Thesis (D. Min.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2001. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 214-224).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2001. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 214-224).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Duquesne University, 2007. / Title from document title page. Abstract included in electronic submission form. Includes bibliographical references (p. 263-274) and index.

The Concept of the Pauline church unity founded on baptism is investigated from a practical theological perspective in terms of both the theoretical and practical method. After outlining the theological principles of this analogy; an actual situation of a local church is researched and the findings of this empirical analysis are used to indicate terms of a practical model of the body of Christ. An essential theological principle is that the church is to serve the Kingdom of God and to be a continuing incarnation of the word of God. The church which is full of quarrels and divisions would not be able to proclaim the word of God freely. Instead of preaching the word of God; they will concentrate on calling themselves that; I am of Paul, and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. This type of expression does not build unity among Christians. What we must do as Christians is that we should accept one another regardless of being affiliated to ZCC; Roman catholic church, Apostolic Faith Mission; Nazarene church, etc. According to Paul's views, all churches from different denominations form the body of Christ. There are also a handful of local churches whose members are trying to increase diversity within their pews. My aspiration is to see all the Christians from different races coming together; praying together and worshipping together as the children of God. My wish is to see the leaders from various denomination focusing on promoting fellowship and reconciliation amongst themselves and their church members accepting one another. The resolute determination of some whites to travel to black communities to worship or of blacks to join and participate in overwhelming white congregations; reveals the depth of some Christians desire to overcome the barriers which have been part of South African life for so long. This desire may be for more prevalent among the laity than the clergy have traditionally imagined. Christians from different races must change if they want to enter into the Kingdom of God. The disturbing factor is that without a real willingness to change there is little hope that it will be achieved in a generation still cluttered with the baggage of the past. Reconciliation and dignity of all believers in Christ needs to be encouraged by Pastors and church members, because we all from the body of Christ. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M.A. (Biblical Studies)

Facilitating improvement, here-and-now, in a person's psycho-spiritual functioning is an aspect of both practical theology and group psychotherapy. This improvement can only occur through human intermediary, as both practical theology and group psychotherapy recognise. The premise of this thesis is that people reveal their religious and existential concerns (i.e., one's deepest feelings about God, life, and existence) through their here-and-now interpersonal interactions. These existential and religious concerns can be successfully addressed within psychotherapy groups by adopting a nonlinear, psychotherapeutic approach which focuses on here-and-now interpersonal interactions. This here-and-now style of psychotherapy provides the pastor/therapist with a practical-theologically sound method by which to relate to another person on the deepest level, and it provides the means by which the pastor/therapist can identify, describe, and analyse another person's existential/religious issues. The following propositions are put forth: * * * * * * * Existential concerns are inevitably religious in nature but not always articulated in religious terms. These existential/religious concerns are the subject of both group therapy and practical theology. Practical theology is characterised by a Janus-like, self-reflective loop of theory to praxis. This loop is also seen in the here-and-now style of group psychotherapy. Group psychotherapy and practical theology deal with religious ideation: group therapy by examining interpersonal interactions; practical theology by examining the person-to-God relationship. Psychotherapy groups can be a "coming of God with human action as intermediary." Group psychotherapy and practical theology address genuine human need through the four pastoral functions. Group psychotherapy and practical theology adhere to the scientific method of constructing hypotheses based on deductions stemming from heightened awareness. Group psychotherapy has a practical theological function when it serves as a means of transitin~ through the theological stages of God the void, to God the enemy, to God the companion. Group psychotherapy fulfils a practical theological function by transforming human ways, i.e., opening one up to the influence of other people and the Christian God who works through those people as intermediaries. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Practical Theology)

Text in Afrikaans / Die kategese-bediening van die tydelike kerkverband in die a1gemeen en die van die Ned. Geref. Kerk in die besonder, kan tegelyk 'n oorskatte en 'n onderskatte aangeleentheid wees. Hierdie kwessie kan, enersyds te doen he met 'n verskraalde visie op die mens se geloofsverhouding. as konkrete entiteit wat binne al die aspekte van die werklikheid funksioneer. Andersyds kan dit te make he met 'n ongenuanseerde onderskeiding tussen die tydelike kerkverband en alle ander samelewingsvorme. Wanneer geloofverskraal word tot enkele aspekte van die volle werklikheid, word kategese oorskat as 'n aparte bediening, naas ander bedieninge in die gemeente. Dit het gewoonlik 'n 66rbeldemtoning van die leer-aspek ten koste van die sogenaamde affektiewe en konatiewe aspekte van geloof tot gevolg. Dit veroorsaak noodwendig 'n oorbeklemtoonde skoolse benadering tot kategese. Wanneer die tydelike kerkverband kosmologies nie duidelik van die ander samelewingsvorme onderskei word nie, word kategese aan die anderkant weer maklik onderskat. Dan word tipiese kerldike kategetiese' werksaamhede, wat betrekking het op die hele werldikheid, vanuit 'n geloofsvisie, maklik verwar met opvoedingstake in die gesin en gemeenskap in 'n on-prinsipiele grensoorskryding. In 'n meer gebalanseerde visie op kategese, betoog die studie dat ons liewer oog behoort te lay daarvoor dat kategese een aspek van elke onderskeie kerklike bediening is. S6 verstaan, is kategese 'n onontbeerlike aspek [maar dan slegs 'n aspek) van die gemeente se uitreik-; barmhartigheids-; jeug-; erediens-; Bybelstudie-bedieninge. Die eiesoortigheid van die genoemde kategetiese faset van elk van die kerldike bedieninge verwys elke keer na die logies-analitiese kant van geloofsvonning. Laasgenoemde het betrekking op die moontlike verdieping van die mens se geloofsverhouding met God deurdat gelooftaangeleenthede duideliker omlyn en omslaywe word. En die beklemtoning van hierdie kategetiese aspek in elk van die bedieninge, is elke keer legitiem, afhangende van die konteks waarin die gemeente en die lidmate wat betrokke is, funksioneer. Hierdie teorie oor kategese stel die tydelike kerkverband voor die uitdaging om al die lid.mate [nie net kinders nie] in hulle volle geloofsverhouding met God, tot ontsluiting van hulle hele lewe, in geloofsgerigtheid op God, die Oorsprong van alle dinge te help betrek. Dit veronderstel tegelykertyd die bevryding van kerklike kategese om vernuwend en opbouend op die totale gemeente-bediening in te werk. Langs hierdie weg poog Praktiese Teologie om werklik nie net 'n teorie te wees nie. / The church's religious education ministry in general and that of the Dutch Refonned Church in particular, could be an issue that is, at the same time, overestimated and widerestimated. On the one hand this issue could entail an attenuated vision on man's faith as concrete entity functioning within all aspects of the reality. On the other hand it could entail an unclear distinction between the church as a temporary form of society and all other forms of society. When faith is diminished to single aspects of the full reality, catechesis is overestimated as a separate ministry, next to other ministries in the congregation. This usually leads to an overemphasis of the learning-aspect at the cost of the so-called affective and conative aspects of faith. This invariably leads to an overemphasized, school-like approach to catechesis. On the other hand, when the church cannot cosmologically be clearly distinguished from the other societal fonns, catechesis is easily underestimated. In such a case, typical ecclesiastical catechetic activities are, from a faith aspect point of view, easily confused with educational issues for example within the family and the community because no proper theoretical distinction is made between these different forms of society. In a more balanced vision of catechesis, the study argues that we should realize that catechesis forms but one aspect of each ecclesiastical ministry. Understood thus, catechesis is an indispensable aspect (but only an aspect) of the congregation's outreach, charity, youth, worship and Bible-study ministries. This distinctive character of the said cathecismic facet of each of the ecclesiastical ministries refers time and again to the logical-analytical side of faith fonnation. The latter concerns the possible enriching of man's total faith relationship with God as faith issues are outlined and defined more clearly. This theory on catechesis attempts to challenge the church as a temporary form of society to include catechesis in all forms of ecclesiastical ministry, thereby ministering to all congregation members, not only to the children. This, at the same time, implies the liberation of ecclesiastical catechesis, so that it can have a renewing and constructive effect on the entire congregational ministry. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Practical Theology)

Afrikaans: Die Bybel bestaan vir alle Christene uit twee dele: Die Ou Testament en die Nuwe Testament, maar die verhouding tussen die twee dele skep 'n probleem vir die kommunikatiewe praxis van die Christelike geloof. Sommige sien die Nuwe Testament as 'n dokument aangaande en 'n getuienis oor Jesus Christus - die Hoeksteen van die Christelike kerk, terwyl die Ou Testament pre-Christelik, Judees-Israelities van aard is en slegs die dade van God in die geskiedenis weergee. Diesulkes sien in die Ou Testament slegs 'n voorafskaduwing van die ware Bybelse boodskap wat deur Jesus Christus, die gekruisigde en opgestane Heer, geleef en geproklameer is. Aan die ander kant van die spektrum is daar diegene wat die Nuwe Testament weer slegs as 'n appendiks tot die werklike Bybel beskou. Wil ons werklik weet wie die God van die Bybel is, hoe Hy in die geskiedenis betrokke is en hoe ons as Christene behoort te lewe, dan moet die Ou Testament gelees word. Bo en behalwe hierdie twee ekstremistiese interpretasiemodelle van die verhouding Ou Testament/Nuwe Testament, bestaan daar nog vele andere ook soos die kategoriee van tipologie, belofte-en-vervulling en allegorie. Nog andere kies weer 'n bepaalde Mitte of tema soos die verbond, heils-geskiedenis of die ontwykende teenwoordigheid van God en poog daardeur om die Bybel as 'n geheel te sien. Sulke temas kan wel daartoe bydra dat Christene iets van die totale boodskap van die twee Testamente verstaan, maar geen enkele tema kan reg laat geskied aan die diversiteit van getuienis aangaande die ware en enigste God wat voortdurend nuut tot sy skepping spreek nie. 'n Ander aspek wat melding verdien, is die werklikheid dat niemand hierdie twee Testamente waarlik objektief benader nie. Onbewustelik lees elkeen dit met sy/haar eie voorveronderstellinge - die apriori van hul eie geloofstradisie. Daarom moet daar 'n hermeneuties-kommunikatiewe benadering vir Christene (wat maar geneig is om Christus in die teks van die Ou Testament op te spoor) ontwikkel word wat as 'n paradigma kan funksioneer waarbinne die boodskap en betekenis van die Ou Testament (sonder Christus onderliggend aan die teks) gestalte kan vind in praktykmodelle vir die kommunikatiewe praxis van die Christelike geloof. Wat hierdie ondersoek betref is daar maar slegs een benadering wat daartoe in staat is om beide Testamente as gelykwaardige gesaghebbende Woord van God te verstaan en dit is 'n teosentriese benadering op beide Testamente. Die benadering sal die kommunikatiewe praxis daartoe in staat stel om die Ou Testament toe te laat om sy eie boodskap te kommunikeer sonder om Christus op 'n gedwonge wyse in die teks in te lees in 'n poging om dit meer Christelik te maak. Ten einde só 'n teosentriese benadering ('n hermeneuties-teologiese teorie) tot beide Testamente te ontwikkel, het hierdie ondersoek die metodologie van 'n prakties-teologiese handelingsteorie (Heitink 1993) wat op drie basiese perspektiewe gebaseer is, verkies (hoofstuk 1): a) 'n Hermeneutiese perspektief (hoofstukke 2 en 3): Die ontwikkeling van 'n hermeneuties-teologiese teorie as 'n basisteorie vir die kommunikatiewe praxis ten einde die boodskap van die Ou Testament in die drie onderskeie handelingsvelde van die Praktiese Teologie, naamlik mens en religie, kerk en geloof en godsdiens en samelewing te kommunikeer (Heitink 1993:234). b) 'n Strategiese perspektief (hoofstuk 4): Die daarstelling van 'n verstelde praktykteorie met die oog op verandering in die hermeneutiese raamwerk vir die kommunikatiewe praxis van die bemiddeling van die boodskap van die Ou Testament gemodelleer op 'n teosentriese benadering vir die interpretasie van die verhouding Ou TestamentlNuwe Testament. c) 'n Empiriese perspektief (hoofstuk 5): Die skep van praktykmodelle met die Ou Testament as teks na aanleiding van hermeneuties-teologiese perspektiewe soos dit ontwikkel is in die hermeneutiese en strategiese teoriee van die studies. Die praktykmodelle wat op hierdie wyse geskep is, is daarop gerig om die boodskap van die Ou Testament in die drie onderskeie handelingsvelde van die Praktiese Teologie, mens en religie, kerk en geloof, godsdiens en samelewing te kommunikeer (Heitink 1993:234). Die studie se hipoteses wat ten slotte as bewese stellinge aanvaar is, lees só (hoofstuk 6): i) 'n Teosentriese benadering tot die verhouding Ou Testament/Nuwe Testament as "n prakties-teologiese model plaas die twee Testamente op gelyke vlak as die gesaghebbende Woord van God. ii) 'n Teosentriese benadering tot die. verhouding Ou Testament/Nuwe Testament as 'n prakties-teologiese model verhoed die praktyk van 'twee-preke-in-een-preek' in "n poging om die boodskap van die Ou Testament in die kommunikatiewe praxis van die drie onderskeie handelingsvelde van die Praktiese Teologie toepaslik te maak. iii) 'n Teosentriese benadering tot die verhouding Ou Testament/Nuwe Testament as 'n prakties-teologiese model is by uitstek daartoe in staat om die boodskap van die Ou Testament in die praxis van die geloofsgemeenskap en die moderne samelewing te kommunikeer sonder om Christus op "n gedwonge wyse in die Ou Testament in te lees. English: For all Christians the Bible consists of two parts: The Old and New Testament. The relationship, however, between these two parts is a hermeneutic¬ theological problem which confronts the communicative praxis of the Christian faith. Some regard the New Testament as testimony to Jesus Christ whilst the Old Testament is pre-Christian, Jewish-Israelite Scripture and only foreshadowing the real biblical message proclaimed and lived by Jesus Christ. Other see the New Testament only as an appendix to the real Bible - the Old Testament. Between these two extreme ways of interpreting the relationship, there are many other ways of doing it like the categories of typological, promise and fulfilment, allegorical and thematic interpretation. All such ways of interpretation can assist the Christian to understand something of the total message of the two Testaments, but no one can ensure that justices to be done to the diversity of testimonies regarding the one and only God. Another aspect which needs to be mentioned is the fact that nobody truly approaches the Testaments completely objectively. Unwittingly everyone reads it with his/her own presuppositions - the apriori of their own tradition of faith. Therefore it is necessary to develop a hermeneutic-theological theory for Christians which can serve as a paradigm within which the texts of the Old as well as that of the New Testament may regard as equal authoritative Word of God. As far as this study is concerned, there is but one approach only which can achieve this and that is a theocentric approach to both Testaments. In order to develop such a theocentric approach (a hermeneutic-theological theory) for both Testaments, this study prefers the methodology of a practical¬theological theory of praxis (Heitink 1993) which is based upon three basic perspectives (chapter 1): a) A hermeneutic perspective (chapters 2 and 3): The development of a hermeneutic-theological theory as meta theory for the communicative praxis in order to present the Old Testament in the three distinctive praxis of Practical Theology, namely human and religion, church and faith and evangelism and society (Heitink 1993:234). b) A strategical perspective (chapter 4): The presenting of a changed practical theory modelled on a theocentric approach for interpreting the relationship Old Testament/New Testament with a view to change the hermeneutic framework of the communicative praxis. c) An empirical perspective (chapter 5): The development of empirical models with the Old Testament as text according to the hermeneutic-theological perspectives as developed in the hermeneutic and strategical theories of this study. The empirical models are intended to communicate the message of the Old Testament in the three distinctive praxis of Practical Theology, namely human and religion, church and faith and evangelism and society (Heitink1993:234). The hypotheses of the study which were in the end considered as proved propositions read as follows (chapter 6): i) A theocentric approach to the relationship Old Testament/NewTestament as a practical-theological model is capable of treating both Testaments as equal authoritative Word of God. ii) A theocentric approach to the relationship Old Testament/NewTestament as a practical-theological model prevents the practice of "two-sermons-in-one -sermon" in an attempt to make the message of the Old Testament appropriate in the communicative praxis of the three distinctive praxis of Practical Theology. iii) A theocentric approach to the relationship Old Testament/New Testament as a practical-theological model is especially capable of communicating the message of the Old Testament in the communicative praxis of the Christian community and the modern society without reading by force Christ into the Old Testament. / Thesis (DD (Practical Theology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

The constituent concepts of theology, also practical theology and counselling, have lost much of their previously precise meaning, also by virtue of the growing confusion surrounding what counts as counselling and theology. This crisis has created a lot of uncertainty that this thesis endeavours to counter. As the defining paradigm inscriptions of the old modern methodological boundary stones have weathered away, any attempt simply to rework traditional counselling and theological problems proves to be a futile venture. Even if the measure of critical consciousness regarding worn-out modernistic concepts has been raised to a maximum height towards renewed initiation and even if the intentions remain unabashedly sincere to move beyond the disintegrating modernistic approaches, they prove to be an ineffective scheme. The dissertation states courteously, but deliberately that it is not possible to move beyond modern counselling and theology from within modernism. Postmodernism is also not simply a new critical approach barring generalizations, "grand narratives", objective descriptions and dogmatic statements. Deconstruction, not as a new approach, but rather as opening up new dimensions towards celebrating life, can move beyond modernism towards postmodernism, maintaining reason and logical arguments, and rejecting the slogan "everything goes". In fact, if you scratch a sceptical relativist, you will expose a ... modernist, as the reverse side of an absolutist conviction. Postmodernism and deconstruction set new differentiated agendas for and redraw new-fangled "maps" of counselling and theology. The exposure of the different contemporary approaches regarding certainty in modernism and Cartesian proclamations is distinguished and the different perspectives are thematically woven together as a response to the sense of "crisis" in need of new discernment, rather than by new approaches in defining specific problems. The conclusions of postmodernism and deconstruction are not gratuitous nuggets containing certain solutions to be exchanged for edification of some spurious second enlightenment, but perhaps they are bridgeheads to different shores. The story of "dancing with uncertainty" starts with disentangling modern communication of sending "meaning" and receiving "clear" messages as impossible, towards postmodern communication where "communication is the message". Consequently, counselling and theology are enlivened from ontology to praxis, not by the objective Word or an a priori method, theory or faith determination, but by the praxis of the Holy Spirit. Descartes' legacy, determining life for more than three hundred years, is unraveled and thwarted: - The subject-object split in thinking and acting, supporting "representation" of objects by the subject, is debunked as false. - The transforming of "representation" into "presentation" as the heart of the modern problem, where knowledge is obtained "immediately" and not by way of mediation of language and numerous interpretations, and where God is known directly or "immediately" and not by way of interpreted revelation or human concepts, is rendered fictitious. - The determination of life in al its variety as mathematically, logically and formally certain, causing "facts" to be either true or false depending on the "correct" methodology and theories as solutions, is exposed as conjured. Life, counselling and theology are always in a specific historical vista, cultural context and personal detailed milieu. The perspective determines the validity of the "fact". If you live by "eternal truths" and predetermined certainty, there is no room for the work of the Holy Spirit. A start is made to remove the modern Cartesian foundations of counselling and theologies towards postmodern approaches where we do not know what heals and what certain theology is. Every one can counsel through the Holy Spirit and there are as many theologies, as reactions on the revelations of God in Christ, as there are people. Theology and counselling are pre-theoretical and pre-cognitive as they do not proceed from a translucent self or a "neutral" language. We are not healed or saved through an objective certitude of believing dogmas or applying curing techniques, but by a living faith in Christ and an empowering praxis of the Holy Spirit enlivening us towards more humanness and humaneness. Our approach is pneumatological as we can never in any circumstance determine theology and counselling from outside the process of performing counselling and theologizing. That would follow the devious Cartesian subject-object split of determination of eternal objective truths and methods of curing from inside an isolated monad, the self. Postmodernism claims that we are always already immersed in the world and only when we assume not to be and step back, theorise, theologise and narrate narratives, devise counselling techniques, we actually determine final truths and facts. This is a total deception as we always approach theology and counselling, "objective reality" already with concepts, language assumptions, theories and values. Postmodernism claims that both realism, the conviction of a neutral independent world "out there", as well as idealism (anti-realism), the conviction that certainty entails the mind in full self-consciousness, are false outgrows of Cartesian representations of the subject-object split. The thesis culminates in the postmodern claim of the Holy Spirit overcoming the 2000 years old faith-knowledge dichotomy and dualism. The Holy Spirit does not assist in attaining "supernatural" healing in counselling or obtaining "eternal truth" clarity in theology, but in enhancing the humanness and humaneness of people in this world, eschewing another realm, the supernatural with dominant "theories", "eternal truths" and final dogmas. Exuberance invading this life from the final victory of the Kingdom of God is effected by the Holy Spirit in all spheres of life, albeit tentatively and provisionally. This study concludes by claiming that life is not theologically or psychologically certain, but joyous and beautiful, so that we can always dance with uncertainty. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / D.Th.

This dissertation investigates the validity of the hypothesis that biblical images [imagery] in the narrative model of preaching enhance relevance and recall possibilities of the sermon, filling the open spaces for the listener in a meaningful way. "Imagery" is researched in its application in various genres of the narrative sermon, e.g. the inductive, the narrative as such, metaphor, parable and transformational preaching. In the final analysis, the Midrash hermeneutical model as theoretical exposition and fresh proposition for homiletical possibilities for today was suggested and instruments proposed to aid in the preparaUon of Midrashic narrative sermons. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / D.Th. (Practical theology)

Thesis (M. Th.)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / CONCLUSION: Everyone of us who call ourselves Christians are faced with the perplexing questions with regard to the church’s self understanding and how that is interconnected and related to culture. We either ignore these questions, or we seek to work out what that means in an ever changing and dynamic world. McLaren has sought to do this and for this he must be commended. Although throughout this work one might feel that in my evaluation I have been too generous, or that I have tempered my criticism where others would have felt I could have been more critical, I am still convinced that anyone who is at least asking these questions is worthy of respect and only tempered criticism. My bias of course is obvious as McLaren’s work has helped me make sense of my world and the nature of church. Despite this I have shown throughout where I believe McLaren might be lacking or where he could be placing more focus. I have also shown where I believe much of his early work was skewed in certain directions and how over time his perspectives have become more rounded and holistic. Of course I have been liberal in my praise for many of the areas where I believe he is doing well. I have attempted to capture the core of McLaren’s practical theology by utilizing Hendrick’s practical theological methodology. This has helped us get to grips with his view of God and Church, the nature and interpretation of global and local cultural contexts and how we discern our practice in tension with tradition and scripture. We have also been able to explore McLaren’s views of the kingdom and transforming action within society. The future of the Church has demanded such a discussion and will always require such a conversation into the future. My hope has been that by understanding the core of McLaren’s theology the benefit would be both personal and corporate. Personal in the sense that I would be challenged and informed in my own praxis as I wrestle with personal concerns around culture and ecclesiology. Corporate in that others who are facing similar challenges would be able to dialogue with McLaren in a way that will be helpful and informative for those dealing with the same questions I am. I believe that McLaren’s work is vital for this process and for the health of the church and the world.