scholarly journals Skrifgebruik en samelewing die Apostoliese Geloofsending van Suid-Afrika

1992 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
W. J. Wessels

This article is an attempt to describe the use of the Bible in the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa (AFM). From the early stages of the church's humble beginnings, the use of Scripture changed in accordance with the social and intellectual development of its members. In the early stages there seemed to have been a more spontaneous interaction with the Bible which later made way for a more argumentative approach. Factors like the development of a centralised church system and the need to be accepted in the local church society in the country had a definite influence on the use of Scripture. Although strong emphasis was placed on the experiental aspect of faith, some of the leading members felt the need for theological training. Those who felt this need studied mostly at Reformed faculties which undeniably influenced their new of Scripture. From a spontaneous application of the Bible in the everyday life of the believer, a more formal attitude has developed towards the Bible and its application. From the research it is clear that there is a noticeable correlation between the use of Scripture in the AFM and the society in which the church finds itself

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-54
Author(s):  
P. Conrad Kotze ◽  
Jan K. Coetzee

Transformation has come to be a defining characteristic of contemporary societies, while it has rarely been studied in a way that gives acknowledgement to both its societal effects and the experience thereof by the individual. This article discusses a recent study that attempts to do just that. The everyday life of a South African is explored within the context of changes that can be linked, more or less directly, to those that have characterized South Africa as a state since the end of apartheid in 1994. The study strives to avoid the pitfalls associated with either an empirical or solely constructivist appreciation of this phenomenon, but rather represents an integral onto-epistemological framework for the practice of sociological research. The illustrated framework is argued to facilitate an analysis of social reality that encompasses all aspects thereof, from the objectively given to the intersubjectively constructed and subjectively constituted. While not requiring extensive development on the theoretical or methodological level, the possibility of carrying out such an integral study is highlighted as being comfortably within the capabilities of sociology as a discipline. While the article sheds light on the experience of transformation, it is also intended to contribute to the contemporary debate surrounding the current “ontological turn” within the social sciences.


Author(s):  
Stephan F. De Beer

In the past decade, significant social movements emerged in South Africa, in response to specific urban challenges of injustice or exclusion. This article will interrogate the meaning of such urban social movements for theological education and the church. Departing from a firm conviction that such movements are irruptions of the poor, in the way described by Gustavo Gutierrez and others, and that movements of liberation residing with, or in a commitment to, the poor, should be the locus of our theological reflection, this article suggests that there is much to be gained from the praxis of urban social movements, in disrupting, informing and shaping the praxis of both theological education and the church. I will give special consideration to Ndifuna Ukwazi and the Reclaim the City campaign in Cape Town, the Social Justice Coalition in Cape Town, and Abahlali baseMjondolo based in Durban, considering these as some of the most important and exciting examples of liberatory praxes in South Africa today. I argue that theological education and educators, and a church committed to the Jesus who came ‘to liberate the oppressed’, ignore these irruptions of the Spirit at our own peril.


2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan Van der Merwe

Poverty is one of the greatest threats to society. In South Africa it is also one of the biggest challenges. This article starts with the challenges put to society by Mr Trevor Manuel at the Carnegie 3 conference. It then explores the possibility of if and how the church can act as a non-governmental organisation in the fight against poverty. A historical overview of the actions of Rev. E.P. Groenewald, during the drought of 1933–1934 in the Dutch Reformed Church Bethulie, serves as a case study of how the church can make a difference. It, however, also illustrates the many pitfalls on this challenging road. The article comes to the conclusion that the main challenge of the church in the fight against poverty is to act as a non-governmental organisation, which transforms values and assists society with good organisation and administration.


2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leepo Johannes Modise

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.


2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andre Van Oudtshoorn

Jesus� imperatives in the Sermon on the Mount continue to play a significant role in Christian ethical discussions. The tension between the radical demands of Jesus and the impossibility of living this out within the everyday world has been noted by many scholars. In this article, an eschatological-ontological model, based on the social construction of reality, is developed to show that this dialectic is not necessarily an embarrassment to the church but, instead, belongs to the essence of the church as the recipient of the Spirit of Christ and as called by him to exist now in terms of the coming new age that has already been realised in Christ. The absolute demands of Jesus� imperatives, it is argued, must relativise all other interpretations of reality whilst the world, in turn, relativises Jesus� own definition of what �is� and therefore also the injunctions to his disciples on how to live within this world. This process of radical relativisation provides a critical framework for Christian living. The church must expect, and do, the impossible within this world through her faith in Christ who recreates and redefines reality. The church�s ethical task, it is further argued, is to participate with the Spirit in the construction of signs of this new reality in Christ in this world through her actions marked by faith, hope and love.


2021 ◽  
pp. 59-78
Author(s):  
Francesca Emiliani

What do we talk about when we talk about everyday life? This chapter considers everyday life as a “metasystem” in Moscovici’s terms, a normative system that checks and organizes knowledge and thought. Looking at social representations theory, the chapter considers the structuring power of this metasystem, referring to two kinds of research where the absence (for deprived children) or suspension (in the first COVID-19 lockdown in Italy) of everyday life causes delays in children’s development and dismay in adults. The suspension of ordinary life highlights the social representation of “normality.” The structure of the “everyday life” metasystem is largely taken for granted, and this calls into question the relationship between the taken-for-granted and the knowledge that constructs social representations or, in other words, between stability and change in common knowledge.


2004 ◽  
Vol 60 (1/2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yolanda Dreyer

Homosexuality: Church, tradition, and the Bible – homophobia, sarcophobia, and the gospelThe article demonstrates a trend in the current debate on the church’s attitude towards homosexuality, namely that exegetical results supersede authentic faith experiences of gays. It shows that this trend causes an untenable tension between the dialectical notions sola fidei and sola Scriptura. Such an unacceptable tension contributes to the social psychological phenomena of homophobia and sarcophobia. The article investigates this empirical approach (theoretical reason) to homo-sexuality from the dialectical perspective of a theological approach (practical reason). The latter includes an investigation of the epistemological processes behind exegetes’ diverse use of Scripture. The article aims to show that homophobia in society and church, and the sarcophobia of homosexuals can be challenged and healed if the church holds on to the dialectic between sola fidei and sola Scriptura and the dialectic between pastoral concerns and the engagement with the gospel of Jesus Christ.


2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 341-345
Author(s):  
Hosana Ferreira Rates ◽  
Ricardo Bezerra Cavalcante ◽  
Regina Consolação dos Santos ◽  
Marilia Alves

ABSTRACT Objective: to reflect on the everyday life in nursing work based on Michel de Certeau's theorization. Results: everyday life in nursing work is permeated by tactics of subjects who practice the place. Their movements escape standards, protocols and rules, re-signifying the cultural system defined beforehand. There is a practice proper to professionals who (re)invent the care based on their intentions and pressures. Patients/users also move, create their own itinerary and, similarly to professionals, use strategies to achieve specific results in the therapeutic process. Conclusion: to think on the everyday life in nursing work as an object of research requires to consider the care (re)invention in every act in health care. We need to dive into the invisible dimension of the uncontrollable tactics of subjects that re-signify the social system.


2006 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerrie Snyman

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.


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