Thesis (DTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A critical reflection on the researcher’s personal story - a white Afrikaner woman and a
member of the Dutch Reformed Church - and her raised awareness regarding the devastating
effects of racism, sexism and poverty in South Africa informs the development of a
participatory pastoral praxis. The liberation of South Africa and the post-apartheid social
reality have unmasked the confessional and kerygmatic approach of practical theology,
revealing them to be supportive of dualistic thinking. This approach has frequently blinded us
from understanding the ideologies of apartheid and patriarchy and the extent and complexity
of their oppressive effects. This research is about doing theology in context and, as such
marks a radical shift in practical theology from a confessional-kerygmatic to a publichermeneutical
approach.
From a methodological perspective the hermeneutic spiral applied in theory formation
challenges the church to participate in a praxis approach that will contribute to the healing and
transformation of post-apartheid society. Feminist theology and post-structuralist theory,
within which Narrative Therapy is positioned, provide the critical lenses for viewing the social
realities of South African society. As an interdisciplinary partner to practical theology,
Narrative Therapy contributes to liberating action as expressed in a participatory praxis.
While holding the metaphor of the Shepherd as expression of God’s compassion, the
normative guiding metaphor for a participatory pastoral praxis is the parable of the Good
Samaritan. As an embodiment of God’s transformative love and care towards our neighbour,
the Good Samaritan points the way to a new way of doing pastoral care. Ten characteristics
of a participatory pastoral praxis are identified: the personal is the professional and political;
participation with the other; participation with people; participation with awareness;
participation in voicing; participation with our bodies; participation together with others;
participation in social transformation; participation in interrelatedness and participation in
doing restitution. Taken together, they make a significant contribution to the theory formation,
ethics and praxis of practical theology with a transformative and healing agenda.
The empirical research includes a contextual analysis of the main social problems confronting
post-apartheid South Africa: namely, racism, sexism, poverty and the ways in which the
HIV/AIDS pandemic interrelates with these. The researcher uses case examples from her
praxis - as therapist, community participant, teacher of Narrative Therapy and member of the
leadership of the Dutch Reformed Church - to research the transformative effect of a participatory pastoral praxis. In this respect the prophetic dimension of a participatory praxis
of care could play a decisive role within the ecclesiology of the Dutch Reformed Church.
The transformative effect of Narrative Therapy in working with survivors of childhood sexual
abuse is researched in a case example where individual therapy supports the client’s
empowered response to poverty, racism and sexism within a rural farming community. Case
examples of community participation involve inter-faith dialogue with a Muslim community
where historical injustices are addressed through story and memory in a bridge-building
function as well as participation with an organization caring for people infected by HIV/AIDS.
The values, commitments and practices that support the raising of awareness of social
injustices like racism is researched; examples from Narrative Therapy training work show how
this approach encourages awareness of social injustices in participants. The transformation of
oppressive practices, structures and ideologies within the Dutch Reformed Church is
researched. Examples are taken from congregational participation and from women’s
participation within the male-dominated synodical leadership structures. The outcome of the
research finding assists practical theology, pastoral care and counselling in theory formation
and provides a methodology that will enable participation beyond the boundaries of individual
consultation rooms to a personal commitment towards the healing and transformation of the
wider church and South African society. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: ‘n Kritiese refleksie op die navorser se persoonlike storie as wit Afrikaner vrou en lidmaat van
die Nederduits Gereformeerde kerk en haar verhoogde bewussyn van die vernietegende
effekte van rassisme, seksisme en armoede binne die Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing dien as
bron en inspirasie vir die ontwikkeling van ‘n deelnemende pastorale praxis. Die bevryding
van Suid-Afrika en die post-apartheid realiteite het die konfessionele en kerygmatiese
benadering tot praktiese teologie ontmasker as ondersteunend van die dualisms wat ons
verblind het vir die onderdrukkende effek van die ideologië van rassisme en patriargie. As
radikale skuif vanaf ‘n konfessioneel-kerygmatiese na ‘n publiek-hermeneutiese benadering in
praktiese teologie gaan hierdie navorsing oor die doen van teologie in konteks.
Vanuit ‘n metodologiese perspektief daag die hermeneutiese spiraal wat in teorie formasie
gebruik word die kerk uit om deel te neem in ‘n praxis benadering wat bydrae tot die heling en
transformasie van ‘n post-apartheid samelewing. Feministiese teologie en poststrukturalistiese
teorie waar binne NarratieweTerapie geposisioneer is, bied die lense vir ‘n
kritiese analise van die sosiale realtiete van die Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing. As
interdissiplinere vennoot tot praktiese teologie dra Narratiewe Terapie by tot bevrydende
aksie soos uitgedruk binne ‘n deelnemende praxis.
Met behoud van die metafoor van die Herder as uitdrukking van God se deernis, dien die
gelykenis van die Barmhartige Samaritaan as normatiewe riglyn vir die beliggaming van God
se transformerende liefde en omgee vir die naaste binne ‘n deelnemende pastorale praxis.
Tien eienskappe van ‘n deelnemende pastorale praxis word identifiseer: die persoonlike is die
professionele en politieke; deelname met die ander; deelname met mense; deelname met
bewussyn; deelname in stemgewing; deelname deurbeliggaming; deelname tesame met
ander; deelname in sosiale transformasie; deelname in interafhanklikheid en deelname in die
doen van restitusie. Saam maak hulle ‘n betekenisvolle bydrae tot die teorie-vorming, etiek en
praxis van praktiese teologie met ‘n transformerende en helende agenda.
Die empiriese navorsing sluit ‘n konteksuele analise van die belangrikste sosiale problem:
naamlik, rassisme, seksisme en armoede asook die MIV/VIGS pandemie wat hiermee
verweef is. Die navorser gebruik voorbeelde vanuit haar praxis as terapeut,
gemeenskapsdeelnemer, opleier van Narratiewe Terapie en lidmaat van en leier binne die
Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk om die transformerende effek van ‘n deelnemende pastorale praxis na te vors. In die geval behoort die profetiese dimensie van ‘n deelnemende pastorale
praxis ‘n beslissende rol binne die ekklesiologie van die Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk te
speel.
Die transformerende effek van Narratiewe Terapie in die werk met persone wat as kinders
seksueel molesteer is, word nagevors in ‘n voorbeeld waar individuele terapie die kliënt
ondersteun om met ‘n bemagtigde respons te reageer op die sosiale problem geassosieer
met armoede, rassisme en seksisme binne ‘n plattelandse boerdery gemeenskap.
Voorbeelde van gemeenskapsdeelname sluit inter-godsdienstige dialoog met ‘n Moslem
gemeenskap waarin historiese onregte aangespreek word deur storie en geheue by ‘n
Brugbou-funksie sowel as deelname met ‘n organisasie betrokke by die versorging van
mense met HIV/VIGS. Die waardes, verbintenisse en praktyke wat bydra tot groter
bewusmaking van sosiale onregte soos rassisme word nagevors deur middel van voorbeelde
uit Narratiewe Terapie opleiding waar ‘n diversiteit van deelnemers aangemoedig word. Die
transformasie van onderdrukkende praktyke, strukture en ideologië binne die Nederduits
Gereformeerde Kerk word nagevors met voorbeelde uit gemeentelike deelname sowel as
voorbeelde uit vroue se deelname binne die mans-gedomineerde sinodale leierskap
strukture. Die uitkomste van die navorsings bevindinge help praktiese teologie, pastorale sorg
en berading in teorie formasie en metodologie wat ‘n deelname buite die grense van
individuele konsultasies in spreekkamers moontlik maak en wat kan lei tot ‘n persoonlike
verbintenis om by te dra tot heling en transformasie van die wyer gemeenskap en kerk.
Sleutelwoorde:
Rassisme; seksisme; armoede; deelnemendepastorale praxis; publiek-hermeneutiese
benadering tot praktiese teologie; heling en transformasie van post-apartheid samelewing;
Narratiewe Terapie; feministiese theology; post-strukturalistiese teorie; terapie met seksuele
molestering as kind; gemeenskaps praxis; Narratiewe Terapie opleidings praxis; profetiese
leierskap in die Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/20040 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Morkel, Elizabeth |
| Contributors | Louw, D.J., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xii, 319 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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