A dissertation submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of D. Litt. In Communication Science University of Zululand, 2004. / This dissertation reports the results of a study made of the forms of communication employed by Judaeo-Christian religious groups when they saw themselves as movements, compared to when they had become organisations. Beginning with ancient Israel, the study documents how forms of communication become elaborated during the organisational phase of groups' existence. The forms of communication used in Christian religious groups are documented from the rime of the eady Christian Church, through the Reformation period, through the 17* century to present-day Christian groups. The dissertation also reports as a case study an empirical analysis of the forms of communication used by the Cell Church and churches with cell groups, both of which are inter-denominational and host regular informal gatherings. It is found that these gatherings display the onset phase characteristics of Christian movements. From a theoretical point of view the research reported here provides evidence in support for the following Christian Religious Communications Hypothesis: Christian religious groups will use a limited number offorms of communication when they perceive themselves as movements and they will expand their forms of communication, as they become organisations, which forms special instance of Klopper (2003)'s general Theory of the Optimisation of Human Communication: Humans optimise a variety of forms of communication within a culture, to ensure immediate direct personal survival and to maintain their culture as a fongterm indirect survival strategy. By confirming the validity of the Christian Religious Communications Hypothesis, the research findings also provide indirect validation for Klopper's general Theory of the Optimisation of Human Communication.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2001 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Dialogue between Christians of different sexual orientations is not taking place in the church. From a missiological perspective this lack of dialogue damages the unity of the church and therefore its credibility to the outside world. There is a diversity of opinions and experiences in terms of sexual orientation in the church. Dialogue with each other from an arrived and positioned attitude, where judgement and rejection dominates, does not model reconciliation and the experience of unity. This research aims to further the intra-faith dialogue regarding sexual orientation ecclesiologically in such a way that the unity of the body of Christ be embodied and the credibility of the church heightened. The interreligious experience of the dialogue process and the skills that have been learned from it, are researched via an extensive literature study to establish if it can serve as an source of experience from which a dialogue-skills model can be developed that furthers the intra-faith dialogue regarding sexual orientation, with specific mentioning of homosexuality, ecclesiologically. A historical overview of the interreligious dialogue development in the ecumenical movement is given. This overview highlights the tension that has developed between the church's understanding and use of witnessing and dialogue in its contact with and reflection on other faiths. Historically, priority has been given to witnessing, because it is understood as being part of the essence of the Christian faith. The role of witnessing in dialogue, however, is small, because dialogue does not have a missiological intention, but a missiological dimension. In this research the tension between dialogue and witnessing is handled via this distinction, without separating the two. This missiological dimension is understood to be concerned with the relevant, adequate, intelligible and credible communication of the triune God's communication with the Christian and the other of another faith. The research develops a model of interreligious dialogue-skills to make clear the procedure and polyhedral of this kind of dialogue in conjuction with the big challenge and demand for skills required. The research then gives a working definition for the concept "intra-faith dialogue", whereafter the intra-faith dialogue regarding sexual orientation, with specific mentioning of homosexuality is described and researched in two casestudies. The first casestudy is the World Council of Churches's "Padare" occasion at their Harare Assembly in December I998 and it serves as an example of an ecumenical intra-faith dialogue on macrolevel. The second casestudy is the Dutch Reformed Church's Western Cape Sinodical Commission for Doctrinal and Actuality's Adhoc Studycommission which, via a denominational intra-faith dialogue, developed guidelines for a Biblical founded pastoral care for the homosexual neighbour. This casestudy serves as an example of an intra-faith dialogue on microlevel. Both casestudies are then evaluated via the use of the developed dialogue-skills model. The results prove that the hipotheses that there is a lack of dialogue-skills and guidelines in these intra-faith dialogues, is correct. The research offers the dialogue-skills model as a praxismodel to further the intra-faith dialogue regarding sexual orientation ecclesiologically. The importance of a pastoral aptitude and attitude in this dialogueprocess and how pastoral care for a homosexual person ought to be, are described as an example. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Dialoog tussen Christene van verskillende seksuele orientasies vind nie plaas in die kerk nie. Vanuit 'n missiologiese perspektief, skaad hierdie gebrek aan dialoog die eenheid van die kerk en daardeur haar geloofwaardigheid na buite. Daar is 'n verskeidenheid van menings en belewenisse rakende hierdie saak en om vanuit 'n gearriveerde, geposisioneerde houding met mekaar te praat, bewerk nie versoening en die belewenis van eenheid nie. In hierdie navorsing word gepoog om die intra-geloofsgesprek rondom seksuele orientasie kerklik op so 'n wyse te bevorder dat die eenheid van die liggaam van Christus vergestalt word en die geloofwaardigheid van die kerk na buite verhoog word. Die ervaring van die interreligieuse dialoogproses en die vaardighede wat daaruit aangeleer is, word ondersoek deur middel van 'n uitgebreide literatuurstudie. Die literatuurstudie het ten doel om vas te stel of die interreligieuse dialoogproses kan dien as ervaringsbron waaruit n dialoogvaardigheidsmodel ontwikkel kan word. So n model sou dan die intra-geloofsgesprek rondom seksuele orientasie, met spesifieke verwysing na homoseksualiteit, kerklik kon bevorder. 'n Geskiedkundige oorsig oor die ontwikkeling van interreligieuse dialoog in die ekumeniese beweging word gegee. Hierdie oorsig toon aan dat daar 'n spanning ontwikkel het tussen die kerk se verstaan en gebruik van getuienis en dialoog in die kontak met en nadenke oor ander gelowe. In die geskiedenis is prioriteit gegee aan getuienis, omdat dit deel is van die wese van die Christel ike geloof. Die rol van getuienis in dialoog is egter klein, omdat dialoog nie 'n missionere intensie het nie, maar wei 'n missionere dimensie. Die navorsing hanteer die spanning tussen dialoog en getuienis kreatief deur bogenoemde onderskeiding, sonder om die begrippe van mekaar te skei. Hierdie missionere dimensie word dan verstaan as die relevante, verstaanbare en geloofwaardige kommunikasie van God Drie-enig met die self en die ander van 'n ander geloof. Die navorsing ontwikkel dan 'n interreligieuse dialoogvaardigheidsmodel om die multidimensionele aard van die soort dialoog, tesame met die groot uitdaging en eise aan vaardighede, aan te toon. Vervolgens word 'n werksdefinisie van die begrip intra-geloofsgesprek gegee, waarna die intra-geloofsgesprek rondom seksuele orientasie, met spesifieke verwysing na homoseksualiteit in twee gevallestudies ondersoek en beskryf word. Die eerste gevallestudie is die Wereldraad van Kerke se "Padare" geleenthede by hul Harare byeenkoms in Desember 1998 en dien as voorbeeld van 'n ekumeniese intrageloofsgesprek op makrovlak. Die tweede gevallestudie is die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk se Wes-Kaapse Sinodale Kommissie vir Leer en Aktuele Sake se Adhoc Studiekommissie wat via 'n denominasionele intra-geloofsgesprek, riglyne vir 'n Bybelsgefundeerde pastoraat aan die homoseksuele naaste ontwikkel het. Hierdie gevallestudie dien as voorbeeld van 'n intra-geloofsgesprek op mikrovlak. Beide gevallestudies word dan aan die hand van die ontwikkelde dialoogvaardigheidsmodel, krities geevalueer. Die resultaat bevestig die hipotese dat daar 'n gebrek aan dialoogvaardighede en riglyne in hierdie intra-geloofsgesprekke bestaan. Die dialoogvaardigheidsmodel word as praktykmodel aangebied om die intra-geloofsgesprek rondom seksuele orientasie kerklik te bevorder. Die belang van 'n pastorale ingesteldheid en houding in hierdie dialoogproses en hoe die pastoraat teenoor die homoseksuele persoon behoort te Iyk, word as voorbeeld beskryf.

Text in Afrikaans / Musiekvideos is 'n integrerende deel van die (rock)-musiekbedryf, hoofsaaklik as reklame vir die kunstenaars en hul musiekopnames. Musiekvideos is verder 'n wesenlike deel van die massamedia, in so 'n mate dat daar verskeie spesialismusiektelevisiekanale is wat 24 uur per dag op al die kontinente uitsaai, wat 'n aanduiding gee van die omvang van musiekvideos. Hierdie videos speel veral 'n vemame rol by die jeug as sub-kultuurgroep. Ook christenmusikante gebruik musiekvideos, en hul videos word gereeld as deel van christelike programme uitgesaai. Dit is gewoonlik een van die oogmerke van christenkunstenaars om die evangelie deur hul musiek uit te dra, en in die geval van christelike musiekvideos dien hulle dikwels nie net as reklame nie, maar word daar ook 'n christelike boodskap oorgedra, veral in die geval van verhalende en konsepvideos. Daar word na die rol van hierdie videos in die konteks van die christene se benutting van die massamedia gekyk en daar word onder meer 'n teologiese fundering vir die gebruik van die massamedia in die algemeen, asook musiekvideos in die besonder gegee. 'n Aantal musiekvideos van kontemporere musiekkunstenaars soos Carman, Michael W. Smith, Steve Taylor, The Newsboys, en Steven Curtis Chapman word individueel beskryf en vanuit 'n teologiese perspektief beoordeel om te sien hoe suksesvol hulle in die oordra van 'n christelike boodskap is. Daar word 'n vergelyking getref tussen christelike en sekulere musiekvideos en hoe sekere onderwerpe benader word. Sekere tekortkominge, sowel as positiewe aspekte by christelike musiekvideos word as deel van 'n missiologiese reflektering uitgewys. / Missiology / D.Th. (Missiology)

Thesis (MTh (Practical Theology and Missiology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Language serves as a primary medium for humanity to find and communicate meaning. To use language in such a way that an experience of vitality becomes possible for people requires particular understandings of the nature and role of language as medium and framework that mediates the existence of man in the presence of God, rather than merely a consideration of language as medium of communication between persons. The study aims to defend a particular approach to language and language activity by exploring various subject disciplines with the purpose of mediating church practice of communicating the gospel in current contexts. The investigation is done with a practical theological approach and aims to prove as valid the spatial evolutionary understanding of language. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Taal dien as ‘n primêre medium waarin die mens betekenis vind en kommunikeer. Om te kan “taal” op so ‘n manier dat ‘n belewenis van lewenskragtigheid vir mense moontlik word, vra dat die aard en rol van taal op spesifieke maniere verstaan word.– veral dan op maniere wat getrou is aan die rol van taal as medium en raamwerk vir die eksistensiële integriteit van die mens voor die aangesig van God, eerder as slegs die oorweging van taal as medium van kommunikasie tussen persone. In die studie word gepoog om ‘n bepaalde benadering tot taal en taling te verdedig deur verskillende toepaslike vakdissiplines te verken met die oog daarop om die kerklike praktyk van kommunikasie van die evangelie in ‘n hedendaagse konteks te begelei. Die ondersoek word prakties-teologies aangepak en beoog om die ruimtelik-evolusionêre verstaan van taal en taling as geldig te bewys.

Thesis (DTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Interculturation theology as a way of communication in religious cultural arenas is the most recent and remarkable methodology that can be used to open space for mutual witness and dialogue with regard to ideas about and the praxes of ancestral rituals between South Korean and South African Christians. The purpose of this research is to overcome some dichotomised problems that are inherent in exclusive, inclusive, and religious pluralistic approaches in dialogue with other religious cultures. In this regard, we examined some problems of the colonial way of mission and the functional translation of the exclusivistic approach and noted that the inclusive approach also has its weakness, in that it weakens the historicity of the subject. We attempted to show that theocentric and religious pluralistic approaches do not solve the problem of mutual identity simply by searching for commonalities between religious traditions. Our rationale is that although these approaches have their weak points, we should not overlook their benefits. Therefore, in appraising these approaches, attention is drawn to how these benefits may be used to complement one another. Consequently, we proposed a meaningcentred and praxis-centred communication methodology using a holistic approach. To appropriate a meaning-centred and praxis-centred methodology of communication, we began by adopting the theological principle of perichoresis, which is the inner relationship among the Persons of the Divine Trinity. Perichoresis is the foundation of missio Dei, which is God’s initiative love to the world in praxis. Through incarnational self-giving, missio Dei is revealed in the world. Secondly, we re-interpreted perichoresis as an intercultural term and ideology, based on its components, mutual indwelling, mutual space, and mutual identity. The intercultural meaning of mutual indwelling is continual mutual penetrating, while cultural meaning of mutual space is interpreted as the others, that is, from the viewpoint of emptying themselves in mutual communication instead of that of dominion and replacement. Further, we re-interpreted mutual identity through the ‘praxis of with’. Based on this cultural reinterpretation of perichoresis, we established a praxis-centred and meaning-centred model of interculturation theology. More importantly, the perichoretic model of interculturation enabled us to construct a theological and cultural identity of Christianity in encountering with others, which is the ‘praxis of with’. In particular, the study attempted to apply intercultural communication method to the encounter between Xhosa churches and Korean missionaries in Khayelitsha in terms of ancestor related matters. Through this intercultural and comparative evaluation of shifting identities, we suggested how Korean missionary and Xhosa churches could mutually construct theological cultural identities. For this purpose, we first carried out a literature study of Korean and South African indigenous theologies concerning ancestor worship.1 Subsequently, we conducted an empirical survey in Khayelitsha to determine the missiological views of Korean missionaries in the light of their traditional religious background and Korean theologians’ indigenised interpretations of ancestral matters. We also considered the theological positions of some Western missionaries in Khayelitsha on the same issue. Finally, we investigated the identities of Xhosa churches in Khayelitsha on literature and empirical levels and how intercultural theology can be reconstructed to evaluate the missiological identities of Korean missionaries and Xhosa churches in terms of ancestor worship. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Interkulturasie teologie as 'n kommunikasiewyse in godsdienstige kultuurgebiede is die mees onlangse en merkwaardigste metodologie wat aangewend kan word om ruimte te skep vir wedersydse getuienis en dialoog rakende idees aangaande en die praktyke voorouerlike rituele onder Suid-Koreaanse en Suid-Afrikaanse Christene. Die doel van hierdie navorsing is om sekere gedigotomiseerde probleme te oorkom wat inherent is in eksklusiewe, inklusiewe en religieus pluralistiese benaderings wat in dialoog is met ander religieuse kulture. In hierdie verband het ons ondersoek ingestel na sekere probleme van die koloniale wyse van sendingwerk en die funksionele oorskakeling van die eksklusivistiese benadering en gemerk dat die inklusiewe benadering ook sy swakheid het deurdat dit die historisiteit van die onderwerp verswak. Ons het gepoog om aan te dui dat teosentriese en religieus pluralistiese benaderings nie die probleem van onderlinge identiteit oplos nie deur eenvoudig te soek na gemeenskaplikhede tussen religieuse tradisies. Ons rasionaal is dat alhoewel hierdie benaderings hul swakpunte het, behoort ons nie verby hul voordele te kyk nie. By die inskatting van hierdie benaderings word die aandag dus gevestig op hoe hierdie voordele gebruik kan word om die ander aan te vul. Gevolglik het ons 'n betekenisgesentreerde en praktykgerigte kommunikasiemetodologie voorgestel wat 'n holistiese benadering aanwend. Om 'n betekenisgesentreerde en praktykgerigte kommunikasiemetodogie aan te wend, het ons begin deur die teologiese beginsel van perichoresis te aanvaar, wat die innerlike verhouding tussen die lede van die heilige drie eenheid is. Perichoresis is die fondament van missio Dei, wat die inisiatief verteenwoordig wat God se liefde vir die wêreld in die praktyk is. By wyse van inkarnasionele gee-van-die-self, word missio Dei aan die wêreld openbaar. Tweedens het ons perichoresis herinterpreteer as 'n interkulturele term en ideologie wat op sy samestellende elemente gebaseer is, naamlik 'n gemeenskaplike woning, gemeenskaplike ruimte en gemeenskaplike identiteit. Die interkulturele betekenis van 'n gemeenskaplike woning is voortdurende gemeenskaplike deurdringing, terwyl die kulturele betekenis van gemeenskaplike ruimte geïnterpreteer word as die andere, met ander woorde vanuit die oogpunt van die lediging van hulself in gemeenskaplike kommunikasie, eerder as oorheersing en verplasing. Ons het verder gemeenskaplike identiteit herinterpreteer by wyse van die 'praktyk waarmee'. Gebaseer op hierdie kulturele herinterpretasie van perichoresis, het ons 'n praktykgerigte en betekenisgesentreerde model van interkulturele teologie daargestel. Belangriker nog het die perichoretiese model van interkulturasie ons in staat gestel om 'n teologiese en kulturele identiteit van die Christendom op te stel temidde van 'n ontmoeting met andere, wat die 'praktyk waarmee' verteenwoordig. In die besonder het die studie gepoog om die interkulturele kommunikasiemetode toe te pas op die ontmoeting tussen Xhosa-kerke en Koreaanse sendelinge in Khayelitsha in terme van voorouerverwante sake. Deur hierdie interkuturele en vergelykende evaluering van verskuiwende identiteite, het ons voorgestel hoe Koreaanse sendelinge en Xhosa-kerke wedersyds teologiese kulturele identiteite kan daarstel. Vir hierdie doel het ons aanvanklik 'n literatuurstudie onderneem van Koreaanse en Suid- Afrikaanse inheemse teologieë aangaande die aanbidding van voorouers. Daarna het ons 'n empiriese opname in Khayelitsha onderneem om die missiologiese sienings van Koreaanse sendelinge vas te stel in die lig van hul tradisionele godsdienstige agtergrond en die Koreaanse teoloë se verinheemste interpretasie van voorouerlike sake. Ons het ook aandag geskenk aan die teologiese posisies van sommige Westerse sendelinge in Khayelitsha oor dieselfde aangeleentheid. Laastens het ons die identiteite nagevors van die Xhosa-kerke in Khayelitsha op literêre en empiriese vlakke en hoe interkulturele teologie gerekonstrueer kan word om die missiologiese identiteite van Koreaanse sendelinge en Xhosa-kerke te evalueer ingevolge die aanbidding van voorouers.

Text in Afrikaans / Musiekvideos is 'n integrerende deel van die (rock)-musiekbedryf, hoofsaaklik as reklame vir die kunstenaars en hul musiekopnames. Musiekvideos is verder 'n wesenlike deel van die massamedia, in so 'n mate dat daar verskeie spesialismusiektelevisiekanale is wat 24 uur per dag op al die kontinente uitsaai, wat 'n aanduiding gee van die omvang van musiekvideos. Hierdie videos speel veral 'n vemame rol by die jeug as sub-kultuurgroep. Ook christenmusikante gebruik musiekvideos, en hul videos word gereeld as deel van christelike programme uitgesaai. Dit is gewoonlik een van die oogmerke van christenkunstenaars om die evangelie deur hul musiek uit te dra, en in die geval van christelike musiekvideos dien hulle dikwels nie net as reklame nie, maar word daar ook 'n christelike boodskap oorgedra, veral in die geval van verhalende en konsepvideos. Daar word na die rol van hierdie videos in die konteks van die christene se benutting van die massamedia gekyk en daar word onder meer 'n teologiese fundering vir die gebruik van die massamedia in die algemeen, asook musiekvideos in die besonder gegee. 'n Aantal musiekvideos van kontemporere musiekkunstenaars soos Carman, Michael W. Smith, Steve Taylor, The Newsboys, en Steven Curtis Chapman word individueel beskryf en vanuit 'n teologiese perspektief beoordeel om te sien hoe suksesvol hulle in die oordra van 'n christelike boodskap is. Daar word 'n vergelyking getref tussen christelike en sekulere musiekvideos en hoe sekere onderwerpe benader word. Sekere tekortkominge, sowel as positiewe aspekte by christelike musiekvideos word as deel van 'n missiologiese reflektering uitgewys. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D.Th. (Missiology)

Esta Pesquisa tem como objetivo desenvolver critérios para a elaboração de subsídios em vídeo para o Ensino Religioso nas escolas brasileiras. Surge da constatação de que existe uma lacuna não preenchida no Ensino Religioso quanto ao fornecimento de subsídios audiovisuais que correspondam, quanto ao conteúdo, à implementação das novas Políticas Educacionais e suas exigências de interreligiosidade e respeito à dignidade humana, bem como que atendam, quanto à forma, à cultura eletrônica dos nossos tempos. A Dissertação, pois, apresenta uma historiografia do Ensino Religioso no Brasil e faz um levantamento do Campo Religioso brasileiro, a partir do qual se estabelece uma plataforma curricular legal para avaliação dos subsídios da educação religiosa, que deve tematizar o religioso enquanto conhecimento humano, enquanto experiência cultural de transcendência. A seguir aprofundam-se fundamentos epistemológicos para análise dos subsídios audiovisuais do Ensino Religioso: a teoria midiática da Modulação, de Pierre Babin, e as abordagens de Conhecimento Transdisciplinar e Integral (Basarab Nicolescu e Ken Wilber). Com base no referido suporte histórico e epistemológico, então, fazemos um ensaio de criteriologia, partindo da análise de uma obra audiovisual exemplar no Ensino Religioso escolar / This research aims at developing criteria for subsidies through video production for Religious Education, in the Brazilian schools. It arises from the fact that there is an unfilled gap in Religious Education regarding to audiovisual subsidies, concerning the content, to new Educational Policy implementation and its interreligiousety demands and respect to human dignity, as well as that they would attend, on terms of form, to nowadays electronic culture. This Paper therefore presents the Religious Education historiography, in Brazil, and draws up the Brazilian Religious Field, which from one provides a legal curricular stand-platform for Religious Education subsidies evaluation that ought to become an indispensable theme knowledge, as a cultural experience regarding to transcendence. Thereupon, we will deep the epistemological foundations in order to analyze the Religious Education audiovisual subsidies: Pierre Babins media theory on Modulation and approaches concerning Transdisciplinary and Integral Knowledge (Barsarab Nicolescu and Ken Wilber). Then, based upon this historical and epistemological support, we fulfill criteriology text, departing from an exemplary audiovisual work, in the School Religious Education

Orientador: Osmar Ribeiro Thomaz / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Filosofia e Ciencias Humanas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-11T01:18:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dulley_IracemaHilario_M.pdf: 1241388 bytes, checksum: fa731b2e58fcfa35e8359f7cd8d5f010 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Resumo: O presente trabalho debruça-se sobre a prática da comunicação nas missões católicas da Congregação do Espírito Santo no Planalto Central angolano, território dos Ovimbundu, do período que vai de meados do século XIX ao período pré-Guerra de Libertação do século XX. O principal material empírico utilizado são as traduções de gêneros da oralidade em umbundu (provérbios, contos e adivinhas) para o português e de materiais doutrinários católicos (catecismos, liturgias) do português para o umbundu. Com base nesses registros, procura-se vislumbrar o processo de disputa simbólica que deu origem à convenção de significação estabelecida a partir da relação entre os diversos agentes envolvidos no contexto missionário / Abstract: The present work focuses on the practice of communication in the Catholic missions of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit located in the Central Highlands of Angola, territory of the Ovimbundu, from mid-19th century to pre-Liberation War 20th century. Its empirical material consists basically of translations of oral genres from Umbundu into Portuguese (proverbs, tales, conundrums) and Catholic doctrinal material (catechisms, liturgies) from Portuguese into Umbundu. Based on these registers, an attempt is made to grasp the process of symbolic struggle between the various agents involved in the missionary context in order to understand the meaning convention arising from this relationshi / Mestrado / Antropologia Social / Mestre em Antropologia Social

This thesis examines the extent and nature of the impact of the contextualization of Christianity upon the amaXhosa from the missionary irruption in the nineteenth century to the present day, and proceeds to examine the implications of this impact for the presentation of the Christian gospel in the contemporary Eastern Cape. Chapter One describes the problem, offers definitions of key concepts and outlines the procedural method for the rest of the thesis. Chapter Two deals with the question of the cross-cultural communication of the Christian gospel in theory. Doctrinal questions such as the nature of the gospel are examined. The basic hermeneutical issue of the categorization of doctrinal tenets according to whether they are required or simply permitted is discussed in terms of Osborne's categories: 'cardinal', 'non-cardinal'. Tenets which are found to be 'anti-scriptural' would be rejected. Specific hermeneutical topics such as language and meaning, symbolics, textuality and orality are then discussed. This is followed by a survey of secular influences which affect a conceptualization. This chapter is preparatory to, and definitive for, the discourse which follows. Chapter Three outlines the cultural heritage from which the Western missionary contextualization of Christianity developed. It shows the extent to which this presentation of the gospel was dependent upon the philosophy which Britain and Europe inherited from the classical Greek culture. More modern developments such as the Enlightenment, Empiricism and Historicism bring the discourse up to the point at which the missionaries arrived. Chapter Four deals with the initial encounter between the missionaries and the amaXhosa. A brief account is given of the nature of the religious and spiritual aspects of the Xhosa culture which first encountered Christianity. The doctrinal section of this chapter deals with those doctrines in the missionary message which became issues for the amaXhosa. The hermeneutical section shows how the cultural setting of the West (vii) affected both the contextualization by the missionaries and the conceptualization by the amaXhosa. To a large extent, the missionaries made the double mistake of imposing their culture on the amaXhosa and failing to accord respect, even recognition, to the Xhosa culture. This amounted to imperialism, which, together with the political imperialism of Britain as the colonizing power, evoked responses from the Xhosa community which are outlined in section 4.4, including those of Nxele and Ntsikana. Because the impact of the Western contextualization is an on-going phenomenon, the thesis continues to trace its development up to the present time. Apartheid is briefly mentioned in Chapter Five. The point is made that all white people were perceived by the amaXhosa to be Christians, and the architects and practitioners of apartheid claimed to be Christians. This ideology therefore had a direct effect on the Xhosa conceptualization of the gospel. The architects of apartheid actually believed that they were accepting God's gift and mandate. This chapter includes Black theological reaction to apartheid in terms of the South African version of Liberation theology. Chapter Six returns to Western Theology in order to bring the sphere of discourse from the point at which it left off at the end of Chapter Three up to the present time. The schools of thought in this period are: Secularism and Existentialism, together with their theological extension, Demythologization. The main religious movements are the Charismatic Movement and Neo-Pentecostalism. Postmodernism came as a later philosophical school, to be followed by Globality. Chapter Seven deals with black South African reactive and proactive responses. The predominant theologies are those of Dwane, Buthelezi, Boesak and Mtuze. Although Dwane, Buthelezi and Boesak came on the scene at the same time as the black theologians reviewed in Chapter Five, their work is placed here because it differs significantly from the more radical responses of the latter. Mtuze is post-apartheid, and responds to the developments outlined in Chapter Six. Chapter Eight draws the findings of the thesis together, by considering how the Christian Gospel ought to be presented to the various contemporary sub-cultures of the amaXhosa. (viii) The last Chapter applies the findings of the thesis to the task in hand. The desired outcomes are listed and briefly discussed. The task ahead is enunciated in terms of manpower and other resources for the effective communication of the Christian gospel in the twenty-first century. The past, present and projected programmes of the Bible Institute Eastern Cape [the target institution] are described and assessed. Finally, topics which presented themselves in the course of the preparation of this thesis are suggested for future research.