Doctoral Degrees (Biblical & Historical Studies, Theological Studies & Ethics)
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Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Biblical & Historical Studies, Theological Studies & Ethics) by Issue Date
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Item Item For God or Caesar: an historical study of Christian resistance to apartheid by the Church of the Province of South Africa, 1946-1957.(1983) Clarke, Robert George.; Prozesky, Martin Herman.Preface available in PDF.Item The influence of the Arya Samaj on Hinduism in South Africa.(1984) Naidoo, Thillayvel.; Oosthuizen, Gerhardus Cornelius.; Krishna, P. M.No abstract available.Item A study of freedom as the ongoing quest for authentic existence and faith as existential encounter, and their implications for theological method.(1985) Pillay, Gerald John.; Rauche, Gerhard A.; Krige, Willem Adolph.No abstract available.Item Post-Christian theological concepts and cultural erosions as perceived by Francis A. Schaeffer.(1987) Poorter, John.; Heuer, Neville Anthony Charles.No abstract available.Item The career of Abu Sufyan before and after his conversion to Islam.(1987) Dangor, Suleman Essop.; Nadvi, Syed Salman.Abstract not available.Item Ecumenical theology in South Africa with particular reference to the development of Christian resistance to racism (1960-1985)(1988) Balia, Daryl Meirick.; Krige, Willem Adolph.Abstract not available.Item The Ramakrishna movement with special emphasis on the South African context since 1965.(1988) Sooklal, Anil.; Sitaram, Rambhajun.; Greyling, C. J. A.No abstract available.Item The effects of protestant Christianity on the Chinese cult of ancestors as practised in the Johannesburg area.(1989) Song, Arthur.; Greyling, C. J. A.Traditional Chinese religion involves the belief in a large number of good and evil spirit beings who are arranged in a strict hierarchical order. The spirit world is a mi r r or ed existence of the world of the living and the hierarchical order is a copy of that which was observed during the Han dynasty. Even the spirit beings are portrayed in the clothing styles of that period. The Chinese tend to be eclectic and syncretistic in their religion. Their approach to the adoption of a set of beliefs may be described as supermarket shopping for religious ideas. The historical development of Buddhism, religious Taoism as well as certain of the new religious movements in Tai~an show ample evidence of attempts to syncretise rites and beliefs. The development of filial piety since the earliest period of China's history gave rise to the formalisation of behaviour towards parents and the earlier ancestors. Certain behavioural patterns became entrenched as rites which were observed even after the death of the parents. The educated class of traditional China saw the observance of such postfunerary rites as culturally educative exercises to instill family loyalty and reverence for the dead. Such rites were also used as opportunities for the bereaved to deal with their grief in a ceremonious manner. The less educated were more prone to practise such rites as the worship of the ancestors. Filial piety served as the vehicle of ancestor veneration and in the more extreme cases, ancestor worship. The study provides a number of insights related to the different attitudes of Chinese Protestants towards the cult of the ancestors which were previously not available. A reasonably strong fundamentalist attitude exists in the Protestant community which decries any ritualistic association with the ancestral cult. A large number of Protestants draw a distinction between the cultural and the religious aspects of the ancestral cult. The reverence shown to the ancestors is seen as cultural and therefore acceptable as long as reverence is interpreted as the showing of a deep respect for the dead. The churches do not show a deep understanding of the role which the cult plays in the culture of the community. The practice of filial piety continues to be observed in tandem with the parallel Biblical teachings. However, the role of filial piety as the vehicle of ancestor veneration has not been fully grasped by the majority of church leaders and even less by the members and adherents. Certain of the churches embarked on a low profile programme to combat ancestor veneration rites especially among the senior citizens in their congregations. The attendance at the two major cultic festivals by Christians ' is no longer seen as attendance or participation in a religious rite. Such visits to the graves of relatives and friends are considered as cultural and social activities completely devoid of religious implications. The researcher found that because confusion exists in the use of certain religious terms, a corresponding confusion exists in the practice of the ancestor cult by some Chinese. On the whole, the study revealed a relatively well-informed community even amongst the younger people who were locally raised and educated when certain rites such as the 'Inviting home' ceremony was mentioned. The cult of the ancestors in Johannesburg shows a traditional persistence Johannesburg. ls gaining a few thousand environs. in spite of the Protestant influences In certain instances it appears that the new momentum, especially with the influx Taiwanese Chinese into Johannesburg and in cult of a its Many of the new immigrants continue to traditional funerary rites. observe the The sympathetic attitude of the Roman Catholic church towards the veneration of Confucius and the ancestors may in fact encourage the continued observance of the cultic rites. The Chinese Protestants continue to be faced with religious and cultural issues in terms of continuity and discontinuity. The churches and their members need to consider these issues with greater intensity and urgency. Guidelines are needed for the new generation of Chinese Protestants to the age-old question: what must a Christian surrender of his culture for the sake of his faith?Item Rentmeesterskap in die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk van Wes- Transvaal : 'n beskrywend-verklarende studie.(1990) Mostert, J. B.; Bredenkamp, Victor J.Abstract available in pdf file.Item Radical evangelicalism and the poor : a challenge to aspects of evangelical theology in the South African context.(1990) Walker, David Stanley.; Richardson, Robert Neville.Abstract available in pdf file.Item A contemporary evangelical account of conversion.(1990) Peace, Richard Vernon.In the midst of the renewed interest in conversion within ecclesiastical circles as well as in the field of the psychology of religion, this dissertation proposes that a fresh examination of the biblical materials concerning conversion will shed light on the question of the nature of conversion. The approach to this issue is textual in orientation and inductive in methodology as perceived in an evangelical paradigm. Two experiences are examined, both drawn from the New Testament: that of St. Paul on the Damascus road and that of the twelve apostles during their years with Jesus. It is argued that although what happens to the Twelve is quite different experientially from what happened to Paul, nevertheless what both experienced was conversion in the New Testament sense. However, despite the frequent recourse to biblical materials, this dissertation is primarily a work of evangelical theology and pastoral psychology, not of critical New Testament studies. In the Preface, the problem is defined and set in the context of ecclesiastical and psychological discussions, the approach to the issue is defined, and the methodology delineated. In the Introduction there is a lexical summary of the various Greek words found in the New Testament related to conversion. In Part I the experience of St. Paul on the Damascus road is the focus of the examination. It is demonstrated that at its core this experience has three pans to it: repentance, faith, and discipleship. The experience is launched by the new insight Paul has into himself and into God's will and plan (repentance); it is centered in his encounter with and turning to the resurrected Jesus (faith); and it is confirmed by his acceptance and living out of the commission he is given to bear the good news of Jesus to the nations (discipleship). In Part II the experience of the Twelve is examined. In chapter four it is argued from the literary structure of the Gospel of Mark that conversion is a central theme of the Gospel. An original outline of the Gospel is developed which reflects the six part movement of the Twelve in their unfolding understanding of who Jesus is. In chapter five the case is argued in detail for Mark having structured his Gospel around an unfolding view of Jesus on the part of the disciples. And in chapter six the case is argued in detail that Mark has consciously used the components of conversion (the same ones that are seen in the conversion of St. Paul) as sub themes within his six units.Item Suggestie as faktor in die christelike erediens met besondere verwysing na die gereformeerde-, pentekostalistiese- en neo- pentekostalistiese tradisies.(1990) Lehmkuhl, Carl Wilhelm.; Krige, Willem Adolph.; Heuer, Neville Anthony Charles.The aim of this study is to examine the communication models with which the church works and if necessary, to create an alternative model. The criticism of the worship service requires that the church rethinks her activities. The target of the study is the Christian worship service as seen in the main stream of Protestant thinking in South Africa. In particular it looks at the Reformed-, Pentecostal- and Neo-pentecostal churchgroups. Church history shows that the church often gets involved with heresy, and that God ever so often brings His church back through specific reformations. In the light of this, the church should ask the right questions now to be able to give the right answers in the twenty first century. The liturgical crisis requires that ministers should lead worship with honesty and enthusiasm. Ministers will have to be careful not to try and produce or imitate God's work, but through the interaction between the people themselves and between God and his people, to be an instrument in God's hand. Therefore this study suggests principles which governs the communication in the worship service. The importance of this study lies in the fact that it tries to understand the very complex situation of communication in the Christian worship service. These peculiar dynamics is both unique and general. Unique, in the sense that the Lord Jesus Christ is present amongst His children, that God through grace intervenes in the lives of people and by this makes the most ideal communication possible. Generally, in the sense that it is through common everyday communication skills, that the worship service is experienced. The individual who attends the service will come to a specific understanding of the situation, through the normal human communication process. This study also designed a measuring device in the form of questionnaires to identify what people experience during the worship service. It comes to the conclusion that ministers must set up the most ideal situation for effective communication during services.Item The status of women in Christian churches : a contemporary theological dilemma.(1990) Massey, Lesly Forest.Abstract available in pdf file.Item The social ethics of the Baptist Union of Southern Africa.(1992) Hale, Frederick.; Nicolson, Ronald Brian.Abstract available in pdf file.Item The incorporation of Christian spirituality in drug and alcoholism rehabilitation in Kwa-Nobuhle Kabah township in the eastern Cape.(1992) Mnyandu, Michael Sibusiso.; Heuer, Neville Anthony Charles.The purpose of this study is to incorporate the aspects of Christian spirituality into alcoholic rehabilitation. These spiritual disciplines are:- i. Prayer, ii. Meditation, iii. Solitude, iv. Confession. The Kwa-Nobuhle which is a Black township in the Eastern Cape is chosen as the microcosm of Black South Africa for the purpose of analysis and evaluation of the extent damage of alcoholism with a view of coming with curative measures. The study report consists of 7 chapters which will be briefly discussed as follows: Chapter 1. This is an introductory chapter which deals with the following aspects viz. Motivation; Objectives, Methodology together with the method of presentation of the study. Chapter 2. In this chapter The Kwa-Nobuhle Kabah which is the case study of this thesis is discussed. Attention is paid to the analysis of The Kwa-Nobuhle problems; the nature and the extent of the problem of Alcoholism in Kwa-Nobuhle; The extent of alcohol problem narrative in Kwa-Nobuhle and the response of the christian churches to alcoholism in Kwa-Nobuhle. Chapter 3. This chapter gives a detailed discussion of alcoholism as a disease. The analysis of the symptomatological nature, chronicity, psychosomatic nature of alcoholism is fully discussed. Chapter 4. Chapter 4 deals with the dysfunctional nature of the Black alcoholic family. The behavioral pattern of the Black adult children of alcoholics (BACOA) is fully analysed. Chapter 5. This chapter deals with 4 aspects of Christian spirituality which are relevant to Black Alcoholic Rehabilitation. The historical background of these disciplines as well as their relevancy to the Black community life and to the Black church in South Africa is discussed. Chapter 6. This chapter deals with the practical method of incorporating the aspects of christian spirituality into alcoholic Rehabilitation see. Annexures H J at the end of this thesis. the dynamics of the Black Family; the dynamics of the Black church and the relevance of A.A. 12 steps in Black alcoholic Rehabilitation are fully discussed. Chapter 7. This chapter deals with conclusions, recommendations and suggestions for the future.Item Truth as anticipation : Moltmann and Popper on the concept of openness.(1992) Moss, Rodney Leslie.; Pitchers, Alrah Llewellyn Major.Theology and Science need dialogue since they are interdependent areas of human experience and enquiry. Each discipline needs to be open to the discoveries and insights of the other. Mutual agreement on fundamental issues is not a point of departure; we must rather ask whether what one discipline is doing can have any. relevance for the pursuits of the other? The theologian, Jurgen Moltmann, and the philosopher of science, Sir Karl Popper, find in "openness" a common methodology. By openness they mean that present realities are partial; that truth lies ahead anticipated within systems that "complexify" in evolutionary openness and transcendence. Moltmann sees the fullness of truth unveiled in the eschaton. The Resurrection of Jesus is the anticipation in time of the eschaton towards which history is moving. Within history, creative acts open up the closed systems of the world for they transform present reality. These closed systems are revealed by the Cross which identifies the negatives (political oppression, economic inequality, cultural and sexual discrimination, ecological abuse, personal apathy) within history. In the "negation of the negatives" such creative acts are real antcipations of the eschaton. However, the roots of openness in the world lie in creation. Creation in the beginning is a creation with open possibilities involving the evolution of complex open systems marked by growing indeterminacy of behaviour. These systems are in communication with the transcendent future into which they are evolving. This transcendent future is the trinitarian God: open to creation, to history and to man in suffering but creative love. The trinitarian life is identified with worldly processes through the openness of the Cross. The completion of the creative process lies in the kingdom of glory. Here there is participation of transcendent creation in the unlimited freedom of God. Evolutionary openness is the overall Popperian methodology. It pervades the entire spectrum of Popper's thought: from physics, through epistemology and social theory to biological and evolutionary theory. Critical rationalism is the bedrock of Popper's thought. The search for certainty becomes the enemy of truth, since rationalism rejects any dogmatism. Rather, rationalism means open critical discussion and experiential learning. For this reason Popper rejects induction and replaces it by the logico-deductive method. Here justification is replaced by falsification: knowledge is conjectural, constantly threatened by refutation and progressing to problems of increasing depth and complexity and hence to greater truth-likeness. Even animal evolution begins with a problem - the problem of survival. Human evolution, however, develops outside the human person. It is applied knowledge. With the development of human language, the self-conscious mind (World 2) emerges and with it the autonomous world of the products of the human mind, World 3. (World 1 is the physical world of nature). In these later developments something new emerges which can interact with the lower levels by a process of downward causation. A picture emerges of a creative, expanding, evolving, indeterminate universe. Indeterminism, itself, lies somewhere between perfect chance and perfect determinism. Lastly in his rejection of holism, historicism and utopianism, Popper has eschewed the collective and replaced the responsible individual at the social centre of his openness. The struggle for rational openness needs the individual response, the individual initiative and mutual critical discussion. This means that piecemeal social engineering is the practical model for the reform of the open evolutionary society. Moltmann and Popper both envisage an evolutionary struggle towards truth: truth is but anticipation. The growth of truth leads to increased complexity, greater openness and eventual transcendence. These insights may, indeed, aid the dialogue between theology and science.Item A critical examination of the Christology of Hans Küng.(1993) Pitchers, Alrah Llewellyn Major.; Prozesky, Martin Herman.Abstract available in pdf file.Item A relevant praxis in applied ecclesiology for the evangelical church in South Africa.(1993) Hack, W. Ernest.; Heuer, Neville Anthony Charles.; Pitchers, Alrah Llewellyn Major.The title of this thesis serves as a summary of its major emphases. Its first concern is to help churches become relevant. Sadly, some churches have become irrelevant, because they do not reflect the church of the Bible. This thesis points out that when we take careful note of what the Scriptures teach about church life, and then diligently apply these teachings to a particular church, we will find such a church becoming relevant within its own cultural milieu. Because this study aspires to be relevant, it is at the same time a praxis. It is an expression of the practical outworkings of the theology of church life as taught by the Bible. In other words, it is an applied ecclesiology, because it extracts from the tenets of Practical Theology those aspects of church life needed to bring about quantity and quality growth in local church situations. This thesis focuses its attention upon the Evangelical Church in South Africa, a group of twenty-six churches, ministering mainly to the Indian people living in Natal and the Transvaal. After delineating the broad dimensions of church life taught by the Bible, it advocates and amplifies eight all-encompassing principles which the Evangelical Church in South Africa needs to apply to its local churches if it wishes to grow both numerically and spiritually. In fact, we may safely conclude that these principles are universally applicable to any church, and will lead to significant spiritual growth when they are diligently applied in various church settings.Item A critical study of Christology in Latin American liberation theology and Black theology with a view to formulating a relevant Christology for South Africa today.(1994) Jacob, Solomon.; Nicolson, Ronald Brian.Abstract available on pdf file.