Philosophy & Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Systematic Theology)

Assessment of the past helps one seize emerging opportunities. The Southern Baptist Convention's (SBC) Foreign Mission Board (FMB) radically redesigned itself July 1, 1997, the most far reaching self-assessment since its 1845 founding. The FMB's changes neglected some essential historical precedents. In 1892, a band of FMB missionaries posted with the North China Mission resigned and established their own operation. They held and integrated three core values: indigeneity, incarnation, and responsible autonomy. Baptist historians have dismissed these dissidents because they considered them Landmarkers (an earlier movement that threatened the SBC itself). Later historical inquiry corrected this assumption demonstrating that Landmarkers seized the Gospel Mission Movement to serve its own ends not the reverse. What prorrpted these missionaries to leave their base of support and operate independently? Original sources tell the tale of strong convictions about missions that were more commonly apparent later, in a post-modern era. Gospel Missionism's peers did not listen, partly because of the Landmarkist confusion and partly because they advocated things others were not prepared to hear. The Gospel Missioners found it difficult to sustain their experiment outside the SBC. Hence, survivors gradually reentered the FMB structure, primarily the Interior China Mission. Their influence extended to the next generation of missionaries. Yet, indirectly their values entered the FMB's strategies through outside evangelicals which increasingly espoused similar core values. By 1985, the Board tackled the challenge of the least evangelized peoples. Trustees formed Cooperative Services International (CSI) to accommodate the need. Unwittingly, from within the FMB, CSI embodied Gospel Missionism's core values with more modern emphases. In 1997, trustees restructured the FMB and dismantled CSI. They borrowed its drive and its penchant for streamlined administration, but jettisoned its priority passion for those least evangelized. Only time will tell, but there is evidence that the FMB has reverted and embraced elements of an older paradigm, possibly because it was unprepared to face a postmodern future. This study concludes that the Gospel Missionism movement was a blending of both enlightenment and post-modern missiological ideals. It was an incipient, evangelical version of a post-modern missiological paradigm. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D.Th. (Missiology)

The subject of social involvement though, still under debate and being pursued by the Church of Jesus Christ even this time around has not wholly been appreciated by most Pentecostals. This is despite the fact that some of the early Pentecostals, including the early Church as seen from the ‘Acts of the Apostles’ chose to pursue social dimension of the gospel in addition to the Church’s mandate of ‘pure evangelism.’ Although social involvement has been at the very heart of Pentecostal theology, traditionally speaking, PAOG (Z), being one of the Pentecostal groupings has been seen to place much emphasis on ‘pure evangelism’, rather than ‘embracing’ both forms of missional dimensions. However, this trend is slowly changing as observed from the social involvements that some of its congregations and institutions are currently undertaking. This study views that part of the reason for the lack of an all-round social involvement’ by all the PAOG (Z) congregations lies in its theology of mission and thus critically examines it. The other aspect is the non-utilization or recognition of known professions of clergies that could normally enhance social involvement in most of its congregations. Next it makes an in-depth study of one PAOG (Z) - PAOC run projects and few congregations for the purpose of doing a social impact assessment, which has shown positive impacts in the communities that these projects are being undertaken. The study also reveals that the lack of clear constitutional guidelines concerning this has contributed to the absence of social programs in most of its churches resulting in not having a strong ‘social’ voice compared to the Catholic Church. The thesis uses a modified “praxis cycle” to structure its theoretical framework and research methodology. / Christian Spirituality, Church History & Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)

The dissertation is a critical reflection on the relevance of Franciscan spirituality over eight centuries with special focus on the Third Order Regular. This spirituality is rooted in the life and writings of St Francis and St Clare of Assisi and their experience of the kenotic Christ. The Franciscan charism prevails in the world today as a living response to God’s transforming love which is expressed in a ministry of loving service and solidarity with the poor and marginalised – re-enacting Francis’ radical conversion when he embraced the leper. The Third Order Regular, inspired by Vatican II which called for a return to the charism of religious founders, returned to its roots with the revised Rule of 1982 based on the writings of Francis and Clare and grounded in Sacred Scripture. The Rule’s vision corresponds with the 1996 document Vita Consecrata on consecrated life and its mission to be prophetic witnesses to Christ today. / Christian Spirituality, Church History & Missiology / M. Th. (Christian Spirituality)

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2002 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: During the history of Israel the concept of "purity" had developed as a way in which God's people could honour his holiness and draw nearer to him, as a sanctified nation. By the time of Jesus, in Second Temple Judaism, the purity system had become restrictive. This had been influenced by political and social developments, including an increased desire to withdraw from Hellenistic and other factors which were seen as contaminating the integrity of Judaism. There were diverse perceptions regarding the achievement of the purity of Israel, including militaristic confrontation and expulsion of alien occupation forces, stricter adherence to the Law and, in some cases, total withdrawal from general society (such as at Qumran). It was, however, particularly the Pharisaic imposition of the supplementary oral tradition, supposed to clarify the written Law, which imposed hardship on those who, through illiteracy or inferior social status, were unable to meet all the minute provisions which would ensure ritual purity. The expansion of the Law of Moses by the commentary of the rabbis, which over time became the entrenched oral "tradition of the fathers", was originally intended to promote access to God by clarifying obscure points of the Law, in the pursuit of purity. However, this oral tradition had, in fact, become an instrument of alienation and separation of the ordinary people not only from the Pharisees, who considered themselves as the religious elite, but also from God. The common people, that is, a large section of the population, felt rejected and on the outside of both religious and social acceptance. On the material level they also suffered under a heavy tax burden, from both Temple and State, which aggravated their poverty. It was this situation which Jesus confronted in his mission to change the ideological climate and to reveal the Kingdom of God as being accessible to all who accepted the true Fatherhood of God, in penitence and humility. He denounced the hypocrisy which professed piety but which ignored the plight of those who were suffering. Hark 7 : 1-23 symbolizes the difference between the teaching and practice of Jesus and that of the Pharisees, and provides metaphorically a pattern of Christian engagement which is relevant in the South African situation today. The Christian challenge is to remove those barriers, both ideological and economic, which impede spiritual and material well-being within society. By active engagement, rather than by retreating to the purely ritualistic and individualistic practice of religion, the realization of the Kingdom of Heaven, as inaugurated by Jesus, will be advanced. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Gedurende die geskiedenis van Israel het die konsep van reinheid ontwikkel as 'n wyse waarin die die volk van God Sy heiligheid kan eer en tot Hom kan nader, as 'n geheiligde volk. Teen die tyd van Jesus, tydens Tweede Tempel Judaïsme, het die reinheid sisteem beperkend geword. Dit is beïnvloed deur politieke en sosiale ontwikkelinge, insluitende 'n toenemende drang om te onttrek van Hellenistiese en ander faktore, wat beskou is as 'n besoedeling van die integriteit van Judaïsme. Daar was diverse persepsies aangaande die uitvoering van die reinheid van Israel, insluitende militaristiese konfrontasie en die uitwerping van vreemde besettingsmagte, strenger onderhouding van die Wet en in sekere gevalle, totale onttreking van die algemene samelewing (soos by Qumran). Tog was dit in besonder die Fariseërs se oplegging van bykomende mondelinge tradisie, veronderstelom die geskrewe Wet te verhelder, wat ontbering veroorsaak het vir die wat as gevolg van ongeletterdheid of minderwaardige sosiale status nie in staat was om aan elke haarfyn bepaling, wat rituele reinheid sou verseker, te voldoen nie. Die uitbreiding van die wet van Moses deur die kommentaar van die rabbies, wat met verloop van tyd die ingegrawe mondelinge "tradisie van die vaders" geword het, was oorsproklik bedoel om toegang tot God te verseker, deur die verheldering van onduidelike aspekte van die wet, in die nastreef van reinheid. Hierdie mondelinge tradisie het egter 'n instrument van vervreemding geword en skeiding gebring tussen gewone mense en die Fariseers, sowel as die wat hulleself beskou het as die religieuse elite. Dit het egter ook skeiding gebring tussen mense en God. Die gewone mense, dit is die meerderheid van die bevolking, het verwerp gevoel en aan die buitekring van beide religieuse en sosiale aanvaarding. Op materiële vlak het hulle ook gelyonder die juk van swaar belasting, van beide die Tempel en die Staat, wat hulle toestand van armoede vererger het. Dit was hierdie situasie wat Jesus gekonfronteer het in sy strewe om die ideologiese klimaat te verander en om die Koninkryk van God te openbaar as toeganklik vir almal wat die ware Vaderskap van God aanvaar, in berou en in nederigheid. Hy het die skynheiligheid verwerp wat aanspraak maak op vroomheid, maar die toestand van die lydendes ignoreer. Markus 7:1-23 simboliseer die verskil tussen die onderrig en die praktyk van Jesus en dié van die Fariseërs en voorsien metafories 'n patroon van Christelike verbintenis, wat relevant is binne die eietydse Suid-Afrikaanse konteks. Die uitdaging aan die Christendom is om die skeidslyne te verwyder, beide ideologies en ekonomies, wat geestelike en materieële welsyn binne die gemeenskap belemmer. Deur aktiewe betrokkenheid, eerder as om bloot te onttrek tot die suiwer ritualistiese en individualistiese beoefening van religie, sal die realisering van die Koninkryk van die Hemel soos ingehuldig deur Jesus, bevorder word.

Cette thèse s’ouvre avec des commentaires du siècle dernier sur les opinions de Luther à propos de l’autorité du gouvernement et de l’Église, ainsi que sur la nature humaine et la fonction de la loi. Je présente ensuite où ces critiques situent Luther par rapport à la tradition scholastique et par rapport à la tradition romaine au sein de l’Église. Puis, j’explore les œuvres de Luther pour mettre en lumière ses arguments concernant l’Église, la source de son autorité, ainsi que la relation de celle-ci avec les gouvernements, autrement dit les autorités temporelles. De là, je m’intéresse à la comparaison que le réformateur fait entre la place de l’Église dans la société et celle de l’autorité temporelle. Enfin, j’analyse les écrits de Luther à propos de deux évènements concernant la construction du Royaume de Dieu et plus précisément, dans quelle mesure l’Église dépend, ou non, des autorités temporelles pour construire ce Royaume. Nous allons trouver une réponse surprenante à la question de comment l’église est indépendante de l’autorité temporelle dans l’ouvrage spécifique au royaume de Dieu. Le but de ma thèse est de répondre à certains critiques qui reprochent à Luther de s’appuyer sur l’autorité temporelle pour établir l’Église, et par conséquent de donner au temporel le contrôle sur le spirituel. Nous découvrirons que Luther tire son autorité des Écritures. Nous découvrirons aussi les conséquences que cette autorité a sur sa philosophie politique, c'est-à-dire l’importance de la soumission aux autorités gouvernantes en même temps que la libération des individus de la tyrannie d’une fausse doctrine. / This paper begins by citing some of the past century’s commentaries on Luther’s views on authority in government and the church as well as his views on human nature. I will show where his critics place him in reference to the scholastic tradition as well as the Roman tradition within the church. From here I will consider his writings themselves for the arguments that he made regarding the church and its source of authority as well as its proper relationship to the government, or temporal authority. I will address Luther’s perspective on the church’s place in society as compares with the temporal authority’s role. Finally I will present Luther’s writings in two specific situations concerning how the kingdom of God is built; more precisely, to what extent, if at all, the church is to depend upon the temporal authority for the establishment of the kingdom of God. The aim of this paper is to reply to the charge of some critics that Luther depended on the temporal authority for the establishment of the church and the implication that he gave the temporal authority control over spiritual matters. We will discover that Luther’s final source of authority comes from the Scriptures and the surprising effect that this has on his political philosophy is both to increase submission to the governing authorities as well as to increase freedom from the tyranny of false doctrine.

Cette thèse montre que, dans les Sermones in Matthaeum, les interprétations scripturaires développées par Augustin d’Hippone ont fait l’objet d’un choix, que justifie une adaptation pastorale au double contexte historique et liturgique de la prédication. Établi à partir du classement thématique des Mauristes, le « corpus » regroupe des sermons prêchés en différents lieux, entre 393 et 430 ; il se prête donc à une évaluation de ces adaptations.Le chapitre 1 propose une synthèse critique des données contextuelles (historiques, géographiques, sociologiques et liturgiques) concernant ces sermons, comme autant de pierres d’attente à d’éventuelles adaptations ; le chapitre 2 montre que leur texte biblique, souvent vieux latin, a parfois un substrat africain. Les chapitres 3 à 6 analysent l’exégèse d’une vingtaine de sermons choisis pour leur dimension réflexive afin de questionner, de manière inductive, les motifs des adaptations exégétiques. Les études comparent les interprétations du texte commenté à celles présentes dans les autres œuvres augustiniennes et dans la tradition patristique, et intègrent une approche rhétorique. Homilétique, cette exégèse se situe, comme les sermons qui la développent, à l’intersection entre Parole de Dieu (chapitres 3 et 4) et réponses des hommes (chapitres 5 et 6). Elle assume la situation historique dans laquelle elle est élaborée pour, en s’insérant dans la dynamique de la liturgie dont elle reçoit la matière du commentaire et la finalité qui l’oriente, faire en sorte que la res qu’elle transmet de façon quasi sacramentelle par les uerba du prédicateur, fructifie chez les auditeurs.Cette thèse comprend aussi une bibliographie et quatre annexes : un fichier signalétique sur les Sermones in Matthaeum et son résumé, les relevés des occurrences augustiniennes des citations étudiées et la liste des lectures liturgiques de l’Évangile de Matthieu. / This doctoral thesis shows that in Sermones in Matthaeum the biblical interpretations developed by Augustine of Hippo were selected in order to comply with a pastoral adaptation to the double historical and liturgical preaching context. Established on the basis of the Maurists’ thematic classification, the corpus contains sermons preached in different places between 393 and 430; it is therefore suitable for evaluating these adaptations. Chapter 1 gives a critical survey of the contextual data (historical, geographical, sociological and liturgical) concerning these sermons, to be taken as potential, adaptable building blocks; chapter 2 shows that the biblical text, often in Old Latin forms, has an African substrate. Chapter 3 to 6 analyse the exegesis of about twenty sermons selected for their reflexive dimension, in order to inductively question the reasons for the exegetical adaptations. The analyses compare the interpretations of the commented text with those present in other Augustinian works and in the Patristic tradition, and integrate a rhetorical approach. Like the sermons which develop it, this homiletic exegesis lies at the intersection of God’s Word (chapter 3 and 4) and men’s answers (chapter 5 and 6). It assumes the historic context in which it is developed and penetrates the dynamic of the liturgy from which it gets the subject of its comment and the aim of its orientation, so that the res which it conveys in a quasi sacramental way through the uerba of the preacher bears fruit within the listeners. This doctoral thesis also includes a bibliography and four annexes: an identification file about the Sermones in Matthaeum and its summary, a summary table of Augustinian occurrences to be found in the analysed quotations and the list of the liturgical readings from Matthew’s Gospel.

Philosophy and Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Systematic Theology)

黃春艷. / "2013年9月". / "2013 nian 9 yue". / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 180-196). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract in Chinese and English. / Huang Chunyan.

Cette thèse s’appuie sur une approche empirique et épistémologique qualitative basée sur des entretiens semi-directifs, un questionnaire auto-administré et une observation ethnographique. Elle est construite à partir de l’analyse des rapports sociaux de genre dans les représentations des femmes au sein des Églises pentecôtistes congolaises. En interrogeant différentes trajectoires de vie, d’engagement et de vocation pastorale et/ou épiscopale des femmes, elle cherche à comprendre comment articuler à la fois la dimension genrée et le désir des femmes d’exercer une profession historiquement conjuguée au masculin dont l’accès leur avait été longtemps fermé. Si, dans l’économie du temps qui court, être pasteur dans cette religion d’éveil apparaît comme un ascenseur social ou une élévation qui nourrissent l’ambition à l’acquisition de la prospérité matérielle et spirituelle, le pastorat exercé au féminin pose une série d’interrogations : comment interpréter la facilité avec laquelle on devient pasteur en République Démocratique du Congo ? De quelle manière définir le rôle actuel des femmes qui exercent le métier de pasteur ou d’évêque ? Comment penser la tension permanente entre la visibilité du travail des femmes à travers l’exercice de la profession religieuse au sein du pentecôtisme et la prégnance des stéréotypes liés à leur supposée subalternation ou à l’incompatibilité du corps féminin à des fonctions de direction restées longtemps le pré carré des clercs masculins ? Comment conjuguent-elles foi, féminité, leadership et compétences professionnelles face aux défis actuels de la société en mutation ? Comment se définissent les rôles de pasteurs ou d’évêques lorsqu’ils se déclinent au féminin ? La fonction hiératique se modifie-t-elle dans ce cas de figure ? Quelles sont les nouvelles dimensions de l’exercice de la profession religieuse ? Sont-elles sociales, familiales, se réfèrent-elles à l’intimité personnelle ou à une nouvelle dimension du sacré ? Autant de questions auxquelles tente de répondre cette réflexion qui, par ailleurs, montre de nouvelles dimensions de l’exercice de la profession religieuse par le biais des femmes et apporte de nouvelles indications sur les changements religieux qui se sont opérés ces dernières années en Afrique noire en général et en RD Congo en particulier. / This PhD is based on a qualitative, empirical and epistemological approach relied on interviews, self-administered questionnaire and ethnographic observation. The analysis of gender relationships and representations of female pastoral labor in the Pentecostal churches is the main topic of this research. We are looking for life stories items and commitment in a pastoral or episcopal female vocation inasmuch to understand gendered dimension and the motives of the young ladies to look for such a well known male profession for which they have been banned for centuries. This religion of the Reborn seems to give an opportunity for climbing the social ladder and awakens the desire for material goods and spiritual prosperity. Many questions are at stake with the female pastoral vocation. How to interpret the ease with which one becomes a pastor (how shall we figure out) the fact that it is very easy to become a pastor in the Democratic Republic of Congo ? How to define the current female role of pastors or bishops ? How to understand the permanent tension between the female vocation, the social stereotypes and the linked body alienation ? Although, they must have leadership roles that have always been the privilege of the male clerics ? Facing the current challenges of a changing society, how do they combine faith, femininity, leadership and professional skills ? What are the roles of pastors and bishops when they belong to the female sex ? Does the hieratic function change in this case ? What are the new dimensions of the religious profession practice ? Are they more concerned with social or family issues ? Do they refer to personal intimacy or to a new dimension of the sacred ? This PhD is trying to answer all these questions. It shows moreover new faces of the religious profession practice through the coming out of female pastors and bishops. It provides new indications regarding the religious changes that have taken place in recent years in Sub- Saharan Africa in general and in DR Congo in particular.