Hasil untuk "Practical religion. The Christian life"

Meghan Bowen

Review of Andrew Kim, _Just Marriage_

Angela Treiber

Birgit Weyel

Stéphan van der Watt

In this article it is argued that insights gleaned from John Calvin’s and Martin Bucer’s missionary passion and vision are relevant to contemporary missional churches in times of crises. First, Calvin’s manifold personal crises in the 16th-century context were explored historically. Subsequently, modern missiologists and historians’ views were critically engaged to ascertain how we could properly interpret the Reformers’ missionary vision without drawing oversimplified and anachronistic conclusions. The widespread misrepresentations that often downplay the Reformers’ resilient missionary vision were invalidated by explicating their lucid mission-mindedness during their time. It is indicated that much can be learned from their identity and practices as missionary pastors expanding the mission through pastoral care. The current COVID-19 pandemic and its deep impact present the global church with an opportunity to recommit itself to its essential missionary calling. Although Calvin or his colleagues did not create a complete theology of mission, the conclusion was made (through a thorough literature study and primary sources investigation) that their whole theology and Christian life had a missionary core. This challenges churches from a Reformed background today to critically reclaim their tradition and to mould their future missional identity from the roots up, crises and all. Contribution: The lack of attention to John Calvin and his company of pastors’ mission-minded theology and practice presents a contemporary challenge to the field of mission studies. This article expounded the often overlooked significance of the Reformers’ essentially missionary theology and practice. This was done through a historical investigation, which eventually contributes relevant, contemporary insights from the 16th century to mission studies and missional churches today.

Aminudin, Habibie Yusuf

The figure of the second leading philosopher after Aristotle among Muslim philosophers, namely Abu Nasr al-Farabi who was born around the 10th century (w. 950 AD) who wanted to try to integrate the thoughts of two early Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle about theoretical ratios (Platonic) and practical ratios (Aristotle). Known as al-Farabi is the most prominent founder of religious philosophy, because his achievements in mastering the fields of philosophy exceeded previous figures in the Arab world. Besides mastering several fields of philosophy with ease, he also mastered and appreciated religion. His students included Ibn Rusydi, Ibn Tufayl, Ibn Sina, and Maimondes.AlFarabi agrees with the division of Aristotle's ratios on theoretical ratios and practical ratios. However, in this case al-Farabi adds the term 'practical ratio application' and divides the theoretical ratio into two, namely 'demonstrative science' and 'discursive science'. Al-Farabi not only faced massive cultural pressures that were not merely Islamic, but also a series of religions and Prophets who had been responsible for their respective times. Therefore, in understanding his political philosophy al-Farabi included the important role of the Prophets, both the Prophet of his time [Muhammad SAW] or previous prophets

Jan H. van Wyk

In the first part of this article, the classic as well as modern interpretations of the doctrine on predestination (Augustine, Calvin, Dort/Barth, Smit, Van der Walt) is investigated, while in the second part, I try to answer the question whether this (sometimes sharply criticised) doctrine does not make men careless and profane. Or does this doctrine rather stimulate and activate individual, ecclesiastical and social activities in the societal, political and economic spheres of life? The Heidelberg Catechism asks the question whether the doctrine of justification (grace alone) ‘does not make men careless and profane?’, but answers ‘by no means’. Does the same apply to the doctrine of predestination? Should we not complement the doctrine of predestination with the concept of ‘pre-activation’?

Megan McCabe

Since the 2011 “Dear Colleague” letter from the Obama administration transformed understanding of Title IX, universities have sought to respond to develop disciplinary procedures for cases of sexual assault and programming to educate students about sexual violence. However, these efforts have been unable to prevent sexual assault on campus. Instead, a robust understanding of the moral responsibility of universities, in particular Catholic universities, must look to the cultural factors that foster participation in the hookup and party culture that constitutes campus rape culture, as well as the features within this culture that gives rise to sexual assault.

Christian Molerin

Leepo J. Modise

This article comprises four important parts: first, the two important components of democracy, namely participatory and non-participatory or representative democracy will be discussed with special reference to the distribution of powers. Second, it will address the roles and responsibilities of ward committees within the democratic society. Third, the ethical question of the basis of the committee members’ capacity to serve on the ward committees in relation to coercive leadership (tyranny of the majority) will be investigated. Fourth, the theological standpoint on the distribution of powers or participatory democracy and the role of the church to improve participatory democracy will be discussed. The research question is the following: What can be done by the country to improve participatory democracy in South Africa, through engagement with ward committees?

Johannes J. Knoetze

No abstract avialable.

Acta Theologica

Table of contents

Johan Janse van Rensburg

Hierdie artikel is as ’n huldeblyk aan prof. George Lotter by sy aftrede geskryf en uit erkenning vir sy bydrae tot die wetenskapsbeoefening van die Praktiese Teologie. Die artikel ondersoek die huidige konteks van die pastorale teologie. Aangesien epistemologiese keuses die metodiek en uitkoms van die pastoraat bepaal, is daar ’n dringende noodsaak om die epistemologiese invloede op die pastorale teologie te evalueer. Die artikel fokus op die epistemologiese dinamika wat die pastoraat verander het van ’n skriftuurlike fundering na ’n kommunikatiewe handelingsteoretiese en postmoderne narratiewe strategie. Die navorsingsvraag is: Is ’n reformatoriese terugkeer na ’n bybels-gefundeerde pastoraat teen die agtergrond van die epistemologiese invloede nog moontlik? As a tribute to Prof. George Lotter on the occasion of his retirement and to his contribution to practical theology, this article focuses on the current situation of pastoral theology worldwide but mostly in South Africa. Since epistemological choices determine the method and content of research on pastoral theology, as well as the practical implementation thereof, there is an urgent need to evaluate the influences on pastoral theology and the results of these influences. The article focuses on the epistemological dynamics that have changed pastoral theology from a scriptural approach to a discipline of communicative acts and a postmodern strategy of narrative pastoral counselling. The research question is: Is it still possible to have a reformed pastoral theology and pastoral counselling against the backdrop of these epistemological changes?

Oleg Potsyurko

W artykule omówiono wizję wolności, jaka wyłania się z opowiadań, pamiętników i listów Tarasa Szewczenki. Na podstawie przeprowadzonych badań autor dochodzi do wniosku, że idea wolności jawi się jako kluczowa w twórczości T. Szewczenki. Autor dowodzi także, że pojęcie wolności w spuściźnie T. Szewczenki jest skorelowane z ideą godności człowieka oraz jest nierozerwalnie powiązane z tradycją chrześcijańską. T. Szewczenko, zdaniem autora, zwłaszcza tragiczne losy wędrownych liryków (Kobziarzy) postrzegał jako przykład ludzkich zmagań o wolność.

Sami Kılıç

S. D. Snyman

From text: This book is the result of many years of teaching the Old Testament in Africa especially in the country of Ghana at two Ghanese universities. The aim of the book is to provide the student/reader with a general introductory study of the Old Testament. The intended audience of the book is clearly students with questions put and exercises recommended to see whether the work has been mastered in a sufficient way.

E. J. de Beer

A theological-ethical judgement of child labour in South Africa Throughout the world child labour is a problem which has been under especially close scrutiny for the past three decades. Although child labour is not such a serious problem in South Africa as is the case in some other countries, unacceptable forms of child labour also occur here. Socio-economic circum- stances force most child labourers to work in order to survive. The result is that these children are deprived of a good edu- cation and training in order to occupy positions as adults in order to earn a living wage. In this article child labour is judged as it occurs in South Africa. Child labour is judged in the light of theological-ethical utteran- ces on children as well as on labour. Although the demand to labour is universal (and thus also applies to children), it is obvious that they cannot labour in the same way as adults. Children should rather be educated and equipped to develop their abilities in order to utilise it to the maximum as adult workers.

P. J. Strauss

Both the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) and the — then — Reformed Ecumenical Synod (RES) eventually declared a status confessionis against the theological and moral justification of apartheid. In this process the Afrikaans Reformed Churches came under serious fire. The questions arising from this are: When is a status confessionis a relevant option for the church? How did both the WARC and the RES handle the matter and were there any differences in their approach due to their differences as ecumenical bodies? The conclusion is that the WARC followed certain anti-apartheid elements in the younger Dutch Reformed Churches uncritically while the RES took a more independent stand. A further problem was that the WARC did not qualify the apartheid it was speaking out against. That complicated dialogue with the Dutch Reformed Church. Both organizations, however, showed clear indications of an awareness that they tried to consider the basic conditions for a status confessionis.

J. v.V. du Plessis

In die kerklike praktyk het twee begrippe geykte vorme aangeneem, t.w. sending en evangelisasie. Sending is deur J. du Plessis soos volg beskrywe; “die Kristelike sending is die evangeliserende arbeid deur kristelike manne en vroue bestee aan die nie-kristelike volkere en stamme, om onder hulle ’n kristelike kerk te stig, wat sigself onderhou, "bestier en uitbrei”. (Aangehaal H. D. A. du Toit. Die kerstening van die bantoe. p. 9). Hierdie definisie het besliste mankemente, aangesien die kerk in sy apostolaat nie voorop staan nie, maar die gedagte van individuele- en groepsending. Aan die ander kant dra dit egter die visie van eiesoortige kerkstigting.

J. Punt

Set against a broader discussion of Paul’s economical perspectives, the emphasis of this article is on some of his directives concerning poverty. As much as the Pauline letters cannot be seen as a textbook for economic theory and practice, they offer no ready-made answers for addressing poverty, ancient or modern, either. It is in particular when addressing poverty – which he never did in abstract - that Paul’s considerable concern for the socio-economical situation of the communities he addressed becomes apparent. For Paul, evidently, poverty is not disconnected from other matters in the community such as righteousness and fellowship. These matters can easily be observed in Paul’s motivation of the collection for the churches in Jerusalem. Some implications of Paul’s treatment of poverty for theological thinking in this regard, are briefly explored.