scholarly journals Poetically Africa dwells: A dialogue between Heidegger�s understanding of language as the house of Being and African Being-with (ubuntu) as a possible paradigm for postfoundational practical theology in Africa

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johann-Albrecht Meylahn
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Practical Theology ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Theological Reflection ◽  
Western Thought ◽  
Middle Europe ◽  
African Context

The search for new paradigms and perspectives for practical theology in South Africa begins with the context, South Africa. What perspectives are given and what perspectives respond to the call of this context when this African context is brought into dialogue with the thoughts of a thinker who has to a large extent determined the paradigm of postmodern Western thought? This article was inspired by the hope that such a dialogue will reveal unique outcomes that could offer perspectives and possible paradigms for doing postfoundational practical theology in South Africa. I specifically brought into dialogue Heidegger�s understanding of language and the poetics of Being, with ubuntu, interpreted as Being-with [mit-Sein] and how African ubuntu can be interpreted as being of language � poetically Africa dwells-with-others. This dialogue in Africa with Africa, on and of the house of Being, can only but �gift� practical theology with new perspectives and paradigms, because practical theology can be understood as a critical theological reflection on the word event (language event) in the various sub-disciplines of practical theology (homiletics, pastorate, liturgics and diaconical ministry), responding to the Word event of Scripture as the written said in answer to the Divine saying.I have reflected on this dialogue, not as an outsider objectifying Africa or postmodernism, but as one born in Africa (as-one-in-Africa) whose mother tongue (house of Being) is that of middle Europe. Theology has always been most creative at the intersection or intercessions of paradigms of thought, that is, Jerusalem�Athens, Jerusalem�Athens�Alexandria, Jerusalem�Athens�Alexandria�Rome, et cetera. The time has come for southern Africa to be part of this intersection and these intercessions, to offer perspectives and paradigms for practical theology.

scholarly journals ‘Selfishly backward’ or ‘selflessly forward?’: A white male’s insider perspective on a challenge and opportunity of decolonisation for practical theology in the South African context

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfred R. Brunsdon
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Practical Theology ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Mass Action ◽  
South Africans ◽  
White Males ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Learning ◽  
Sitz Im Leben ◽  
African Context

Depending on the Sitz im Leben of practical theologian, the issue of decolonisation will be a greater or lesser reality. For South Africans, decolonisation has become a part of their daily living. Decolonisation can be regarded as a second wave of liberation in the post-apartheid South Africa. Following on the first wave, or even the tsunami of transformation, is the urgent call for the decolonisation of colonial knowledge, structures and epistemologies that endured in the new dispensation. Squarely in the aim of decolonisation efforts are institutions of higher learning and by implication all disciplines taught there, including theology. The non-negotiability of the decolonisation of higher education is evident in the recurring violent protests and mass action, as expressed in different ‘#must-fall’ campaigns over the last few years. This article argues that the current decolonisation drive in South Africa is urging local practical theologians to make an important choice, namely to move ‘selfishly backward’ or ‘selflessly forward’. In other words, maintaining current practices or exploring alternatives in a new context. This choice is embedded in the reality that a significant number of practical theologians in South Africa are white males that may, from a decolonisation perspective, be deemed part of the colonisation legacy. Against this background, the article attempts to provide a reflective insider’s perspective on a challenge and opportunity this creates for practical theology.

scholarly journals Party political chaplaincy? – Methodist ministry to political parties

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ndikho Mtshiselwa ◽  
Simphiwe S. Mthembu
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Party Politics ◽  
Theological Reflection ◽  
The Political ◽  
Methodist Church ◽  
Political Sphere ◽  
Prophetic Voice ◽  
The Church

The debate on church and party politics is far from being exhausted in South Africa. Although the Methodist Church of Southern Africa discourages the participation of clergy persons in political parties, it is becoming critical that the church offers a prophetic voice in the political sphere. Issues of morality and spirituality within the political parties necessitate a careful involvement of the Church in politics. This article therefore sets out to offer a theological reflection on the (possible) ministry of Methodist clergy persons to political parties in South Africa.

scholarly journals Regional and current problems in South Africa and their impact on literature with remarks on the evaluation of the Afrikaans Novel

Literator ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
J. Van der Elst
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
The Other ◽  
Specific Situation ◽  
The Novel ◽  
South African Context ◽  
South Africans ◽  
Modern Novel ◽  
African Context

My paper centres round a specific situation and its impact on literature in South Africa with special reference to the modern novel in the Afrikaans language and the literary evaluation of the novel. This does not mean that I exclude references to the other genres, poetry and dram a and to literatures in other languages within the South African context. Many of you might know but to clarify I would like to point out that I refer to Afrikaans as the Germanic language originating from the 17th century Dutch mother tongue of approximately 3 ½ million South Africans.

scholarly journals Practical theology as ‘healing of memories’: Critical reflections on a specific methodology

2011 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian A. Nell
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Practical Theology ◽  
Theoretical Construct ◽  
South African Context ◽  
The Past ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
African Context ◽  
Practical Theological ◽  
Healing Of Memories

When developing new perspectives and paradigms for practical theology in South Africa, we obviously have to take our South African context seriously. We live in a post-conflict society in which gigantic sociocultural shifts have taken place since 1994. Many institutions and groups endeavour to address the conflict, injustices and pain of the past, including the Institute for the Healing of Memories (IHOM). The Institute makes use of a specific methodology in their workshops. Having participated in these workshops in congregational contexts as well as in the training of theological students, in this article I investigated the methodology of the Institute as a framework for new perspectives on practical theology in South Africa. Making use of Victor Turner’s theoretical construct of ‘social drama’ as one way of looking at the methodology of the IHOM, I reflected critically on the challenges that it poses to practical theology by making use of a ‘rhetorical frame’ and trying to delineate some constructive proposals for further reflections on practical theological paradigms and perspectives.

scholarly journals #MisconstruedIdentitiesMustFall collective: Identity formation in the current South African context: A practical theological perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfred R. Brunsdon
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
South African ◽  
Collective Identity ◽  
Theological Reflection ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
South Africans ◽  
Theological Perspective ◽  
African Context ◽  
Practical Theological

In South Africa, 2015 was violently ushered out by several ‘must fall’ campaigns, of which the most prominent were the ‘fees’ and ‘Zuma must fall’ campaigns. These ‘must fall’ campaigns conveyed a new sense of urgency by the disgruntled masses towards certain institutions and individuals. Aligning with the ‘must fall’ analogy, the focus of this article is on combatting the notion of misconstrued identities in post-apartheid South Africa. Based on negative generalisation and perceptions of the ‘others’, misconstrued identities prohibit the formation of a collective identity that allows for peaceful co-existence. Consequently, the dynamics of collective identity formation and some of the possibilities for identity formation that reside within the Christian faith are investigated from a practical theological perspective. Given that a practical theological investigation takes both the context and theological reflection as points of departure, it is argued that it can contribute towards the dismantling of misconstrued identities to provide clues for the formation of a positive collective identity for South Africans.

scholarly journals The Bantu Presbyterian Church in South Africa and Ecumenism, 1940–1999

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham A. Duncan
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Problem Statement ◽  
Complex Situation ◽  
South African Council ◽  
Presbyterian Church ◽  
Church Unity ◽  
African Context ◽  
The Church

From 1940, ecumenical developments in the Presbyterian/Congregational corpus in Southern Africa became more tortuous and complex, with an expansion of the number of denominations involved in union negotiations to include the Bantu Presbyterian Church of South Africa (BPCSA, from 1979 the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa, RPCSA), the Congregational Union of South Africa, later the United Congregational Church of South Africa, the Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa and the Tsonga Presbyterian Church (TPC, later the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of South Africa, EPCSA). The problem statement centres around the complex situation that despite substantial similarities in doctrine, liturgy and polity, as well as involvement in the Church Unity Commission and the South African Council of Churches, the union proved to be elusive. The aim of this article is to investigate the dynamics of the developing relationships and hindrances to closer relationships in the wider South African context. This study is conducted from the perspective of the BPCSA and RPCSA, and the methodology is based predominantly on archival research.

The (un)Fair Usage of the 16PF (SA92) in South Africa: A Response to C.H. Prinsloo and I. Ebersöhn

2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 58-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Abrahams
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Statistical Techniques ◽  
South African Context ◽  
The South ◽  
Black Mother ◽  
African Context

A study completed in 1996, challenged the continued usage of the 16PF (SA92), and found that this imported test was biased against black mother-tongue speakers in the South African context. Six years later, Prinsloo and Ebersohn questioned the methodological and statistical techniques employed in the study. This article is a response to their claims and reaffirms the results and position that the necessary research must be conducted on imported tests, prior to it's adoption within South Africa.

Region of Birth and Child Mortality among Black Migrants to South Africa: Is there a foreign-born advantage?

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany L Green ◽  
Amos C Peters
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Child Mortality ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Black Immigrants ◽  
Foreign Born ◽  
Region Of Origin ◽  
Child Deaths

Much of the existing evidence for the healthy immigrant advantage comes from developed countries. We investigate whether an immigrant health advantage exists in South Africa, an important emerging economy.  Using the 2001 South African Census, this study examines differences in child mortality between native-born South African and immigrant blacks.  We find that accounting for region of origin is critical: immigrants from southern Africa are more likely to experience higher lifetime child mortality compared to the native-born population.  Further, immigrants from outside of southern Africa are less likely than both groups to experience child deaths.  Finally, in contrast to patterns observed in developed countries, we detect a strong relationship between schooling and child mortality among black immigrants.

Reverend Doctor Sox Leleki and His Role in the Black Methodist Consultation

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonwabile Mancotywa
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Political Influence ◽  
Individual Member ◽  
Methodist Church ◽  
Role Players

The Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) is one of the mainline Christian denominations with a very good history. However, it was not immune from the larger political influence of South Africa that was polarised by apartheid. This article is intended to look at the formation known as the Black Methodist Consultation (BMC), which at that time had an individual member who played an important role in its development and activities. Sox Leleki was one of the key role players of this movement inside the Methodist Church

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