The present research has been undertaken within a narrative approach which is based on social constructionism. For the purposes of fostering more effective communication between science and theology, I also adopt the postfoundationalist way of thinking which was suggested by Van Huyssteen. I made use of the seven movements that were proposed by J C Müller to present the research undertaken with four young adult Christians. Korea is a multi-religious society in which various religions coexist, such as Buddhism, Confucianism, Shamanism, Christianity and several new religions. In the religious background of Korea, people are free to choose their religion, but sometimes their religious freedom has been limited by the patriarchal family system. In particular, young adult Christians who are in the period of emerging adulthood may face an even more difficult situation when they practise a different religion from that of their family. They are still under the strong influence of their parents emotionally and financially, but they want to be adults with their own independent identity. Moreover, Korean social prejudice against Christianity causes the young adult Christians much difficulty in maintaining their faith life comfortably. In order to listen to their stories regarding their faith life, I selected four young adult Christians who have non-Christian family members in their household, who are unmarried, and are therefore still dependent on their parents. With the co-researchers, individual interview sessions and group interview sessions were held, and a web-activity devised in which their stories were told and developed in collaboration with various disciplines that were influencing their discourses within the stories. They were experiencing tensions with their non-Christian family members in maintaining their Christian faith life and were feeling powerless in the relationship with them. Furthermore, in their relationship with other Christians in the church the co-researchers complained about the lack of understanding, regarding their specific family background, shown by those believers who do have Christian relatives in their household. The narrative research process allowed the co-researchers to interpret their difficult stories and to think through the meanings of these and their effect. In this manner, they could reinterpret their painful stories and uncover new meanings that might assist them to be more satisfied in the future. Having discovered new meanings for their painful stories, the co-researchers are not powerless people any longer; instead, they are active people who are dreaming for, or envisioning, a better future with their non-Christian family. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

In this study narratives of mentorship are listened to and described from the local context of the Dutch Reformed Church Lynnwood. These narratives originate from the mentorship programme in the youth ministry of the congregation. The research approach in this study flows from an epistemology based on narrative theory, social constructionism and a postfoundational approach. It is a practical theological study that aims to come to a greater understanding of these narratives. Based on the epistemology discussed here, I position myself within the framework of a postfoundational practical theology. Within this framework the praxis is the starting point of this research. This is local knowledge, interpreted and described by a community of co-researchers as informed by traditions of interpretation. The in-context experiences are interpreted and thickened through interdisciplinary investigation. This is done through a study of relevant literature as well as interdisciplinary discussion based on the theory of transversal rationality. At the end of this research process, alternative interpretations and suggestions are made that point beyond this local context and contribute to the larger field of mentorship. The research process in this study is developed from the postfoundational practical theological positioning. Seven movements are used to listen to the narratives of the eight co-researchers participating in this study. The narratives of the co-researchers lead to the identification of certain themes from their experiences that resonate with themes available to us in literature. The same themes also emerge from the interdisciplinary conversation in this study. These themes are critically discussed and certain questions are raised with regards to mentorship and the way mentorship is understood in different contexts. The issue of language and how the various fields concerned with mentorship use language is discussed. It is clear from this study that the local context of mentorship in this study differs in certain aspects from other contexts where mentorship is practiced. The difference between coaching and mentorship is investigated and reflected upon. I argue in the concluding chapter that from this context three basic foundation blocks for mentorship emerge. Firstly, the relationship forms the first basic building block of mentorship. Secondly, growth is the second basic building block and also the aim of mentorship. Although the way growth is understood may vary from context to context, it still forms one of the basic building blocks of mentoring relationships. The third basic building block is the fact that the mentorship relationship is reciprocal. I suggest an approach to mentorship that emerged from the narratives of the local praxis studied. This approach is based on values. The following values are suggested as necessary in a meaningful mentorship programme or relationship: clarity, context, the ordinary, relationship, listening, adding value, reflection and ethics. I conclude that mentorship is a landscape with many voices. The values suggested in this study can be used to construct the understanding of mentorship in a specific, local context. This is done with the aim to facilitate a meaningful mentorship programme or relationship. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

This study’s research approach shows the foundation of an epistemology that is taken from a postmodern, postfoundationalist theology. The research method is embedded in the narrative approach as established in social constructionism. The research method is also further upheld by the Seven Movements Model of doing research, which in this research also accommodates a participatory action research methodology. This research is a study of the narratives of lay people in a local context. It shows and explores the actions of these people in a situation of care and support. Their local context expresses the journey of people who belong to the same church called the Family Trinity Church in Valhalla, Pretoria. Their backgrounds go back to areas like the Western Cape, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape and are not originally from Pretoria. Their social relationships and church affiliation are compiled from a military background. Their narratives that relate to this research originate from a journey of care and support. The narratives of my co-researchers discovered and recognized different themes as divulged from their stories in conjunction with their experiences. Some of these themes were related to the literature studies as part of the dialogues between interdisciplinary conversations in the process of research. Apart from the telling and re-telling of the stories, literature studies were used to open up a process of a deeper understanding of these narratives. Literature was used to critically discuss the narratives as to give more clarity on the actions of the co-researchers. This research shows an open process of discussions and the input of other thoughts of beliefs and reason as presented by the involvement of the scientific community. The in depth discussions helped to clarify the aim and objectives as proved by the outcomes of this research. The outcome of this research is based on the experiences and the real situation that demonstrates a contextual framework. The narratives and the unique research outcomes clearly support the fact that ordinary laypeople can lead and manage a church without the leadership of a fulltime minister. It shows the important relationship of care and support that transpired in a deepened spirituality, which brought about healing and transformation. The uniqueness of this research is based on the eagerness of people who journeyed with one another in a group and who also directed this kindness to others who did not belong to this group. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

The subject of spirituality is descriptive, comprehensive, transformative, and interdisciplinary. This study is about the spirituality of Kikuyu PCEA (Presbyterian Church of East Africa) pastors in Nairobi. This research seeks to find expressions and meanings of Christian spirituality of the research context. Thus, the concrete aims of this research are: (1) to understand the complex spiritual/religious/cultural world of Kikuyu pastors of the Presbyterian Church in Nairobi; (2) to study biblical and historical spirituality in order to find biblical and Western-historical spiritual perspectives; (3) to have critical hermeneutical dialogue between narratives, different cultural/religious traditions, biblical/Western-historical spiritual perspectives, and African theological perspectives with a view to finding strategies for transformation of the research participants, churches in Africa, and African society at large. To achieve the aforementioned aims of this research, a research paradigm was employed which is comprised of postfoundationalism, practical theology, narrative, and social constructionism. Postfoundationalism provided theological positioning; practical theological process laid a framework of the research as the main research methodology; narratives generated essential experiences for the research; social constructionism provided a method with which to form the realities socially which would have a relevance to the context. Thick questions were formulated from the following studies: the narratives of the research participants, African (Kikuyu) cultural/religious traditions, Christianity’s influences on the research context, and the socio-economic-political phenomena of the Kenyan society. The questions were: (1) Would mission Christianity including the Presbyterian Church of East Africa continue to be an effective form of Christianity in Kenya and among the Kikuyu?; (2) What is the relationship between charismatic spirituality and the contextual spirituality of East Africa?; (3) How can spirituality shape and influence the socio-economic-political context more than it being influenced by the context?; (4) What would the biblical and historical spirituality suggest to the spiritualities of the research participants? In regards to biblical/historical spiritualities, the spiritualities of both Old and New Testament and each historical period were unique, and the spirituality of each period was developed distinctively by the needs of the time. Then the fusion of horizons between the research context and biblical/historical spiritualities turned out to be a valuable process for the making of the final strategies for transformation. The strategies for transformation reflect the essential elements of African Christian spirituality, which can be applied to the African socio-religious context beyond the scope of the current research arena. Christian spirituality in the 21st century Africa demands African expression and identity whether it means contextualisation, liberation, or reconstruction. Structures, governance, forms, and expressions of the Christianity of the past century need to be re-evaluated for the formation of authentic African Christian spirituality. African society faces tremendous challenges and pressures providing Christianity with both an unprecedented privilege and obligation to impact African society with the message of love and hope. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

Migrant workers in the Deciduous Fruit Industry are part of the marginalised communities in South Africa. They are often voiceless in the communities they find themselves. They are historically displaced, often prone to xenophobia and very vulnerable in terms of HIV. Not only do they have a high infection rate but they also struggle in isolation to carry the burden of HIV and AIDS affection or infection. They will face double jeopardy when a partner becomes ill, in the homeland and they have to continue with employment. The main aim of this research was to reach a holistic understanding through interdisciplinary investigation. The important question that I aim to answer is; “What is the experience of God in the lives of persons affected or infected by HIV and AIDS.” I have looked at Postfoundationalism and the Seven Movements as proposed by Muller to present the research undertaken among migrant workers with HIV and AIDS. The Practical Theology, which I explore, develops out of a very specific praxis, HIV and AIDS. I have also made used of Transversal Rationality as a practical way of doing interdisciplinary work with the stories of my co-researchers affected with HIV AIDS as a case study. I understand that Christian belief has its own integrity, which is exclusive, but if valid, is vital to be able to incorporate the different dimensions of our modern practise to give it the maximum level of meaning and significance. I hope to demonstrate this possibility through my thesis. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

This research seeks to establish a postfoundational practical theology and the corresponding narrative approach to the contextual experience narratives of Jeju women. Its approach helps the readers to understand the co-researchers’ interpreted experience and to open their future narratives. This research attempts to discover the privileged values, themes, and social-constructed meaning of the co-researchers’ narratives. The postfoundational epistemology, which is proposed by Van Huyssteen and the “Seven movements” proposed by J.C Müller, has been used as a guideline. The research begins with the co-researchers’ storied experiences as a basic source of context. The co-researchers' context of Jeju Island has a very unique tradition, culture, religion and history. In order to investigate how they interpret their experiences situated in their own contexts, the researcher not only considers Paul Ricoeur’s hermeneutic theory of three mimesis, composed of pre-figuration, configuration, and re-figuration, alongside social constructionism, but also employs Michael White’s narrative therapy theory of deconstruction and re-authoring conversation for delineating thickened and alternative stories. The examination of the research context of Jeju Island, its history of Sasamsageon, as well as its tradition and culture in chapter four are conducted for the purpose of understanding and discovering the necessary meaning of the co-researchers’ narratives and values. In order to listen to the Jeju women’s experience narratives in their contexts, I have chosen four people who have lived in Jeju Island for a long generation. According to the perspective of the narrative approach, an attempt is made to focus on the personal meaning-making that the co-researchers assign to specific events in their lives and on how the co-researchers tell the story of these meaning-making and interpret their experiences. These co-researchers’ stories are to say about their relationship with their families and communities. The stories also include some background of their lives, particularly concentrating on the recent struggles they experienced and their understanding of their own relationships with God. Based on the co-researchers’ narratives and the process of the research, in regard to the goal of this postfoundational narrative research, i.e., looking for the meaning of the co-researchers’ narratives and creating new meaning through discourse, in chapter six, I present not only the interpretation of what they say, but also the meaning and understanding of the co-researchers’ own stories that are developed by means of discoursing with the given context. This research is presented for how to cultivate the alternative interpretations, which allowed the co-researchers to explore preferred views of their futures through discourse and conversation. And then I explicate the three interventions and interactions used for empowering and opening to the better future. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / gm2014 / Practical Theology / unrestricted

This study is a narrative research within the postfoundationalist and social constructionist paradigm which underpin the narrative approach to theology. The present research listened to the stories of Korean missionary children to ascertain their educational difficulties on the mission field. The history of Korean missionary abroad is not a long one. Korean missionaries, having little previous experience, often have difficulty in deciding how to raise their children. They also have difficulty to know the educational options available and which to choose. Up till now there are only a few Korean missionary children who have grown up on the mission field until adulthood. Missionary families face various education options on the mission field, and options are different in terms of each situation on the field. Today, there are up to 12,000 Korean missionary children around the world. Of these, approximately 60% attend schools on the mission fields and 40-50% are at MK/International schools. Most of MK/International schools are mainly based on the western education system, using mediocre English. Yet, Korean missionary children have a different background from Western, specifically in terms of language, culture, society, race and the educational systems they are used to. Most of Korean missionary parents have high expectations for their children’s education with a good academic career. It poses several problems to Korean missionary children’s education. Considering the struggle with education that Korean missionary children experience on the mission field this study aims to contribute towards the understanding of their situation, and thus to help them through their research process. To be effective, this study focused on a small number, specifically five Korean young adult missionary children who have grown up in Africa, currently living in South Africa, South Korea and North America. In order to gain a deeper understanding of educational issues Korean missionary children experience, children were selected from different educational backgrounds. With the co-researchers, individual, face-to face-interviews were held in Korea and in South Africa, and networking has been used when a face-to-face relationship was not possible. The internet phone was frequently used in the research process. The influences of traditions of interpretation over the co-researchers were discussed from the collaboration with them, and alternative interpretations emerged on their traditions through interdisciplinary conversation. Through this narrative research process the co-researchers were lead to understanding and empowerment, and they developed new meanings for their preferred stories for the future. As the narrative approach is open-ended rather than results-oriented, this research is not closed ended, but rather allows for growth and development to take place. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Practical Theology / unrestricted