In this dissertation I shall give a brief historical survey of Black Theology and the African Independent Churches (AI Cs). The study focuses mainly to the developments of the two trends in South Africa. This was done after realising that Black Theologians often ignored the history of Black people, including that of the AI Cs which has in the end stymied their efforts. The immediate effects were negative in that little results were produced. ATCs and Black Theology have interesting histories which complement each another. I will present the current state of affairs and give some guidelines on how the future debate can be carried out. The two theological trends have weaknesses and strengths which are clearly identifiable. In chapter four I give guidelines for future debates and possible new developments. This study is also carried out to expand the scope of dialogue and constructive debate among the two. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

One of the presuppositions of the present research is that readers and their contexts play a significant role in the interpretation of biblical texts. The key text of this thesis is Proverbs 31: 10-31 and the main readers are African women in a kyriarchal South African (Northern Sotho) context. Given their context of a multiplicity of oppressive forces ( racism, sexism, classism and African culture), how can these women read Proverbs 31: 10-31 appropriately with a view to their liberation? The researcher proposes a new woman's liberationist perspective, a Bosadi perspective, a perspective committed amongst others, to the African-ness of the African woman in South Africa. The question is: If Proverbs 31:10-31 is read from a Bosadi (Womanhood) perspective, how will the Northern Sotho women in a South African context find the text - a text emerging from a kyriarchal Hebraic culture? Will they find it to be oppressive or liberative or will it be found to be containing both elements? The present researcher, like many reformist women liberation biblical scholars (cf some feminists and womanists ), argues that though the Bible emerged from patriarchal cultures, and contains elements oppressive to women, it also has liberative elements. Through the use of socio-critical hermeneutics, reception criticism and historical-criticism, evidence supporting this came to light as the present researcher re-read Proverbs 31:10-31 from a Bosadi critical perspective. It is therefore argued that when the Bible was used by the previous proponents of apartheid to subordinate people of other races, Black Theologians re-read the Bible from a Black perspective and used it for the racial liberation of Black South Africans. Likewise, an average South African woman, particularly an African woman, is basically a victim of male interpreters who use the Bible to subordinate women. It is the task of all African women to take the responsibility upon themselves to use appropriate tools in re-reading the Bible in order to discover that the Bible does not only alienate them, it is also the liberating word; the word which makes more sense to them because of their relationship with the Word which became flesh (Jn 1:1). / D. Litt. et Phil. (Biblical Studies)

No abstract available / Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Systematic Theology)

Text in Afrikaans / Loosit is a pastoral care model which may be applied to primary school children in South Africa and the use thereof is explored in this research project. Loosit consists of a series of plays as well as a discipleship program. These plays, humoristic yet contextually relevant to children, are done on a set resembling school toilets. Children are encouraged to write to the leading character, Uncle Jani Tor, and to post the letters in the `toilet` post box. Themes focused on in this project are problems with friends, social pressure, problems in the family and death. There is a specific focus on the ethics of Loosit as a model of pastoral care applicable to children. / Practical Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology)

Religious and cultural discourses shape relationships/marriages. The constructed nature of relationships/marriages opens the possibility for alternative relational realities. Positioning relationships/marriages in alternative discourses assisted the couples to construct a preferred relationship narrative. Three couples embarked on this feminist participatory action research journey - a couple from the Jehovah's Witnesses tradition,' a couple from the Dutch Reformed Church and a couple from a Gay Refonned Church. Conversations with the participating couples deconstructed their relationships. It also enabled the couples to co-author alternative, preferred realities of their relationships/marriages and to provide rich descriptions of these. / Practical Theology / M. Th. (Pastoral Therapy)

Women in the Theological Anthropology of the Afrikaans Reformed Tradition This dissertation examines women in the theological anthropology of the Afrikaans Reformed Churches. The study is set out as follows: In Chapter 1, a survey of methodology is presented. The exposition of the question about the theological anthropology is done against a poststructural background. Both structuralism and poststructuralism largely put aside existentialism as an inadequate methodology. Chapter 2 aims to give an overview of the contribution of Michel Foucault. The chapter begins with a discussion of structuralism. This brief overview is then followed by a classification and investigation of the basic aspects of Foucault's approach. The chapter highlights Foucault's rootedness in poststructuralism. Chapter 3 attempts to explain silence of women in the theological anthropology of Dutch Reformed Church. The central aim of Chapter 3 is to demonstrate, against the development of the women ministries and the discourse about the ordination of women, that the Dutch Reformed Church theological anthropology is deeply influenced by the discursive practices developed during 1928-1932. Chapter 4 gives an overview of the developments in the theological anthropology of the Dutch Reformed Mission Church, Dutch Reformed Church of Africa and the Uniting Reformed Church of Southern Africa that took place from 1924 until 2002. Different approaches to the women question developed in the course of time. At the heart of the discourse is the shift in the reading process. The developments in the feminist standpoint theory as such led to this displacement. In Chapter 5 the deconstruction of the theological anthropology are being discussed. Preference is given in this chapter to the concept partnership or transformative relations. In the concluding chapter [Chapter 6], a poststructural feminist discourse is presented. Selected guidelines that the church may wish to take into account in the deconstructing of the theological anthropology are suggested. In the future, the frame of reference to the women question would likely be poststructural. / Systematic Theology and Theological Ethics / D. Th. (Systematic Theology)

no abstract available / Practical Theology / M.Th.(Systematic Theology)

Text in Afrikaans / In this qualitative research study the landscape of the age-old tradition of contemplative spirituality within the context of the reformed tradition was investigated. An empirical study was done to determine the pastoral needs and experiences of Afrikaans speaking believers from the reformed tradition, involved in contemplative spirituality. Questionnaires and qualitative interviews were used for this purpose. The research path has been further shaped by social construction theory as a postmodern approach. This study was born out of my own discovery of the healing qualities of contemplative spirituality and secondly due to the growing demand among Afrikaans speaking reformed believers for exposure to the disciplines of contemplative spirituality. Little research is available on this topic and is it the hope of this research to open new conversations about contemplative spirituality in the Afrikaans reformed tradition. / Practical Theology / M. Th. (Praktiese Teologie)

The author strongly holds- in the thesis- that the Theology of liberation can inspi re the poor of South Africa to uproot the post-1994 socio-economic and political evil structures which continue unabated to impoverish them. The introductory chapter studies the reasons which motivated the author to write the thesis. It further discusses the method, the format and the limitations of the thesis. Chapter one focuses on the author's understanding of the Theology of liberation, and its historical background. Chapter two discusses the relationship between the Theology of Liberation and black theology, while chapter three contemplates on the possibility of the creation of what the author calls, An African Theology of Liberation. Chapter four studies the relationship between the Theology of liberation and the Social Teachings of the Catholic Church as taught by the pope and his council. The study of this relationship is extremely difficult because of the on-going, and seemingly insurmountable ideological differences between the two parties. The author suggests, as a solutio n, that each party seriously considers and recognizes the contextual limitations of its theology. Chapter five focuses on the implementation of the Theology of Liberat ion into the South African situation. The author highly recommends the inclusion of the veneration of the ancestors of Africa, as a perfect instrument by means of which the Theology of Liberation can succeed in achieving one of its major aims, which is to convert the poor to be leaders of their own liberation. The concluding chapter suggests concrete ways through which the Theology of Liberation can be kept alive and relevant within the South African situation. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Theological Ethics)

Thesis (MTh (Practical Theology and Missiology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In ‘n sosio-ekonomies minder bevoorregte bruin gemeenskap is misdaad, alkohol- en dwelmmisbruik, werkloosheid, en armoede alledaagse verskynsels. Hoe begelei ‘n mens ‘n gemeente om ‘n missionale gemeente binne so ‘n gemeenskap te word? Kan ‘n gemeente wie se lidmate in die greep van armoede en verwante verskynsels vasgevang is, omvorm word tot ‘n gemeente wat nie net bakhand staan om te ontvang nie? Kan so ‘n gemeente se lidmate bemagtig word om self betrokke te word by hul uitdagings in die gemeenskap? Wellington is ‘n besonderse dorp met besonderse mense en ‘n unieke, historiesekarakter en geskiedenis wat wêreldwyd bekend is op kulturele, musikale, opvoedkundige, landbou- en Christelike gebied. Die inwoners van die dorp is oorwegend bruin Afrikaanssprekendes met baie blanke en swart inwoners - oorwegend Christene met ‘n baie klein Moslem komponent. Wellington is wel ‘n klein dorpie, maar die wyse waarop globale tendense soos globalisasie, godsdiens, taal, bendes, misdaad, alkohol- en dwelmmisbruik, armoede, en werkloosheid ‘n rol speel, is onrusbarend. Oral in dié gemeenskappe is probleme en uitdagings en ons as die kerk mag nie langer stilbly oor dinge wat in die gemeenskap gebeur nie. Met die uitdagings en behoeftes wat in ons konteks beskryf word en die feit dat die meeste probleme sosiaal-maatskaplik en sosio-ekonomies is, staan die kerk sentraal as ‘n agent van verandering. Die Breakthru Restoration Community Church (BRCC) is ‘n geordende gemeente wat, te midde van ‘n see vol probleme, ‘n eiland van hoop is. As ‘n gemeente wat omgee deur God se liefde in aksie te wees binne ‘n sosio-ekonomies, onderontwikkelde gemeenskap, is ons die sout en die lig van die wêreld. Breakthru het binne ‘n bestek van vyf jaar die landskap van Wellington en omgewing onherroeplik verander deurdat ons Bybels, aanpasbaar, ekumenies, relevant en effektief is. Ons leuse is, every member a minister, wat al ‘n refrein in ons gemeente geword het. Ons streef daarna om die “sout” en die “lig” te wees en ons doen dit deur ons grootste bate, ons lidmate, te bemagtig en te mobiliseer om eienaarskap van die gemeente se visie te neem. As kerk spreek ons die geestelike, maatskaplike en sosio-ekonomiese probleme holisties aan deur die Woord van God sowel as in vennootskap met ander organisasies. Ons wil as draers van hoop in ons gemeenskap leef. ‘n Beskrywende studie van die gemeente is gedoen deur ‘n prakties-teologiese metodiek te gebruik. Dit word in hoofstuk een as die inleiding beskryf. In hoofstuk twee word ‘n kontekstuele analise van die gemeenskap gedoen. Hoofstuk drie verskaf ‘n profiel van BRCC en stippel die werksaamhede, visie, missie en doelwitte van die gemeente uit. Hoofstuk vier fokus op die identiteit en kultuur van die gemeente. In hoofstuk vyf het die navorser ‘n strategie vir ‘n missionale identiteit vir die Breakthru Restoration Community Church uitgestippel. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In a socio-economic disadvantaged coloured community where poverty, alcohol and drug abuse, unemployment and crime are everyday realities, how do you guide a congregation to be a missional congregation amidst these challenges? Can a congregation, whose members are caught in the grip of poverty and related challenges, as described above, be transformed into a missional congregation, with members who are actively involved in tackling these issues? Wellington is a unique town with unique people and a unique historical character and history, which is widely known. The population comprises predominantly Afrikaans speaking coloured people together with many white and African people who are predominantly Christian, with a small Muslim population. Wellington is a small town but the way that global tendencies, such as globalization, religion, language, gangs, crime, alcohol and drug abuse, unemployment, and poverty have plagued our community is a matter of concern. Every community has its own challenges and problems, but the church can no longer keep silent about issues in this community. The church should break its silence on issues. Among the challenges and needs that are described in the context, and the fact that most of these challenges are social and socio-economic by nature, the church stands central as an agent of change. The Breakthru Restoration Community Church (BRCC) is an ordained congregation that, amidst a sea of challenges, is prominent as an island of hope. As a congregation that cares by demonstrating God’s love by means of various activities in this sosio-economically disadvantaged community, we are indeed the salt and light of the world. Within a space of five years, Breakthru has changed the landscape of Wellington completely by means of our vision for this community. Our vision includes: being Biblical, ecumenical, relevant and effective. Our slogan is: every member a minister, which means motivating the members of the church to be actively involve in the missio Dei. We do this by empowering and mobilizing our greatest asset, i.e. our members, to take ownership of the congregation’s vision. Furthermore, we believe in the concept: “Together we can do more.” As a church, we addresses the spiritual, social and socio-economic challenges holistically through the Word of God and also by partnering with other organizations. Our vision is to live as bearers of hope in our community. The descriptive study of the congregation was done by using a practicaltheological methodology, which chapter one, as the introduction, describes. Chapter two contains a contextual analysis of the community. Chapter three provides a profile of the BRCC that focuses on our vision, mission, functions and goals. Chapter four emphasizes the identity and culture of the congregation and in chapter five the researcher has mapped out a strategy for a missional identity for the Breakthru Restoration Community Church.