Thesis (DTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: All children should be regarded and treated with dignity. Children’s rights have been
established in the international community as well as in South African society to address any
violations of children’s rights and any detrimental influence this can have on them. The
responsibility of ensuring that the rights of children are implemented, respected and protected
in civil society lies primarily with the national government. Nevertheless, the struggle to
realise children’s rights extends across all sectors and levels of society.
As part of the theological task of developing a publicly orientated ministry that will address
the social circumstances of children in South Africa in a just way, this study took as its point
of departure the contribution that Practical Theology can make towards a systematic and
critical interpretation of the cause of children and their welfare and rights.
At the time that the study was launched there was limited comprehensive analysis of the
subject of children in Practical Theology that devoted attention to a theological response to
the promotion of children’s welfare and rights in South African society. Two lacunae in the
theorising on children were identified in South African academic studies in Practical
Theology: (i) a lack of focus on children and their rights, and (ii) a general absence of
strategic perspectives on how the theological community can deal with the contextual
realities of children in South African society. The primary aim of this study was to develop a theoretical framework in terms of which the
contribution of Practical Theology could be conceptualised as a discourse and practice that
could promote the cause of children and their welfare and rights. David Tracy’s three publics
of theological involvement (the academy, the church and civil society) and Richard Osmer’s
conceptualisation of the four modes of practical theological interpretation (empiricaldescriptive,
interpretive, normative and pragmatic) were harnessed in an interdisciplinary way
to develop a deeper understanding of the welfare of children and the importance of a practical
theological approach to advancement of children’s welfare and rights. On the basis of Tracy’s
and Osmer’s conceptual frameworks, a number of conditions were identified to promote the
cause of children, child welfare and children’s rights in the discipline of Practical Theology in
Schools of Theology and Religion. These conditions include a third public mode of practical
theological interpretation being adopted, a culture of adultism being confronted and transformed, and children’s acts of faith becoming an integral part of the field of Practical
Theology.
On the basis of an empirical investigation among registered members of the Society for
Practical Theology in South Africa, the study comes to the conclusion that the academic field
of Practical Theology, in its interaction with communities and civil society, can make a
unique contribution to the advancement of children’s rights. The fundamental contribution of
the academic field of Practical Theology to the advancement of children’s rights in South
Africa recide in focussing on the inclusion of the cause of children in theological interpretation;
by implication this will entail actively countering the exclusion of children in theological
discourse and praxis in the field of Practical Theology. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Alle kinders verdien om ooreenkomstig hul menswaardigheid beskou en hanteer te word.
Kinderregte is deur die internasionale sowel as die Suid-Afrikaanse gemeenskap as respons
daargestel om sake wat kinders se menswaardigheid aantas en hulle nadelig beïnvloed teen te
werk. Die verantwoordelikheid om seker te maak dat die regte van kinders in die burgerlike
samelewing gerespekteer, beskerm en verwesenlik word, lê primêr by die nasionale regering.
Nietemin strek die stryd om kinderregte te laat realiseer oor alle sektore en vlakke van die
samelewing heen.
As deel van die teologiese taak om ’n publiek georiënteerde bediening te ontwikkel wat reg
sal laat geskied aan die sosiale omstandighede van kinders in Suid-Afrika, het hierdie studie
die bydrae wat Praktiese Teologie tot ’n sistematiese en kritiese interpretasie van die saak van
kinders en hul welsyn en regte kan maak as vertrekpunt geneem.
Met die aanvang van die studie het beperkte omvattende akademiese analise oor die
onderwerp van kinders in Praktiese Teologie en Teologie as sodanig bestaan waarin aandag
gegee is aan ’n teologiese respons op die bevordering van kinders se welsyn en hul regte in
die Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing. Twee gapings in die teoretisering oor kinders in die Suid-
Afrikaanse akademie van Praktiese Teologie is geïdentifiseer: (i) ’n gebrek aan fokus op
kinders en hul regte en (ii) grootlikse afwesigheid van strategiese perspektiewe oor hoe die
teologiese gemeenskap die kontekstuele realiteite van kinders in die Suid-Afrikaanse
samelewing kan hanteer. Die doel van hierdie studie was primêr om ’n teoretiese raamwerk te ontwikkel in terme
waarvan die bydrae van Praktiese Teologie tot ’n diskoers en praktyk wat vir kinders en hul
welsyn en regte bevorderlik is, gekonseptualiseer kon word. David Tracy se drie publieke van
teologiese betrokkenheid (akademie, kerk en burgerlike samelewing) asook Richard Osmer se
konseptualisering van die vier take waarvolgens prakties-teologiese interpretasie kan geskied
(empiries-beskrywend, interpreterend, normatief en pragmaties) is ingespan om op ’n
interdissiplinêre wyse verdiepte begrip vir die welsyn van kinders en die belang van ’n
prakties-teologiese bydrae tot die promovering van kinders se welsyn en regte te ontwikkel.
Daar is aan die hand van die konseptuele raamwerke van Tracy en Osmer bepaalde
voorwaardes geïdentifiseer waaronder die saak van kinders, kinderwelsyn en kinderregte in die beoefening van Praktiese Teologie aan Skole van Teologie en Godsdiens bevorder kan
word. Hierdie voorwaardes sluit in dat ’n derde publiek-modus van prakties-teologiese
interpretasie aangeneem word, ’n kultuur van adultism gekonfronteer en getransformeer word
en kinders se geloofshandelinge geïntegreerd deel van die studieveld van Praktiese Teologie
uitmaak.
Op grond van ’n empiriese ondersoek onder geregistreerde lede van die Werkgemeenskap vir
Praktiese Teologie in Suid-Afrika het die studie tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat die
akademie van Praktiese Teologie in interaksie met gemeentes en die burgerlike samelewing ’n
unieke bydrae tot die bevordering van kinderregte kan lewer. Die akademie van Praktiese
Teologie se fundamentele bydrae tot die promovering van kinderregte in Suid-Afrika bestaan daarin
om te fokus op die insluiting van die saak van kinders in teologiese interpretasie; by implikasie
sal dit behels dat Praktiese Teologie kinders se uitsluiting in teologiese diskoers en praxis
aktief teëwerk.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/71759 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Yates, Hannelie |
| Contributors | Swart, Ignatius, Human, Sonia, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | af_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 452 leaves : ill. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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