Applied research project (D. Min.)--School of Theology and Missions, Oral Roberts University, 2005. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 222-228).

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.

Thesis (DTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The difficulties attending our understanding of the experience of shame are widely recognized. This work is concerned with the interplay between the experience of shame and religious pathology in Korean culture, especially regarding theological anthropology. Religious pathology implies the sick or distorted faith when people’s belief system or contents, particularly inappropriate God-images and negative self-identity, becomes negatively influenced due to painful experiences of shame. It was hypothesis that the phenomenon of shame in Korean culture needs to be understood in terms of multidimensional perspectives including psychological, sociological, socio-cultural and a theological perspective as well. It was argued that parishioners’ biased understanding of, and response to the experience of shame, is associated with inappropriate God-images and negative selfidentity which hamper spiritual maturity and spiritual growth. The empirical research reported in chapter 5 shows that the parishioners’ experience of shame is associated with disharmony between values and expectations in a specific community. This phenomenon has a huge impact on position (habitus; attitude; aptitude) within cultural contexts. The study proposes the use of a pneumatological model of understanding of God, based on Louw’s four-stage counselling model, in order to respond constructively to an existential problem such as shame within the Korean Presbyterian Church. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die ingewikkeldhede verbonde aan ons verstaan van die belewing van skaamte word wyd erken. Hierdie werk is gemoeid met die wisselwerking tussen die belewing van skaamte en godsdienspatologie binne die Koreaanse kultuur, veral met betrekking tot fn teologiese antropologie. Godsdienspatologie impliseer die siek of verwronge geloof wanneer mense se oortuigingsisteem of -inhoude, in die besonder onvanpaste Godsbeelde en negatiewe selfidentiteit, destruktief beinvloed word as gevolg van 'n pynlike en lydingsvolle belewing van skaamte. Daar is gehipotetiseer dat die verskynsel van skande in die Koreaanse kultuur verstaan moet word in terme van multidimensionele benaderings, te wete sielkundige, sosiologiese, sosio-kulturele en teologiese perspektiewe. Daar is geargumenteer dat lidmate se eensydige verstaan van en reaksie op die belewing van skande geassosieer is met onvanpaste Godsbeelde en negatiewe selfidentiteit wat geestelike volwassenheid en spirituele groei belemmer. Die empiriese navorsing waaroor in hoofstuk 5 verslag gedoen is, toon aan dat die lidmate se belewing van skaamte verband hou met diskrepansie tussen waardes en verwagtinge in 'n spesifieke gemeenskap. In die verband speel die kultureel-religeuse agtergrond van Korea 'n deurslaggewende rol. Hierdie verskynsel het fn fundamentele impak op mense se posisie (habitus; hauding; wees-funtsie) binne kulturele kontekste. Die studie stel die gebruik van 'n pneumatologiese model, gebaseer op die vierfase beradingsmodel van Louw, vir die verstaan van God voor om konstruktief te reageer op die eksistensiele probleem van skaamte binne die Koreaans-Presbiteraanse Kerk.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Erskine Theological Seminary, 2005. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 113-123).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Erskine Theological Seminary, 2005. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 113-123).

This thesis researched the development and nurturing of koinonia in a small group setting as a way of building up a church with spiritual (qualitative) and numerical (quantitative) growth as one of the results. When considering church growth a small group ministry is an important alternative to the standard church practice. Chapter 2 reviewed the purpose of the church, and explored the concept of building up the church using Biblical concepts as its basis for doing so. Chapter 3 deals with the role of koinonia in building up the church and its impact on church growth. It also identifies the ministry of small groups as being the most suitable method to develop and nurture koinonia amongst members of a congregation. The ministry of small groups has a great practical potential for the church. It enables members of the congregation to identify and use their spiritual gifts and talents, and in so doing, discover their value and identity in Jesus Christ. Chapter 4 documents the findings of empirical research conducted amongst three South Korean Presbyterian churches that practice the ministry of small groups. The views of the three senior pastors were on the value of small groups were ascertained. This was followed by a detailed study, of the workings and effects of small groups covering 205 respondents spread across the three congregations. Based on the findings of the research, chapter 5 presents a proposed plan to build up the church, encouraging church growth through the development and nurturing of koinonia through a small groups ministry. The study proposes a seven fold approach to the implementation of a small group ministry designed to stimulate spiritual and numerical growth through the development and nurturing of koinonia amongst church members. AFRIKAANS : Hierdie tesis ondersoek die ontwikkeling en beoefening van koinonia (gemeenskapsbewustheid) in klein groepe as 'n wyse om die kerk se geestelike (kwalitatiewe) en getalle (kwantitatiewe) groei te bevorder. Met die oog op die groei van die kerk is die kleingroep-bediening 'n belangrike alternatief vir die standaard kerklike praktyk. Hoofstuk 2 bekyk die doel van die kerk, veral die opbou van die kerk volgens die Bybel se begrip daarvan. Hoofstuk 3 handel oor die rol van koinonia in die opbou van die kerk en die invloed daarvan op die ontwikkeling van die kerk. Die kleingroep-bediening is geidentifiseer as die mees gepaste metode om koinonia tussen die lidmate van die gemeente te stimuleer. Die kleingroep-bediening het 'n groot potensiaal vir die praktyk van die kerk. Dit stel lidmate in staat om hulle geestelike gawes en talente te ontdek, en op die wyse hulle waarde en identiteit in Jesus Christus te ontdek. Hoofstuk 4 dokumenteer die bevindings van die empiriese navorsing by drie Suid-Koreaanse Presbiteriaanse kerke wat 'n kleingroep-bediening toepas. Die drie senior leraars se seining van die waarde van klein groepe is verkry. Daarop volg 'n gedetailleerde studie van die werking en uitwerking van klein groepe soos verkry van 205 respondente vanuit die drie gemeentes. Op grond van die bevindings van die navorsing stel hoofstuk 5 'n plan voor om die kerk op te bou en kerkgroei aan te moedig deur die beoefening van koinonia in 'n klein groepe. Die studie stel 'n sewevoudige benadering voor vir die toepassing van 'n kleingroep-bediening wat ontwerp in om geestelike en getalle groei te stimuleer deur die beoefening van koinonia tussen gemeentelede. / Dissertation (MA(Theol))--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

Applied research project (D. Min.)--School of Theology and Missions, Oral Roberts University, 2006. / Includes abstract and vita. Translated from Korean. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 163-166).

Applied research project (D. Min.)--School of Theology and Missions, Oral Roberts University, 2006. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [156]-159).