In the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa (AFM) there is a school of thought, which has a very simplistic viewpoint of the role of the Evil One in the suffering in this world. Satan is seen as a very definite adversary who has to be resisted by rebuke and positive confession of the promises in the Bible in order for man to have a life free of any suffering. The consequence of the extreme dualistic perspective is that Satan is regarded as an independent entity. Man, as God’s representative, is the one with the authority and responsibility to thwart the efforts of Satan to cause suffering in the world. All suffering is the result of the direct onslaught of Satan. The Bible paints a different picture in both Testaments. Satan is a rebel, but still a creature subjected to the supremacy of God. There is also no preoccupation with Satan. He is an elusive foe, focusing his subtle attacks on the relationship between God and man. The Old Testament shows his subtle and illusive nature by using images of human enemies, mythical monsters and the threat of death. The believer of both Testaments resists him by living a Godfocused life. The life and works of C.S. Lewis have been pivotal in changing the perspective of the writer of this dissertation. Lewis shows that God is using suffering as a scalpel as it were, to cut out the infection caused by evil contamination in the heart of man. Until the Kingdom of God finally arrives in fullness, this will be the situation. Suffering has not only one role-player. The situation is more often than not of a very complex and mysterious nature. It is suggested that the simplistic school of thought take notice of the insights of Lewis. This study has shown that the simplistic school of thought in the AFM lacks the depth and balance found in the Bible and ingeniously expounded by C.S. Lewis. / Dr. LP Mare
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:8212 |
| Date | 15 April 2008 |
| Creators | Van der Merwe, Jakobus Potgieter |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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