When handling metaphor, some Romans, New Testament and Biblical studies scholarship, seeks it in the text and then tries to define it - make it proper; their property, or that of who they think is the proprietor. However, the definitions and language used to define and describe metaphor are actually within metaphor itself. Metaphor is often interpreted before it is interpreted. Expectations are made, and some aspects of the sense of a word or phrase are elided, pushed away or even rejected, whilst others are retained, welcomed or even celebrated. Whilst this loss and gain might be unconscious or indirect, its force is part of an insistent pattern of usure. However, just as every reservoir drained by a bell mouth causes a nearby river to throb, that which is oppressed or pushed away emerges elsewhere, unpredictably - withdrawal, or retrait, is also extension. In Romans, the role of the believer in the great eschatological project of God, and in their relationship to God, is one that some traditional interpretations seek to read as being very limited - often to a one-way process of transferral from God to human. Financial-economic, oleicultural and somatic metaphor are kept in check through the pattern of usure. But it can also be read against the grain. The methodology of usure-retrait, developed in this thesis from Derrida's "White Mythology" and "The Retrait of Metaphor", is used to read texts from Romans 4, 11 and 12 in a way that appreciates what is gained through metaphor, even if this gain goes against the apparent intention, or authorised meanings. The result of this study is an appreciation of the reciprocity, synergy, and mutuality, albeit asymmetrical, of the relationship between the believer and God. This leads to an assessment that their power, as well as their responsibility, is much greater than some interpretations would cede. They are active, and help shape, form and determine not only God's works, but God himself.

Some Calvin commentators assert that Calvin argues for the sole view that, in the Father's eternal plan of election, the nature and scope of saving union with Christ is limited to a particular number of the elect. The nature of saving union with Christ is actualized for the believer, by the gift of faith, through a sovereign operation of the Spirit. Prior to this gift of faith, men and women are deemed sinners and excluded from God's salvific work in Christ. Other Calvin commentators assert that Calvin argues that in the Incarnation, God established a saving union between Christ and all humanity. Prior to the illuminating work of the Spirit, in the work of salvation, men and women were embraced by the Father, once and for all, in the person of Christ in virtue of the Incarnation. This thesis argues that, in unfolding the nature of our redemption, Calvin presents both views of our saving union with Christ inconsistently. In his Christological themes, he argues that men and women were savingly united, once and for all, with Christ. This is argued in his presentation of our union with Christ's Incarnate Priesthood, with the Irenaean notion of recapitulation and in his understanding of faith as an acknowledgement of the objective reality of the Father's benevolence toward us in Christ. However in looking at the divine initiative as he presents it from the human response, with his pneumatological insights, Calvin argues that the union which God established is solely between Christ and believers. This is actualized through the gift of faith which is selectively granted to a particular number of the elect. Calvin presents us with an ambiguity as the nature of how we have been savingly united with the person of Christ. In the light of this inconsistency, we go further and work out a resolution beyond Calvin's conception by looking at the theological methods of Karl Barth and Thomas F. Torrance. These two theologians provide a much more consistent approach in unfolding the nature of our redemption in the light of the Incarnation which Calvin grasped but failed to develop.

The purpose of this study is to determine the students’ perceptions regarding the teacher's religious positioning and what the students prefer. Another purpose is to show what the students say the result could be if the teacher gives away his or her religious positioning. Previous research include several doctoral theses and student papers regarding how students perceive the teachers’ religious position and the religious education classroom as a whole, but research regarding how students say it should be is not found. The 91 surveys primarily used in this study contain both qualitative and quantitative questions. The methodology is a thematic analysis of the central themes that occur in the answered surveys. Furthermore, this study uses a two-part definition of freedom of religion: positive freedom of religion (the right to be religious and be a part of religious manifestations) and negative freedom of religion (the right to be non-religious and to not be exposed to other people’s religious manifestations). Several central themes are found, including: the teachers' own experience, more knowledge about (at least) one religion, objectivity, negativity towards religion, the professional teacher and many more. Among the identified themes one of the most important ones according to the students is objectivity – the teachers’ own opinions shouldn’t be visible in the classroom, though there are exceptions. The study finds that a majority of the students means that the teacher’s religious positioning doesn’t matter, as long as the teacher is professional enough. However, a teacher who is a non-believer is generally preferred over a teacher who is a believer. Furthermore, the term “objectivity” is mostly associated with a non-believer. In accordance with previous research there seems to exist a secular discourse within religious education that the students don’t notice. Within this discourse the students value the negative freedom of religion higher than they do the positive freedom of religion.

Since the 1960’s there has been a marked increase in the number of known conversions from Islam to Christianity. This thesis asks whether certain of these ex-Muslim Christians engage in the process of theology-making and, if so, it asks what these theologies claim to know about God and humans’ relation to God. Utilizing the dialectic of contextuality-contextualization of Shoki Coe, and the sociology of theological knowledge of Robert Schreiter, the thesis seeks to answer these questions by the use of two case studies and an examination of some of the texts written by ex-Muslim Christians. Lewis Rambo’s theory of religious conversion and Steven Lukes’ theory of power will be used to clarify the changing dynamics of power which have helped to foster modern contexts wherein an unprecedented number of Muslims are both exposed to the Christian message and, if they choose to do so, able to appropriate it through religious conversion. The two case studies are of a Christian community which founded a Muslim-background church in the Arabophone world and some Iranian Christian congregations in the USA and UK Diaspora. Aspects of the contexts of these believers are investigated in some detail, including motives for religious conversion, numbers and locations of the converts, how apostates may be treated by Muslims, changes in migration and communications, and the Christian concept of religious conversion. The concept of inculturation which helps to describe the meeting of a specific community with the Christian message will aid in analyzing the communities and individuals being studied. The final chapter brings together the various threads which have been raised throughout the thesis and argues that ex-Muslim Christians are engaged in theology-making, that areas of interest to them include theology of the church, salvation and baptism, and that the dominant metaphor in these theologies is a conceptualization of love and power that sees the two divine traits as inseparable from each other; they represent a knowledge about who God is and what he is like, which, in their understanding, is irreconcilable with their former religion, Islam.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Pastoral Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

This thesis comprises four Sections: SECTION A An Introduction: This study has been done according to the article method. It consists of five articles in which the research results have been reported. All the articles form part of the overall objective and goals of the research project. Each article is a project in its own right as it also stands on its own; each one has its own research question, research goals, research methods, bibliography as well as unique content. At the end these articles along with the introduction at the beginning and the final conclusions at the end form part of the entire thesis. SECTION B Section B comprises the following articles: ARTICLE 1 is an expository approach on a selected core of Biblical references pertaining to the renewing of the mind. ARTICLE 2 discusses popular theoretical approaches pertaining to the renewing of the mind. ARTICLE 3 discusses the working of the human mind as well as provides information on left and right brain preferences and provides meta-theoretical perspectives on change. Good thinking (as a prerequisite of mind renewal) in order to ensure positive change is highlighted throughout the article. ARTICLE 4 is a qualitative empirical study existing of five interviews pertaining to the renewing of the minds in Christians. ARTICLE 5 Gives practice theoretical perspectives of the proposed model called Creative Practical Application (CPA) as a dynamic discipline in order to assist and support Romans 12:2 as an important paradigm for transformation/change in the Christian. SECTION C In this section the conclusions and further suggestions for related research have been stated. SECTION D Although each article has its own bibliography, a comprehensive bibliography of the whole research project has been given in this section. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Pastoral Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

This thesis comprises four Sections: SECTION A An Introduction: This study has been done according to the article method. It consists of five articles in which the research results have been reported. All the articles form part of the overall objective and goals of the research project. Each article is a project in its own right as it also stands on its own; each one has its own research question, research goals, research methods, bibliography as well as unique content. At the end these articles along with the introduction at the beginning and the final conclusions at the end form part of the entire thesis. SECTION B Section B comprises the following articles: ARTICLE 1 is an expository approach on a selected core of Biblical references pertaining to the renewing of the mind. ARTICLE 2 discusses popular theoretical approaches pertaining to the renewing of the mind. ARTICLE 3 discusses the working of the human mind as well as provides information on left and right brain preferences and provides meta-theoretical perspectives on change. Good thinking (as a prerequisite of mind renewal) in order to ensure positive change is highlighted throughout the article. ARTICLE 4 is a qualitative empirical study existing of five interviews pertaining to the renewing of the minds in Christians. ARTICLE 5 Gives practice theoretical perspectives of the proposed model called Creative Practical Application (CPA) as a dynamic discipline in order to assist and support Romans 12:2 as an important paradigm for transformation/change in the Christian. SECTION C In this section the conclusions and further suggestions for related research have been stated. SECTION D Although each article has its own bibliography, a comprehensive bibliography of the whole research project has been given in this section. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Pastoral Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Spiritual leadership as an important part of the permanent formation of adults, theory and practice today. This thesis deals with the spiritual direction as one important way of the formation of the believer. Spiritual direction being put into practise by one person to another anables the believer to go through life with God to holiness in full. It based on the survey, which charts the spiritual need for guiding the faithful in the Czech Republic and the level of satisfaction.The research carried out by a survey of 1200 respondents shows that number of the believers need to be accompanied much more exceeds the possibility of the current church. Significantly there are more unsatisfied men than women in that need. The trained team of appropriate people for accompany formed in each diocese, not only among priests and religious but even laymen, should be a substantial help for this situation. Then the possibilities of providing this assistance and to apply and fully exploit it, on recommendation of a priest - the cofessor, would be anounced to the believers. Keywords 5 key words: God - the believer - spiritual accompaniment - maturation - Holiness. Počet znaků (včetně mezer): 222 552