Thesis (M.A. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Psychology has systematically entered and even taken possession of the field (sphere) of Biblical counselling. A number of studies have already been assumed regarding theology and psychology. The underlying problem remains: which theology is compared with which psychological paradigm. The reformed pastor finds his grounding in the five solae of the reformation as it is named in the formulae of unity. Four paradigms are recognized in psychology. Each has its own key figure. The doctrine and life of these key figures have been examined. The finding was that these people, inclusively, had above average exposure to Scripture and has yet denied it at the cost of a faith in the capability of the individual to work his own salvation. The result is that none of these paradigms is reconcilable with the reformed pastorate / Thesis (M.A. (Theology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

Psychology has systematically entered and even taken possession of the field (sphere) of Biblical counselling. A number of studies have already been assumed regarding theology and psychology. The underlying problem remains: which theology is compared with which psychological paradigm. The reformed pastor finds his grounding in the five solae of the reformation as it is named in the formulae of unity. Four paradigms are recognized in psychology. Each has its own key figure. The doctrine and life of these key figures have been examined. The finding was that these people, inclusively, had above average exposure to Scripture and has yet denied it at the cost of a faith in the capability of the individual to work his own salvation. The result is that none of these paradigms is reconcilable with the reformed pastorate / Thesis (M.A. (Theology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

There are many people in South Afrika that yearly get affected by crisis and trauma for example rape, murder, child molestation, divorce, loss of work, floods, fire, gang violence and critical motor, aircraft or industrial accidents. When we also take into account all the people that are dying due to HIV/AIDS and the children that are being left behind, it seems very characteristic of a tidal wave of people in misery. Christians are in no way exempt from all the heartache and pain in this present evil and broken world. The after-effects of crises and trauma effect them as well and they also struggle to fight through the emotional pain - therefore the necessity of the essential assistance and guidance from the church. From the exegetical research it became clear that guidance and teaching be deemed as an essential element to a crisis counseling equipping program of church office-bearers regarding the effective pastoral guidance of believers during or after crisis experiences. Within such a teaching program the charismata - that is essentially gifts given through the Holy Spirit for the equipping of believers within the body of Christ - must received central focus. In this regard the office-bearers fulfill a special function because part of their task is especially to guide traumatized believers to the truth of who God actually is - this can assist in creating an environment in which it will be more easy to abolish certain disbeliefs and negative feelings regarding their relationship to God. From the theological basis theory it became evident that office-bearers have an ideal position to assist believers in times of crisis, largely due to the unique position that spiritual leaders have in general within the congregation and community. Basic knowledgeable regarding effective crisis counselling is not necessarily acquired over years of training. It is therefore practically possible for office-bearers to be trained and equipped in basic counselling to assist the body of believers after a crisis or trauma. Within the chapter that dealt with pastoral guidance regarding complicated trauma, it became clear that it is important for church office-bearers to have extensive knowledge of the typical symptoms and causes of complicated trauma. This is specifically related to situations where the symptoms on average take more than six weeks to be resolved. With regard to the metatheoretical perspectives special focus was placed on possible insights from the neighouring sciences regarding the counselling of people after trauma and crises. The various phases of a traumatic experience seemed to be of special importance in this regard. Assistance in every specific phase will result in various levels of assistance and much focus is placed on this. From the results of the empirical research the interviews emphasized very clearly that where pastors are equipped, members of the congregation would prefer to be counseled by them. It also became quite clear that the pastoral guidance of church members can largely contribute to reducing post-traumatic stress. In the practical-theoretical part of this study an equipping program is proposed that will enable church office-bearers for meaningful pastoral assistance of people during and after times of crisis and complicated traumatic events. This equipping program can effectively be utilised by congregations and will largely contribute to the prevention of negative post-traumatic effects. / Thesis (M.A. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

There are many people in South Afrika that yearly get affected by crisis and trauma for example rape, murder, child molestation, divorce, loss of work, floods, fire, gang violence and critical motor, aircraft or industrial accidents. When we also take into account all the people that are dying due to HIV/AIDS and the children that are being left behind, it seems very characteristic of a tidal wave of people in misery. Christians are in no way exempt from all the heartache and pain in this present evil and broken world. The after-effects of crises and trauma effect them as well and they also struggle to fight through the emotional pain - therefore the necessity of the essential assistance and guidance from the church. From the exegetical research it became clear that guidance and teaching be deemed as an essential element to a crisis counseling equipping program of church office-bearers regarding the effective pastoral guidance of believers during or after crisis experiences. Within such a teaching program the charismata - that is essentially gifts given through the Holy Spirit for the equipping of believers within the body of Christ - must received central focus. In this regard the office-bearers fulfill a special function because part of their task is especially to guide traumatized believers to the truth of who God actually is - this can assist in creating an environment in which it will be more easy to abolish certain disbeliefs and negative feelings regarding their relationship to God. From the theological basis theory it became evident that office-bearers have an ideal position to assist believers in times of crisis, largely due to the unique position that spiritual leaders have in general within the congregation and community. Basic knowledgeable regarding effective crisis counselling is not necessarily acquired over years of training. It is therefore practically possible for office-bearers to be trained and equipped in basic counselling to assist the body of believers after a crisis or trauma. Within the chapter that dealt with pastoral guidance regarding complicated trauma, it became clear that it is important for church office-bearers to have extensive knowledge of the typical symptoms and causes of complicated trauma. This is specifically related to situations where the symptoms on average take more than six weeks to be resolved. With regard to the metatheoretical perspectives special focus was placed on possible insights from the neighouring sciences regarding the counselling of people after trauma and crises. The various phases of a traumatic experience seemed to be of special importance in this regard. Assistance in every specific phase will result in various levels of assistance and much focus is placed on this. From the results of the empirical research the interviews emphasized very clearly that where pastors are equipped, members of the congregation would prefer to be counseled by them. It also became quite clear that the pastoral guidance of church members can largely contribute to reducing post-traumatic stress. In the practical-theoretical part of this study an equipping program is proposed that will enable church office-bearers for meaningful pastoral assistance of people during and after times of crisis and complicated traumatic events. This equipping program can effectively be utilised by congregations and will largely contribute to the prevention of negative post-traumatic effects. / Thesis (M.A. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

The purpose of this research is to examine the possibilities of the Biblical narrative (Genesis 37·, 39-50 as the focus of this study) in therapy with children. A practical, reformed view of humans has been established, to give a clearer understanding of how Christian therapists view a child in therapy. The specific role of the therapist in the use of Narrative therapy was explored. Narrative therapy can be approach in two different ways: the use of the persons problem-oriented story, or the use of external narratives. Both uses have been discussed, combined and illustrated through the use of case studies. The story of Joseph (Genesis 37, 39-50) was selected for use in this studie. It has been studied in a context of Revelation history, while the case for the use of this narrative has been argued. The main reason being that Joseph seems to be an exceptional example of virtue for any person to follow. On the strenth of this study the author wishes to make the conclusive propositi·ons: Children with problems should not only be helped to cope with their problems, but should also be taught to build a relationship with God during the therapy proses. Since stories have been used through the ages to convey a spesific message (also by Jesus himself), this method could (and should) be employed while. working with children. The Christian therapist is priviledged to have the Word of God, written in narrative form, to utilize in practice. / Thesis (M.A.)--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2001

The purpose of this research is to examine the possibilities of the Biblical narrative (Genesis 37·, 39-50 as the focus of this study) in therapy with children. A practical, reformed view of humans has been established, to give a clearer understanding of how Christian therapists view a child in therapy. The specific role of the therapist in the use of Narrative therapy was explored. Narrative therapy can be approach in two different ways: the use of the persons problem-oriented story, or the use of external narratives. Both uses have been discussed, combined and illustrated through the use of case studies. The story of Joseph (Genesis 37, 39-50) was selected for use in this studie. It has been studied in a context of Revelation history, while the case for the use of this narrative has been argued. The main reason being that Joseph seems to be an exceptional example of virtue for any person to follow. On the strenth of this study the author wishes to make the conclusive propositi·ons: Children with problems should not only be helped to cope with their problems, but should also be taught to build a relationship with God during the therapy proses. Since stories have been used through the ages to convey a spesific message (also by Jesus himself), this method could (and should) be employed while. working with children. The Christian therapist is priviledged to have the Word of God, written in narrative form, to utilize in practice. / Thesis (M.A.)--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2001

O presente estudo trata das relações entre o poder pastoral cristão e instituições escolares. Na modernidade, constituiu-se um dispositivo que podemos chamar de pedagógico. Entendemos por dispositivo o conjunto histórico formado por uma forma de poder, um tipo de saber e um modo de fabricar sujeitos. Ele lança mão de tecnologias de poder individualizantes, como o poder disciplinar e o poder confessional; produz e orienta-se por um tipo de saber de caráter antropológico e constitui subjetividades psicológicas. Nesse trabalho, tentaremos mostrar qual o papel do pastorado cristão na constituição desse dispositivo. Ele centrou-se em três momentos históricos distintos: o do aparecimento do mosteiro de São Bento, cuja Regra viria doravante tornar-se modelo para a vida monástica ocidental; o do advento do protestantismo, que produziu uma fratura na cristandade e fez emergir um novo tipo de pastorado; e o do aparecimento da Didática magna, a primeira grande tentativa de sistematizar o saber pedagógico em sua totalidade. O corpus é composto basicamente pela Regra, de São Bento; por textos diversos de Lutero e pela Didática magna, de Comenius. O referencial teórico principal provém dos estudos foucaultianos sobre a governamentalidade e o método empregado é o arqueogenealógico. Sua principal conclusão é a de que o pastorado cristão teve um papel determinante na formação do dispositivo pedagógico escolar, o que pode ser observado principalmente a) no estabelecimento do fim em torno do qual esse dispositivo se organizava; b) na definição dos saberes a serem ensinados e c) nas técnicas de poder mobilizadas. / The present study deals with the relationship between pastoral power and schools institutions. He focused on three distinct historical moments: the appearance of the monastery of St. Benedict, whose Rule would now become a model for the Western monastic life, the advent of Protestantism, which produced a fracture in Christianity and gave rise to a new type of pastorate, and the appearance of Didactica magna, the first major attempt to systematize the pedagogical knowledge in its entirety. The corpus is composed primarily by the Rule of St. Benedict, for various texts of Luther and for The Great Didactic of Comenius. The main theoretical framework comes from Foucauldian studies of governmentality and the method employed is the archeogenealogical developed by Foucault. The main conclusion is that Christian pastorate had a decisive role in the formation of the pedagogical device, which can be observed mainly: a) in the establishment of purpose around which this device was organized; b) in the definition of the knowledge to be taught; and c) in the power techniques mobilized.

O presente estudo trata das relações entre o poder pastoral cristão e instituições escolares. Na modernidade, constituiu-se um dispositivo que podemos chamar de pedagógico. Entendemos por dispositivo o conjunto histórico formado por uma forma de poder, um tipo de saber e um modo de fabricar sujeitos. Ele lança mão de tecnologias de poder individualizantes, como o poder disciplinar e o poder confessional; produz e orienta-se por um tipo de saber de caráter antropológico e constitui subjetividades psicológicas. Nesse trabalho, tentaremos mostrar qual o papel do pastorado cristão na constituição desse dispositivo. Ele centrou-se em três momentos históricos distintos: o do aparecimento do mosteiro de São Bento, cuja Regra viria doravante tornar-se modelo para a vida monástica ocidental; o do advento do protestantismo, que produziu uma fratura na cristandade e fez emergir um novo tipo de pastorado; e o do aparecimento da Didática magna, a primeira grande tentativa de sistematizar o saber pedagógico em sua totalidade. O corpus é composto basicamente pela Regra, de São Bento; por textos diversos de Lutero e pela Didática magna, de Comenius. O referencial teórico principal provém dos estudos foucaultianos sobre a governamentalidade e o método empregado é o arqueogenealógico. Sua principal conclusão é a de que o pastorado cristão teve um papel determinante na formação do dispositivo pedagógico escolar, o que pode ser observado principalmente a) no estabelecimento do fim em torno do qual esse dispositivo se organizava; b) na definição dos saberes a serem ensinados e c) nas técnicas de poder mobilizadas. / The present study deals with the relationship between pastoral power and schools institutions. He focused on three distinct historical moments: the appearance of the monastery of St. Benedict, whose Rule would now become a model for the Western monastic life, the advent of Protestantism, which produced a fracture in Christianity and gave rise to a new type of pastorate, and the appearance of Didactica magna, the first major attempt to systematize the pedagogical knowledge in its entirety. The corpus is composed primarily by the Rule of St. Benedict, for various texts of Luther and for The Great Didactic of Comenius. The main theoretical framework comes from Foucauldian studies of governmentality and the method employed is the archeogenealogical developed by Foucault. The main conclusion is that Christian pastorate had a decisive role in the formation of the pedagogical device, which can be observed mainly: a) in the establishment of purpose around which this device was organized; b) in the definition of the knowledge to be taught; and c) in the power techniques mobilized.

Marriages and families are currently under tremendous pressure. Many marriages and families battle to adapt to changing life circumstances. They have become ignorant about the Divinely intended substance of relationships and are barely surviving. These marriages break up and end up in unhappiness and many times in the breaking up thereof. During the past 40 years there have been many attempts by state and church to stop the deterioration of marriages and family relationships and to put back the essential qualities of life. Many marriage enrichment programmes have been initiated and many couples and families have been encouraged to participate. Social programmes have been discussed and marriage and family initiatives have been launched during these programmes. This has brought hope in many communities. In this confused world of relativism and adaptation people have found some anchor points for their relationships and have found new meaning in their existence. However the question still remains: Do these programs just give a temporary surge of enthusiasm? To move from one program to another and to attend the one course after the other, does not bring a lasting solution. Courses and programs cannot function as crutches from which to get support for wavering marriages and family life. Couples and family members must be equipped in an integral way to revive their marriage and family life. They must be taught to become aware of the richness of happenings and memories that make relationships special and integrate these into their relationships. Rituals (for example: Baptism and Holy Communion) have helped church and humanity through the ages, to look past stale relationships and circumstances, to discover anchors in life and get through traumatic events. These rituals have been the reason for so many unique outcomes in stale relationships and have opened a new future for individuals and groups where none was evident. During this study these rituals have been seen as long–term assistance for marriages and families for the maintenance, extension and dynamics thereof. Rituals with the help of the development line of narrative research methodology, have been put in place to help couples and families to a better understanding and support of each other. They put new life into relationships, to build attainable future dreams and have given the opportunity for partners to move away from stale relationships to more hopeful relationships. The value of the local enrichment program as a safe environment for growth, adaptation and the integral implementation of meaningful rituals in marriage and family life, cannot be stressed enough. Within this enrichment program, with its relevant rituals, relationships are dynamically turned to the future. Believe in the existence of relationship has been found. Energy has been given to couples and families to live more purposefully. They are more creative and have a better understanding of each other. They can face the future together. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Practical Theology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.