Thesis (DTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2002 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The problem investigated in this thesis entails ordinance articles of the Dutch Reformed Church
(1998) pertaining to the relevance of offices in the church in the modern world, and more specifically
the office of the minister of the Gospel.
During the past 30 years several authors doubted and questioned the authenticity of these offices as
far as relevance, origin and content are concerned. Questions concerning the offices and especially
the office of the minister of the Gospel, are posed because the Dutch Reformed Church ordinance is,
allegedly, not based on the Scriptures and the ordinance also is accused of not providing explicit
answers to these problems.
The literature review clearly reveals that this questioning of the offices and more specifically the office
of the minister of the Gospel, is not new in overseas literature.This tendency is also lately encountered
in South Africa. The literature review also reveals that these questions are mainly driven by the
authority crisis and ideologies such as pragmatism, functionalism, secularism, and post-modernism
that leads to secularisation and democratisation. This fact emphasises the urgent need for the Church
offices to be accounted for and investigated afresh in order to measure (test) its relation to the Biblical
principles as found in the Scriptures, in the articles of faith and as they are formulated in the Dutch
Reformed Church Ordinance.
A large part of the study is dedicated to the investigation of the principles underlying the Church
Ordinance and in chapter two an account is also given of the Scripture readings that are relevant to
and justify the institution of the church offices according to the New and Old Testament. The
ordinance articles pertaining to church offices, are analysed and evaluated in historical context to
establish validity and to account for the natural historical development of the ordinance articles. The
articles of faith to which the Dutch Reformed Church subscribes, are also scrutunized for evidence of
basic Biblical principles in order to determine the extent to which these articles of faith support and are
reflected in the rulings contained in the Church Ordinance.
A critical, analytical, theological and historical investigation of the ordinance articles and the articles of
faith reveals that they abundantly account for Christian principles and that the Dutch Reformed
Church ordinance is based solidly on the Scriptures. in accepting and declaring that Jesus Christ is
the Lord and Master of his church on earth, that He instituted and still maintains the church offices as
instruments through which he, himself rules. Attention is also given to the need for reformulation of
redundant or ambiguous articles on the order in the church regarding the clergymen preaching the
Word of God. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die navorsingsprobleem van hierdie proefskrif is die vraag na die Skrifmatige, belydenismatige en historiese
agtergronde van daardie artikels in die Kerl<orde(1998) van die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk wat handel oor
die bedienaar van die Woord. Die probleem het aanleiding gegee daartoe dat tersaaklike kerkorde artikels in die
verband Skrifmatig, belydenismatig en histories nagegaan en geevalueer is.
In die afgelope meer as dertig jaar het daar verskeie werke verskyn wat vrae vra oor die ampte in die algemeen
en in die besonder oor die van bedienaar van die Woord. In die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk het ook vrae
ontstaan as gevolg van die Kerkorde wat sogenaamd nie voldoende uitsluitsel oor die amp van bedienaar van die
Woord gee nie.
Uit die literatuur oor die saak is dit duidelik dat die bevraagtekening van die ampte nie 'n nuwe tendens in die
teologiese wereld is nie. Hierdie tendens het ook na Suid-Afrika versprei. Die literatuurstudie wat in hoofstuk een
gedoen word, toon verder dat die vrae met betrekking tot die ampte nie geIsoleerd staan van die gesagskrisis en
van ideoloqiee SOOS, pragmatisme, funksionalisme, sekularisme, sekularisering, demokratisering, en
postmodernisme nie. Dit het dus noodsaaklik g8\Nord dat die ampte en in besonder die amp van bedienaar van
die Woord, teen In historiese agtergrond opnuut vanuit die beginsels van die Skrif, belydenis en Kerl<ordebekyk
en beoordeel word om sodoende ook rekening te hou met natuurlike historiese ontwikkeling.
In hoofstuk twee word aan Skrifduidinge oor ampte in die kerk vanuit teologiese en kerl<regtelike vertrekpunte
aandag gegee. In Eksegetiese studie van die Skrifgedeeltes wat betrekking het op die amp van bedienaar van die
Woord, word onder meer in hoofstuk twee gedoen. Veral qeqewens uit die Nuwe Testament word bestudeer. Die
Ou Testament word egter nie buite rekening gelaat nie.
Die belydenisskrifte, veral die Nederlandse Geloofsbelydenis, word in hoofstuk drie ondersoek om te bepaal wat
die belydenisskrifte oor die oorsprong en inhoud van die amp van bedienaar van die Woord, en ook oor die amp
in die algemeen 58. In hoofstuk vier word 'n beskrywing gegee van hoe die amp histories in Gereformeerde
Kerkordes verwoord is en ontwikkel het. In hoofstuk vyf volg dan 'n kritiese evaluering van die voorafgaande werk
ten einde te kan beoordeel of dit wat tans in die Kerkorde van die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk staan
voldoen aan Skrif en belydenis, en in Iyn is met die historiese ontwikkeling van gereformeerde kerl<regeringen of
dit voldoende is om antwoorde te kan bied op kontekstuele vrae. Voorts word aandag gegee aan herformulering
van artikels in die Kerkorde (1998) wat betrekking het op die bedienaar van die Woord. Aspekte vir verdere
navorsing word ge'identifiseeren 'n samevatting word gegee.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/53214 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Dicks, Nico Samuel,1957- |
| Contributors | Coertzen, P., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematic Theology & Ecclesiology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | af_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 236 pages |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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