scholarly journals Anomalieë in die Gereformeerde standpunt oor die rol van die vrou in die kerk

2002 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
W.C. Vergeer
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
The Status ◽  
Role Of Women ◽  
Reformed Churches ◽  
The Church

Anomalies in the Reformed understanding of Scripture concerning the role of women in the church Theories of T.S. Kuhn on the progress of science are applied in this study of the changing position of women in the Reformed Churches in South Africa (RCSA). From this perspective, the resolutions and appendices of the 1988 Synod of the RCSA concerning the issue of women in office, are seen as a “governing paradigm” on the status and role of women in the church. This paradigm has, however, in recent times been increasingly challenged by a number of anomalies that can no longer be adequately explained. Anomalies in ecumenical, hermeneutic and exegetic levels, as well as anomalies in the application of Scripture are pointed out and discussed. These anomalies are seen as evidence of an era of revolution concerning the views on women in the RCSA. According to the theories of Kuhn, this revolution will continue until a new paradigm capable of explaining all the relevant phenomena, becomes prominent.

White Brothers–Black Strangers: Dutch Calvinist Churches and Apartheid in South-Africa

Exchange ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 365-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erica Meijers
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Church History ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Reformed Church ◽  
Protestant Churches ◽  
The 1950S ◽  
Reformed Churches ◽  
The Church

AbstractAfter apartheid was abolished in 1994, fierce discussions within the Dutch churches on the theme of apartheid were quickly forgotten. However, we could still learn from this important chapter of church history. Erica Meijers argues that the debates during the 1970s and 1980s have their roots in the changes which the churches underwent in the 1950s and 1960s. Apartheid confronted protestant churches with their own images of black and white, their role in the colonial area and their view of the role of the church in society. All this led to a decreasing solidarity with the Afrikaners and a growing focus on black reality in South Africa. White brothers became strangers and black strangers became allies. This is in essence the transformation of attitude which both the Netherlands Reformed Church and the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands underwent between 1948 and 1972.

scholarly journals The rediscovery of the role of the laity in the mission of the Church � with reference to the Baptist Union of Southern Africa (BUSA)

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Christofides ◽  
Piet G.J. Meiring
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Cutting Edge ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
Christian Missions ◽  
The World ◽  
The Status ◽  
Missional Churches ◽  
The Church

The role of the laity is at the cutting edge of Christian missions today. The author conducted a number of interviews and questionnaires to determine the status of the laity across denominations of the Christian faith in South Africa. His findings are in a number of instances startling: The picture of the laity, and what lay Christians in South Africa believe, run against general expectations. Some suggestions and proposals on how to empower the laity in general, and the churches of the Baptist Union in Southern Africa (BUSA) in particular, are made. The underlining motive for the research is to encourage the BUSA churches to become truly missional churches that make a difference in the world in which we live.

scholarly journals Afrikaanse gereformeerde kerke in Suid-Afrika en ekologie

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rikus Fick
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
Refined Formulation ◽  
The World ◽  
The Status ◽  
Practical Guidelines ◽  
Reformed Churches ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Way

The Afrikaans reformed churches in South Africa and ecologyA plethora of studies describing the scope of destruction of the ecology has been published since the 1970s. Lately, Christianity has been accused of being partly responsible for this. Despite the fact that South Africa is one of the ten largest polluters in the world, local religious communities only started voicing an opinion on this matter during the late 1980s. Only in the early 1990s did the reformed churches in South Africa begin some soul searching and the matter was placed on the agenda. The question raised in this article is: What contribution have the reformed churches in South Africa made towards averting this crisis? The author considers criticism levelled at Christianity in general and at the reformed churches in particular; the status of ecology in the dogma of these churches; the contributions made by theologians, and important decisions taken by synods. Three phases were noted in the way the synods dealt with the issue: Firstly, it was acknowledged that a crisis exists and that the church is neither innocent nor can she remain indifferent; secondly, theologians reflected deeply on this matter and offered a refined formulation of a creed to articulate the relationship between God, creation and man. Lastly, practical guidelines were proposed. It was found that the reformed churches have contributed significantly towards alerting people to the fact that the crisis also has religious implications; that the faithful should obey Biblical guidelines; and that there are implications for life, liturgy, education, and theological training.

The Prophetic Voice of the Church in a Democratic South Africa – A Theological Reflection

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lufuluvhi Maria Mudimeli
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Economic Transformation ◽  
The State ◽  
Black Liberation ◽  
South Africans ◽  
Black Liberation Theology ◽  
Prophetic Voice ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Church

This article is a reflection on the role and contribution of the church in a democratic South Africa. The involvement of the church in the struggle against apartheid is revisited briefly. The church has played a pivotal and prominent role in bringing about democracy by being a prophetic voice that could not be silenced even in the face of death. It is in this time of democracy when real transformation is needed to take its course in a realistic way, where the presence of the church has probably been latent and where it has assumed an observer status. A look is taken at the dilemmas facing the church. The church should not be bound and taken captive by any form of loyalty to any political organisation at the expense of the poor and the voiceless. A need for cooperation and partnership between the church and the state is crucial at this time. This paper strives to address the role of the church as a prophetic voice in a democratic South Africa. Radical economic transformation, inequality, corruption, and moral decadence—all these challenges hold the potential to thwart our young democracy and its ideals. Black liberation theology concepts are employed to explore how the church can become prophetically relevant in democracy. Suggestions are made about how the church and the state can best form partnerships. In avoiding taking only a critical stance, the church could fulfil its mandate “in season and out of season” and continue to be a prophetic voice on behalf of ordinary South Africans.

Clergy

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Hill QC
Keyword(s):  
Employment Status ◽  
Church Of England ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Church ◽  
And Training

This chapter focuses on the clergy of the Church of England. It first explains the process of selection and training for deacons and priests, along with their ordination, functions, and duties. It then considers the status and responsibilities of incumbents, patronage, and presentation of a cleric to a benefice, and suspension of presentation. It also examines the institution, collation, and induction of a presentee as well as unbeneficed clergy such as assistant curates and priests-in-charge of parishes, the authority of priests to officiate under the Extra-Parochial Ministry Measure, the right of priests to hold office under Common Tenure, and the role of visitations in maintaining the discipline of the Church. The chapter concludes with a discussion of clergy retirement and removal, employment status of clergy, vacation of benefices, group and team ministries, and other church appointments including rural or area deans, archdeacons, diocesan bishops, suffragan bishops, and archbishops.

scholarly journals Self-secularisation as challenge to the church

2015 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaco Beyers
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
Civil Religion ◽  
Pluralistic Society ◽  
Worldwide Phenomenon ◽  
The Church

The concept of self-secularisation has been identified by Wolfgang Huber, bishop of the German Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland (EKD), when he reflected on the context of the church in Germany. Self-secularisation however, is a worldwide phenomenon with effects in South Africa as well. After discussing the origin of the concept and its interpretations, the author tries to identify instances of self-secularisation within especially the Afrikaansspeaking churches, although not limited to them, in South Africa. The theological jargon comes under scrutiny, civil religion, the pluralistic society within which the church exists, the effect of emotionalism, the commercialisation of the church, the role of mass media and the phenomenon of infotainment, rationalisation and a lack of ethics are some of the elements identified and discussed. Finally the author attempts a correction by indicating what the church ought to do in order to counter the effects of self-secularisation.

scholarly journals Speak with one voice! Towards an ecumenical ethics applicable to the church-state dialogue in South Africa

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Koos Vorster
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Common Ground ◽  
Ethical Concern ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Ethics ◽  
Points Of View ◽  
The Government ◽  
Moral Discourses ◽  
The Church

This research deals with the question of whether an ecumenical ethics can be developed in South Africa that at least will be applicable in the field of political ethics and that can assist the various ecclesiastical traditions to ‘speak with one voice’ when they address the government on matters of Christian ethical concern. The research rests on the recognition of the variety of ethical persuasions and points of view that flow from the variety of hermeneutical approaches to Scripture. However, within this plethora of ethical discourses, an ‘overlapping’ ethics based on a proposed set of minimum theological ideas can be pursued in order to reach at least an outline of an applicable ecumenical political ethics conducive to the church–state dialogue in South Africa today. The article concludes that a ‘minimum consensus’ on the role of revelation in the moral discourses is possible and is enriched by traditional ideas such as creation and natural law, the reign of God and Christology, and it can provide a suitable common ground for an ecumenical ethics applicable to the moral difficulties in the political domain in South Africa today.

Book Review: The Rôle of Women in the Church

Theology ◽  
1949 ◽  
Vol 52 (344) ◽  
pp. 79-80
Author(s):  
Marianne Turner
Keyword(s):  
Role Of Women ◽  
The Church
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