scholarly journals The centenary of Assemblies of God in South Africa: Historical reflections on theological education and ministry formation

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelebogile T. Resane
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Church Planting ◽  
Historical Development ◽  
Theological Education ◽  
Assemblies Of God ◽  
Pentecostal Movement ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Ministry Formation

The Assemblies of God (AOG) celebrates its centenary in 2017. The paper aims to show the historical development of theological education and ministerial training and formation in this denomination. It starts by showing how internationally AOG embraced the Bible Institute movement as a way of evangelism, church planting and growth from the early decades of the 20th century after the birth of the Pentecostal Movement. Then there is a South African scenario, lamenting the de-emphasis of the importance of theological education, though there was emphasis on evangelism and missional endeavours on the grassroots. The research unfolds the development of institutions from 1949 to the present. All in all, 10 institutions are identified and briefly explained, some of them with their demise. The article concludes by historical reflections on what was taught and identifies the gaps by suggesting that the Pentecostal curriculum should be relevant to the context of Africa by embracing inclusivity: Hidden Curriculum, Gender Studies, Inculturation and Liberation ideals and renaissance of pneumatology.

‘Limping, Yet Made to Climb a Mountain!’ Re-Reading the Vashti Character in the Hiv And Aids South African Context

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madipoane Masenya (Ngwan’A Mphahlele)
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
External Factor ◽  
Hiv And Aids ◽  
African Women ◽  
South African Context ◽  
Land Grabbing ◽  
The Bible ◽  
History Of ◽  
African Context

The history of the Christian Bible’s reception in South Africa was part of a package that included among others, the importation of European patriarchy, land grabbing and its impoverishment of Africans and challenged masculinities of African men. The preceding factors, together with the history of the marginalization of African women in bible and theology, and how the Bible was and continues to be used in our HIV and AIDS contexts, have only made the proverbial limping animal to climb a mountain. Wa re o e bona a e hlotša, wa e nametša thaba (while limping, you still let it climb a mountain) simply means that a certain situation is being aggravated (by an external factor). In this chapter the preceding Northern Sotho proverb is used as a hermeneutical lens to present an HIV and AIDS gender sensitive re-reading of the Vashti character in the Hebrew Bible within the South African context.

scholarly journals Reading the Bible with the marginalised: The value/s of contextual Bible reading

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald West
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Biblical Interpretation ◽  
The Bible ◽  
History Of ◽  
Interpretive Practices ◽  
Bible Reading

There is a long history of collaboration between “popular” or “contextual” forms of biblical interpretation between Brazil and South Africa, going back into the early 1980’s. Though there are significant differences between these forms of Bible “reading”, there are values and processes that cohere across these contexts, providing an integrity to such forms of Bible reading. This article reflects on the values and processes that may be discerned across the Brazilian and South African interpretive practices after more than thirty years of conversation across these contexts.

scholarly journals South African Presbyterian women in leadership in ministry (1973–2018)

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham A. Duncan
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Historical Overview ◽  
Presbyterian Church ◽  
General Acceptance ◽  
Ordination Of Women

The issue of women in the ministry has been a vexed one historically. In many denominations, the ordination of women has been represented by some form of struggle, which culminated in the first ordinations of women during the second half of the 20th century. This article investigates the process towards the ordination of women in two Southern African Presbyterian denominations – the Bantu Presbyterian Church of South Africa (renamed the ‘Reformed Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa’ in 1979) and the Presbyterian Church of South Africa (renamed the ‘Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa’ in 1958), prior to their union in 1999 to form the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. This article focusses on women in leadership in ministry, not exclusively on women ordained to the ministry of ruling or teaching elder (minister). It begins with an historical overview and proceeds to an investigation of developments in the two relevant denominations. The terms ‘leadership’ and ‘ministry’ are used separately and together and are considered to be synonymous. The article uses primary sources from the records of both denominations considered and suggests that the process was gradual and progressive as the worth of women in leadership was recognised following the general acceptance of the biblical and theological arguments.

scholarly journals Interpreting the Bible in the 'new' South Africa: Remarks on some problems and challenges

1997 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Human
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
New South ◽  
Biblical Studies ◽  
Biblical Hermeneutics ◽  
Christian Community ◽  
South African Society ◽  
The Bible ◽  
University Of Pretoria ◽  
Interpretation Process

Interpreting the Bible in the 'new' South Africa DJ Human Department of Biblical Studies (Sec B) University of Pretoria The Bible plays an important role in South African society. The interpretation of this book within or outside the Christian community has become an increaslingly major source of debate. It has been used and misused in several spheres of society. This article does not intend providing an extensive and composite picture of the problems and character of biblical hermeneutics. Nor will it attempt to elaborate on or explain the origins, development and influences of all the different her-meneutical approaches. Rather, it poses to be an introduction to a few of the problem(s) encountered in the attempt to understand the Bible, especially in terms of the 'new' South Africa. Within the framework of this scope, remarks will be made regarding the challenges involved in interpreting the Bible, the role of the interpreter in the interpretation process, the varied forms of literature to be found in Scripture, and in the last instance, to take cognisance of a few methodological approaches to the text analysis of the Bible.

Theological Education and Missional Formation in the South African Context

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 179-191
Author(s):  
Jerry Pillay
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Theological Education ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
South African Context ◽  
The South ◽  
African Context ◽  
Missional Formation

This article looks at theological education and missional formation in the South African context. It examines the understanding of theology and mission and connects it with theological education. It then proceeds to explore some of the essential elements that should constitute theological education in the South African context. The aim is to show that theological education in South Africa is in need of transformation.

scholarly journals Homoseksualiteit en tydgerigtheid: ’n etiek van Bybellees?

2006 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerrie Snyman
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Structure ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Modern Concept ◽  
Reading Process ◽  
Biblical Text ◽  
Late 20Th Century ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Current Thinking ◽  
The Social

Homosexuality and time-orientedness: an ethic of reading the Bible? The article deals with the discourse on homosexuality within the Reformed Churches in South Africa. At stake is the exegete’s subjectivity, or presupposed arbitrariness in the hermeneutical process. The author takes issue with the view that the Biblical text on homosexuality is a matter of principle and not a cultural prescription bounded by time. The author suggests that the current thinking on homosexuality is infused by a modern concept of heterosexuality and that the use of some Biblical texts that clearly prohibit sex between members of similar gender is problematic, because very little of the social structure that once supported these laws has been honoured since the late 20th century. Adding to the problem of the use of the Bible is intersexuality, which makes any clear principled distinction between two sexes difficult. The author concludes that the Bible readers’ subjectivity (socio-political location) must be recog- nised and put on the table in order to indicate its role in the reading process.

scholarly journals DEVELOPMENT OF THEOLOGICAL TRAINING AND HERMENEUTICS IN PENTECOSTALISM: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE AND ANALYSIS

2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-207
Author(s):  
Marius Nel
Keyword(s):  
Historical Development ◽  
Historical Perspective ◽  
Close Connection ◽  
Past Century ◽  
The Past ◽  
Pentecostal Movement ◽  
The Bible ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Way ◽  
Theological Training

The article hypothesises that the historical development of Pentecostal hermeneutics is closely related to and illustrated by Pentecostals’ attitude towards theological training. A short survey is given of the development of theological training within the Pentecostal movement in order to demonstrate how it accompanied a change in the way the Bible was considered during the past century in terms of three phases. For the first three decades Pentecostals had no inclination towards any theological training; they considered that the Bible provided all they needed to know and what was important was not what people in biblical times experienced with or stated about God, but the way these narratives indicate contemporary believers to an encounter with God themselves, resulting in similar experiences. From the 1940s, Pentecostals for several reasons sought acceptance and approval and entered into partnerships with evangelicals, leading to their acceptance of evangelicals’ way of reading the Bible in a fundamentalist-literalist way. From the 1970s they established theological colleges and seminaries where theologians consciously developed Pentecostal hermeneutics in affinity with early Pentecostal hermeneutics, although most Pentecostals still read the Bible in a fundamentalist-literalistic way − as do the evangelicals. Its hermeneutics determined its anti-intellectual stance and the way Pentecostals arranged the training of its pastors. The history of the Pentecostal movement cannot be understood properly without realising the close connection between its hermeneutics and its view of theological training.

scholarly journals Leadership through theological education: Two case studies in South African history

2002 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 642-657
Author(s):  
G. A. Duncan ◽  
J. W. Hofmeyr
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
South African ◽  
Theological Education ◽  
Visionary Leadership ◽  
African History ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
University Of Pretoria ◽  
The University

The quality of visionary leadership requires serious attention in current South Africa, both because of its importance but also sometimes because of the lack of leadership in church and theological contexts. In the first section of this article, focus is placed on leadership in the Faculty of Theology (NG Kerk) at the University of Pretoria, and in the second section, on the leadership at the Lovedale Missionary Institution in the Eastern Cape. Finally, some comparisons and conditions are drawn.

scholarly journals Reimagining pedagogy for theological education at a South African University: An ethnographic exploration

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindie Denny ◽  
Cas Wepener
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Practical Theology ◽  
Theological Education ◽  
Cultural Anthropology ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
South African Universities ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Curriculum Transformation

Curriculum transformation within Higher Education has been an ongoing process within South Africa Universities. For a long time, apartheid and the conception of race have shaped the education framework. Recently, decolonisation discourses have led to a rethinking about Curricula of Higher Education. Theological Education has been highlighted, as theological faculties within Universities perpetuate European epistemologies. In order to contribute towards curriculum transformation in South Africa, pedagogy for theological education within South African Universities is explored in this article, and a new praxis theory for a reimagined pedagogy is presented. This article presents only part of the research conducted within a South African University. A description and analysis of the empirical research are provided together with a reimagined pedagogy for theological education at a South African University.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The research was performed within the field of Practical Theology with a special focus on pedagogy; however, inter-disciplinary insights were gained from fields such as Education and History, and on an intra-disciplinary level, the research used qualitative methods from Cultural Anthropology and Rituals Studies to empirically study pedagogy as a practice.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document