Thesis (MDiv (Practical Theology and Missiology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / Mission is probably one of the most visual acts which the church took upon herself and can even be seen as the factor which brought the church to being. Mission was through the ages very positive for the church but also very negative. Especially in the early twentieth century the church has undergone heavy confrontations. Throughout the twentieth century a massive paradigm shift took place. Mission took on a strong pastoral character, which again let to a change in character for pastoral care. Africa is seen as one of the most diverse continents regarding faiths, traditions and cultures. This diversity put a strong challenge on Mission and Pastoral care.

Thesis (MDiv (Practical Theology and Missiology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / The second half of the 20th century marks a paradigm shift from Christendom to missional theology with implications for missional ecclesiology. The being of a triune, missional God urges the church towards a critical-hermeneutical self reflection on it’s identity and calling in terms of evangelization and active involvement in an all-inclusive witnessing in the world. Missional ecclesiology emphasizes diaconial involvement in the world. The reflection of the Dutch Reformed Church on diaconia can be learnt in its conceptualization of missional diaconial work and how it is being implemented in the practice of the church. This ecclesiological development is being studied using the ministry of compassion of the Dutch Reformed Congregation, Onrusriver as case study.

Thesis (MDiv (Practical Theology and Missiology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / The church today, and esspecially the Reformed tradistion find itself in a situation where there is a lot of tension regarding his identity, as a Reformed Church. The post-modern world we live in set a lot of challenges regarding our faith and how we as christains should deal with our embodyment as reformed christians The church and specificaly the Dutch Reformed family are facing daily the lost of a lot off members to the fundamentalistic movements. Members whom are seekers in their fath and whom were in some way or another been challenged by a desire to take their faith to a higher level of experience, which in their lives cannot get satisfaction any more in the reformed tradition. In this thesis I will try to destinquist the balance between Reformed tradistion and Pentecostalism. The thesis will try to embodied the identity of the Reformed tradision by give an overview , look into the questions regarding reformed tradition, what does it mean to be Reformed and proud and also what Reformed use of scripture entails. Allthough it is not the first time that questions like this has been raised, because reformed in the tradition means , to change contantaniously. Pentecostalism on the other side does have a long history regarding orgin and was not just an "appearnce" in the church. The apostle Paul in the early days of the church was in a certain sence very specific obout the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the space for exploration as set out in "1 Korinthians 12." Over the years many enthusiastic movements appeared which led to a total misunderstanding of what Pauls understanding was regarding pentecotalism. Regarding Pentacostalism, and the judging of the movement , the church will have to view their concerns very strongly in terms of the following, appreciation, make accesment regarding their weakness, thoughtfullness and their plan of action. Then the paradigm shifts, ecclesiasticly and liturgical deepening are essential factors in the whole enlightenment towards a more adopting mode. To change does not necesarilly mean to throw all the norms and vallues over board, but to do so in a responsible way. The worship service become in that matter the focal point of attention, including all the elements within the service , searching for ways to improve , ad or adapt. What the worship service is and are suppose to be , a trully place where God allone are been worship and where the Holy Spirittransformes people into living witnesses. The thesis conclude with a usefull set off guidelines according to Thomas Long in his book Beyond the worship wars where he challenge the church to a more transforming way of being church of God.

Thesis (MDiv (Practical Theology and Missiology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / This assignment takes a look at the relevance of the declaration signed on the day of legitimation by future pastors of the Ned. Geref. Kerk. It is evaluated according to its use for pastors as a guide for speaking about God contextually and in unity. A hermeneutical approach is used in which the NGK’s three confessions of unity, the Reformed confessional tradition and the history of the NGK aid in testing the relevance of this declaration. The initial role of the signing of confessions as a deed that creates unity and identity helps to show how the current declaration fails to continue with this role. It is therefore necessary that the NGK reconsiders their use and wording of the declaration. The conclusion includes a proposal for an alternative declaration which focuses on responsible hermeneutics rather than the content of teachings.

Thesis (DTh (Practical Theology and Missiology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / The basic premise of this study is that the congregation is the key to providing homebased pastoral care support to HIV-positive people in poor contexts. In so doing, the church does not only perform a social function to poor HIV/AIDS-affected families, but it also acts in accordance with the calling of mediating God’s Kingdom (diakonia), thus spreading the gospel, and showing unconditional sacrificial love and compassion. The Church embodies the gospel, which is the instrument of hope and salvation to despairing HIV/AIDS-people in the community.

This research dissertation is carried out on behalf of the Stauros Foundation, a Christian agency which endeavours to offer pastoral care and support to people with an alcohol dependency problem. The sample population consisted of 207 individuals who completed a questionnaire that covered five categories of interest, for example, background biographical, alcohol and family background, drinking habits, effects of drinking habits and perceived pastoral needs.

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how experiences of violence, which have been secret in the past, can be articulated that they may become resources for theological reflection and Christian action. The research technique employed is ethnography, which is used to uncover the violence experienced in the lives of Dalit Christian women in Kerala State of India. Part one of this thesis concerns methodology. Chapter two examines how other women theologians working amongst poor and marginalised women from non-western cultures have sought to make women’s experience visible and have emphasised its theological significance. This chapter explores what I can gain from the work of these women that will help me to develop my own research on Dalit Christian women. Chapter three describes the research setting by explaining the context for this research, the researched community of Dalits and the location, where Dalit women gathered together. This chapter demonstrates my relations, as an ethnographer, to Dalit Christian women who have converted to Christianity from the Pulaya caste. Finally, this chapter justifies the research strategies employed in this research. Part two of this thesis contains my field research. Chapter four is about meta-ethnography generated at a one-day seminar and two Bible studies. In chapter five Dalit Christian women, who are the survivors of various kinds of violence, tell their life stories in their own words. In this way Dalit women started to uncover the secret and hidden experience they had in the past. Part three of this thesis is the analysis of data and conclusion. Chapter six analyses the significant themes, which have emerged from my research into the life experiences of Dalit women. It demonstrates that Dalit women’s experience and the cultural traditions of Dalit community are important resources for the development of a Dalit Feminist Practical Theology. Finally, in the light of my research, I make concrete strategies for action that could bring hope and transformation in the lives of Dalit women who are experiencing violence.

This thesis examines changes in core values held by postgraduate students and visiting scholars from China who professed belief in Christianity while studying in UK universities. It is the first study to ascertain whether changes remain after return to China. Employing a theoretical framework constructed from work by James Fowler, Charles Taylor, Yuting Wang and Fenggang Yang, it identifies both factors contributing to initial change in the UK and factors contributing to sustained change after return to China. It shows that lasting values change occurred. As a consequence, tensions were experienced at work, socially and in church. However, these were outweighed by benefits, including inner security, particularly after a distressed childhood. Benefits were also experienced in personal relationships and in belonging in a new community, the Church. This was a qualitative, interpretive study employing ethnographic interviews with nineteen people, from eleven British universities, in seven Chinese cities. It was based on the hypotheses that Christian conversion leads to change in values and that evidence for values can be found in responses to major decisions and dilemmas, in saddest and happiest memories and in relationships. Conducted against a backdrop of transnational movement of people and ideas, including a recent increase in mainland Chinese studying abroad which has led to more Chinese in British churches, it contributes new insights into both the contents of sustained Christian conversion amongst Chinese abroad who have since returned to China and factors contributing to it. Bringing the afore-mentioned theories together for the first time it provides an illuminating, original lens for further study of conversion amongst returned Chinese. It also adds to knowledge of the effects of Chinese students’ UK education experience on their values.

This thesis maps a qualitative empirical investigation of the talk, dynamics and theological practice of Bible-study groups. Chapter 2 locates this in the field of practical theology, demonstrating only a rather tenuous link between practical theological reflection on biblical interpretation and the practice of churches. This clarifies the aim of the thesis: to investigate the practice of Bible-study groups, as a contribution to the practical theology of biblical interpretation. Chapters 3 and 4 consider the methodology of the investigation (including in operation), bringing together interests from ethnography and discourse analysis, in relation to a wider frame of action research. Chapters 5 to 7 of the thesis account for the field work of the research, carried out through meetings with the three Bible-study groups, recording of data, transcription, coding and further analysis. Analytical concerns include the speech-exchange patterns of group meetings and the linguistic resources employed, in order to investigate how interpretative activity is achieved in the interaction between group participants. A particular interest is in the way different voices interrupt each other, and re-contextualise the conversation but also contribute to dialogue, especially between authoritative interpretations and critical questions from participants' experience. Comparisons are drawn with discourse in medical contexts and of scientists. Chapters 8 and 9 offer a comparative study of the three groups: of group dynamics and of the dynamics of interpretative dialogue. They also provide a rich picture of the practice of Bible-study, which includes sensual, ritual, relational and theological dimensions, key to which is the critical recruitment of texts and other voices, in order to interpret the relationship between God, group participants and others. God is experienced as incarnate in this interaction but also transcends the dialogue. Chapter 10 concludes the thesis, identifying questions for further research and offering suggestions designed to enhance Bible-study practice.

This submission for a PhD by Published Work contains a selection of my published work from the period 2002-2012. The submission demonstrates my contribution in the field of practical theology to the quest to find a critical space in the dialectic between tradition and experience. The motor of my work has been the varied character of my context, and the discovery within that context of critical spaces to reflect upon its diversity. The publications are divided into three groups. The first outlines and explores the features of this foundational dialectic, with particular emphases on feminist theology and on the Bible. The second discusses and disseminates my pioneering work in developing the Professional Doctorate in Practical Theology, through a pedagogy in which this dialectic is illuminated. The work on the Professional Doctorate programme, which began in 2003 with the first student intake in 2006, constitutes the professional and practical context in which the majority of the publications submitted have been written. The third group of publications identifies the contribution which my research on John Ruskin’s interpretation of the Bible makes to our understanding of Ruskin and to the discipline of practical theology. The work on Ruskin includes the discovery and discussion of unpublished lectionary annotations and diary material, and analysis of these, both in order to demonstrate the ongoing significance of the Bible to Ruskin, and to understand and categorise Ruskin's biblical interpretation. Ruskin offers an analogue to the contemporary dialectic between experience and text/tradition/Bible. Through this exploration an innovative argument is made for the use of an historical figure in the work of practical theology. Conceptualising the pedagogical philosophy and practice of the Professional Doctorate is inextricably entwined with the research on Ruskin, and together they have given shape and form to the finding of a critical space.