This dissertation justifies the contention that culture contributes to the theological task in an ancillary way to Scripture. Chapter 1 introduces the primary issues. Chapter two interacts with two existing models of theology and culture, which respectively suggest that the theological task transcends and embraces culture. Chapter 2 also introduces a third way, that the theological task should employ culture. Chapter 3 justifies this thesis by demonstrating that culture is inherently a theologically meaningful text for three reasons: (1) God purposed for culture to be an expression of the imago Dei that stages truth in cultural form; (2) Post-Fall culture-producing image-bearers are enriched with truth content via general revelation; and (3) God graciously restrains post- Fall culture-producing image-bearers from being as sinful as they could be and God graciously enables humanity to retain positive epistemological value. Chapter 4 clarifies the worldview orientation antithesis that limits culture's value; though the antithesis limits culture's value in the theological task it does not eliminate it. Chapter 5 summarizes the conclusions set forth in this dissertation and briefly recounts several examples of individuals who model these conclusions rightly and wrongly.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:48:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Eliezer Victor Pereira Ramos.pdf: 706023 bytes, checksum: ecafbafba46d7c71ffd6cc6e68eee3f8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-02-09 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This research compares the Biblical counseling developed and proposed by Jay Edward Adams and the Analytic Psychology of Carl Gustav Jung. According to Jay Adams, in order to be Biblical, the counseling must be Nouthetic, word transliterated from Greek and which is related to confrontation and exhortation. This is the main idea of Jay Adams counseling: confrontation of personal sin in the life of the person who has been counseled. As it is said by the author, there are not the words neurosis and psychosis , they are something that science created, behind all not organic disease there is a personal sin which must be confronted so as to have the repentance, or, to change the behavior. In the same way, John MacArthur Jr. developed his Biblical counseling establishing a substantial division between Psychology and Counseling, position that all Christians, compromised with the Bible, have to take. However, the life of Jung is opposed to this idea. He, who founded the field of Analytic Psychology, declares to be protestant and protector of the Christian faithfulness. Therefore, there are two positions of Christians on Psychology and, consequently, a theological and psychological analysis of Biblical Counseling in the last chapter. Thus, for the theological analysis, there are two main points: first, the Biblical counselors who follow Jay Adams thoughts and who indicate, in a way out of proportion, the God s special Revelation and with a reduction of the General Revelation importance, not taking into consideration that God gives intellectual capacity, using common recognition, for all human beings; second, the Biblical counselors state that the Bible is a counseling manual par excellence, although, It does not take some themes of mental disorders, but establishes thoughts categories so as the humanity, agreeing with the Bible, help his or her Brother. The psychological analysis indicates only one point: the definition of mental disease of the Biblical counseling, since it is the principal possibility, as a helpful device, will determine the position of someone in relation to Psychology. Jung asserts that the mental equilibrium is established in a healthy relation between conscious and unconsciousness, since it is essential to mental health in order to know and understand unconscious aspects of personality, a constructive attitude for the future. / A presente pesquisa compara o Aconselhamento Bíblico desenvolvido e proposto por Jay Edward Adams e a Psicologia Analítica de Carl Gustav Jung. Segundo Jay Adams, para ser bíblico o aconselhamento deve ser noutético, palavra transliterada do grego e que tem relação com confronto e exortação. Essa é a idéia básica do aconselhamento de Jay Adams: confronto com o pecado pessoal na vida do aconselhado. Para o autor não existem os termos neurose e psicose , isto é algo que a ciências rotula, sendo que, por trás de toda doença não orgânica encontra-se um pecado pessoal que deve ser confrontado para que ocorra o arrependimento, ou seja, a mudança de comportamento. Nesta mesma linha, John MacArthur Jr. desenvolve seu Aconselhamento Bíblico estabelecendo forte separação entre a Psicologia e o Aconselhamento, postura esta, que deve ser assumida por todos os cristãos compromissados com a Bíblia. Entretanto, a vida de Jung faz um contraponto com toda esta idéia. Ele, o criador da Psicologia Analítica, declara ser protestante e defensor da fé cristã. Estão dispostas, assim, duas posições de cristãos em relação à Psicologia e, como conseqüência, uma análise teológica e psicológica do Aconselhamento Bíblico é proposta no último capítulo. Para a análise teológica destacam-se dois pontos: primeiro, os conselheiros bíblicos seguidores da linha de pensamento de Jay Adams, ressaltam, desproporcionalmente, a Revelação Especial de Deus em detrimento da Revelação Geral, esquecendo-se de que Deus dispõe a todas as suas criaturas capacidade intelectual através da graça comum; segundo, os conselheiros bíblicos dizem que a Bíblia é um manual de aconselhamento por excelência, porém, ela própria não aborda direta e claramente algumas questões relacionadas a transtornos mentais, mas estabelece categorias de pensamento para que o homem, não contradizendo ao que está revelado na Bíblia, ajude terapeuticamente o seu próximo. A análise psicológica destaca apenas um ponto: a definição de doença mental no Aconselhamento Bíblico, por este ser o principal viés que, como ferramenta de auxílio, determinará a posição de alguém em relação à Psicologia. Jung diz que o equilíbrio mental é estabelecido numa relação sadia entre o consciente e o inconsciente, sendo fundamental para a saúde mental entrar em contato e conhecer aspectos incônscios da personalidade, numa postura construtiva diante do futuro.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 231-239) / Chapter one begins by introducing and orientating the reader to the study and the purpose of the study, namely the revelation of God. It also opens up what is central to the study by a way of a problem statement concerning this revelation of God, the black church and the human condition. The aims of the study and the research methodology are set out. The chapter ends with a hypothesis concerning the future doctrine of revelation and the prospects of this revelation in the lives of black people. Chapter two entails discussion on God and the church, as it pertains to revelation, starting with a historical account of Christian theology on the subject of revelation. The subject of revelation is engaged on an existential level, particularly the main areas of Christian theology, namely; special and general revelation. This is a section that puts both concepts within black experience, to see the viability for a black ecclesiology and black theology. Chapter two moves on to contend that for black church, there is a serious theological insurgent that is necessary and it is part and parcel of God’s revelation to blacks and the oppressed. This outlook places a section of critical reasoning in South African context and society concerning God’s revelation. Chapter three engages a philosophical meditation, ascribing meditation as a state of self-reflection for the black church and black theology. This meditation is cognisant of black experience and is self-diagnosis concern God and humanity, particularly the dehumanising, (how it must affirm essence and substance). The meditation of the black church engages the concept of absurdity as Camus (1995) (also see Melancon 1983) has posited the absurd as a malaise in the world and silence of the word to that malaise. The absurd is also linked to theodicy, however, the black experience and the encounter with God transcends absurdity and theodicy. As part of the transcending aspect of the black experience, the research considers Western atheism, Christianity and death of God, whose burial is in the mind, souls and bodies of blacks. The chapter then moves on to discuss the black church as a receptor of God’s revelation, the new image of the crucified and the new metaphysics guaranteeing the upliftment of blacks. Chapter four focuses on the black invisibility and the hiddenness of God, it is seeing invisibility and hiddenness as linked together. The chapter also focuses on the need for black visibility rooted in the ontological and physiological expression and experience of being human; Imago Dei. The chapter links black visibility with the concept of whiteness, being a dehumanising political identity imposed on the people of colour. The chapter then translates into the context of visibility, invisibility and God’s revelation within the economic South African context. The final analysis of the chapter is a confession of God’s revelation rooted in God’s visibility and running parallel to that of black visibility. Chapter five proposes that the black experience and the use of the Bible Sola Sriptura, as it reveals the black church as part of church history. As such, it takes the early church’s reading of the New Testament and understanding of Christology through kenosis; the emptying of God to be human and using that paradigm to link Christ’s human experience and the experience of the dehumanising and humanising that of blacks. The chapter concludes with a Christology and black Messiah, who links the secular and divine, general and special revelation. Chapter six concerns the findings of the study, recommendations and conclusion. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Systematic Theology)