No abstract available. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1995.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1984.

No abstract available.

D.Litt. et Phil. / This thesis has looked at the mission of the Church in South Africa against the historical background of both the South African peoples and the Johannine community in the light of the function and meaning of the Paraclete in John 13:31-16:33 In Chapter 1 the problem, purpose, importance, relevance, methodology, organisation, delimitations and the definitions of mission, church and the Paraclete were discussed. Chapter 2 looked at the history of the situation of the Church in South Africa between 15th and the 18th centuries and the role the Church played in the struggle against apartheid. Chapter 3 dealt with the history of the situation of the Johannine church in the early and later part of the first century. Chapter 4 gave a framework of the theological background of the synoptics. In Matthew themes such as christology, law, eschatology, kingdom, miracles and disciples were considered. In Mark, christology and faith and in Luke, christology, soteriology, eschatology and prayer were discussed. Chapter 5 looked at a selection of the theological themes in the Gospel of John: christology, signs and works, disciples, eschatology, eternal life, soteriology, belief, unbelief and hate. In 1 John themes such as christiology, eternal life, morality and brotherly love were dealt with. Chapter 6 looked at the background in the synoptics concerning the Spirit. In Matthew the Holy Spirit was mentioned with reference to the Spirit and Jesus, the Spirit and disciples, the Spirit as vital force and the relationship between the Spirit in Matthew and the Paraclete in John. In Mark the Spirit was discussed under the following headings: Jesus and Spirit, pneuma as the power of God, and the relationship between the Spirit in Mark and the Paraclete in John. In Luke the Spirit was discussed in connection with Jesus in his conception, baptism and temptation. Chapter 7 looked at the pneumatology in the Gospel of John and in the First Epistle of John. In John the "Book of Signs" and the "Book of Glory" were examined. A special reference to the functions of the Paraclete as teaching, reminding, witnessing, guiding and glorifying Christ and their relationship to the mission of the Church in South Africa was discussed. In chapter 8 the concept of the Church in Matthew, Mark and in Luke-Acts was explored along the mission of the Church in those sections of scripture. Chapter 9 looked at the ecclesiastical terminology in John's gospel and in the Epistles. In John terminologies such as disciples, sheep and shepherd, and vine imagery were explored. In 1 John ecclesiastical expressions such as the "children of God" and those "born of God" were looked at. Chapter 10 explored the missionary perspectives of Matthew, Mark and Luke- Acts and related the mission of the Church in South Africa to that of Matthew, Mark and Luke-Acts. Chapter 11 discussed the concept of mission in the Gospel of John. The mission of the "sent one", the disciples' mission, the mission of the believers and the mission of the Paraclete were explored. This chapter concluded by viii relating the mission of the Church in South Africa to that of the Gospel of John. Chapter 12 focused on the mission of the Church in South Africa today in relation to the function and the meaning of the Paraclete with reference to the Paraclete passages in John 13:31-16:33. This chapter identified issues the Church in South Africa needs to address as part of her mission. In conclusion this thesis suggested that just as the Paraclete influenced the situation in the Johannine community, the Church as the instrument of the Spirit should guide and influence the situation in South Africa today. The appendices in this thesis are intended to clarify and enrich the contents of the script. They can also be used as a resource by other researchers and it is that they will benefit many students who are researching on this field. An extensive bibliography of about seventy pages has been compiled. Not all sources have been quoted in the study; such sources are meant to be used as a resource by researchers on the subjects of Paraclete, mission and church.

Bibliography: leaves 120-126. / The perspective of this dissertation is one grounded in taking an option for the poor and the oppressed in the South African context. Ultimately, this perspective is a theological belief. The perspective is thus that of an explicit choice against apartheid and for social justice. This choice is made on the basis of a social analysis of the South African context. The attempt to write this dissertation from the perspective of the poor and the oppressed is unlikely to succeed completely. As a privileged white, the perspective of the author cannot be fully identified with that of the poor and the oppressed in South Africa. Nonetheless, the attempt is made to write this dissertation from a liberating perspective.

Bibliography: pages 138-147. / In 1870, as a consequence of Bishop Robert Gray's controversy with Bishop William Colenso, the Church of the Province of South Africa (CPSA) had declared itself an autonomous part of the Anglican Communion independent of British legal control. That was the first major paradigm shift in the life of the Church of the Province of South Africa. After the Treaty of Vereeniging which ended the Anglo-Boer War the CPSA shared Milner's vision of a united South Africa within the British Empire. White unity and control was the political stratagem. However, the British colonial powers did not reckon with the resolve of the Afrikaner to recover political power. Afrikaner political groupings regained control of the Free State and the Transvaal and, when the union of the four provinces was enacted in 1910, a former Afrikaner general became the Prime Minister. The CPSA found itself in the unaccustomed position of no longer being the spiritual arm of the secular authority. William Marlborough Carter was elected Archbishop at the time when the CPSA was experiencing a second paradigm shift. During the period of Carter's archiepiscopate the notorious and oppressive Land Act, the Mines and Works Act, the Colour Bar Act and the Hertzog Bills sought to entrench segregation and the economic and political subjugation of blacks. At first the CPSA welcomed some, if not all, of the legislation, but it gradually became aware of the injustice of the political system and consequently found itself at odds with the majority of whites in its criticism of government policies. A process of transformation was taking place which prepared it for its subsequent prophetic role. This was the third paradigm shift in the life of the CPSA. The leaven in the process of transformation was the Anglo-Catholicism and Christian Socialism found in the theological formation of the leadership of the CPSA and specifically in the formation of the Archbishop. His convictions are reflected in his Charges to the provincial synods. The determinative transforming force was the challenges presented by black members of the Church. Questions were raised about the participation of blacks in the government of the Church and the need for blacks to hold positions of leadership. During this period there were concerted efforts to establish a separate black Church within the CPSA on the one hand and efforts by blacks from various denominations to form an independent black Church free from white domination. Black Anglicans took a lead in the agitation against white domination of Church structures. Arising out of my research I assess the adequacy of the analysis of the role of the CPSA during this period made by James Cochrane in Servants of Power - The Role of the English-speaking Churches 1903-1930. I show that his ideological analysis is inadequate because it does not take account of the contribution of Carter and others like him. My research seeks to explain how the CPSA changed from being a servant of those in power to serving the powerless.

Bibliography: pages 126-137. / This study defends the thesis that the present social location of the Lutheran churches can be explained by examining the history of their internal divisions and their relation to broader struggles in society. The history of the Lutheran missions and churches is considered in relation to the political and socio-economic dimensions of South African history. Church history is conceived as an internal struggle between a dominant and an alternative theology (and their respective ecclesial bases), which affects the participation of the churches in broader social struggles. The development of the churches is divided into three periods, corresponding to the growing independence of the black churches from the mission societies. The thesis is examined by extensive reference to primary and secondary sources on the Lutheran church. Interviews with key informants from the various missions and churches provide additional information. The broader field of church historiography, as well as theoretical writings on church history are considered. The analytical aim of the thesis is to show how· the struggles internal to the Lutheran churches - including struggles around theological issues - have affected their ability to participate in the broader struggle for liberation in South Africa. In addition to this analytical aim, the thesis provides a narrative history of Lutheranism in South Africa. The findings of the thesis are that white Lutherans have been the dominant group in the Lutheran churches throughout their history in South Africa. White Lutherans produced the dominant theology of all the Lutheran churches for most of the history of Lutheranism in South Africa. This dominance of German-Lutheran theology was established in the missionary period. The social base of the missions was the German farming community. This community broadly formed part of the ruling classes of colonial society, and its interests converged at many points with colonialism. Lutherans were not allied to the dominant colonial power, the British, but from the end of the nineteenth century to the Boers. Their theological self-understanding as Lutherans, with their specific missiology, ecclesiology and doctrines (e.g. the Two Kingdoms Doctrine) gave them an identity distinct from others in the ruling bloc. This theology was the dominant theology of all Lutheran churches, black and white. This theological self-understanding, however, gave them only limited autonomy. They conformed to dominant values by dividing along racial lines. This dominant ecclesiology had its effect beyond the missionary period, and resulted in the separate development of black and white Lutheran churches. Although the black churches gained more independence through the formation of synods and later regional churches, they have internalized to some degree the dominant theology taught by the missionaries. The internal divisions within Lutheranism have continued to prevent effective engagement in external struggles for justice. Yet in the course of struggles for unity and a more effective political witness, an alternative Lutheran theology and ecclesiology has emerged, mainly among young black pastors and church members, but also among some white Lutherans. It is among these people that a Lutheran tradition of resistance to apartheid in church and society can be discovered. It is here that the hope of the church is found.

The thesis is a study of the political relevance of the views of Karl Barth on Church and State as they relate to the apartheid State in South Africa. In other words, the thesis deals with the part that should be played by the Church in opposing the demonic power of apartheid. Barth's allembracing theology could be used as a catalyst to expose the evil of apartheid and the way in which this evil could be eradicated, in preparation for a democratic order. In Chapter 1, the investigator argues in favour of the use of a methodology which takes praxis as its focus. This suggests that praxis develops theory and the latter informs praxis. Praxis and theory affect each other, thus creating a circular movement wherein both theory and praxis are both individually necessary (or the development of the other). In Chapter 2, the investigator again describes Barth's early theology. A predominant characteristic of Barth's early theology is its concern about the Word of God as incarnated in Jesus Christ, and the attempt to focus its attention on the plight of workers in the employ of the capitalistic system. As the thesis develops in chapter 3, the researcher further shows Barth's contributions to the struggle between the Church and National Socialism and between the Church and communism, more especially in the countries falling within the communistic bloc. In Chapter 4, the investigator focuses strongly on the struggle of the Church against the tenets of apartheid ideology, using Barth's theology as a mediating voice. At the end of the thesis in chapter 5, the investigator deems it necessary to make suggestions and recommendations to round off the argument begun in the first chapter. The suggestions and recommendations are subjected to what obtains in Barth's theological ethics on the relations between the Church and State. By so doing, the investigator suggests ways and means by which South Africans can successfully work out a constitution which will enable all people in South Africa to prepare themselves for a new dispensation. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Theological Ethics)

The Kairos Document ('KD' or 'Document') burst onto the socio-political and ecclesiastical scene in South Africa in 1985, presenting to churches, communities-of-faith and individuals the challenge of a decisive moment in the history of Christian opposition to Apartheid. The nature and extent of reactions and responses to the document exceeded the authors wildest dreams and most optimistic of expectations. This study traces the contours and discerns the patterns of reactions against and resonances with the Document in South Africa and within the international ecumenical community. The main focus of this research, however, is on the propensity and capacity of the institutionalised churches - and in particular the English-speaking churches in South Africa - to respond positively and constructively to a prophetic challenge, such that which emanated from the KD and the subsequent Kairos movement. One of the English-speaking churches, the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA), is singled out in this thesis and subjected to an extended examination and analysis, relative to its response to the challenge of the Document. The main reason for this special reference to the UCCSA is that this church denomination had embarked on a major process of ecclesiastical and denominational transformation in its response to the challenge of Kairos. It is 'upon this process of transformation within the UCCSA that I seek to critically reflect and to draw some learnings from the prophetic legacy of the Document. The UCCSA also happens to be the church denomination in which I have been nurtured in Christian faith, practice and ministry. The work, worship and witness of this church is therefore the primary frame of reference and ecclesiastical context in which my own prophetic consciousness has been awakened and shaped. I am, as such, acutely aware that my research on the responses to the KD by the UCCSA is being undertaken from the perspectives of an insider and that my passion for and commitment to the prophetic role of the Church makes me no neutral observer. It is my contention, however, that the above factors neither compromise nor diminish the academic credibility and ecumenical significance of this study. On the contrary, my strategic positioning within the UCCSA enables me to undertake such research from a privileged vantage point of first-hand experience, readily accessible data and greater understanding which derives from such close proximity. Needless to say, I shall endeavour to be as rigorous and critical as possible in my appraisal of the UCCSA's response which, in the final analysis, is an integral part of my overall critique of the nature of the churches' responses to the prophetic challenge of the KD. / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

Much public historical mythology asserts that Chief Albert Luthuli, the onetime leader of Africa's oldest liberation movement, launched an armed struggle on the very eve he returned to South Africa after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. This profound irony engenders what is arguably one of the most relevant and controversial historical debates in South African as some recent scholarship suggests Luthuli did not countenance the armed movement. Today, Luthuli remains a figure of great contestation due to his domestic and international prominence and impeccable moral character. Icons of the liberation struggle, political parties and active politicians understand their justification for past actions and their contemporary relevance to be dependent upon a given historical memory of Luthuli. Often that memory is not compatible with the archival record. Contrary to a nationalist inspired historical perspective, this investigation concludes that Luthuli did not support the initiation of violence in December 1961. Evidence suggests that Luthuli only reluctantly yielded to the formation (not the initiation) of an armed movement months before the announcement in October 1961 that he would be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in December 1961. After the announcement, Luthuli vociferously argued against the use of violence until April 1962. From April 1962 to his death in 1967, Luthuli only advocated non-violent methods and did not publicly support or condemn the use of violence. Congregationalism imbedded within Luthuli the primacy of democracy, education, multiracialism and egalitarianism, propelling him to the heights of political leadership prior to 1961. Following 1961 these same seminal emphases rendered Luthuli obsolete as a political leader within an increasingly radicalised, desperate and violent environment. The author argues that not only did the government drastically curtail Luthuli's ability to lead, but so did his colleagues in the underground structures ofthe Congresses' liberation movement, rendering him only the titular leader ofthe African National Congress until his death. While Luthuli's Christian faith provided the vigour for his political success, it engendered the inertia for his political irrelevance following the launch of violence. By not supporting the African National Congress' initiation of the violent movement, Luthuli's political career proved to be 'bound by faith'. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.