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

This thesis explores the impact and consequences of the teachings of the church, perceptions of The Divine [God] and of Mary, in the making of personal identity. In spite of secularisation and the prediction that the church would collapse in the face of modern science, recent evidence suggests that - in its various forms - religion, and belief in a higher power remain important and potentially powerful aspects in society. A foundation stone of the Christian faith is the doctrine of Imago Dei: humanity created in the image of The Divine. Although not male, The Divine is repeatedly spoken of - and addressed - in anthropomorphic masculine terms, but perceived in gender-specific stereotypical terms. Alongside The Divine - in the Roman Catholic Church - is Mary, the mother of Jesus. She is spoken of in feminine terms, but is also perceived in gender-specific stereotypical terms. Although not officially considered to be divine, Mary fulfils important needs in the life of the believer and it is in this context that her influence is evaluated. The role of the church as a community - and social institution - is also explored, based on Giddens’ theories of identity development. Belonging to a church community can provide a context for relationship, continuity, and trust. However, this potentially positive environment can have negative implications on self-identity in that restrictions on self-expression and personal choice can be as limiting as the sense of belonging is liberating. The patriarchal nature of the church is deemed to be of immense relevance. In order to establish the role of the church, The Divine, and Mary in the making of self-identity, in-depth interviews were conducted with twelve research participants belonging to Charismatic and Roman Catholic congregations, and Giddens’ criteria for self-identity development was used as the standard for evaluating participants’ personal sense of self-identity. Explored from the perspective of feminist theology, the findings of this qualitative research project suggest that it is more than gender language regarding The Divine that affects the agent’s perception of The Divine, and that the role of the church in identity formation is not uniform in its influence. It also concludes that perceptions of Mary can be influential in the development of selfidentity.

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. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic 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. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic 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)

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. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic 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 and Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Theological Ethics)

Working in a township is a challenging but also rewarding way of living. In this dissertation the researcher, in collaboration with the co-searchers, explore ways to mentor one another as they learn how to deal with trauma, either by experiencing trauma directly or witnessing secondary trauma. This leads to new ways of being 'in the moment', coping with trauma, forming a community of care and learning to be in an aware and empowered position. The responsibility of practical theology and the commitment to pastoral care are explored in the context of theology, and spesifically feminist theology, contributing to 'do hope' in Mamelodi. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / M.Th. (Pastoral Therapy)

HEARING ALL THE DRUMS: TOWARDS A MORE INCLUSIVE CONGREGATION is about increasing the participation of women in positions of both leadership and church ministry praxis within the Seventh Day Adventist church in South Africa. Women have been excluded in the office of elder, and have been generally excluded from preaching during the worship hour. The research process followed a participatory way of doing research, while using theories on social construction and post-modernist epistemological approach. The theologies that inform this work are contextual in nature and include African and Feminist theologies. In the pursuit for change, however, care is maintained to use inclusive practices that attempt to avoid polarising the congregation and their concomitant theologies. / Practical Theology / M.Th. (Pastoral Therapy)