The research is focusing on understanding the problems that are caused by the patriarchal set-up and which become stumbling blocks for the rights of women in the church and society. The research is done by application of the liberation theology from the reality of the experiences of the oppressed women. The research will: - Use the practical case studies as an experience of the victimized society in order to understand their pain and need. - Study the biblical passages that helps to understand more about how men and women are expected to relate to each other by God. - Study the African traditional understanding about how men and women should relate to each other. - Give guidelines on how men and women can be equal participants for the kingdom of God, without undermining the rights of women and the biblical message on the view of women. Liberation theology pioneered by James Cone will be used pastorally and therapeutically to help the women as victims of gender oppression both in the church and in the society. / Thesis (PhD (Practical Theology))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

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

The study on the role of preaching within the United Church of Zambia in Kitwe, with a purpose of finding out and documenting the role of preaching in three case study congregations of the United Church of Zambia in the city of Kitwe, and to underscore the point that the study has focused on how members of the three case study congregations described and justified the superiority of preaching. It includes the analysis of data from the three case study congregations of the United Church of Zambia and applying the methodology of Richard Osmer’s (2008) practical theological interpretation. The literature was from books, and data was collected from the participants by using their experiences in a research perspective. The researcher used unstructured interviews from thirty-one participants drawn from the three congregations of the United Church of Zambia within the city of Kitwe, employing qualitative methods in the collection and analysis of data. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology)

Only men can initiate boys into men. Boys are prepared into men by men of integrity, for that reason, when a father is absent a male model has to be found. Lack of models is the number one enemy for our adolescent males in Zimbabwe today. The absence of adult role models means adolescent males are moulded by unsupervised, doubtful and inexperienced peers. In the past the bringing up of a child was a community responsibility. In the present day children are growing up as sheep without a male shepherd. The qualitative and quantitative research methods guided the process of this study. The study revealed that fathers are absent because they have migrated to other countries and that their absence has a negative impact on developing healthy adolescent males. Migration of fathers to the Diaspora could not be resisted by men because of the socioeconomic and political situation in Zimbabwe. Fathers have left the country for greener pastures. The exodus of fathers to the Diaspora has created a vacuum when it comes to mentoring and moulding of male children into adults. The study carried out with adolescent boys indicated that fathers in the Diaspora are engaged in some form of income generating activities. As a result, some of these men are able to provide material needs intended for their families back home. However, the absence of these fathers has made some children feel emotionally abandoned and betrayed, while others are disappointed by fathers who did not bid them farewell at the time they were living the country. There is another group that felt that the absence benefited them. The absence of fathers destroyed father – son relationships, generated anger, bitterness and lack of any future trust with fathers. When children are angered and bitterness resides in them, they would go against their father’s potential assistance. On the other hand, in the process of the study on the absent father, a Christian model of caring for an individual and community emerged. The church has been noted to be the only institution that would guide the society to value the job of caring for the people of God who are in needy situations. When the church cares for the adolescents it will be caring for itself as well as the body of Christ. The author considered the views from James fowler (1981) and Gerkin (1997) on the stages of faith development and the idea of seeing the church as a community of faith in order for this research to portray the community of faith as a Community of Love. This is because it is only by Christ’s love that people are forgiven by God through grace. In addition, it is through love that people are nurtured; miracles of spiritual and numerical growth are realised. Acts 2; bears witness of the power in love fellowships or communities. He states that in sharing the gospel of Christ in love fellowships each member becomes a part of Christ’s body that spreads the gospel. The love fellowships make the church to be more than a preaching or meeting point. It becomes a family where all members have the opportunity to share their experiences at fellowship and individual levels. People will not depend on one person for spiritual growth but on each other for spiritual nourishment. Gerkin was important throughout the research with his pastoral care approach of caring for an individual and the communities of a Christian story in addition to guiding the researcher to create a model for a caring community. Therefore, caring of boys whose fathers are absent requires both individual mentors and local communities to model them. The church has been found wanting by the boys in this study. Boys have indicated that the church was not aware of their pain. This shows that the church was unable to see the depressed and hear the silent voices in order to interpret their situation. This reveals that the church has some parts that need spiritual attention in order for the body of Christ to function optimally. Children will open their hearts in love fellowships in order to be healed, nurtured, sustained and guided through love. Faith will be expressed in a more mature and responsible way when all is done in love. Faith in this study is the act of love that guides individuals and communities to an expression of freedom and responsibility in trusting God’s presence in human situations. It aims at increasing love for one another and to God. For it is only through Christ’s love that healthy memories are created. Chapter one gives the background and context of the problem to the study. It reveals that the motivation to carry out the study emerged from the author’s journey with his father and interactions with young people as a youth pastor. Therefore the socio-economic and political situation in Zimbabwe created an environment for the study to be carried out. In addition, absences of mothers at church prompted him to consider carrying out a study on the: Absent fathers due to migrant work: Its traumatic impact on adolescent males in Zimbabwe. Many women went to collect money from their husbands who are in the Diaspora each month end . Chapters twodemonstrates how a qualitative and quantitative method of carrying of the research is helpful. Listening to stories of the adolescent males enriched the research process. Chapter three dealt with the stages of human development coined by Erik Erikson with the intention to give the reader an understanding regarding the worth of adolescence stage. Chapter four explains father and fatherhood, the role of a father and impact of absence towards the up bringing of adolescent male children. Adolescent males develop their masculinity from their fathers for this reason every child should have a male model in order for him to be a man. In chapter five the researcher engaged in dialogue with adolescent males. Chapter six gave the concluding thoughts and recommendations to the study. The church has been identified as central in guiding children at individual and group levels in this era. The church should be a component of the extended family that is unique but related to the family units without competing with it. Every son needs a biological father from whom he learns how to manage weakness and strengths in his life and act in response to the challenges of the global village. Therefore, a father ought to be a male person in Zimbabwe who fears God and loves his sons not an angel out of this planet. Finally every adolescent child needs Christian males to guide him for it is through Christ’s love that healthy male memories are created. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Practical Theology / Unrestricted

Summary in German and English / Text in German / Diese Arbeit ist eine detaillierte Analyse von Gottesdiensten und Predigten, die im Rahmen öffentlicher Gedenkveranstaltungen nach katastrophalen Krisenereignissen gehalten wurden. Untersucht wurde die Frage, wie angesichts einer heterogenen Ge-sellschaft und einer breiten Öffentlichkeit, in öffentlichen Trauergottesdiensten Trost gegeben und von Hoffnung geredet wurde. In Thesen werden mögliche Kriterien ge-geben, wie in ähnlichen Situationen angemessen von der christlichen Hoffnung gere-det werden kann. Die Schlussfolgerung ist, die Predigt als Teil des Gesamtgeschehens wahrzunehmen und den Gottesdienst, mit der Musik, den Liedern, Lesungen und Ri-tualen, als eine Art Gesamtkunstwerk und auch als kontextualisiertes Antwortgesche-hen an die Teilnehmenden unterschiedlichen Hintergrunds zu verstehen. Die Predigt, profiliert in der christlichen Botschaft, soll respektvoll die Unterschiede in Gesell-schaft, Glaube und Person achten. Der reiche Schatz des biblischen Kanons kann in der Predigt, im Gebet, Gesang und in den Ritualen reflektiert werden, insbesondere durch die Psalmen mit ihrer formulierten Klage, und mit der christlichen Hoffnung ins Gespräch gebracht werden. / This work is a detailed analysis of worship services and sermons delivered during pub-lic commemoration events after catastrophic events of crisis. The question is explored how, in the face of a heterogeneous society and a broad public presence, comfort was given in public commemoration services and how hope was reflected. In closing the-ses, possible criteria are given for adequately speaking of Christian hope in similar sit-uations. The conclusion is that the sermon should be perceived as part of the whole process and that worship, with its music, songs, readings and rituals, should be under-stood as a kind of Gesamtkunstwerk and also as a contextualized response to the par-ticipants of different backgrounds. The sermon, profiled in the Christian message, should respect the differences in society, faith and person. The rich treasure of the biblical canon can be reflected in preaching, prayer, song and ritual, in particular through the psalms, with their formed lament, and brought into conversation with the Christian hope. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D. Phil. (Theology)

Violent traumatic events impact communities and demand ministerial responses that are not only pastoral in nature but also prophetic, challenging institutional and sociocultural roots of violence through vision and analysis. There is a noticeable gap in qualitative studies of the prophetic pastoral practices of organized trauma response ministries in addressing violence. This dissertation addresses this gap through qualitative case studies of two trauma response ministries operating in diverse cultural contexts. The dissertation forges a beginning constructive practical theology of trauma from the voices, experiences, and practices of survivors and their trauma response ministry providers, lifting up the need for an intercultural approach and examining the results for untapped theological resources for constructive practical theologies of trauma. By integrating trauma studies into lived religion approaches, this dissertation conceptualizes survivors' use of material objects, rituals, and surroundings to enact a 'theopoetics of material religion.' This theopoetics captures the constructive theological significance of survivors' use of material objects, rituals, and surroundings for prophetic and performative testimony and witness. The introduction and chapter one make the case that addressing the problem of violent trauma in the American context calls for an approach rooted in prophetic pastoral care practices, one that is attentive to the particular contextual realities and resources of communities living in the aftermath of trauma. Using a lived religion methodological approach enhanced by trauma studies and a theopoetics of material religion, chapter two presents a case study of an inner-city lay-led trauma response ministry that serves family survivors of homicide. Chapter three presents a case study of a denominational-based trauma response ministry's services to a suburban congregation following a gun assault. Chapter four illustrates the theological themes witnessed in each case study and places these in intercultural dialogue. The final chapter engages current constructive theologies of trauma and brings the insights of the case studies to bear on interpretations of theology in the aftermath of trauma. The dissertation begins to forge of a constructive practical theology of trauma and concludes with strategic recommendations for constructive practical theologians, pastoral care providers, and social and ecclesial structures.

The challenge of building relationships of authentic mutuality across lines of difference is an increasingly critical concern in the Christian church and the larger society. Despite decades of work to overcome racism and the legacy of colonialism, cross-cultural relationships are still marred by misunderstanding, an imbalance of resources, and the risks of paternalism and dependence. In the church, these issues often come into focus in mission work, both domestic and international. This research explores the potential and the obstacles to the formation of just relationships through the careful examination of a case—the mission partnership between the Pentecostal Church of Chile and the United Church of Christ. These two denominations, from different branches of the global church but with a shared commitment to ecumenism, undertook multiple shared programmatic activities that facilitated encounters that made possible enduring friendships, despite the obstacles created by differences in language, culture, religious practice, and economic development. The study employs a mixed methodology located within practical theology, including the construction of a history of this partnership through the use of archival materials, a discussion of the history of ecumenical conversation about partnership in the global church, analysis of the similarities and differences between Pentecostal and Reformed Christians, a review of research on short-term mission trips, and an ethnographic presentation of a cross-cultural immersion program for youth from the two churches. It concludes with a discussion of friendship as a theological and sociological term, based in part on semi-structured interviews with partnership participants in both churches. The study finds that despite multiple challenges, this partnership endured because of institutional commitments made by denominational leaders and the willingness of individual members of both churches to participate in partnership activities. In addition, participants demonstrated diverse expressions of friendships with each other, despite the many barriers and impediments to relationship building. The study has implications for other kinds of international partnership and cross-cultural work in both Christian mission and nongovernmental organizations. It reveals some of the characteristics that allow international partner relationships to form and endure. It also identifies the practices of encounter, intentionality, mutual respect, patience, and attentiveness that help to build cultural competencies.

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / This research has shown that young people of different cultural groups have had and still have limited contact due to the history of our country. This contributed to the fact that there were, and still are, very few opportunities to build relationships. An introductory chapter in which the research methodology is explained, is followed by a discussion utilizing recent literature, of the question how the building of relationships can take place within the context of a diverse youth ministry (chapter 2). It became clear that the church, in its ministry to diverse youth groups, should create opportunities where the quality of relationships can be enhanced. In the research it was found that experiential learning activities, such as initiative activities, could have a positive influence on interpersonal skills in intercultural relationships (chapters 3 and 4). In chapter 5, firstly, certain conclusions were drawn. Secondly, recommendations were made and guidelines formulated regarding the building of relationships in the ministry to diverse youth groups. / Die navorsing vir hierdie studie het getoon dat jeugdiges van verskillende kultuurgroepe vanwee ons land se geskiedenis beperkte kontak gehad het en nog steeds het. Dit het meegebring dat geleenthede om verhoudinge te bou min was en steeds is. Na 'n inleidende hoofstuk waarin die navorsingsmetodologie uiteengesit word, volg 'n bespreking, aan die hand van resente literatuur oor die vraag hoe verhoudingsbou kan plaasvind in 'n diverse jeugbedieningkonteks (hoofstuk 2). Daaruit het dit duidelik geword dat die kerk in sy bediening aan diverse jeuggroepe geleenthede behoort te skep waartydens die kwaliteit van verhoudinge verbeter kan word. Die navorsing het bevind dat ervaringsleeraktiwiteite, byvoorbeeld inisiatiefaktiwiteite, 'n positiewe invloed kan he op interpersoonlike vaardighede in interkulturele verhoudinge (hoofstukke 3 en 4). In hoofstuk 5 is eerstens bepaalde gevolgtrekkings gemaak. Tweedens is aanbevelings gedoen en riglyne geformuleer met die oog op verhoudingsbou in die bediening aan diverse jeuggroepe. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Youth Work)

The state of Maleness has received much attention in academic and public discourse of late. One such instance is the play Defending the Caveman, which depicts men in their ”natural” settings as Cavemen, thereby justifying Caveman-like behaviour. On the other hand, much writing exists that find men culpable of discrimination, violence and abuse towards others. Discourses like these have real effects on the ways in which men choose and act on their Maleness. Six men engaged in narrative therapeutic discussions in an attempt to share their stories of Maleness, to discuss how society constructs men, and to re-evaluate the Maleness chosen by the participants. / Practical Theology / M.Th. (Pastoral Therapy)

Making a successful Christian marriage is a major challenge that faces the Seventh Day Adventist church (SDA Church) of Malawi. The colonial government of Nyasaland (Malawi) created weak marriages, promoting high divorce rates by its own practices during its era, which have remained to this day. The failure of secular marriages endangers the success of SDA Christian marriages. Little has been done by the Church to educate its members concerning successful Christian marriage. This study focuses on educating the church to deal with the problems that cause marriage failure in the SDA Church. The Malawi government is another tool that the church could use to address marriage failure. I have used the Bible, and scientific research methods to suggest workable solutions for Christian marriage. / Practical Theology / M.Th. (Practical Theology)