scholarly journals As we were or seeking what we ought to be? A practical theological rethinking of the communio sanctorum in the light of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfred R. Brunsdon
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Faith Community ◽  
Faith Communities ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Dutch Reformed ◽  
Church Members ◽  
Congregational Studies ◽  
North West ◽  
Practical Theological

The focus of this article is on a 69 year old Dutch Reformed congregation in Lichtenburg (North West province), South Africa. It reflects on the congregation’s understanding of the communio sanctorum, the practice of which was halted due to COVID-19. Initial responses to the crisis suggested a deep longing for the communio sanctorum and a yearning among inactive church members to reconnect to the faith community. This created an expectation of a large-scale return to public worship once social distancing measures were relaxed. Also that the leadership would pursue opportunities to reconnect inactive church members to the faith community post-COVID. It however transpired that the congregation was merely trying to restore its pre-COVID-19 homeostasis. A brief historical probe of the communio sanctorum is compared with results of a small-scale empirical enquiry into congregants’ perceptions of the communio sanctorum from an insider-perspective. The article argues that the congregation may have missed an opportunity to re-imagine the communio sanctorum due to a reductionist view. It concludes by alluding to a need for a reframing of COVID-19 as a kairos moment with a view on a reorientation towards the meaning of the communio sanctorum.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: By engaging church’s historical and empirical insights from an insider perspective of a South African congregation within a practical theological framework, the research challenges reductionist views of the communio sanctorum held by faith communities. The resultant view, that the communio sanctorum has both inward and missional meaning, has implications for post-COVID congregational studies and congregational praxeology.

scholarly journals Discovering and exploring ubuntu-language in the dialogue between the Dutch Reformed Church and the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lieze Meiring
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Faith Communities ◽  
Dutch Reformed ◽  
African History ◽  
Reformed Church ◽  
Dutch Reformed Church

Discussions with members of the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) and the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) in Ohrigstad illustrate the possibilities of ubuntu-language in overcoming racism and prejudice. After proposing a number of meanings and values related to ubuntu, this research explores the role of ubuntu-language � and at times the lack thereof � in the concrete relationship between these two faith communities as an expression of recent South African history. Ubuntu-language seems to offer unique outcomes in this relationship in strengthening identity, unleashing vitality, celebrating diversity, awakening solidarity, revealing humanity, bolstering individualism and enhancing Christianity.

scholarly journals Die invloedsverlies van die kerk as geloofsgemeenskap op Christen adolessente se besluite rondom seksualiteit

2013 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathys J. Bornman
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Faith Community ◽  
Faith Communities ◽  
Developmental Phase ◽  
Sexually Active ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Community Of Faith ◽  
Sexual Activities ◽  
The Church

Baie Suid-Afrikaanse adolessente is seksueel aktief, ten spyte van wat hulle geloofsgemeenskap se lering oor seksuele aktiwiteite is. Daar kan nie ’n onderskeid gemaak word tussen die seksuele aktiwiteite van adolessente wat aan ’n geloofsgemeenskap behoort en adolessente wat nie aan ’n geloofsgemeenskap behoort nie. Hierdie studie argumenteer dat die rede vir hierdie tendens die verlies aan invloed is wat die geloofsgemeenskap op die besluitnemingsraamwerk van adolessente het met betrekking tot seksuele aktiwiteite. Deur die gebruik van deelnemerobservasie-navorsing as metodologie het adolessente deelnemers aan hierdie studie die inligtingsbronne wat adolessente oor seksuele aktiwiteite gebruik, geïdentifiseer asook die boodskappe wat hierdie bronne deurgee. Na aanleiding van hierdie data, binne die konteks van reeds bestaande literatuur, word die afleiding gemaak dat die kerk, as ’n geloofsgemeenskap, nie meer ’n invloed het op adolessente se seksuele aktiwiteite en hulle besluite daarrondom nie. Hierdie bevindings word binne die konteks van adolessensie as ontwikkelingsfase asook die ontwikkeling van moraliteit geplaas.The loss of influence of the faith community on Christian adolescents regarding decisions of sexual activities. Many South African adolescents are sexually active, regardless of what their faith communities teach on sexual activity. No distinction can be made between the sexual activities of adolescents who belong to a faith community and adolescents without one. This study argues that this trend prevails because the faith community no longer has an influence on the decision-making framework of adolescents. By using participant observation research as methodology the adolescent participants in this study identified the sources of information about sexual activities that are used by adolescents and also the messages from these sources. Following this argument, within the context of existing literature, the argument is that the church, as community of faith, has no longer an influence on adolescents’ sexual activities and their decisions regarding sex. These findings are placed within the context of adolescence as a developmental phase and the development of morality during this phase.

THE COST OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA) IN SOUTH AFRICA

2009 ◽  
Vol 11 (01) ◽  
pp. 51-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
FRANCOIS RETIEF ◽  
BENNETT CHABALALA
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
South African Context ◽  
The South ◽  
Project Cost ◽  
North West ◽  
Northern Cape ◽  
African Context ◽  
The Cost

The wide adoption of EIA internationally is implicitly or explicitly based on the assumption that the benefits of EIA outweigh the costs. However, there has been surprisingly little empirical research conducted on the "cost" of EIA. The latter has been mostly because of the difficult methodological challenges it presents, which include the difficulties associated with clarifying terminology and disentangling what is meant by "cost". South Africa has been a leading developing country in terms of the introduction of EIA. However, almost a decade of mandatory EIA practice has raised serious questions about unjustified and unnecessary time delays and monetary costs and a desperate need for improved efficiency and effectiveness. In light of the latter the urgent need to gain a better understanding of the "cost" of EIA is evident. This paper presents preliminary results of an empirical study on the "direct EIA cost" in relation to "overall project cost" in South Africa. The data was obtained from a detailed survey of 148 EIAs conducted in the Free State, North West and the Northern Cape Provinces. The research suggests that the average direct cost of EIA within this region of South Africa is particularly low compared to international EIA systems. However, as a percentage of total project cost, EIA in South Africa compares with the higher spectrum of international practice. The latter suggests that within the South African context a large number of EIAs are being conducted for relatively small scale projects and that the main cost burden is placed on small and medium economic enterprise. In conclusion the overall profile of EIA cost in the South African context is described in relation to four broad project categories. To take the debate forward and to allow for regional comparative analysis, it is proposed that the research be expanded to include other provinces.

scholarly journals A travel journal of pastoral involvement in a South African multi-faith community

2006 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan-Albert Van den Berg ◽  
Arnold Smit
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Faith Community ◽  
Faith Communities ◽  
New Horizons ◽  
Travel Journal

In the article the process of navigating through multi-faith communities is described as often being complicated by well-travelled routes that offer no new prospects. Usually these routes merely lead to a further erosion of existing problem areas. The consequences of large transformations in South Africa have led to the discovery that those who were able to place themselves theologically with ease are now seekers with an unknown destination who experience their existence as pilgrimage. From a narrative hermeneutical practical stance the authors developed an experimental theology within which continuous dialogue between text and contexts is presupposed. Certain markers, amongst others “Listening to each other’s stories”; “Confirming each other in the conversation(s”); “A new structure for conversation(s)”; and “Questioning the own position” are indicated for the journey through multi-faith communities, leading to the finding and creating of new horizons of understanding.

scholarly journals The Politics of Disembarkation: Empire, Shipping and Labor in the Port of Durban, 1897–1947

2018 ◽  
Vol 93 ◽  
pp. 176-200
Author(s):  
Jonathan Hyslop
Keyword(s):  
Working Class ◽  
South African ◽  
British Empire ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
African State ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Shipping Industry ◽  
Labor Politics ◽  
The World ◽  
Politics Of Race

AbstractThis article examines the labor politics of race in Durban harbor between 1897 and 1947. It approaches the subject from an analysis of labor in a global, and particularly a British Empire, context. The article aims to move away from a solely “national” focus on the South African state and instead to look “up” toward connections to the British Empire, the world economy, and global social and political movements, and “down” towards Durban itself. These large scale (imperial and global) and small scale (city) levels were very concretely connected by Durban's role as a port. This article contends that in order to understand the place of working class Durban in an imperial world, we need to incorporate the shipping industry into other labor histories, studying how the movement of vessels and the actions of seafarers concretely linked these spatial levels. This article provides a broad overview of the sociological “shape” of the Durban working class and focuses on four “moments” of racialized labor in Durban harbor: the riot against M.K. Gandhi in 1897, the British seamen's strike of 1925, the insurgency of black dockworkers in the late 1920s and early 1930s, and the conflicts over the presence of Indian seamen in the port during the Second World War. These events revolved around what is here called a politics of disembarkation, in which the joining of the ship to the world of the shore created a zone of conflict.

The Relationship Between Christian Metanarratives and Authoritative Scriptures in South African Society

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 72-83
Author(s):  
Marius J. Nel
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Faith Community ◽  
Dutch Reformed ◽  
Complex Relationship ◽  
African Society ◽  
South African Society ◽  
Reformed Church ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Dutch Reformed Church

Abstract In studying the interaction between the three monotheistic religions in South Africa it is important to note that each of them functions as a metanarrative in that they all attempt to provide a more-or-less coherent perspective on reality. The different, but also overlapping, metanarratives of Islam, Judaism and Christianity furthermore each has a complex relationship with their respective authoritative Scriptures, communities of faith, contemporary societies and each other. It is therefore necessary to investigate the manner in which each religion’s metanarrative functions within the spheres of the academy, faith community and broader society. This contribution describes one of the projects of the envisioned Centre for the Interpretation of Authoritative Scriptures (CIAS) that is in the process of being established at Stellenbosch University. The focus of this project will be on the relationship between the metanarrative contained in the Christian canon, a specific faith community (the Dutch Reformed Church) within South African society in the period 2009–2019.

scholarly journals Autochthonous granodiorites north-west of Frederikshåbs Isblink, Fiskenæsset region

1973 ◽  
Vol 51 ◽  
pp. 23-27
Author(s):  
A.M Hopgood
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Large Scale Structure ◽  
Scale Structure ◽  
Amphibolite Facies ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
North West ◽  
Gneiss Complex ◽  
Lithological Unit

The gneiss complex immediately north-west of Frederikshåbs Isblink is composed mostly of amphibolite facies, grey, streaky, quartzo-feldspathic, biotite and hornblende gneisses. Subordinate amphibolites, homblendites, thin anorthosites, peridotite lenses up to 200 m across, rare concordant marble bands and associated calc-silicate gneisses and kyanite and sillimanite gneisses make up the bulk of the remainder, and the whole has been complexly deformed. Occupying the higher ground within the complex, and comprising the largest single lithological unit there is a considerable volume of massive weathering, porphyroblastic granodiorite and granodiorite gneiss. Field relationships show this to be unquestionably autochthonous and almost certainly of palingenetic origin and while on a small scale the 'contact' with the surrounding gneisses may be locally discordant, overall it follows closely the large scale structure and this suggests its control by preexisting lithology.

scholarly journals The influence of internationalisation of labour on the performance of small-scale rural-based agricultural firms: A South African perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patient Rambe
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
North West ◽  
Foreign Labour ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Northern Cape

Orientation: The main objective of this study is to determine the extent to which small-scale, rural-based agricultural firms in South Africa use foreign labour.Research purpose: South African business owners or managers’ perceived preference for labour from foreign nationals has heightened South African nationals’ concerns that these owners or managers are prejudicing local citizens under the guise of reducing overhead costs.Motivation for the study: There is a scarcity of studies on the influence of free movement of foreign labour on the performance of small-scale, rural-based agricultural firms in South Africa.Research design, approach and method: A cross-sectional survey research was conducted among 151 small-scale agricultural businesses’ (SSABs) owners or managers in Vryburg-Pokwani in North West and Northern Cape provinces of South Africa. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. Furthermore, post hoc comparisons (Bonferroni) were conducted to establish the long-term performance expectations based on these firms’ utilisation of foreign labour.Main findings: The results showed that the majority (70.9%) of SSABs did not employ foreign labour. Moreover, despite the statistically significant differences in the performance of SSABs based on their usage of foreign labour, SSABs’ orientation towards internationalisation of labour increased with increased deployment of foreign labour.Practical and managerial implications: The study recommended the possibility of deploying highly skilled, value-adding and value-creating foreign labour, while rationalising the recruitment of semi-skilled and unskilled local labour.Contribution or value addition: The results are of significance to SSABs that need to consider the economic benefits of recruiting foreign labour even if that may increase their overhead costs.

Commercial Tobacco Production and Climate Change Adaptation in Mazowe, Zimbabwe

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Newsham ◽  
Toendepi Shonhe ◽  
Tsitsidzashe Bvute
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South African ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Rapid Rise ◽  
The West ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Tobacco Production

There has been an increasingly well-documented, rapid rise in tobacco production over the last couple of decades in Mazowe, Zimbabwe, despite growing public health concerns about lung cancer and nicotine’s addictive capacities in the wealthier countries of the West – even affecting the South African market. This has been accompanied by a shift away from its production almost completely on large-scale farms towards predominantly small-scale farms. To date, less consideration has been given to the implications of climate change for tobacco production. Given the hopes that it can make a serious contribution to poverty reduction and food security, it is of increasing importance to understand these implications, to identify the most relevant and/or effective adaptation options and to assess the viability of their successful adoption. This paper presents a fine-grained, qualitative bottom-up analysis of the implications for commercial tobacco production of climate change impacts in Zimbabwe.

Small-Scale Science to Large-Scale Profession

2000 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 396-398
Author(s):  
Roger Smith
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Small Scale
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