Pentecostal church leaders’ support to children in need of care and protection
Andrew Spaumer, Azwihangwisi H. Mavhandu-Mudzusi
Churches are considered one of the important structures responsible for providing care and support to vulnerable populations. One such population are children in need of care and support. This article presents the support provided by Pentecostal religious leaders to children needing care and protection. The study was conducted in Pentecostal churches in Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, which is found in Gauteng province, South Africa. This qualitative study used an interpretative phenomenological analysis design. Data were collected from nineteen purposively selected leaders in Pentecostal churches using face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was guided by the interpretative phenomenological analysis framework for data analysis. Findings indicate that religious leaders within Pentecostal churches are involved in providing care and support to children in need of care. The process they are engaged in include proper identification of those children, attending to physical, psychosocial and spiritual needs. However, each religious leaders use their approach depending on the relationship they have with members of government institutions such as police services and social workers. In order to enhance the support provided the children in need of care and protection, by religious leaders within Pentecostal churches, it is recommended that religious leaders are well informed about the role of different members of multidisciplinary teams such as social workers, psychologists, police officers, parents and other community structures. Moreover, there should be formalised collaboration and referral processes that will ensure that the child’s rights are not further violated in the process of provision of support.
Contribution: The study contributes to the body of knowledge regarding the role Pentecostal church religious leaders are playing in child protection. Furthermore, it sheds light on the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to ensure that children in need of care and protection are holistically supported.
The Bible, Practical Theology
Hubungan Antara Profesionalisme Dosen dengan Karakter Kristiani Mahasiswa (Studi Korelasi di Fakultas Ilmu Pendidikan Universitas Pelita Harapan, Tangerang) [The Relationship Between Lecturer Professionalism and Student Christian Character (Correlation Study at the Faculty of Education, Pelita Harapan University, Tangerang)]
Abednego Tri Gumono, Yusak Tanasyah, Amos Naolaka
The realization of character education is a shared responsibility of both parents and educational institutions. Higher education as an integral educational facility has a responsibility to develop aspects of character. This is because character is an important domain in forming a student's personality as a whole. In this way, students can grow cognitively, affectively and psychometrically. The Faculty of Education, Pelita Harapan University has a profile of students who are competent, have character, have a calling as Christian teachers (Calling), and have compassion (compassion). To realize this profile, it must be supported by the professionalism of lecturers with the characteristics of having a loving spirit like the good Samaritan and a spirit of self-emptying of Christ in serving. The aim of this research is to determine the relationship between lecturer professionalism and student Christian character. The results of this research will provide an overview, evaluation, and input to build Christian character in a sustainable manner. The method used in this research is a correlative quantitative method. The research results show that lecturer professionalism is significantly related to students' Christian character. The research results show that there is a correlation between lecturer professionalism and student Christian character of .537. Thus, it can be concluded that the correlation between lecturer professionalism and student Christian character is in the strong category. The test results show the significance value (p = .000) is smaller than 0.05. This means that there is not enough evidence to accept the proposed hypothesis (reject Ho). Thus, it can be concluded that there is a significant correlation between lecturer professionalism and student Christian character.
BAHASA INDONESIA ABSTRACT: Perwujudan pendidikan karakter merupakan tanggung jawab bersama antara orang tua dan institusi pendidikan. Perguruan tinggi sebagai salah satu sarana pendidikan yang tidak terpisahkan memiliki tanggung jawab untuk mengembangkan aspek karakter. Hal ini dikarenakan karakter merupakan domain penting dalam membentuk kepribadian mahasiswa secara utuh. Dengan demikian, mahasiswa dapat berkembang secara kognitif, afektif dan psikomotorik. Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan Universitas Pelita Harapan memiliki profil mahasiswa yang kompeten, berkarakter, memiliki panggilan sebagai guru Kristen (Calling), dan memiliki belas kasih (compassion). Untuk mewujudkan profil tersebut, harus didukung oleh profesionalisme dosen dengan ciri-ciri memiliki semangat mengasihi seperti orang Samaria yang baik hati dan semangat mengosongkan diri seperti Kristus dalam melayani. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui hubungan antara profesionalisme dosen dengan karakter kristiani mahasiswa. Hasil penelitian ini akan memberikan gambaran, evaluasi dan masukan untuk membangun karakter kristiani secara berkelanjutan. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode kuantitatif korelasional. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa profesionalisme dosen berhubungan secara signifikan dengan karakter kristiani mahasiswa. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa terdapat korelasi antara profesionalisme dosen dengan karakter kristiani mahasiswa sebesar 0,537. Dengan demikian, dapat disimpulkan bahwa korelasi antara profesionalisme dosen dengan karakter Kristen mahasiswa berada pada kategori kuat Hasil uji t menunjukkan nilai signifikansi (p=.000) lebih kecil dari 0.05. Hal ini berarti tidak terdapat cukup bukti untuk menerima hipotesis yang diajukan (tolak Ho). Dengan demikian, dapat disimpulkan bahwa ada hubungan yang signifikan antara profesionalisme dosen dengan karakter kristiani mahasiswa.
Christianity, Practical religion. The Christian life
Entre a dor e o texto: traços bíblicos em Horto de Incêndio
Łukasz Kraj
The aim of this article is to analyse the role of biblical references in Al Berto’s (Alberto Raposo Pidwell Tavares’) last poetry volume, Horto de Incêndio, published in 1997. Previous research on this poetry has identified intertextuality, an interest in corporeality and the problem of the relationship between experience and text as dominant features of this work. Building upon these insights, I demonstrate that the numerous allusions to the Bible, especially evocations of the Apocalypse, in Horto de Incêndio are related to the author’s attempt to textualise the experience of illness and allow us to partially reconstruct his view of the ontology of the literary text.
The parable of the Two Mothers: An unhiding reading of the parable of the Prodigal Son
Charel D. du Toit
The parable of the Prodigal Son is traditionally viewed from an androcentric perspective, focusing on the male characters, such as the father and brothers. However, this article suggests that the original listeners may have perceived female characters as present and significant. It briefly explores the roles of the Prodigal’s mother and the father’s mother, proposing an alternative interpretation. Evidence indicates that a 1st-century audience might have envisioned a parallel narrative, termed ‘the Parable of the Two Mothers’, within the story. This imagined parallel parable could reflect the high-context understanding of the original hearers. The article aims to reconstruct this proposed parallel parable not only as a potentially imagined narrative within the Prodigal Son but also as a counter-narrative tool. This tool seeks to aid faith communities in addressing gender-based violence (GBV) by offering a narrative device that brings women’s voices to the forefront in congregational and social contexts.
Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The interdisciplinary nature of this article contributes to the debate on the roles and importance of women in the church by investigating the value that women had in the parables of Jesus. Furthermore, this article promotes an inclusive reading of biblical texts aiming to combat the pandemic of GBV in South African communities. By reading women as present in the text, emphasis is given to the voices of women in the Bible and the importance of their representation today. This research is also in line with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Gender equality and women empowerment.
Implementasi Pendidikan Agama Kristen (PAK) Masa Yesus di Sekolah
Baginda Sitompul, Afriani Manalu, Grace Metaria Sihombing
et al.
In the Bible there is a lot of information that writes down the teachings that Jesus did. The fruit of Jesus' teaching is proof that He is a teacher who has a personality, broad insight, role model, both from His words and deeds. The works of Jesus are inseparable from the culture of learning that has been carried out since he was young. This is one factor that makes Him appear as the Great Teacher. After finishing studying from school, Jesus taught with creative and effective methods for His followers. For this reason, in the context of Christian Religious Education (PAK) which is taught in formal schools, it is necessary to refer to Christian Religious Education at the time of Jesus, so that the principles of Christian Religious Education in schools can be specifically maintained from time to time. The researcher will explain how Christian Religious Education was when Jesus was a Jewish boy, starting with His education in the midst of the family, education at Beit Safar, education at Beit Talmud, education at the Beit Midrash stage, to the implementation of Christian Religious Education in schools today. The purpose of writing is to study Christian Religious Education at the time of Jesus in schools and the implementation of Christian Religious Education in formal schools. The method used in writing is a qualitative research method with literature as the main source.
COVID-19 crisis in relation to religion, health and poverty in Zimbabwe: A case study of the Harare urban communities
Joseph Muyangata, Sibiziwe Shumba
The COVID-19 pandemic which started in China in 2019, was originally described as a public health emergency of intercontinental concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) in January 2020. Due to its speedy rate of spread, the WHO then declared it a pandemic after 6 weeks. The global spread of COVID-19 has been attributed to the high mobility between and within countries. Having noted the wide spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, almost every country affected, developed strict and restrictive public health measures to control the spread of the virus. Such measures included restrictions on country borders and social gatherings. Hence, the main purpose of the paper was to explore the impact of the COVID-19 crisis in relation to religion, health and poverty in Harare urban communities as well as determining solutions to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on those sectors. The research methodology was qualitative in nature. Primary data were collected through in-depth telephone interviews and online open-ended questionnaires. Purposive sampling was used to select the study participants. The findings showed that the COVID-19 pandemic triggered and exposed the inequalities in health. The pandemic also had a strong impact on religious activities and it exacerbated poverty levels as well. Those who had all the access to medication, food and vaccinations during the height of COVID-19 may not fully appreciate the impact that poverty coupled with pandemics left on their communities both religiously and socially. Malnutrition, hunger and sickness were the order of the day among the poor.
Contribution: The conclusion was that COVID-19 negatively impacted on the health, religious and social sectors. Therefore, it is critical to maintain preventive and curative services, especially for the most vulnerable populations such as children, older persons, and people with disabilities.
The Bible, Practical Theology
LXX Judith: Removing the fourth wall
Nicholas P.L. Allen, Pierre J. Jordaan
Given the strong mimetic and dramatic qualities found in Judith the authors make the suggestion that perhaps, before LXX Judith became a fixed, written text, the basic fabula might well have been part of an oral tradition. The authors accept that an appropriately written dramatic work, whether transmitted through reading or an oral presentation, by means of its performative qualities, has the potential to achieve immediacy. Here, the audience may become captivated with its own familiarity and memory of popular, communally shared narratives. Accordingly, this article attempts to find evidence in the Greek text of LXX Judith for a possible oral precursor. In this context, corroboration is sought for the employment of verbal aspect and mood of the Greek language as well as instances of drama, theatrics, bodily gestures, mnemonic devices or special emphasis on the employment of the senses such as sight, taste and smell. The authors suggest that based on an analysis of the text of Chapter 13, there is much circumstantial evidence for the Judith fabula once being an oral narrative – one that embodies the dramatic and even encourages audience participation. This characteristic strongly suggests the removal of the fourth wall – the notion of an imaginary boundary between any fictional work and its audience.
Contribution: This article shows that Judith 13 is indeed the climax of the narrative. However, it goes further. It is a vivid scene with various performative aspects. There are props, dialogue and audience participation. This research is cutting-edge and paves the way for new explorations.
The Bible, Practical Theology
Hair matters: The psychoanalytical significance of the virtual absence of hair in the Book of Job in an African context
Pieter van der Zwan
Compared with other biblical books that are named after its main protagonist, Job mentions many (at least 72) body parts. Yet hair is explicitly referred to only once, even when it plays a relatively significant role in other books in the Hebrew Bible. This virtual absence of hair in the book can at first glance be explained by the shaving of Job’s ‘head’ as early as 1:20, using a different verb, גזז, from the one in Leviticus 13:33 and 14:8.9, גלח, where the context is that of צָרָעַת, wrongly translated as ‘leprosy’, but probably referring to the same skin problem from which Job is suffering. This connection to the skin is important, because the two body parts seem to be almost mutually exclusive, as also suggested by 1:21 immediately after the aforementioned shaving, where Job considers himself to be essentially עָרֹם [naked]. This means that hair has, amongst other functions, also a clothing-like role in the book of Job. Three questions will hence be explored: how ‘absence’ is to be psychoanalytically interpreted and more specifically, what consequences all of this has on the virtual absence of hair in the Book of Job and, finally, what relevance this absence has for the South African context.
Contribution: Applying a psychoanalytical perspective to both the body and to absence, the biblical text is contextualised on a broader horizon than what the purely historical-critical approach can render. The additional African context widens the relevance of the ancient book even further.
The Bible, Practical Theology
The spiritual experience of Chinese Muslim minorities post-1998 reformation: A study of Chinese Muslims becoming Indonesians
Acep Aripudin, Mohammad T. Rahman, Dede Burhanudin
et al.
This article describes a new method of viewing a historical phenomenon based on its social significance. This method enabled the classification and analysis of a group in a context simultaneously and chronologically. Using historical phenomenology, the authors found a polarisation of Chinese Muslims’ thoughts and practices in the Indonesian context. As an example, the technique of classification of Islamic thoughts is illustrated to discover Chinese Muslim figures’ religious activities. This method allows an improved social investigation to probe deeply into Chinese Muslims’ formal religious life. The evaluation of the effectiveness of the new method is confirmed by the calculation of the polarisation of Chinese Muslim religiousness, leading to the fragmentation and diversification of Indonesian Chinese Muslims in the realms of politics, economic practices or Islamic rituals. New research results improve the understanding of how a social history of an ethnicity could grow and assimilate in a context. The assimilation could contribute to religious harmony in such a pluralistic country such as Indonesia and can be used for making better social decisions, especially related to the lives of minorities, who urgently need policymakers and stakeholders to accommodate the rights of those who are still in the process of gaining fairer recognition.
Contribution: Using historical phenomenology, this article tries to classify and study a group in a setting concurrently and chronologically. An in-depth social inquiry into the formal religious life of Chinese Muslims discovered a calculation of religious Chinese Muslims’ polarisation, which led to the dispersion and diversification of Indonesian Chinese Muslims’ politics, economic practices and Islamic rituals. New policy proposals can be made by evaluating religious polarisation.
The Bible, Practical Theology
Plan catecumenal - educar para la comunidad
Andrés Rosero Bolaños
El libro trata de una catequesis práctica, pues, insiste en una "catequesis para la realidad de la vida" y quiere acomodarse a una línea de pedagogía actual, lográndolo de modo conciso, preciso y ameno. Se trata de una experiencia de catequesis en la diócesis de Madrid (España) que da buenas bases para una buena reflexión en nuestra catequesis colombiana y Latinoamericana, ya que estamos haciendo buenos esfuerzos de mejorar nuestros propios planes catequísticos. (…)
The Bible, Practical Theology
The Coherence of Penal Substitution: An Edwardsean Defence
Christopher Woznicki
Among recent evaluations of penal substitutionary atonement one significant critique is that given the necessary and sufficient conditions for punishment the doctrine is incoherent. In this essay I defend the coherence of penal substitution by providing an account of Christ’s relationship to humanity such that it is conceptually possible to meet the necessary and sufficient conditions for punishment. In order to do this, I turn to Jonathan Edwards’ understanding of creation and identity. I show that a view called ‘Edwardsean Anti-Criterialism’ provides the metaphysics necessary for a coherent account of penal substitution.
Preface to Special Collection: Reformation, Transformation and Change Agency
Mandla Makhanya, Erna Oliver
No abstract available.
The Bible, Practical Theology
You shall not kill them…: Reading II Kings 6: 8-23 in the context of the African Great Lakes Region Conflict
Rose Nyirimana Mukansengimana
The African Great Lake Region, specifically, Burundi, Rwanda and the Republic Democratic of Congo, is a region renowned across the globe for its history of persistent conflicts. A pattern observable especially in Rwanda and Burundi is a succession of political regimes where each time a new regime indicted its predecessor for failing to end the spiral of deadly ethnic conflicts. When previously oppressed any social group that finally snatches power resolves to neutralize the rival social group for good. To achieve this, the new powerful, formerly oppressed, becomes the new oppressor. The attitude of the leaders of the African Great Lakes countries find echo in that of the Israelite king mentioned in 2 Kings 6:8-23. Traumatized by the oppression that his people had suffered from the Arameans, and now in a position of strength, the king would not want to miss the opportunity to put off the threat for good by annihilating the enemy. But Elisha had a different solution, not to kill the now weak enemies but to show them the alternative way of relating. The present paper draws attention to one of many voices in Old Testament texts that are opposed to violence that focuses on Elisha’s approach of pacifism; Elisha’s approach of pacifism in the narrated conflict is found to be in tune with some pacifist approach usually grounded on Jesus’ teaching in the gospels. The essay argues that the pacifist perspectives find in the Old Testament find support in the New Testament and explores the relevance of such pacifist approach to modern conflicts such as those experienced in the African Great Lakes Region.
Przemiany w świadomości religijnej młodzieży polskiej
Michał Jóźwik
Paralell to socio-political changes, structural transformations currently taking place in Poland are causing rapid re-evaluation in the area of the individual’s culture and awareness. They affect the condition and functioning of the Polish family and thus they may influence the processes of intergenerational transfer of cultural tradition which constitute an essential factor in maintaining the society’s cultural identity. Contemporary changes may also adversely affect the transfer of religiousness across generations. Family, which has so far been a strong agent in the process of transferring religious values, is now exposed to the action of other processes, inter alia an increasing spontaneous secularization. The purpose of the present paper is an attempt to demonstrate the prominent role of family against the background of socio-cultural and socio-moral changes occurring in the Polish society. Moreover, the idea is to show the fundamental role of family as a space of religious upbringing against the backdrop of transformations in the Polish youth’s identity during the time of the crisis of traditional values.
The Bible, Doctrinal Theology
The intermediate state in Paul
N. S. L. Fryer
The point of view taken in this paper is that the apostle Paul envisions, between death and the resurrection of the body at the Parousia, an interim period during which the disembodied soul is in the immediate presence of Christ, though in a state of 'nakedness'. The background of Paul's view lies neither in contemporary Hellenistic religious-philosophical speculations nor in 'late-Judaism'. Two crucial 'forces' in particular moulded his perspective, viz the teachings of Jesus and His own rapture to 'Paradise'.
The Bible, Practical Theology
Jesus as the Mercy Seat: The Semantics and Theology of Paul's Use of _Hilasterion_ in Romans 3:25
Daniel P. Bailey
What Has Aristotle to do with Paul? Rhetorical Criticism and 1 Thessalonians
Steve Walton
This article considers the application of rhetorical critical methods to 1 Thessalonians, summarising the approaches of significant scholars before considering the rhetorical genre of the letter. After considering the options, a key issue is identified: the question of whether Paul faced opponents in the church at Thessalonica. The evidence favours a negative conclusion, and the rhetorical genre is concluded to be epideictic, because of the focus of the letter on praise and blame.
Sekularisasie: 'n Prinsipiële behandeling
F.J. van Zyl
No abstract available.
The Bible, Practical Theology
Psalm 4: Ambiguity and Resolution
John Goldingay
Translations of Psalm 4 differ at a number of points and thus point towards different understandings of it. In isolation, the opening verses do indeed raise a number of textual questions, and contain a number of interpretative ambiguities, which leave the reader in some uncertainty; but the last part of the psalm clarifies matters and makes it possible from the end to make coherent sense of the whole. Understanding the psalm thus turns out to resemble understanding a sentence, which cannot be grasped until we have reached the end of it.
The Confession of Peter According to John 6:69
William R. Domeris
The title found in John 6:69, as the confession of Peter, is ‘the Holy One of God’. The same title is found in Mark and Luke on the lips of a demon possessed man. Scholarship has been divided on the precise meaning of the title, with the most common solution being that it means Messiah. This article refutes that view and suggests instead that the primary meaning of the title is that of representation or agency. For Mark and Luke it is an agency of judgment on the demons while for John, Jesus is also the life-giver.