This work studies religious change through the archaeology of death and burial. In the period after the fall of Rome and before the Vikings, Scotland became a Christian society, but there are few historical documents to help understand how this happened. The process of conversion to Christianity in Scotland has long been a contentious issue, but until recent years, there was simply not enough reliable archaeological evidence to test the accepted narrative of conversion by missionaries from Ireland and Gaul. A number of key excavations over the last two decades have created the opportunity to reassess the evidence and test existing models. The earliest inhumation cemeteries in Scotland emerge in the period c. AD 400-650, and a large number of radiocarbon dates from these sites now provide a sturdy chronological framework for studying the effects of the conversion to Christianity. This is the first full-length study of the early medieval burial evidence from Scotland, and the first comprehensive revision of the archaeological evidence for early Christianity since the work of Charles Thomas in 1971. A review of the latest historical research suggests that Christianity arrived in Scotland from at least the 5th century AD, which coincides with the emergence of inhumation cemeteries. In order to contextualise this material, a database of all burial evidence from Scotland in the first millennium AD was constructed to trace changes in ritual practice over the long term. A multiscalar analysis of this data – from individual graves, to ‘family plots’, to entire cemeteries – revealed new insights into funerary rituals and significant corrections of previous studies. Covering all of Scotland but keeping this in its wider northwestern European context, the theoretical framework adopted here follows the latest research on Anglo-Saxon England and early medieval Ireland, and analyses the material for what it can tell us about people’s memories, hopes and fears rather than the usual political and economic narratives. The Scottish burial evidence takes on a wide variety of forms, from long cists and log coffins to square barrows and cairns, generally placed away from settlement. New radiocarbon dates show conclusively that these burial rites predate Christianity in Scotland, and this study includes a crucial new review of pre-Christian funerary practices. Sequences of radiocarbon-dated burials from early Christian sites of the 5-7th centuries provide new evidence for what can and cannot be construed as a ‘Christian’ burial. Throughout the radical changes taking place in this period, including the origins of the Picts, Scots and Anglo-Saxons, funerary rituals helped create new social relationships, and mediated the tensions these could create, during times of upheaval. Rather than reflecting the arrival of Christianity, this complex network of social practices reveals the way Christianity was accommodated within Iron Age societies, and the way it was continually reinvented throughout the early medieval period into the Viking Age. In adapting the new religion to existing lifeways, Christianity itself was ‘converted’, and this is the key to understanding changes in the archaeological record in Scotland and beyond. The Scottish evidence should now be seen as a crucial dataset for the study of the wider transformations of the post-Roman world. Recommendations for further research were proposed, including the need to expand research beyond the modern Scottish border. To promote continuing research, the burial database will be made available online.

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Text in Afrikaans / Hierdie skripsie is 'n verkennende studie in siekepastoraat. Die fokus is op die siektebelewing van die Pedi. Die siek mens leef in 'n spesifieke wereld en verkeer in 'n wrieke situasie. Dit is boonop vir die pastor moeilik om in hierdie leefWereld die sieke se gevoelens te begryp. Meer uitsonderlik is dat dit vir enige pastor moeilik is om die tradisionele beskouing en belewenis van die sieke in sy eie kultuursituasie te verstaan. Daar is egter min materiaal oor die siekte-belewenis van die Pedi beskikbaar aangesien daar oor die algemeen min navorsing gedoen is. Pastorale sorg aan siekes vereis dat kennis geneem moet word van die kulturele agtergrond asook godsdiensbeskouing. Teen hierdie agtergrond is die doel van hierdie studie om 'n raamwerk van die denke van die Pedi-siekes te verkry waarby die siekepastoraat kan aansluit. Met die hu1p van die kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering is daar deur indiepte-onderhoude en deelnemende waameming probeer om 'n raamwerk te verkry van die siek Pedi se ervaring van siekte in 'n tradisionele situasie. Sodoende is gepoog om veertien subjekte se verhale van hul siekte en ongelukke deur middel van kwalitatiewe empiriese navorsing te beskryf Uit al hierdie data was dit moontlik om die respondente se interpretasies in vyfkategoriee in te deel: (a) Agtergrondkennis, (b) die oorsaak van hul siekte, ( c) die belewing van hul siekte, ( d) die bestryding van hul siekte en ( e) die tradisionele siening van siekte en in watter mate daar 'n verskuiwing na Westerse denke plaasgevind het. Daar is bevind dat betekenistoekenning van die meeste respondente grotendeels binne die kulturele raamwerk van die Pedi-tradisie plaasgevind het. Hierdie bevinding is belangrik vir die siekepastoraat aangesien daar by sekere begrippe aansluiting gevind kan word. Die navorser het ook probeer om vanuit die betekenis van die subjekte se belewing van siekte 'n beperkte aantal riglyne vir 'n sensitiewe kultureel georienteerde siekepastoraat te noem. / This study explores the field of pastoral care of the sick within the frame of the sick person's traditional environment. This research study was only directed at the Pedi. Little material exists on the Pedi's experience of sickness because of the general lack of research. Furthermore, pastoral care of the sick demands specific notice of the cultural background as well as their religious views. Bearing this in mind the purpose of this study is to find a frame work of the Pedi's thought to which the pastoral care could be linked. With the help of qualitative methodological research, in depth interviewing, participation and observation the researcher tried to obtain a frame work of the Pedi's experience of sickness within their traditional situation. Through the means of the qualitative emperical research strategy these stories were described. It is found that most respondents emphasise the meaning of their sickness largely within the cultural framework of the Pedi tradition. This is important for pastoral care because on these thoughts pastoral care could link up. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Praktiese Teologie)

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Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis reports on a study undertaken within Theology and Development with a focus on health and gender. Health, in this thesis, was not merely understood from a biomedical perspective, but defined in terms of the holistic wellbeing of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex, Queer (LGBTIQ) persons with varying sexual orientations and gender identities. In the light of contextual phenomena such as the ‘corrective’ rape of gays and lesbians, the notion that homosexuality is considered to be ‘un-African’, and the churches’ response to homosexuality within South Africa, this study will attempt to utilise queer theory and queer theology ‘queery’ Gender and Development (GAD) scholars within Theology and Development. The current understanding of the GAD approach within Theology and Development discourse was argued to make use of the heterogendered binary and, as a result, is not inclusive of LGBTIQ identities as a discursive theme. Gender, in this thesis, is considered a socio-historical construct and it is argued that it expands across many cultures. This understanding of gender opens up a discussion on subjectivity and looks at how the subject is utilized within discursive practice. The thesis concurs with Feminist scholars who argue that language does not only communicate the link between one’s sex and one’s gender identity; but that it also constitutes that link. Michel Foucault’s framework of power and how it is used to regulate discourses together with Judith Butler’s work on performativity provide a valuable point of departure for queer theory and queer theology as the hermeneutical lenses utilised in this thesis. A brief literature survey is conducted concerning gendered subjectivities within development discourses within the social sciences. The historical movements of Women in Development (WID), Women and Development (WAD) and Gender and Development (GAD) were explored within development discourse with the purpose of highlighting some of the reasons for the historical inclusion of certain subjects and the exclusion of others within the discursive practice in particular. The most recent movement, GAD, is shown to have been critiqued for mainly utilizing ‘gender’ as a code word for ‘women’. There is a discursive shift within development discourses within the social sciences that has gone on to queery development discourses and advocate for the inclusion of sexual minorities as a discursive theme. Through agencies such as SIDA (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency), sexuality was highlighted to also have links within a multi perspectival understanding of poverty. Finally, a thematic networks analysis coupled with the lenses of queer theory and queer theology, were conducted on seven articles that could possibly be related to the emerging field of Theology and Development. The thesis argues that the current use of heterogendered binary as an “informant” of theologising on gender is indicative of the fact that some of the Theology and development articles that are analysed here have not yet made a discursive shift to include LGBTIQ persons as a discursive theme. Indecent theology is recommended for future research as a queer theological tool to incorporate epistemological considerations of those on the sexual margins and thereby confronting heterosexist theologising within Theology and Development. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis is 'n studie binne die vakgebied Teologie en Ontwikkeling met 'n fokus op gesondheid en gender. Gesondheid in hierdie tesis is nie slegs van 'n biomediese perspektief verstaan nie, maar word in hierdie geval gedefinieer in terme van die holistiese welstand van LGBTIQ persone met wisselende seksuele oriëntasies en gender identiteit. In die lig van kontekstuele verskynsels soos die "regstellende" verkragting van homoseksuele mans en vrouens, die idee dat homoseksualiteit beskou word as iets wat 'nie eie aan Afrika' is nie en die kerke se reaksie op homoseksualiteit in Suid-Afrika ,sal hierdie studie poog om queer teorie te benut en deur queer teologie Gender en Ontwikkeling (GAD) diskoers in Teologie en Ontwikkeling te 'queer'. Daar word aangevoer dat die huidige begrip van GAD binne die Teologie en Ontwikkeling diskoers gebruik maak van die heterogeslagtelike tweeledigheid en as 'n resultaat is dit nie inklusief van LGBTIQ identiteite as 'n diskursiewe tema nie. Gender word in hierdie tesis beskou as 'n sosio-historiese konstruk en daar word aangevoer dat dit oor baie kulture strek. Hierdie begrip van gender maak 'n bespreking oop oor subjektiwiteit en kyk na hoe die onderwerp binne diskursiewe praktyk gebruik word. Die tesis stem saam met feministiese vakkundiges, wat argumenteer dat taal nie net die skakel tussen 'n mens se geslag en 'n mens se gender identiteit kommunikeer nie; maar dat dit ook die skakel vorm. Michel Foucault se raamwerk van mag en hoe dit gebruik word om diskoerse te reguleer, saam met Judith Butler se werk op uitvoerbaarheid bied 'n waardevolle vertrekpunt vir queer teorie en queer teologie as die hermeneutiese lense wat gebruik word in hierdie tesis. 'n Kort literatuur opname word onderneem aangaande geslagtelike subjektiwiteite binne die ontwikkelingsdiskoerse binne die sosiale wetenskappe. Die historiese bewegings van Women in Development (WIN), Women and Development (WAD) en Gender and Development (GAD) is ondersoek binne die ontwikkelingsdiskoers met die doel om van die redes vir die insluiting van sekere identiteite en die uitsluiting van ander binne die diskursiewe praktyk in besonder uit te lig. Daar is aangedui hoe die mees onlangse beweging, GAD, gekritiseer is vir hoofsaaklike gebruikmaak van 'gender' as 'n kodewoord vir 'vroue'. Daar is 'n diskursiewe verskuiwing binne die ontwikkelingsdiskoerse binne die sosiale wetenskappe wat voortgegaan het om ontwikkeling diskoerse te queer en op te tree as kampvegter vir die insluiting van seksuele minderhede as 'n diskursiewe tema. Deur agentskappe soos SIDA (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency), is seksualiteit ook uitgelig as een van die skakels binne 'n multiperspektivale begrip van armoede. Ten slotte is 'n tematiese netwerk analise, tesame met die lense van queer teorie en queer teologie, uitgevoer op sewe artikels wat moontlik verband kan hou met/binne binne die ontluikende veld van Teologie en Ontwikkeling. Hierdie tesis argumenteer dat die huidige gebruik van die heterogeslagtelike tweeledigheid as 'n "informant" van teologisering oorgender, daarop dui dat die Teologie en die ontwikkelingsdiskoerse nog nie 'n diskursiewe verskuiwing gemaak het om LGBTIQ persone as 'n diskursiewe tema in te sluit nie. Onbehoorlike teologie word aanbeveel vir toekomstige navorsing as 'n queer teologiese instrument om epistemologiese oorwegings van diegene op die seksuele kantlyne te inkorporeer en sodoende, heteroseksuele teologisering binne die Teologie en Ontwikkeling te konfronteer.

This thesis aims to contribute to Western theology by exploring plurality as well as unity within Christianity. By looking at the history of orthodoxy as a narrative construction of identity, I argue that Christian identity is not based on doxa, dogma, or practises. Instead, I suggest that Christian identity should be rooted primarily as a practise in the experience of and participation with God through the living Christ. I propose that ecumenical unity is not ecclesial or doxalogical but rather practical because unity is achieved when groups act together and participate in each other without ceasing to be different. I explore in my first chapter the philosophical concepts (time and narrative) which form the basis of identity. I introduce the thoughts of G. Deleuze and P. Ricœur separately before bringing them together in a dialogue. The dialogue develops the concepts of time and narrative into a general theory for constructing identity. I analyse identity in the second chapter by reading historical reactions to I. Kant's conception of a permanent identity because Kant is a central focus in contemporary philosophical thought on identity. Inspired by the dialogue between Deleuze and Ricœur introduced previously, I construct a new approach to identity. My concept of identity can be applied equally to individuals and groups, however I primarily follow group identity in my thesis. My third chapter applies this theory of identity to the discussion of the concept of orthodoxy. I present a model for interpreting orthodoxy in terms of group identity, then I trace the history of orthodoxy in three general periods: the early Church, the Reformation era, and our contemporary period. I show that concerns with theological truth in questions of orthodoxy were often politicised and used to establish an authority to control Christian identity. During the Reformations, reforms were treated as questions of authority and at times resulted in exclusion rather than reform. Political moves subsequently created multiple authorities which I suggest reveal the contingency of authority. Since the nineteenth century, groups approached Christian unity without addressing the implications of authority's contingency. In my fourth chapter, I pursue the question of ecumenical unity by interpreting authorities as created and embedded in particular contexts which render impossible a single, universal authority. In contrast to a singular definition of the Church, I argue that Pauline images of the body of Christ shape Christian identity as polydox. My model of relating differences within unity reveals the extent to which many theological 'controversies' still are politicised. Finally, I argue that the ecumenical dialogue overlaps with inter-religious and 'secular' dialogues, both of which are necessary for the Church's work on identity as organic unity.

In our interconnected, multi-religious world, how should religious people engage with religious others? What and how can theologians learn from religious others, from their traditions and their scriptures? Amongst those who engage in theological reasoning about these issues, two distinct approaches have been identified. The established discipline of theology of religions considers it necessary to examine the sources of one’s own tradition to come to some broad assessment about the value of religious diversity – usually identified through some version of the classic typology of inclusivism, exclusivism and pluralism (Alan Race). Others have criticised theology of religions, seeing it as prescriptive, biased towards pluralism, distorting of religious difference, and as making definitive judgments as to the presence of truth and possibility of salvation through other religions (e.g. Francis Clooney, George Lindbeck and Michael Barnes). These critics, working within the emerging field of interreligious hermeneutics, prefer direct engagement with other traditions in their particularities, learning from the religious other, yet often without reflecting on internal sources or arguing theologically for the possibility of finding truth in other religions. This thesis seeks to make a contribution to this discourse about method in the theological engagement to the religious other. It argues that the work of theology of religions is necessary to support theological learning from the religious other, particularly given that the scriptures of major religions (notably the New Testament, Qur’an and Pali Canon) are generally perceived to discourage this kind of activity. It also responds to criticisms, and works to make theology of religions more attuned to the insights of interreligious hermeneutics, so that it can be seen as capable of attending to the complexity and uncertainty that is inevitable in any realistic attempt to relate religious traditions to one another. Chapters 1 and 2 survey the development of theology of religions and of the alternative approaches found in the emerging field of interreligious hermeneutics. These are examined and as a result an adapted typology is presented which may be related fruitfully to interreligious hermeneutics. Chapters 3 and 4 explore interreligious hermeneutics further through two of its most prominent practices, scriptural reasoning and comparative theology, as carried out by some of its most notable practitioners. The extent to which these practices can be regarded as theologically ‘truth-seeking’ is analysed, and the usefulness of the adapted typology in reviewing the findings of these practices is assessed. Chapter 5 offers a detailed example of the kind of approach to the religious other present in a particular religious scripture, by focusing on the Buddha’s approach to the Brahmins as recorded in the Pali canon. This is done in order to demonstrate that the ‘plain sense’ of scriptures often does not support the approach to religious others advocated by scholars of interreligious hermeneutics. Finally, Chapter 6 outlines ‘soft pluralism’ as a particular approach within theology of religions which can support interreligious hermeneutics of the deepest, most adventurous ‘truth-seeking’ kind, without succumbing to the problems associated with pluralism in its classic (hard) form. This position can be supported by the work of a growing number of scholars (including Catherine Cornille, Rose Drew and Marianne Moyaert) who, far from seeking to eschew or downplay deep differences between traditions, believe that it is precisely at these points of tension or impasse, where traditions are offering insights that cannot be simply reconciled to one another, that we stand to learn the most from the religious other.

Chapters 1 and 2 deal with the relationship between the Church in Wales and its clergy; the way in which ministerial working arrangements might be interpreted by the secular courts and the civil law consequences which would flow from this interpretation. The study begins with an analysis of the relationship in the general context of employment law. From this examination it emerges that civil law does not adopt a single, universal definition of employment status, but categorizes working agreements differently for different purposes. Consequently, the discussion moves on to look at how the working arrangements of Church in Wales clergy would be construed in relation to vicarious liability in tort, concluding that vicarious liability would almost certainly attach to torts committed in the course of performing ministerial duties. Having established that the church will be vicariously liable, Chapters 3 and 4 go on to consider the scope of the potential liability in connection with trespass and negligence respectively. The common theme which emerges from these chapters, is the difficulty of defining the boundaries of ministerial duties, given the breadth of activities which these duties can encompass, and the underlying Anglican belief that Holy Orders confer not just a set of tasks but a permanent state of being. The conclusion in chapter 5 proposes dealing with this challenge by analysing the clerical role for the purposes of tort in relation to the professional tasks, expertise and undertakings set out in the Clergy Terms of Service. This analysis can be separated from the theological understanding adopted by the church in the context of doctrine, and gives a workable framework for establishing the scope of tortious liability. This approach is then tested and illustrated with a series of case studies.

In this ethnography, writing as both practitioner and researcher, I represent and analyse the opinions and reflections of Anglican chaplains in English and Welsh prisons in order to locate their self - perception of role and identity. The Anglican chaplain has been a statutory appointment in every prison since 1779 and was a central figure in penal practice throughout the first half of the 19th century. Several chaplains wrote at length about their ministry and its significance; this conscious utterance in the public domain dwindled sharply from the 1860s onwards. My research presents current chaplains’ perspectives on their role and identity, configured by a social context which is perceived to be secular and in which other world faiths have a strong presence. Four main areas of focus emerge from the data: working with prisoners, working with staff, the apparently contradictory, ritual nature of secular and religious engagement, and issues of gendered interaction. These data are contextualised by respondents’ perceptions of prisons as parishes, the construction of Anglican chaplains’ identity by events within and outwith prisons and churches, and perceived relations with the Church of England and the Church in Wales. Having recognised other models of prison ministry, the thesis ends by identifying modes of potential, structured cooperation between church and chaplaincy. The epistemological con text derives from Goffman’s theory of total institutions but recognises subsequent reinterpretations of his work. The methodological reference points are Turner’s theory of liminality, Bell’s theory of ritual - like activities and Foucault’s heterotopia of deviance. The thesis offers a perspective on a traditional public form of ministry, that of the chaplains themselves, unexplored and not analysed for over a century. It is submitted as a further development in the growing discourse around practical theology and religious ministry in prisons.

No description available.

Research on faith based organisations involvement in public service provision neglects to consider the personal faith convictions of those working in this field. Using a social constructionist epistemology I investigate if and how faith convictions of employees and volunteers working for Christian based service providers impact on the work they do. Data were collected in two stages using semi structured interviews. Stage one obtained a broad overview of the role of Christian service providers from the perspective of elite Christians representing Christian organisations that have a direct connection to welfare provision in the UK. Stage two took an in-depth look at the issues raised in stage one, seeking to understand them from the perspective of ordinary Christians who work for Christian based service providers. Findings from this thesis further sociological understanding of Christian involvement in religiously plural public spheres, and argues that faith is an intrinsic part of the delivery of public services by people working for faith-based organisations. Drawing on the theoretical concept of Individualised Religiosities as proposed by Luckmann, Bellah, Davie, Beck and others, and the concept of Lived Religion as developed by McGuire and Ammerman, this thesis examines participants constructed understanding of the Christian God and its connection with public service provision. It develops a complex, three fold sociological conceptualisation of Christian perceptions of the God figure as: 1) the Supreme Being, 2) as a parental figure, and 3) an embodied God. This broad conceptualisation illustrates how participants combine institutional activities, such as attending church sermons, with more autonomous religious activities, such as personal conversations with God, to construct a multidimensional understanding of the figure. The embodied God position takes on further significance when understanding that participants use public service work as a form of church . Public service can be viewed as a form of private worship, but by embodying God, they also take God to people that may not practice Christianity. These findings challenge assumptions that the practice of religion in public projects has declined in recent years and that faith organisations are reticent to push their faith when providing services. Religious pluralism results in political expectations that faith groups are religiously neutral when delivering public services. Using Framing Theory this thesis demonstrates that participants are framing faith discourses so that they resonate with discourses deemed acceptable in the public realm. It conceptualises these discourses in two action frames, the Love, and Inclusivity Frames. There are indications of a shift towards using profane terms instead of sacred terms to explain and indirectly promote aspects of the Christian faith. Moreover, Christian teachings of love, compassion and belonging are amplified to counter criticisms that Christianity is a threat to liberal rights and beliefs. These frames, which demonstrate the accommodation of Christian discourse to a religiously plural and/or neutral discourse, have implications for how we understand Christian involvement in the public sphere.