scholarly journals Calvin, Augustine of Hippo and South Africa: in discussion with Johannes van Oort

2010 ◽  
Vol 44 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
J.W. Hofmeyr
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Augustine Of Hippo ◽  
The Past ◽  
Post Modernism ◽  
The Church

In this article the curtain is raised on the interesting and fascinating relation between Augustine of Hippo and John Cal- vin from Geneva, as seen through the eyes of the Dutch scholar Johannes van Oort. The influences of and links between Augustine and Calvin are immense. This has been the focus of various studies in the past. The purpose of this article is, however, not to re-invent the wheel about these relations, but rather to reflect on one of the most eminent scholars on Augustine, i.e. Van Oort’s vision on these links and to enter into a dialogue with him so as to shed some new light on this topic and on some aspects related to ecclesiology. After attention to the use of Augustine by Calvin, the focus is on the discussion with Van Oort and eventually on the relevance of this for us in South(ern) Africa. It is concluded that in this era of post- modernism and relativism as well much can be learnt from both Augustine and Calvin, and especially with regard to the well- being of the church.

God is Doing a New Thing in the ELCA: Trends from the FACT Data

2021 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 256-266
Author(s):  
Deborah L. Coe ◽  
Brad Petersen
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Faith Communities ◽  
Congregational Studies ◽  
Lutheran Church ◽  
The Past ◽  
Evangelical Lutheran Church ◽  
Protestant Denominations ◽  
Evangelical Lutheran ◽  
The Church

For decades, mainline Protestant denominations in the United States have experienced steady membership declines. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is no different, and our research team has been exploring this topic for years. Faith Communities Today (FACT) is an interfaith project consisting of a series of surveys conducted by the Cooperative Congregational Studies Partnership, of which the ELCA is a long-standing member. In this article, we examine data collected from the three decennial FACT surveys to discern where, despite declining membership, God is, to quote the prophet Isaiah, “doing a new thing.” We find that over the past twenty years, the typical ELCA congregation has had a gradually increasing: sense of vitality, belief that it is financially healthy, desire to become more diverse, willingness to call women to serve as pastors, openness to change, and clarity of mission and purpose. Because there are multiple possible explanations for these positive trends, we recommend approaching such trend lines cautiously, viewing them through a critical-thinking lens. Even though there is an increased perception of congregational well-being, overall finances and the number of people involved in the church continue to decline. There is still much work to be done.

scholarly journals Die stand van psalmsang in die NG Kerk

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hendrika J. Jankowitz ◽  
Daleen Kruger
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Empirical Study ◽  
Current Situation ◽  
Dutch Reformed ◽  
The Past ◽  
Frequency Of Use ◽  
The Status ◽  
Application Frequency ◽  
Practical Factors ◽  
The Church

The status of psalm singing in the Dutch Reformed ChurchOver the past three decades, there have been consistent and increasing signs that psalms are disappearing from the repertoire of hymns that are sung in the Dutch Reformed (DR) Church. In an attempt to turn this tendency around, research was undertaken to determine the seriousness and the cause of the current situation. An empirical study was done to determine the frequency of use and the functionality of psalms, and to identify the practical factors that influence these.Results confirmed the low application frequency, dysfunctionality, unpopularity and sparse liturgical employment of psalms, and showed that most psalms that appear in the hymn book of the Church, Liedboek (2001), have not become part of the repertoire of hymns of the DR Church. Respondents also provided valuable information in their explanations of why psalms are out of touch with the needs of congregations in contemporary Afrikaans culture.The research concluded that psalm singing is falling into disuse in the DR Church in South Africa. Only a small number of psalms stand a chance to survive, and then only in congregations where the singing of psalms is propagated, where well-known psalms are sung regularly and where new psalms are being learned.

Governing Body of the Church in Wales

2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-98
Author(s):  
Philip Morris
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Presidential Address ◽  
Quality Education ◽  
Governing Body ◽  
Big Society ◽  
The Past ◽  
90Th Anniversary ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Church

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.

scholarly journals toekoms van die Afrikaanse gereformeerde kerke in Suid-Afrika

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-387
Author(s):  
Barry Tolmay
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Scenario Planning ◽  
Care Community ◽  
The Past ◽  
Reformed Churches ◽  
Brighter Future ◽  
Future Vision ◽  
The Church ◽  
Plausible Structure

The future of the Afrikaans reformed churches in South Africa: possible, probable and desirable optionsIn 1994, South Africa experienced a radical paradigm shift which in some ways led Afrikaans reformed churches into a state of semi-paralysis. Over the past twenty-six years the church has had to deal with the resultant fallout. The fact that many setbacks had been overcome successfully, is an encouraging indication that the church has the potential of a brighter future. Bosch stated that as long as one lives and thinks within the patterns of a given paradigm, then that paradigm provides one with a plausible structure according to which all reality is interpreted. The quintessential question would be: what is the preferred future vision for the Afrikaans reformed churches? How is the journey to 2030 and 2040 mapped out? These answers will partly determine the outcome. When one evaluates the current situation, both positive and negative aspects have to be considered. The key question is, how can the positives be optimised, and the negatives minimised? With vision and scenario planning and the detailed consideration of possible, probable and preferable outcomes, an exciting future becomes possible. The challenges of membership, finances, consumerism and also Covid-19 can also be overcome. More informal church practises for those on the fringes are opening new opportunities globally – as expressed by for instance the Fresh Expression Movement. A new and vigorous focus on relationships, care, community involvement and friendship missions may result in fulfilling the vision of the Afrikaans reformed churches. With compassion in action, Afrikaans reformed churches can in some ways blossom over the next two decades.

Memory Tales: Representations of Shembe in the Cultural Discourse of African Renaissance

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 362-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Heuser
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Political Culture ◽  
Church History ◽  
Cultural Discourse ◽  
Baptist Church ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
The Past ◽  
African Renaissance ◽  
The Church ◽  
Current Stage

AbstractThe discourse on African Renaissance in South Africa shapes the current stage of a post-apartheid political culture of memory. One of the frameworks of this negotiation of the past is the representation of religion. In particular, religious traditions that formerly occupied a marginalised status in Africanist circles are assimilated into a choreography of memory to complement an archive of liberation struggle. With respect to one of the most influential African Instituted Churches in South Africa, the Nazareth Baptist Church founded by Isaiah Shembe, this article traces an array of memory productions that range from adaptive and mimetic strategies to contrasting textures of church history. Supported by a spatial map of memory, these alternative religious traditions are manifested inside as well as outside the church. Against a hegemonic Afrocentrist vision, they are assembled from fragments of an intercultural milieu of early Nazareth Baptist Church history.

scholarly journals Sharing in God�s surprise: The place and role of the Department of Science of Religion and Missiology at the University of Pretoria

2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pieter G.J. Meiring
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Past ◽  
University Of Pretoria ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
African Context ◽  
Science Of Religion ◽  
The University ◽  
The Church

During the centenary year of the University of Pretoria (2008), the Department of Science of Religion and Missiology took stock of its activities during the past 55 years, since the first professor in Missiology, H.D.A. du Toit, was appointed. In his wake a number of missiologists followed � C.W.H. Boshoff, D. Crafford, P.G.J. Meiring, J.J. Kritzinger, P.J. van der Merwe, A.S. van Niekerk and C.J.P. Niemandt � each of whom has contributed to the formation of hundreds of ministers and missionaries, as well as to the development of missiology and science of religion in South Africa through their research and writings. In this article, the place of missiology among the other theological disciplines at the University of Pretoria is discussed, together with an analysis of the nature and the mandate of missiology and science of religion in South Africa in our day. This article discusses five specific challenges to missiology at the beginning of the third millennium, namely to maintain its theological �roots�; to operate in close relationship with the church; to focus on our African context; to concentrate on a relevant agenda; and to develop a responsible methodology. Attention is given to some of the more important publications by members of the Department.

scholarly journals Theory and Praxis: An Evaluation of the 1958 “One and Undivided” Mission Policy of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa 60 Years Later

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ntobeko Dlamini
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Mission Statement ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
60Th Anniversary ◽  
Methodist Church ◽  
Black Clergy ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Church ◽  
Looking Back

The year 2018 marked the 60th anniversary since the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) resolved to be a “One and Undivided” church in 1958. It was at the peak of apartheid when the MCSA was brave enough to embark on a journey of oneness. This was a mission policy seeking to unite Methodist people of all races in the midst of segregation in South Africa. This paper, therefore, seeks to evaluate the implementation of this mission policy over the past 60 years. The paper will interrogate the inclusion of black clergy into critical positions in the church, the Black Methodist Consultation, and the formation of geographic circuits and cross-cultural stationing as means of achieving the mission statement. The important question in this study is: Looking back, 60 years later, is the MCSA now “One and Undivided?”

scholarly journals Stephen Bantu Biko: An agent of change in South Africa’s socio-politico-religious landscape

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramathate T.H. Dolamo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Black Theology ◽  
The Past ◽  
African Renaissance ◽  
Nation States ◽  
Democratic State ◽  
Politics And Religion ◽  
Agent Of Change ◽  
Religious Landscape ◽  
The Church

This article examines and analyses Biko’s contribution to the liberation struggle in South Africa from the perspective of politics and religion. Through his leading participation in Black Consciousness Movement and Black Theology Project, Biko has not only influenced the direction of the liberation agenda, but he has also left a legacy that if the liberated and democratic South Africa were to follow, this country would be a much better place for all to live in. In fact, the continent as a whole through its endeavours in the African Union underpinned by the African Renaissance philosophy would go a long way in forging unity among the continent’s nation states. Biko’s legacy covers among other things identity, human dignity, education, research, health and job creation. This article will have far reaching implications for the relations between the democratic state and the church in South Africa, more so that there has been such a lack of the church’s prophecy for the past 25 years.

scholarly journals Die lewensbeskouing van D.F. Malan (1874–1959) soos weerspieël in openbare standpunte

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Piet J. Strauss
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
National Level ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Political ◽  
Dutch Reformed ◽  
Reformed Church ◽  
History Of ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
The Church ◽  
Dutch Reformed Church

The world view of D.F. Malan as reflected in his public stance. D.F. Malan was born in 1874 and grew up on a farm near Riebeeck-Wes in the Western Cape. He died in 1959 in Stellenbosch. Malan started his career as a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church. Before that he regarded himself as a student in Theology with a vocation. In 1905 he became a Doctor in Theology at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands. He entered politics in June 1915 by becoming the first editor of the new Dutch-Afrikaans newspaper, De Burger, and at the same time, the leader of the National Party (founded in 1914) in the Cape Province. Malan had a career in politics for almost 40 years. He retired as the Prime Minister of South Africa in 1954. In his time Malan concentrated especially on unity among the Afrikaners in culture and politics, the cooperation between Afrikaans- and English-speaking citizens, and the well-being of all the people in South Africa. As a reformed Christian in every sphere of life, Malan believed in God-given principles and a timely application of this by believers. This worldview of his became known through his preaching, speeches, articles and commentaries on matters. His worldview influenced his approach to politics and the cultural aspect of his existence. The purpose of this article is to explain this view by using primary sources. The main figure in this article was a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church with a noticeable influence in the affairs of the church, and he was also a South African politician on national level. These aspects influenced the history of the church, as well as the political or general history of South Africa. It also made an imprint on church political concepts and ethical considerations that had to come to grips with Malan leaving the church ministry for politics, as well as the ethics of policies like apartheid and the political unity of an officially bilingual Union of South Africa. For Malan, his worldview determined his aims in politics, namely the cultural unity among Afrikaners, while they and their English-speaking counterparts form a successful state, and the relationship between all South Africans.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The interdisciplinary implications of this article involved the subjects of church history, general history and a political ethics approach.

scholarly journals Hoe om in te kom en hoe om binne te bly – die “groot sendingopdrag” aan die kerk vandag volgens Matteus 28:16-20

2006 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andries G. Van Aarde
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Other ◽  
Great Commission ◽  
Technical Term ◽  
Missionary Work ◽  
Covenantal Nomism ◽  
Way Of Thinking ◽  
The Church

Getting in and staying in – the “great commission” to the present-day church according to Matthew 28:16-20 In this article the phrases “getting in” and “staying in” relate to the technical term “covenantal nomism”. The article’s aim is to argue that this concept is radically redefined in the so-called “great commission” in Matthew 28:16-20. Inclusivity replaces ethnic exclusivism. This redefinition is applied to the well-being of the church and its spirituality in the present-day postmodern context. The article is specifically addressed to the members of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Church in South Africa. It challenges the traditional dichotomy between “insiders” and “outsiders” in missionary work. It advocates a way of thinking in terms of which “non-conformists” in so-called “churchless Christianity” are considered as being part of the “church on the other side”.

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