Thesis (DTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die krisis rakende Skrifgesag vra ‘n dringende sistematies-teologiese ondersoek om ‘n weg vanuit dié krisis aan te dui deur ‘n oortuigender, meer verstaanbare en belowende benadering te bied om opnuut die sinvolheid, waaragtigheid, toepaslikheid en gesag van die Skrif vir ons geloof en lewe te bevestig. Die oorkoepelende oogmerk van hierdie verhandeling is dus om ‘n meer toepaslike sistematies-teologiese raamwerk te vind om oor die gesag en interpretasie van die Skrif te kan praat. Ten einde hierdie doel te bereik, maak die verhandeling gebruik van drie hoof benaderings – epistemologies, dogmaties en hermeneuties – in ‘n dinamies geïntegreerde, onderling afhanklike, en holistiese wyse. Om die epistemologiese status van die Skrif as God se waarheid te bevestig, het ons ‘n meer genuanseerde epistemologiese model nodig waardeur die uiterstes van sowel moderne dogmatiese funderingsdenke asook van postmoderne nie-funderingsdenke vermy kan word. As alternatiewe model sal ’n vorm van post-funderingsdenke as benadering hier ontwikkel word, te einde die valse verdelings tussen objektief en subjektief, ontologies en funksioneel, en epistomologies en hermeneuties te oorkom. Ons kan dus die objektiewe eenheid van die waarheid en gesag van die Skrif as beslissende weg na die realiteit van God bevestig, sonder om ons bewussyn van die voorlopige, kontekstuele en feilbare aard van menslike kennis te ontken. ‘n Dogmaties-ontologiese verantwoording van die Skrif plaas ons spreke oor Skrifgesag binne die konteks van die drie-enige God se ekonomie van verlossing. Vanuit ‘n trinitaries-pneumatologiese oogpunt word die gesag van die Skrif afgelei vanuit die drie-enige God se self-kommunikatiewe spraak-akte, sodat dit beskryf kan word as goddelike kommunikatief-performatiewe gesag binne die drie-enige God se verlossingsdrama. Die Skrifte kan gesien word as die teo-dramatiese teks wat ons binne die verbondslewe met God bring en ons deur die dinamiese, dienende en vormende werk van God se Gees oproep om aan die grootse drama van God se verlossing deel te neem. Hermeneutiese oorwegings en nadenke moet as ‘n wesenlike en kritiese deel van ons totale gesprek oor Skrifgesag ter sprake kom. Hermeneutiek help ons om hermeneutiese afgode bloot te lê en om die werklike teenwoordigheid van God in ons lees van die Skrifte te onderskei. Dit fasiliteer voorts ons beliggaming van bybelse tekste in die spesifieke en tydelike kontekste van die lewe. Dit stel ons bowenal in staat om realiteite van andersheid te herken en om na (‘n) ander stem(me) te luister. In die lig van hierdie drievoudige hermeneutiese taak, kan ons die gesag van die Skrif as die viva vox Dei, wat tot ons spreek in ons hier-en-nou lewe, herwin, terugeis en bekragtig. Ons herken dus opnuut die gesag van die Skrif as goddelik kommunikatief-performatief, verbondsmatig, dinamies-transformerend, lewens-deelnemend en veelvormig. Deur die Skrif te lees, daaroor te mediteer, dit te geniet en uit te leef, ervaar ons die drie-enige God se intieme teenwoordigheid, en aanbid en verheerlik ons God met eerbied en vreugde. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the face of the crisis of scriptural authority, an urgent systematic-theological task is to chart the way beyond that crisis by providing a more convincing, comprehensible, and promising way to reaffirm the significance, truthfulness, relevance, and authority of Scripture in our beliefs and lives. The overarching aim of this dissertation is thus to search for a more appropriate systematic-theological framework for talk of the authority and interpretation of Scripture. To this end, this dissertation engages with three key dimensions — epistemological, doctrinal, and hermeneutical — in a dynamically integrated, mutually dependent, and holistic way. To affirm the epistemological status of Scripture as God’s truth, we need a more nuanced epistemological model by which to avoid the extremity of the modern dogmatic foundationalism and the postmodern relativist nonfoundationalism. A postfoundationalist approach as an alternative model would provide the way to overcome the false dichotomy between objective and subjective, ontological and functional, and epistemology and hermeneutics. Without losing the awareness of the provisionality, contextuality, and fallibility of all human knowledge, thus we can affirm the objective unity of truth and the authority of Scripture as the ultimate way to the reality of God. A dogmatic-ontological account of Scripture brings our talk of scriptural authority within the context of the triune God’s economy of salvation. From a trinitarianpneumatological viewpoint, the authority of Scripture is derived above all from the triune God’s self-communicative speech-act and hence it can be described as the divine communicative-performative authority in the triune God’s drama of redemption. Scripture can be thought of as the theo-dramatic script, which brings us into the covenantal life with God and calls us to participate in the grand drama of God’s salvation, by the dynamic, ministerial, and formative work of God the Spirit. The hermeneutical concerns and reflections must be brought, as a constitutive and critical part, into our whole talk of scriptural authority. Hermeneutics helps us to expose the hermeneutical idols and to discern the real presence of God in our reading of Scripture. It also facilitates our embodiment of biblical texts in the particular, temporal context of life. Most of all, it enables us to recognise the realities of otherness and to listen to other voice(s). In light of this threefold hermeneutical task, we can retrieve, reclaim, and reaffirm the authority of Scripture as the viva vox Dei speaking to us in our here-and-now life. We thus recognise anew the authority of Scripture as divine communicative-performative, covenantal, dynamic-transformative, life-engaged, and multifaceted. By reading, mediating, enjoying, and living Scripture, we experience the triune God’s intimate presence, and worship and glorify God with reverence and enjoyment.

This study sets of by investigating postmodernism and social constructionism. Postmodernism as 21st century world view (paradigm) influences everything in our lives, including the perspective from which a study is conducted. An attempt is made to follow the development of modernism (and with it the so-called pre-modern) and postmodernism. This culminates in a summary of a postmodern perspective on reality and the practical consequences of postmodernism. Social constructionism emphasises the reality that discourses and even the self is socially constructed and therefore dependent on context, time and place. Social constructionism leads to questions about the normative role of the Bible in the study and a postmodern society. The metaphor "a circle of circles" and "a meeting" are employed to describe the application of God's Word in postmodern context. The constructing community determines the normative role of the Bible. Concepts such as the gift, God, and community are central concepts with regard to postmodernism and Christianity, and can therefore be useful during communication of the gospel to postmodern people. Narrative research in the field of Practical Theology assumes practical theological wisdom (knowledge) of people to be a legitimate and rich resource for knowledge and understanding of certain experience within a certain context. This study employs a Postfoundationalist Practical Theology as a framework for narrative research. The adaptation process of the Vermaak family as result of a migration from South Africa to New Zealand was researched. The first movement of the of the framework explores context. New Zealand/Aotearoa, Hawera (the town they settled in) and the family within their parish (Baptist Hawera) is described as the context. The researcher's own context is also taken in consideration as an attempt to establish subjective integrity. The second movement describes the experiences of the Vermaaks just before and approximately a year after their move to New Zealand. During the third movement the experiences are interpreted in collaboration with co-researchers. Traditions of interpretations (discourses) that influenced their process of adaptation is described in the fourth movement. The next step was an attempt to honestly structure the family's experience of God's presence during this significant event in their lives. Insight from interdisciplinary investigation, mainly into psychology, is used during the sixth movement to further enrich and thicken understanding of the process. Lastly a few insights were formulated that may be useful beyond the researcher and co-researchers. An awareness and knowledge of postmodernism and social constructionism (the current 21st century paradigms) facilitates interpretation and understanding of experiences. A thorough grasp of narrative concepts is helpful to the process of adaptation after an overseas move. An active Christian faith provides a stable identity which contributes to a meaningful and successful adaptation process. / Thesis (PhD (Practical Theology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Practical Theology / unrestricted