church And Society ◽  
The Church

This paper consists of five parts. Firstly, a brief historical background of reformation will be discussed as an exercise to remember reformation. Secondly, we review the role of the ecumenical church (SACC) prior to democracy in South Africa. The purpose for focusing on the role of the church from this period is that it gives us a model to follow in our involvement in socio-economic transformation. Thirdly, the social and economic challenges facing the church and society in democratic South Africa will be discussed. Fourthly, we debate the role of the ecumenical church (SACC) in democratic South Africa. Fifthly, the article explores what role the Uniting Reformed Church in South Africa (URCSA) is playing (descriptive) and ought to play (normative) through all her structures to transform the socio-economic situation in South Africa.

scholarly journals A Neuro Linguistic Programming’s modelling process for the development of and guidance to congregations: An adaptive ministry

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan Bester ◽  
Johann A. Meylahn
Keyword(s):  
Practical Theology ◽  
Specific Context ◽  
Reformed Church ◽  
Phd Thesis ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Modelling Process ◽  
The Way

Several congregations in the workspace of the Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa are losing viability and sustainability. This can be attributed to various factors, the most prominent being isolation. Isolation is defined here as the inability of some congregations to move away from maintenance and an inward focus towards making necessary adjustments on the way to a dimension of missional focus. While commitment and enthusiasm are present in the work of all congregations, some find it difficult to adapt their established ideas and in some cases obsolete customs and traditions. Other congregations have made the necessary adjustments by defining themselves as missional. In congregations where constructive change occurs, the focus moves to undertake congregational ministries. The congregation not only gains insight into their own situation but also becomes aware of God’s calling for that specific congregation within a specific context. The focus shifts from their own situation and needs to the needs and challenges of the context surrounding the specific congregation. A consequence of this change in focus is that the whole ministry of the congregation adjusts accordingly. These congregations discover their own unique spirituality and begin to ask: For whom do we exist? The article is based on a PhD thesis, where Osmer’s four questions of practical theology were brought into the conversation with the modelling process of neuro-linguistic programming, in an attempt to sojourn with congregations towards a contextual missional focus. This research was undertaken to expand Osmer’s four questions of practical theology by using the modelling process of neuro-linguistic programming so that congregations may succeed in making the necessary adjustments.

scholarly journals Screening the church: A study of clergy representation in contemporary Afrikaans cinema

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaun Joynt ◽  
Chris Broodryk
Keyword(s):  
Practical Theology ◽  
Urban Society ◽  
Dutch Reformed ◽  
The Past ◽  
Reformed Church ◽  
Religious Conservatism ◽  
Political Conservatism ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
The Church

The church-funded CARFO or KARFO (Afrikaans Christian Filmmaking Organisation) was established in 1947, and aimed to ‘[socialise] the newly urbanized Afrikaner into a Christian urban society’ (Tomaselli 1985:25; Paleker 2009:45). This initiative was supported and sustained by the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC), which had itself been part of the sociopolitical and ideological fabric of Afrikaans religious life for a while and would guide Afrikaners through tensions between religious conservatism and liberalism and into apartheid. Given Afrikaans cinema’s ties with Christian religious and political conservatism, we explore the role – even the centrality – of the Afrikaans church in cultural activity before 1994, and then after 1994. Here, Afrikaans church is an inclusive term that brings together various denominations of Afrikaans-speaking churches, but which mainly suggests the domination of the DRC. After establishing the role of the Afrikaans church in the way described above, we move towards the primary focus of our study: exploring the representation of clergy in the contemporary Afrikaans film Faan se Trein in order to describe certain theological implications of this representation. With reference to Faan se Trein, our article notes and comments on the shifts that have occurred in clergy representation in Afrikaans cinema over the past decades. Osmer’s four tasks of practical theology, namely, descriptive, interpretive, normative and strategic are used for theological reflection. With due contextual reference to Afrikaans film dramas such as Broer Matie [Brother Matie], Saak van Geloof [A Matter of Faith], Roepman [Stargazer], Stilte [Silence], Suiderkruis [Southern Cross] and Faan se Trein, we arrive at some preliminary conclusions about the representation of clergy in mainly contemporary Afrikaans cinema.

Always Reforming?

2015 ◽  
Vol 95 (4) ◽  
pp. 495-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara Van Dyken
Keyword(s):  
Gender Equity ◽  
Christian Reformed ◽  
Reformed Church ◽  
The Social ◽  
Second Wave Feminism ◽  
Christian Reformed Church ◽  
Normative Expectations ◽  
Social Markers ◽  
Second Wave ◽  
The Church

This article reconfigures the conventional understanding of second wave feminism and feminists through an analysis of the Committee for Women in the Christian Reformed Church (CW-CRC). Rather than challenging societal and denominational norms, the CW-CRC used the normative expectations and structures of the Christian Reformed Church in order to bring about a fundamental change in practice and a reformation in scriptural understanding. Tying gender equality to the theology of the denomination, the women of the Committee defined acceptance of women’s equal authority in the church as a theological necessity—something that was not just morally or ethically right, but biblically right. Regardless of their association with the term feminist or their alignment with conventional methods and arguments of second wave feminism, the members of the CW-CRC—and the women they sponsored—were working toward gender equity. Recognizing their unique means of enacting reform suggests fluidity in the social markers of feminism.

scholarly journals Pentecostalism and schisms in the Reformed Church in Zambia (1996–2001): Listening to the people

2011 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukas Soko ◽  
H. Jurgens Hendriks
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Christian Reformed ◽  
Reformed Church ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The People ◽  
Christian Reformed Church ◽  
Practical Theological ◽  
The Church

This article is descriptive in nature and a practical theological assessment of the schisms that took place in the Reformed Church in Zambia (RCZ) between 1996 and 2001. It analyses empirical evidence to find an answer to the question why it happened. Pentecostal or charismatic tendencies have challenged the long inherited tradition of mainline churches. Subsequently, Pentecostal or charismatic movements have caused intense conflict in the church between the pro-conservatives and pro-Pentecostals. In the RCZ this led to the formation of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) in 1999 and the Bible Gospel Church in Africa (BIGOCA) in 2001.

Introducing Practical Theology: Mission, Ministry, and the Life of the Church; Liquid Ecclesiology: The Gospel and The Church

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-101
Author(s):  
Jack Barentsen
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Practical Theology ◽  
Etude De Cas ◽  
The World ◽  
Evangelical Movement ◽  
Theological Debate ◽  
Practical Theological ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Trinity

ZUSAMMENFASSUNGPete Ward präsentiert seine Vision für praktische Theologie als flüssige Ekklesiologie, die in der flüssigen Art verwurzelt ist, in der die Trinität in der Kirche und der Welt lebt und sich bewegt. Ihre Bewegungen lassen sich nur durch die Kombination von textueller und empirischer Forschung erkennen. In der Introduction bespricht Ward Hauptbereiche der praktischen Theologie in leicht verständlicher Sprache. Seine Liquid Ecclesiology präsentiert eine detaillierte theologische Darstellung sowie eine faszinierende Fallstudie der evangelischen Bewegung.SUMMARYPete Ward offers his vision for practical theology as liquid ecclesiology, rooted in the liquid ways in which the Trinity lives and moves within the Church and the world. Its movements can be discerned only by combing textual and empirical research. Ward’s Introduction reviews major areas of practical theological debate in accessible language; his Liquid Ecclesiology offers an in-depth theological account along with a fascinating case study of the evangelical movement.RÉSUMÉPete Ward présente sa vision de la théologie pratique comme une « ecclésiologie liquide », enracinée dans la manière liquide dont la Trinité vit et se meut au sein de l’Église et du monde. Ses mouvements ne peuvent être discernés qu’en combinant des recherches textuelles et empiriques. L’Introduction considère les principaux débats de théologie pratique dans un langage accessible. Son ouvrage intitulé Liquid Ecclesiology offre un récit théologique approfondi ainsi qu’une étude de cas fascinante du mouvement évangélique.

scholarly journals A public practical theological theory for religious education of secularised youth

2004 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yolanda Dreyer
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Religious Education ◽  
Practical Theology ◽  
Theoretical Basis ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Anthony Giddens ◽  
Reflection Theory ◽  
Practical Theological ◽  
Point Of Departure

In the postmodern world young people no longer accept the values advocated by the institutionalised church as unquestionably relevant to their lives, one of the reasons for this being that the supremacy of the Christian faith has given way to a secularised society. Public practical theology includes the public as one of its audiences. In this paper the point of departure is a reflection-theory and not the praxis as such. This theory focuses on everyday concerns and issues in order to facilitate a dialogue between theology and the social sciences. The article aims to reflect on the enhancement of the experience of transcendence in the everydayness of the present-day youth. It argues that the agency theories of Anthony Giddens and Pierre Bourdieu can provide a theoretical basis and method for public religious education.

scholarly journals ’n Prakties-teologiese besinning oor die begeleiding en toerusting van kinders tot dienswerk as ’n weg tot die navolging van die gesindheid van Christus

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gert Breed ◽  
Ferdi P. Kruger
Keyword(s):  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Spiritual Gifts ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
The Social ◽  
To Come ◽  
Practical Theological ◽  
The Church

A practical-theological reflection on coaching and equipping children for service as a way to emulating the attitude of Christ. The hypothesis for this research is that the youth is an inherent part of the church. The church, which includes the children, received spiritual gifts from God. The edification of the church is the main purpose in the utilisation of all the gifts. The church received a significant responsibility in equipping and convoying children to be obedient in their calling to be followers of Jesus Christ. Parents and children must use their gifts for their own diakonia. The word diakonia gives expression to the fact that diakonia must take place in accordance to the calling by God. In recent research the expression diakonia also received a more comprehensive meaning. The research field will be explored in four phases and, in doing so, try to come to grips with the current practical-theological situation. In phase one the authors tried to offer a descriptive reflection on research in the practical theology. In phase two the authors undertook exploratory research from the field of the social psychology in order to indicate the prominent role of wrong attitudes and insufficient convoying of children in the praxis. Therefore the authors undertook an intra-disciplinary conversation with the development psychology. In phase three the authors offered basic-theoretical perspectives from Scripture in order to show how the praxis must be. In the last phase of this research practical-theoretical perspectives are explored in order to underline the responsibility of churches in this regard of equipping children in fulfilling their own diakonia. The authors drew a conclusion from their research that children who serve in diakonia and also in obedience to Christ, are also people that are enabled to show the attitude of Jesus Christ towards the world. Parents and other believers must serve in mentoring children. By mentoring children in their diakonia, they enable children and also contribute towards spiritual maturity in their lives.

scholarly journals Pastorale sorg aan beswaardes en ongeduldiges met die oog op die opbou van die gemeente

1991 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-91
Author(s):  
P. J. Rossouw
Keyword(s):  
Church Growth ◽  
Pastoral Care ◽  
Dutch Reformed ◽  
Church Member ◽  
Political Factors ◽  
Reformed Church ◽  
New Directions ◽  
Church And Society ◽  
Church Policy ◽  
The Church

Pastoral care for the objectors and the impatient: a church growth perspective The aim of this article is to develop a pastoral theological perspective to a recent pastoral problem. This problem is the growing polarization within churches (with the focus on the Dutch Reformed Church) in South Africa today due to theological, church policy, social, economical and political factors. These factors are outlined and analysed systematically. Special attention is paid to the two poles - the objectors and the impatient. The "objector" is described as the church member who experiences an increasing concern and impasse with the church regarding new directions that are followed, and which are not correct according to his convictions and perceptions. The "impatient" is described as a church member who experiences an Increasing impasse with the church because according to him the church is not going far enough in concretizing the full consequences of church policy (as spelled out in Church and Society for example). The nature, symptoms and needs of both are examined and guidelines for a directed pastoral care are proposed.

scholarly journals Die opbou van ’n missionale gemeente: ’n Verkenning van die invloed van Godsbegrip en liturgiese ervaring

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marthinus J. Jansen van Rensburg
Keyword(s):  
Church Members ◽  
Reformed Church ◽  
The World ◽  
Practical Theological ◽  
The Church ◽  
Changing World

The building up of a local missional congregation: The understanding of God and liturgy. The purpose of this article is to investigate the understanding of God by members of the Netherdutch Reformed Church (Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika [NHKA]), their liturgical experience and its influence on the development of a missional congregation. The world is currently in the midst of a wave of changes that have far-reaching implications for the church and, specifically, for the NHKA. In a changing world it is imperative that church members understand the value of the different metaphors of God as well as its value for the development of the missional congregation. From a practical-theological approach, this article aims to look at the influence of the liturgy of life on the development of a missional congregation.

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