Hasil untuk "Practical religion. The Christian life"

Rachel Veronica Putri Pniel Saragih, Year Rezeki Patricia Tantu, Dince Bunda

Ilmu Kimia seringkali dianggap sulit dan abstrak, serta terpisah dari iman Kristen. Salah satu sekolah Kristen di Jakarta yang memiliki nilai-nilai Kristiani dalam visi dan misi, belum mampu menghadirkan pembelajaran yang terintegrasi Wawasan Kristen Alkitabiah khususnya dalam pelajaran Kimia. Dengan keragaman konteks siswa kelas XI, penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji pembelajaran inkuiri pada materi hidrolisis garam dan larutan penyangga dalam konteks pendidikan Kristen. Pembelajaran inkuiri tidak hanya dipandang sebagai konstruksi pengetahuan saja, tetapi sebagai sarana untuk mengagumi kebesaran dan keteraturan ciptaan Allah melalui prinsip kesetimbangan dalam materi hidrolisis dan larutan penyangga. Penelitian ini dimulai dari observasi, perencanaan pembelajaran, pelaksanaan pembelajaran, analisis hasil belajar, dan refleksi akhir. Hasil belajar siswa menunjukkan bahwa pembelajaran inkuiri yang diterapkan berdasarkan prinsip Alkitabiah mampu membawa transformasi dalam pembelajaran berupa pemahaman yang lebih mendalam mengenai konsep kimia, aplikasi nyata dan reflektif akan ilmu yang dipelajari, peningkatan keterlibatan siswa melalui proses inkuiri dan kerja sama dalam kelompok, dan adanya lingkungan pembelajaran positif dan fokus selama pembelajaran berlangsung. Penelitian ini diharapkan dapat memberikan kontribusi bagi pendidik Kristen dalam merancang pembelajaran kimia yang holistik dan transformatif.

Wojciech Sadlon, Marek Rymsza

In the paper we analyse the social activity practices of Catholic persons, as a set of individual and collective action emerging from the Catholic identity and – to more or less extent – structuralised under the Church-related formal non-profit initiatives. The purpose of the study is to clarify: (1) to what extent the Catholic unpaid social activities of different kinds could be classified as forms of volunteering and (2) to what extent the third sector definitions of volunteering are included in specific Catholic activities. Three tendencies have been observed with respect to not including religion-oriented volunteering in voluntary studies. Firstly, while using tools for collecting data adequate for the secular world, researchers face methodological difficulties to successfully cover social activities organized in parishes and congregations. Secondly, a reductionist approach reflects the ideological-rooted tendency to treat religion as a matter of private life. Thirdly, some religious-based entities tend to keep social activities of the believers within the Church-related circle. From the Catholic perspective, volunteer engagement represents an important aspect of faith-based every day activities, the so-called lived religion. At the same time, social engagement of believers provided within the Church-related entities, as well as outside them, usually fulfils all main features of volunteering. The relation between volunteering and religion is to be referred not only to the general position of faith-based and religious organizations in the public sphere, but also to the embeddedness of religious life in the society, as in fact both religion and volunteering are categories social per se. We illustrate our reflection on volunteering and Catholicism by presenting empirical evidence from the 2018 panel expert research among representatives of 29 Catholic Bishops Conferences across Europe.

Stan Chu Ilo

In this chapter, I explore with Paul Farmer why Ebola has persisted in Africa and why it continues to kill so many Africans as we see in the current outbreak in Uganda (September 2022) with the Sudanese strain. Farmer’s appeal to social medicine and social context in understanding the remote causes of the cause of Ebola offers an important corrective to the disease control and treatment paradigm approach in global health amidst the devastating impact of health inequity. I conclude my chapter by using Farmer’s analysis of the causes of global health inequity in Africa to propose how theological ethics can serve the mission of churches and African communities in designing healthcare systems for health improvement and health protection in solidarity with the poor and the most vulnerable. I will propose some effective strategies for global health partnerships in Africa against the current preoccupation with disease control and prevention, medical mission, and crisis intervention from outside Africa.

The Person and the Challenges

E. Shoko

COVID-19 arguably had far-reaching implications for Christianity and the church as an institution. Issues around social distancing and lockdown directly impacted articulation and religious expression, while understanding of the pandemic and the virus were mediated through constructions of religio-spiritual beliefs. Given this, the study sought to explore some neo-Pentecostal church leaders’ messages in South Africa regarding the novel coronavirus or COVID-19, what this meant to their followers and the associated implications for the spread and effects of COVID-19. Methodologically, the researcher iewed and listened to uploaded YouTube video clips of news related to the church and COVID-19, uploaded by media outlets and the neo-Pentecostal church leaders themselves as well as online newspaper reports from the period 2 March to 19 June 2020. The findings of the study reveal that neo-Pentecostal church leaders attributed the origins of SARS-COV-2 to “evil” spirits. Neo-Pentecostal church leaders had mixed messages on the possible cure for COVID-19, with some emphasising miracles as the panacea for COVID-19, and a minority believing that God exhibits his power through epidemiologists. Prayer was also viewed as a tool for Christians to protect themselves from contracting COVID-19 through the invocation of divine powers. The paper concludes that the pervasive influence of church leaders and their emphasis on spiritual remedies such as prayer and miracles may have given Pentecostal followers a false sense of security, which might have affected their awareness of COVID-19.

Patrick R. Keifert

Kpobi, David Nii Anum

Increasing migration has created many unfavourable conditions in the city of Accra, posing big challenges to both the local and national development agenda. Religious institutions, including the Church, occupy an important place in daily life in Accra and have roles to play to redeem the city. This study proposes that one of the effective approaches to dealing with the current situation is for theological institutions to overhaul their educational strategies and goals. This is possible through a properly designed and regulated training scheme that gives adequate orientation and guidance to both faculty and students of theological institutions in Accra.

Maria C. Morrow

R. Zimmermann

Enhancing life in the world of the future will only be possible if people relinquish their claim to some of the legitimate rights to which they are entitled. This article is developed in three sections. In the first section, I contend that the source of inspiration for this ethics is the Bible and, in particular, the writings of Paul, which open up insights into moral principles and the ethos of Early Christian communities. In the second section, I take up insights from biblical ethics and develop foundational aspects of, and criteria for how such an ethics of relinquishing can be described on both a theoretical and a terminological level. In the final section, I describe possible acts of relinquishing in different fields of current ethical debate such as, for instance, the appropriate extent of medical treatment at the end-of-life, the use of media, and big data.

S.G. deClaissé-Walford

As opposed to his younger brother Isaac, Ishmael is a relatively minor character in the patriarchal narratives of the Old Testament. Islam, however, which largely adopts the biblical Pentateuch as a holy book of Islam given by God to Musa (Moses), re-interprets Ishmael’s role in one significant event: the offering demanded by God as demonstration of Abraham’s faith. In Islam, Ishmael supplants Isaac as the intended sacrificial lamb. This article examines both the biblical and the Qur’?nic Isaac and Ishmael narratives from the perspective of academic curiosity to determine the grounds for, and the validity of the Islamic claim.

Damla SAVAŞ

Şia-Mutezile etkileşiminde kilit isim olarak Şerif el-Murtaza değerlendirmesi

Boško Erić

The author presents a short introduction that is of great importance for understanding the madrashe of Saint Ephraim the Syrian, explaining their role and reasons why Ephraim wrote them, but also emphasizing that only the correct understanding of the meaning of madrashe might help us to avoid the wrong understanding of Ephraim’s thought completely, i.e. to avoid the wrong presupposition that this Syrian-speaking Saint is merely a great poet and not a theologian. After the introduction, the author presents a translation of the “Madrashes on Jonah and the citizens of Nineveh”, which are parts of a larger collection entitled Madrashes on virginity. The conclusion is based on Ephraim’s practice of writing madrashes that might be of great help even in contemporary Church mission.

Jerzy Adamczyk

The following article is devoted to the parish catechization in the obligatory church requirements. Firstly, it has been discussed that the parish is the basic catechetical environment. Secondly, the active subject of catechetical education in the parish has been presented, as well as the catechesis' addressees, which have been divided according to their age or living conditions. The final part is focused on the organization of the catechesis in the parish.

Brian A. DeVries

How do principles of church revitalisation correlate with the divine work of the Holy Spirit? This article argues that the Spirit is the primary agent of church revitalisation, and churchleaders should cooperate with the Spirit as he works for revitalisation. Thus the Spirit empowers church leaders who are used by him to revive, renew, and revitalise a church community. After briefly defining the Spirit’s empowerment with biblical examples, this article examines the underlying principles of empowerment for church leaders, followed by briefly considering methodology for church revitalisation. The author concludes by suggesting several signs of biblical empowerment in a local church community. Goddelike bemagtiging: Die Heilige Gees en kerkherstel. Watter plek beklee die goddelike werking van die Heilige Gees in die beginsels van kerkherstel? Hierdie artikel poneer dat die Heilige Gees die primêre agent is om nuwe lewe in die kerk te bring en kerkleiers behoort onder leiding van die Heilige Gees hulle hiervoor te beywer. Die Heilige Gees bemagtig dus die kerkleiers wat Hy gebruik om ’n kerklike gemeenskap te laat herleef, te vernuwe en hulle te besiel met lewenskragtigheid. Die Gees se bemagtiging word kortliks aan die hand van bybelse voorbeelde gedefineer, waarna die grondliggende beginsels vir die bemagtiging van die kerkleiers ondersoek word. Daarna word die metodologie om nuwe lewenskrag in die kerk te bring kortliks oorweeg. Die outeur sluit af deur verskeie tekens uit te lig wat op skriftuurlike bemagtiging van die Heilige Gees in die plaaslike kerkgemeenskap dui.

Sander Griffioen

J. A. van den Berg

In this article practical theology is portrayed as a work-zone under construction. In order to understand the architecture associated with the construction work, the impotence of so called zombie categories and shell institutions are used to illustrate that practical theology needs to be re-constructed. This re-construction is being developed through reconsidering paradigm, epistemology and methodology operating within a relevant re-constructed practical theology. Theoretical principles are embodied in the use of the qualitative Delphi forecast method, documenting the consensus opinion of 10 informed participants on the possible role of spirituality within the workplace. Building on these accents, some markers are mapped for the further development of the so called recapitalisation of practical theology with emphasis on a possible meaning for the workplace. Future perspectives for the facilitation of spirituality in the workplace are mapped in conclusion.

S. Tsang

This study uses the “Abba” metaphor to demonstrate the New Rhetoric model of metaphor as a tool to understand Paul’s rhetorical purpose in using metaphors. By looking closely at the theme (i.e., the idea the author tries to convey) and phoros (i.e., the picture the author uses to convey the idea). From a historical perspective, the “Abba” metaphor used in Galatians 4:6 can be linked to Palestinian origins. At the time of writing of the Letter to the Galatians, “Abba” had already been ingrained firmly in the Galatian Christian community. Paul used the metaphor to attack the agitators by excluding them from the spiritual familia of Jesus. In this recipient-oriented reading, it is shown that Paul used the metaphor to exhort with great urgency those on the fringe to return to the fold. In this way it is illustrated that, by using the approach of the New Rhetoric in describing a metaphor, an interpreter can raise questions on both the understanding of the author and readers, as part of the communication process.

J. H. van Wyk

Elke predikant het sy eie wyse van preekmaak. Tog beteken dit nie dat ons nie van mekaar kan leer nie.Onderstaande preekwenke is met die loop van jare ontwikkel en beproef en ek gee dit deur vir wat dit mag werd wees.

J. Visser

In art 29 van die Nederlandse Geloofsbelydenis word bely: “Die merktekens om die ware Kerk te ken is die volgende: As die Kerk die suiwere prediking van die evangelie uitoefen, as dit die suiwer bediening van die sakramente gebruik soos Christus dit ingestel het, as die kerklike tug gebruik word om die sondes te straf.” Dit spreek vanself dat wanneer ampsdraers, aan wie Christus sy kudde toevertrou het (Hand 20 : 28), met leer en /of lewenswandel in sonde volhard en nie daarin met tug gestuit word nie, word die ware kerk nie gebou nie maar afgebreek. 0ns sal later in hierdie artikel aantoon hoedanig die suiwer tug oor ampsdraers, veral leertug, tydens die Doleansie tot skade van die kerk van Christus agterweë gebly het.

A. H. Murray

Die Bartholomeusnag-moord is aan teoloë vanweë sy implikasies vir die kerkgeskiedenis bekend en aan historici glad nie of slegs vir sy sydelingse beinvloeding van die politieke strominge van die laat- sestiende eeu bekend. Omdat teoloë alleen kerkdokumente en staatsfilosowe slegs politieke en regswerke studeer, is daar in die geleerde wêreld geringe begrip vir die verband tussen en onderlinge beinvloeding van kerkinstellings en staatsinstellings.