It is becoming increasingly evident that church members have totally different
expectations of the 21st century church. The main complaint is that people experience the
church as being irrelevant in their daily lives. There are three strong basic needs which
are influenced by religious activities, namely a search for fellowship, meaning and
endowment for life
This research is about finding a balance between the rational and the emotional
perceptions during corporate worship, so as to involve the total being. Worship should be
a formative experience. The development should result from an encounter with God
which would compel man to humility before and obedience to God. Spiritual
development and edifying should take place primarily through preaching of the Gospel.
The emphasis should be on God-centred, Biblical corporate worship. Worshipping God is
the most important activity of the faithful.
This study is directed by the hypothesis that the cognitive, emotive and the conative are
all three aspects of one and the same person and which should be given expression to
during corporate worship. One should never dominate the other.
A specific anthropological approach has been chosen. To modern man, the covenant
holds the rational belief that the Creator God is the same Person who, in an emotional
manner, speaks to his heart. God can be experienced as present and real. God promises
and also enables. Humanness is twofold: person of the Covenant and image of God. A
person of the Covenant should not only worship but also offer. Chapter 3 refers to thought patterns and systems. In the Bible the thoughts of
man emerge as the central source of renewal. When man starts to think differently, he
also starts to do differently. Whole brain thinking must be applied to optimally
experience God. This means the integration of analytical, imaginative structured and
sensitive approaches resulting in the combination of the rational and emotive; the
objective and the subjective. From this follows emotional intelligence.
Chapter 4 presents an evaluation of the effect of postâmodernism on corporate worship.
Inclusive and holistic thinking takes place from different angles within the spiritual realm
of thought. Exclusivity has become unacceptable. The perceptions of the post-modernism
could contribute towards reaching man as an entity. The dangers involved can however
not be ignored.
In Chapter 5 the issue of emotion comes up for discussion. This cannot be separated from
religion. The faithful shall love God with heart, mind, body and even all strength.
Emotion is something with definite power and depth in every person. God as well as man
has feelings and needs.
Cardinal emotions, namely regret, joy and peace, are exposed. These emotions form the
basis for meeting with and experiencing God during corporate worship. Extra-cultic
emotion is not relevant here. Reflection is cast on the Biblical emotion which brings
about life changes in the faithful during corporate worship.
The concept âspiritualityâ is used to describe the depth-dimension of humanness. Jonker
(1989:288) says: â We could translate it as religious perception, religious experience,
religious study and religious practice. In the reformed tradition, devoutness is perhaps the word which, in the past, was more generally used.â It is about
God and His honour; worship and laudation of God. The church service should nourish
spirituality and spirituality should be the hallmark of the church service. Spirituality is
how man experiences God and thereafter lives for Him.
Worshipping is the primary task of the church and the faithful. Personal religion and
worship go hand in hand. Corporate worship is a meeting between God and His
congregation and should be reflected in the quality of the relationship among the
worshippers. If worshipping does not affect man, it is not yet worship. True worship is
when manâs entire being, rational and emotional, is captured by the reality of Godâs love
and grace.
The church service is the heart of the congregation. Over-emphasis of either the rational
or the emotional leads to unilateralism and attenuation. Renewal of the divine service lies
therein that, throughout, God is constantly sought (mentally) and experienced
(emotionally). Renewal of the church service is however secondary to the personal
renewal of the believer. The nature of the church service lies embedded in the covenant.
The challenge is to constantly find creative ways of reminding the worshipper of the
reality and presence of God. Conscious meetings with God should be sought and
experienced.
A healthy balance between the rational and the emotional is important. From this follows
a balanced spirituality. The theocentric character of the church service and its liturgical
dynamics may however never be exchanged for an anthropological âhappeningâ; just as
the service may not unfold in the form of a lecture or teaching. It is a great event; a soulstirring
meeting between the God of the Covenant and the people of the Covenant. Balance and perspective are attainable when and if God is heard, seen and sensed during
the service (most probably in this order). This is vital for religious growth and spiritual
maturity. It will counteract subjectivism.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ufs/oai:etd.uovs.ac.za:etd-06242008-092728 |
| Date | 24 June 2008 |
| Creators | van Aswegen, Neille |
| Contributors | Unknown |
| Publisher | University of the Free State |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en-uk |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.uovs.ac.za//theses/available/etd-06242008-092728/restricted/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University Free State or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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