Karl Jaspers is a thinker who tries in his philosophy to formulate a non-religious concept of faith. The thesis wants to clarify this "philosophical faith", which constitutes for Jaspers an answer to the question, "by what and toward what shall we live". Jaspers characterizes his philosophical faith as a "faith of a thinking man", which lay in grounds of philosophizing itself. On the one hand, philosophical faith (and philosophy itself) is different from the knowledge and science, because it cannot be reduced to a mere content; on the other hand, it is different from the religious faith and religion itself, mainly because it cannot accept the traditional Christian revelation. Finally, philo- sophical faith can be characterized as a communicative manner of life, which wants to reach the maximum possible level of understanding by all people. Keywords Karl Jaspers, philosophical faith, transcendence, existence, religion, revelation, communication

The diploma thesis deals with the principle of material publicity in the context of land law. This principle was reintroduced into the domestic legal system as a part of the recodification of private law. The principle of material publicity (the protection of public good faith) has restored a faith in records in public registers, thereby providing protection to an acquirer in good faith who may acquire a property from a non-entitled person under certain legal conditions. With the adoption of the Civil Code, a case-law dispute between the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court was settled and the principle nemo plus iuris ad ali transferre potest quam ipse habet, which the previous regulation consisted in, was broken. However, the legal effects of material publicity do not work indefinitely, but under certain conditions. A significant part of the thesis is devoted to the explanatory problems associated with them. The crucial condition may be to designate a good faith on the part of the acquirer, which must be assessed in the light of all the circumstances of the case, i.e. objectively. The thesis also includes an analysis of the relevant judicial decisions of the Supreme Court of the Czechoslovak Republic concerning cases in which the good faith of the acquirer was excluded. Due to the absence...

The Central figure in this thesis is William Gurnall M.A. (Cambridge) who lived from 1616 to 1679. He was the Rector of the Lavenham Parish church for 35 years, 1644/45-1679. He was one of the few Puritans who remained in the Established Church after the 1662 Act of Uniformity had been promulgated. His 'The Christian in Complete Armour' is one of the greatest practical-pastoral works to come from the pen of any Puritan. It is firmly based on Calvinistic theological principles. While holding common beliefs in many areas, Gurnall nevertheless was at odds with his fellow Puritans over certain crucial issues that directly affected his attitude to the Puritan revolution. His analysis of the person, being, nature, wiles, strategies and weapons of the Christian's great enemy and description of the Christian's resources such as the role of the shield of faith in its multiple uses, which constitute an important contribution to pastoral theory and practice are shown to arise out of Gurnall's theological stance, his own personal history, the history of East Anglia and of Lavenham in particular; his reflections on the 'Days of Great Confusions' and his deep concern for the breakdown in orderly society and the decline of genuine piety in the church. Basically we will concentrate on three issues: First. The real nature and locus of the Christian's spiritual warfare. Second. -- The means used for his investigation, namely, an examination of the person, power, methods and wiles of the Christian's great enemy and the vital role of the shield of faith. -- Third. His conclusions.

This study attempted to understand Malachi’s ethics by situating them firmly in a particular historical, religious and socio-economic context. Malachi as the conscience of his people was skilful and creative in adapting the older prophetic traditions to the advantage of their religious, economic and socio-cultural context. The book of Malachi contains a fundamental critique of the sacrificial practices of the time. The prophetic criticism of the cult as seen in the book was conducted on the basis of covenantal principles. The book’s ethical uniqueness is observed somehow most clearly in the preponderance of a negative emphasis the book places on temple rituals and the way the language of the cult dominates his analysis of malpractices. The book shows where the ritual delinquencies are and how to deal with them. Thus for the purpose of enacting a communal ethic, the thesis stressed the theological values and ethical relevance of the enduring message of Yahweh alone as the sovereign of all creation and thus of humble trust and hope in him, of repentance, of commitment to the ideals of fidelity and steadfastness, of judgment, truth and justice, and of covenant renewal and restoration of fortunes which Malachi offers people who yearn for them irrespective of their religious and cultural background and nationality. The study showed how the ethical dimensions of Yahweh (theological dimension); his people as a restored community of faith (social and political aspects) and their land (economic conditions) as seen in the book of Malachi obviously make ethical proposals for faith communities in dealing with every theological, socio-political, and economic issue within the larger human society. Thus the various interpretations of the different oracles in the book of Malachi served as basis for this study to evolve ethical proposals for contemporary Christian application, at least within an ecclesia community. The church must serve as a channel through which the ethical demands of God for a well-ordered community can be mediated within her and larger human society and must find creative ways to translate the biblical imperative in a contemporary theological, social and economic context. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lk2014 / Old Testament Studies / PhD / Unrestricted

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The study originated with the assumption that the praxis of the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa (AFM) shows that pastors are possibly so busy with numerous duties, responsibilities and many demands made on them, that they have difficulty in mobilizing their assemblies for effective ministry (Eph. 4:12). The majority of assemblies in the AFM are functioning as institutional model assemblies. In these assemblies most of the ministries are primarily performed by the pastors, permanent staff members and a small group of the laity. The consequences are that such assemblies do not effectively fulfill the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19). Assembly mobilization implies a process whereby the laity is empowered to discover, develop and perform voluntary works of service (ministry). The study was undertaken based on the social sciences and implementing an analytical and critical approach, to develop an enhanced understanding of the way the church functions, as the body of Christ and as a living organism. The potential for growth in the body of Christ involves the mutual contribution of every member so that the whole might be built up and achieve maturity. Consequently the body of Christ metaphor was suggested as preferential for the future functioning and practice of assembly ministries, because:  The metaphor presents a principal expression of the Biblical will of God for the way in which an assembly functions in carrying out the Great Commission;  The disadvantages of institutionalism are counteracted and neutralized by this metaphor;  Both qualitative and quantitative assembly growths occur where this metaphor is implemented. The study seeks to emphasize the importance of the fact that equipping the laity has to be an ongoing process in local assemblies. With the aforementioned as point of departure, it is argued that:  All persons should be equipped to competent levels to enable them to contribute to the growth and development of the assembly through various ministries;  The fivefold ministry (Eph. 4:12) should accept the responsibility to equip the laity for their ministry;  Every lay person is gifted by God (Eph. 4:7) and should accept responsibility to minister using their gifts to build up and benefit the assembly;  Equipping and empowering the laity are crucial elements to accomplish the Great Commission. The objective was to develop the body of Christ metaphor for assemblies that focus on utilizing the gifts of the laity. This study argues that assemblies will not accomplish this objective until pastors see it as their primary responsibility to mobilize their assemblies. The challenge facing pastors lies in whether they will be able to make the following paradigm shifts:  Leadership shift from ministers to equippers;  A ministry shift from consumers to contributors. Creating a new culture and promoting the equipping and empowerment of the laity should therefore be given priority by pastors in local assemblies as a whole. These changes will enable the body of Christ to contribute to carry out the Great Commission. The program that was designed is suitable for the discovery, equipping and empowerment of the potential of the laity for voluntary works of service (ministry). The study seeks to create a general development strategy to empower the laity in assemblies. It purposefully engineers certain paradigm shifts, changes structures, creates a new management approach and introduces new processes. The spiritual growth and autonomy of any assembly depends partially on effective organization. In order to function effectively assemblies need to apply sound managerial techniques. Assemblies are to pay attention to the critical judgment of current theories. Lastly, the assembly is seen as an organization with a strong spiritual component consisting mainly of volunteers. An assembly structured according to the body of Christ metaphor will benefit greatly when it implements a “utilization of people” management theory. This thesis is a contribution aimed at assisting the leadership not only to create a culture for assembly mobilization, but also to assist them in restructuring to ensure that the process will be managed effectively. / Dr. M. Nel Prof. L. Nortjé-Meyer

M.Th. / The calling of the church is put in no uncertain terms. A lost word must be reached with the good news that there is salvation and new life in Christ Jesus. The local congregation is mainly carrying the responsibility for this. In the modern, rapid changing, consumer oriented society, congregations don't always succeed in reaching the people in their neighbourhood with this good news. A new genration of church growth experts suggest that good marketing principles can be helpful. Although the congregations already make use of certain marketing practices, a new world of marketing is opened up in the church. Church marketing originate from this. This is, however an unknown area for the most congregational leaders and require thorough study. The Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa is standing within a rapid changing context, that direct enormous challenges to the local congregation. With great social crisis, a rapid changing society and drastic internal changes, there are almost unlimited opportunities for congregations. The question is thus, how these new tendencies in church marketing can help congregations in the the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa to meet these challenges. In this study an incisive inquiry is conducted into the new tendencies of church marketing, in order to get insight into marketing practices. Next, the specific situation of the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa is investigated in order to identify how church marketing can help local congregations. Practical guidelines for church marketing in the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa are suggested in order to help church leaders with implementation.

Theological training is in a crisis worldwide. Although the role that Theological Seminaries have fulfilled is acknowledged, there is a growing concern about the ability of these institutions to serve the upcoming generations of Christian leaders. Some warn they may not be well tailored for our post-modern age. Many people feel that the Seminary as an institution is in danger of extinction due to irrelevancy. Seminaries, in general, are perceived as not connecting to the needs of today’s church. The Auckland Park Theological Seminary (ATS), whose training is the subject of this research, is not excluded from this concern of the Church for relevant theological training. Many pastors of the AFM of SA are of the opinion that the training offered at the ATS does not effectively train pastors for the ministry. The purpose of this research is to investigate and describe how pastors who studied at the ATS experienced their theological training, as well as to offer guidelines to the Church and the ATS to develop a more effective model for theological training. Semi-structured, phenomenological interviews were conducted with a number of pastors. These interviews were taped with their permission. The question asked during each interview was: “How do you experience the theological training offered at the ATS as preparation for the ministry?”. The research has revealed a number of themes and sub-themes that should be addressed by a new model for theological training. They are as follows: • There is a need of a thorough theological education as foundation, especially in the areas of Bible knowledge and Dogmatics. • The focus of the training is mainly cognitive and not practical. There should be a greater emphasis on the “how” of doing ministry. • The respondents indicated that they have a need that their own spiritual gifts and ministries should be developed. • They experience a lack of training in interpersonal skills. There is especially a need for training on how the pastor’s family should effectively function in ministry. • The research has shown that the ATS should take co-responsibility to develop the character and spirituality of their students. • The students expressed a need that the lecturers should be their mentors. • The greatest needs were in the areas of management and ministerial skills. The students felt that they were not adequately prepared in the areas of leadership, management of personnel, team building, developing a vision for ministry, marketing and funding, preaching and communication skills, how to mobilize the members of their churches, the Missiological purpose of the Church, youth – and children’s ministry, the planning of church services, music and worship, technical skills such as video productions, the use of multimedia, and computer skills, and general skills such as the practice of the sacraments, hospital visitation, and the role of statistics. • The research has shown that the students have a need for specialized training in accordance with their gifts and ministries. Based on these results, guidelines are then offered for a more effective model for theological training. / Dr. B.J. Geyser

The purpose of this study is to suggest a paradigm shift that will enable the traditional pastor to effectively mobilize his congregation. An in depth look at the early history of the pastor of the Carletonville-AFM congregation and his idea of the ministry was undertaken. Due to certain frustrations he experienced trying to do everything himself, the Body of Christ model was proposed for the congregation whereby every member of the congregation has a function in fulfulling the Great Commision. Certain statistics of the Carletonville-AFM congregation were analysed to obtain information about membership involvement in service ministry. It became clear that a process for the mobilisation of the congregation was needed. Mobilising the congregation should be seen as the purpose of the pastor and considered to be very important. The pastor’s managerial approach was scrutinized from the paradigm shift of ‘purposefulness,’ and the recommendation made that as the leader, he should build a strong team around himself to whom he can delegate work, thus making his work load lighter. This will empower him to concentrate on the purpose of mobilising the congregation. The study argues that there is no such thing as an untalented member, in other words, everybody has received a talent to do service ministry. The potential in people must be developed by way of equipping the members. The pastor is responsible for this development and equipping of the members. This study is a contribution that endeavours to focus the managerial approach of the pastor in the mobilisation of the Body of Christ. / Prof. W.J. Hattingh

This study is motivated out of a concern for the declining church attendance of young adults. The goal of this study is the identification of the needs of young adults in relation to the church service and the measurement of the success of the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa (A.F.M. hereafter) in meeting these needs. The reseach is done through an exploratory-descriptive literature study and an empirical study within certain A.F.M. congregations. In the literature study the developmental tasks, context and needs of young adults are identified and these needs are explained within the framework of several need-models from psychology and other sciences. The context of young adults is explained by the generation gaps as described by Codrington (1999). The identified needs of Carroll (1991), a sense of meaning, belonging and empowerment, forms the focus of this study. In the literature study the church service, within the context of the A.F.M. Church is explored, as well as how the liturgical elements are able to meet the needs of Carroll. The needs of young adults in relation to the church service and how the A.F.M. Church succeeds in meeting these needs, are explored through the use of self-administered questionnaires. The most important finding of the empirical study, is that young adults do agree with the needs identified by Carroll. A surprising result in contradiction with the literature, is that young adults do have a strong sense of social responsibility and want to be empowered to make a difference in the world. The four participating A.F.M. congregations, Goodwood, Strandfontein, Doxa Deo Langeberg and the Paarl Protea Worship Centre, were positively evaluated by respondents in terms of meeting the needs of Carroll. There was however, a significant statistical difference between the respondents’ evaluation of Carroll’s needs and the success of the participating churches’ success in meeting these needs. The study is concluded with recommendations for the planning of church services within the context of the A.F.M. as well as follow-up studies. The conclusion of this study is that the true character of the church service must be reflected in the planning of the liturgical elements. Enough freedom for the functioning of the Holy Spirit must also be created in such a way that the needs of young adults can be met. The planning of the church service must be focussed on the worshipping of God, the preaching of the gospel in such a way that people can find new meaning in their lives, the facilitating of a meeting between congregation and God, the creating of a loving community and the empowerment of people to make a difference in the world. In this way, the commands of God and the needs of young adults are kept in balance. / Prof. W.J. Hatting