The main premise of this study is that while gender justice is enshrined in the Constitution of South Africa and in the declared statements of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA), in practice gender justice receives minimal attention in this church. The existing ‘gender policy’ of the MCSA, which is a mere recommendation, endorses an equitable representation of women, youth and men at every level of Church governance. Since this ‘policy’ is couched in the language of ‘recommendation’, this study argues that a gap continues to exist between policy and practice in the MCSA. Using Letty Russell’s (1993) ‘Table Fellowship’ analogy in her book Church in the Round – Feminist Interpretation of the Church, and Musimbi Kanyoro’s subsequent (1997) In Search of a Round Table: Gender Theology and Church Leadership, the discussions in this thesis focus on ‘the Table’ of the Church. The research question this study seeks to address is: Why does the MCSA continue to marginalise and exclude women, even though its mission is to be a church of healing and transformation and its gender policy is meant to prevent such marginalisation and exclusion? Hence, the objectives of this study are firstly, to demonstrate the ways in which the MCSA continues to be patriarchal in its ecclesiological practices and secondly, to analyse the reasons why the MCSA remains steeped in patriarchy. In order to respond to the research question this study utilises a feminist ecclesiological theoretical framework, which examines and analyses the MCSA’s source documents, its liturgies and its hymns. The theoretical framework is also used to consider the stories of five Methodist women from a narrative perspective. The Wesleyan Quadrilateral – Sacred Scripture, Church Tradition, Human Reason and Personal Experience – was engaged in this research, when deemed relevant. Transformative models of being church, that will enhance and enable the healing and transformation that the MCSA has declared to be its mission, are proposed in the conclusion, thus fulfilling the third objective of this study. It is here where the hope for gender-healing in the MCSA is expressed, along with a dream that this study will be ‘one more voice’ that is heard. Key Terms: African Feminist Theology; African Feminist Ecclesiology; Gender Justice; Gender Policy; Women in Ministry; Church Women’s Organisations Community; Healing and Transformation; Women’s Narratives; Feminist Leadership Principles; Ecclesiological Practices; Alternative Models of Being Church; Circle Leadership Styles; The Methodist Church of Southern Africa. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

The purpose of this study is to predict and evaluate whether the participation of the churches in the South Kivu region during the period 1996-2006 in rebuilding broken intercommunity relations and addressing problems of conflict has made any tangible contribution to final outcomes of the political crisis that led to the elections in the DRC in 2006 elections. The study submits the collected data composed of religious, archival documents drawn from the church participation in armed-conflict problem resolution, religious essays and interview response data to careful analysis in order to distil an appropriate practical theological framework methodology for the investigation. A qualitative approach was used in collecting data because the practical theological methodology applied by previous studies in this field endorses this approach as the most appropriate methodology for this type of research study. In its application of the practical theological framework, the study adopted a collaborative approach as opposed to participation involving only churches. The following findings and conclusions have emerged from the analysis of the data collected for the five subtopics - regional politics, social responsibility, peace and reconciliation, insecurity, and cultural transformation - which constitute Chapter Five: Findings and Conclusion. 1. Regional politics The churches' response to the political bungling that characterised the period 1996-2006 was initially confined to verbal criticism devoid of concrete efforts which finally matured into practical theological implementation measures that addressed the intercommunity relations rebuilding and reconstruction of collapsed socio-economic and political structures 2. Social responsibility The churches' successful collaboration with local and human rights international bodies led to resolution of many conflict problems and the provision of many social services for the victims of the conflicts. 3. Peace and reconciliation The study reveals that the churches' efforts towards peace and reconciliation through various church functions in disseminating their moral messages proved very effective in addressing problems and encouraging peace between conflicting political platfonns. 4. Insecurity Church organisations, particularly the Catholic Church, cooperated with the Security Council to enhance security measures in the areas affected by the anned conflicts and the churches became places of refuge for internally displaced persons, where the traumatized received spiritual support. The churches' messages of peace influenced some soldiers to renounce anned violence and to become re-integrated into civilian life. 5. Cultural transfonnation. The church's messages on morality and peace were instrumental in shaping the cultural direction of the inhabitants of South Kivu and succeeded in creating the culture of nonviolent resistance advocated by Ghandi. The study reveals that the churches' efforts towards peace and reconciliation through various church functions in disseminating their moral messages proved very effective in addressing problems and encouraging peace between conflicting political platfonns. resistance advocated by Ghandi. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

The study of faith-based giving , development and engagement with human catastrophe is only beginni ng to be identified and resear ched by social scientists and other disciplines. Almost all faiths in the world im press upon their adherents to serve and engage in humanitarian aid causes. Some faiths prescribe and proscribe through divine teachings on how adheren ts should go about participating in humanitarian aid causes and set certai n constraints and parameters for its fulfilment as a religious act and duty. Islam is one such religion that requires its adherents to conform to religious acts of giving through the institution of charity which makes up the third article of faith. Muslims the world over are required to give a portion of their surplus income by way of prescribed and optional charities to humanitarian aid causes both within a nd outside of their community. This prescription is incumbent on all Muslims irre spective of the type of society that they live in as long as they profess faith. The Muslim community in South Africa comprises a minority group with diverse socio-historical backgrounds and its demographic position is no different to the majority of the country’s population. It is characterised by Muslims who had slave, indentured, migrant and trading histories who have now made a permanent presence in the southern tip of the African continent. Its social organisation has evolved over time and currently as a mino rity group it has entrenched itself in all facets of the South African way of life, networking with other diasporic communities and nation states worldwide. It has a well-developed philanthropic infrastructure and is known to have undertaken humanitarian aid causes both within and outside of its community. In post-apartheid South Africa, the Sout h African Muslim community, given the country’s reintegration in the global system after years of political isolation, has played an indelible role in supporting humanitarian aid causes in disaster affected areas. It is in this context that this study examines the role of a Muslim faith-based organisation’s engagement in benevolent disaster related humanitarian aid causes in South Africa. Given the diverse number of faith-bas ed humanitarian organisations amongst Muslims in South Africa, the study undertakes an extensive case study of one faith-based organisation which has a track record in providing such service. The study is preceded by an extensive literature study with a view to formulating a conceptual framework upon which later analysis is undertaken together with the empirical data. It draws on key sociological concepts in the field of philanthropy in order to provide a scientific context to the study. An in-depth analysis is made of religious texts and writings which prov ide the context around which faith-based organisations fulfil their humanitarian aid objectives. The empirical aspect of the study is triangulated using both qualitative and quantitat ive data derived from a select group of donors and volunteers who made up the key respondents in the study. Documentary and conflict analysis were under taken to construct a profile of the case taking into consideration the different aspects of its social organisation. The study concludes with the presentation of the key findings of the research in keeping with its main assumptions and concludes with practical recommendations and how to better align with faith-based organisations engaged in international disaster relief missions with a view to be more effective and pursue sustainable ways of engagement in disaster afflicted areas. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.A)-University of Durban-Westville, 2004.

No abstract available. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 1999. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The revised norms and standards for teacher education requires an understanding of the beliefs, values and practices of the main religions of South Africa. However, many preservice teachers have emerged from backgrounds of monoreligious education, or from schools where Religious education was discarded from the curriculum. This situation implies that pre-service teachers may lack the knowledge and skills to cope within a religiously pluralist school environment. This study argues therefore that the attitudes and perceptions of pre-service teachers towards Religious education in particular and religions in general will be positively influenced by means of a programme of intervention. The main aim of this study is to examine strategies for teaching religion to pre-service teachers to equip them for the religious and cultural diversity of South African classrooms. F euerstein' s theory of Mediated Learning Experience (MLE) is examined as a vehicle for initiating new and creative ways of thinking about religions. Ten criteria for MLE are implemented within a context of co-operative small group learning on the grounds that learning about religions should take place in a constructivist paradigm. The potential influence of a tutor/mediator on the perceptions and attitudes of pre-service teachers towards religions other than their own is therefore a significant theme in this study. The influence of a programme of intervention on student attitudes towards religion and Religious education was determined within an action-enquiry research model. The empirical research indicates that active participation in the learning process not only enhanced student participants' knowledge and understanding of religious concepts, but also fostered the value of an unbiased, positive approach to the study of religions. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hersiende norme en standaarde vir onderwysersopleiding verg 'n kennis van die geloof, waardes en praktyke van die hoof religiee van Suid-Afrika. Nietemin kom baie studentonderwysers uit 'n monoreligieuse opvoedingsagtergrond of van skole waar religieuse onderrig van die kurrikulum verwyder is. Hierdie situasie impliseer dat studentonderwysers nie die nodige kennis dra, of die nodige vaardighede het, om in 'n pluralistiese religieuse skoolomgewing aan te pas nie. Hierdie studie argumenteer dat die houdings en persepsies van studentonderwysers teenoor religieuse onderrig in die besonder en religie in die algemeen positief be"invloed kan word deur middel van 'n intervensieprogram. Die hoofdoel van die studie is om verskillende strategiee in religieuse onderrig VIr studentonderwysers te ondersoek om hulle toe te rus vir die religieuse en kulturele diversiteit in Suid-Afrika. Feuerstein se teorie van Bemiddelde leerervaring (Mediated Learning Experience, MLE) word ondersoek as 'n middel waardeur nuwe kreatiewe denkmetodes oor religie ge"inisieer kan word. Tien kriteria van MLE word ge"implementeer binne 'n konteks van kooperatiewe leergroepe op grond daarvan dat religiee binne 'n konstruktivistiese paradigma moet plaasvind. Die potentiele invloed van die fasiliteerder op die persepsies en houdings van studentonderwysers teenoor ander religiee is dus 'n belangrike tema van die studie. Die invloed van 'n intervensieprogram op studentehoudings teenoor religiee en religieuse onderrig was bepaal deur middel van 'n aksienavraag navorsingsmodel. Die empiriese navorsing motiveer die feit dat aktiewe deelname in die leerproses nie net die deelnemende studentonderwysers se kennis en begrip van religieuse konsepte verdiep het nie, maar ook 'n onbevooroordeelde positiewe benadering tot die studie van religiee gekweek het.

Although matters of faith, religion and spirituality are central to the lives of millions of people in the global South. and many faith based organizations are actively involved in development. few northern academics in the field of international development make explicit reference to religion's role in development. and, if they do, the subject is often subsumed under another category, such as culture. This study seeks to shed light on the interface between religion and international development in Canadian academic institutions: to what extent is the influence -- for good or ill-- of religion or development acknowledged in their programmes, publications, and curricula? This is accomplished by means of an analysis of references to religion in the Canadian Journal of Development Studies (CJDS) and Canadian Development Reports as well as in the course offerings of International Development Studies (IDS) departments at Canadian universities. Findings show that only about 1% of article titles and 2% per cent of abstracts mention the subject of religion in its broadest definition over the twenfy five year history of the CJDS. Of 2,684 IDS courses offered (including courses cross-listed with Religious Studies departments), some 3% mention religion in their titles, and 8% in course descriptions. However, upon closer examination, only a handful of courses directly analyze the relationship between religion and development. Findings from this research are further interrogated in surveys and interviews with key informants, in order to uncover some of the reasons for what is perceived to be a lacuna in IDS teaching and research. Various recommendations are advanced: positivistic biases in academia need to be acknowledged, more research should be devoted towards an area currently understudied, and northern academics must be challenged to consider the religious reality of southern life, for, in Robert Chambers' words, "Whose reality counts?" Clearly the religious dimension of global life needs to be afforded a sharper focus in the programmes, publications and curricula of IDS departments at Canadian academic institutions. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

The thesis explored the story of the healing of the ten lepers by Jesus in Luke 17:11-19 for its potential to facilitate a conversation between the Jesus context and the Yoruba context, to bring about a new praxis in the attitude of Yoruba Christian to people living with HIV and AIDS. In view of the fact that the context is a major determinant in the interpretations that ecumenical theologians make with the Bible, it calls on the interpreter to re-read the text in the culture of the people. And in a bid for African biblical scholarship to locate itself within the social, political and ecclesiastical context of Africa in the age of globalization and the scourge of HIV and AIDS crisis, a contextual reading of Jesus’ attitude and compassionate response to the wish of the ten lepers as presented in Luke for healing and restoration is not only desirable in this research but an opportunity to reflect on the contribution of contextual exposition of the miracle story to the contemporary attitude of Christians in an HIV and AIDS era. HIV and AIDS is a disease which not only plunders human bodies but also invades the attitude and behaviour of societies generating a kind of social pathology. Hence the definition of social phenomena is culturally determined and therefore the explanation and the attitudes of health and illness is a function of culture. As a result this has great implications for the attitude and behaviour of people towards sick people especially people living with HIV and AIDS in this era. Drawing insights from the model of the body as social map by Mary Douglas in which the concern and fight around social boundaries are linked with purity rules and taboo; and the labeling/deviancy theory of Becker, this research reads the Gospel of Luke with a social-scientific lens selected texts in Luke’s Gospel depicting the attitude of Jesus to outcasts (lepers). It also raises the question, whether being a Christian, having the Bible as a resource in the Yoruba context does or can make a difference to the way Yoruba people respond to sick people in an HIV and AIDS era. The empirical study was carried out in the Yoruba community of Ijebu Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria employed research methods which include the Tripolar exegetical method, an ethnographic study through focus group discussions, non-participatory observation and the contextual Bible study method. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 1994. / Includes bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The relevance of Biblical Instruction and Instruction in state and state-supported schools Africa is reviewed in this thesis. The various Religious in South education departments in South Africa have been presenting religious instruction from a Christian perspective in schools, especially since 1967. It is also clear from a demographic distribution of religions that most of South Africa's inhabitants belong to the Christian faith. People and pupils who are not Christians are exempted from religious instruction in accordance with the conscience clause. Because of changing political and social circumstances and school structures due to the implementation of statesupported schools, there has been a strong emphasis on the presentation of Biblical Instruction or Religious Instruction as a school subject. Aspects of this which receive particular the following: the relevance dispensation; attention of the in this thesis are subject in the teaching the legitimacy of the subject due to the negative experience of Christian National Education in the past; the lack of recognition of religious pluralism in state and state-supported schools in South Africa. The presentation of the traditional single-dimensional approach is investigated, but the possibility of a multireligious approach to address the problem is also explored. The thesis includes a theoretical study of international and national sources as well as an empirical survey conducted at 41 selected secondary schools in the Western Cape and Boland. Questionnaires were used for the survey which involved the following education departments: The Department of Education and Culture. The Department of Education and Training. The Cape Education Department. It emerged clearly from the survey that religious pluralism is a reality in state and state-supported schools. The theoretical and empirical studies also highlighted the following problems: the professional qualifications of religious instruction teachers; the child's religious potential and development which are not taken into account; the child's own religious experiences and experiences in the classroom situation which are not addressed; the issue of the legitimacy of the subject as a consequence of its historical context; the lack of relevance of the subject content; the interest in a multi-religious approach among the majority of teachers as well as pupils. The problems will not be multi-religious approach solved simply by in the schools. converting to a The problems experienced in the single-dimensional approach should first be addressed thoroughly. For a legitimate multi-religious approach, the following should be taken into consideration: the child's religious potential and development; the child's own religious and personal experiences; possible further in-service training for teachers to enable them to cope with such an approach; a change in the process of curriculum development in order to address the issue of religious pluralism; a new name for the subject. In this respect a name such as Religious Studies could be usefully implemented. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die relevansie van Bybelonderrig of Godsdiensonderrig in staat- en staatsondersteunde skole in Suid-Afrika word in hierdie tesis in oenskou geneem. Die onderskeie onderwysdepartemente in Suid-Afrika het veral sedert 1967 godsdiensonderrig vanuit 'n Christelike perspektief in skole aangebied. Uit die demografiese geloofsverspreiding het dit oak geblyk dat die meeste inwoners van Suid-Afrika aan die Christelike geloof behoort. Persone en leerlinge wat nie tot die Christendom behoort nie, is gevrywaar van godsdiensonderrig op grand van die gewetensklousule. Met die veranderde politieke en sosiale omstandighede en skoolsamestelling met die implementering van staatsondersteunde skole I is daar 'n sterk fokus op die aanbieding van Bybelonderrig of Godsdiensonderrig as skoolvak. Aspekte waaraan veral in hierdie tesis aandag gegee is, is die volgende: die relevansie van die vak in die onderwysbedeling; die legitimiteit van die vak as gevolg van die negatiewe ervaring van die Christelik-nasionale onderwys in die verlede; die afwesigheid van die erkenning van religieuse pluralisme in staat- en staatsondersteunde skole in Suid-Afrika. Die aanbieding van die tradisionele enkelvoudige benadering is ondersoek, maar die moontlikheid van 'n multi-religieuse benadering om die probleem aan te spreek, word oak aangespreek. Teoretiese studie op internasionale en nasionale vlak, sowel as n empiriese doelgerigte steekproef is geloods aan 41 geselekteerde sekondere skole in die Wes-Kaap en Bolandstreek. Vir die doelgerigte steekproef is van vraelyste gebruik gemaak waarin die volgende onderwysdepartemente en privaatskole betrek is: Die Departement van Onderwys en Kultuur. Die Departement van Onderwys en Opleiding. Die Kaaplandse Onderwysdepartement. Uit die doelgerigte steekproef het dit duidelik geblyk dat religieuse pluralisme 'n werklikheid in staat- en staatsondersteunde skole is. Die teoretiese en empiriese studie het ook die volgende probleme belig, nl.: die professionele bevoegdheid van godsdiensonderwysleerkragte; die kind se religieuse potensiaal en ontwikkeling wat nie in ag geneem word nie; die kind se eie religieuse en lewenservarings in die klassituasie wat nie aangespreek word nie; 'n legitimiteitskwessie van die vak as sodanig vanwee sy historiese konteks; die afwesigheid van relevansie van die vakinhoud; 'n belangstelling in n multi-religieuse benadering deur die meerderheid van die leerkragte sowel as leerlinge. Die problematiek sal nie sander meer opgelos word met 'n oorskakeling na n multi-religieuse benadering in die skool nie. Die probleme wat in die enkelvoudige benadering ervaar word, behoort eers deeglik aangespreek te word. Vir 'n legitieme multi-religieuse benadering behoort die volgende in aanmerking geneem te word: die kind se religieuse potensiaal en ontwikkeling; die kind se eie religieuse en lewenservarings; die moontlike verdere indiensopleiding van leerkragte om so in benadering te kan hanteer; 'n verandering in die kurrikuleringsproses om religieuse pluralisme aan te spreek; 'n nuwe benaming vir die vak as sodanig. In hierdie verband sou 1 n vaknaam soos Religieuse Studie sinvol geimplementeer kon word.