Department of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology

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Browsing Department of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology by browse.metadata.advisor "Jones, Chris"

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    The quest for human dignity in the ethics of pregnancy termination : a theological-ethical evaluation of the church's approach in Kenya
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-12) Obengo, Tom Joel; Jones, Chris; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study describes and analyses the problem of termination of pregnancy, with special attention to its prevalence in Kenya, where more than seven hundred abortions are performed daily on girls between fifteen and seventeen years of age. Although pregnancy termination is illegal in Kenya, its practice goes on in the rural villages, in homes, in urban streets and in private clinics. The research focuses on the ethical quest for human dignity in the context of the church’s response to the challenge of termination of pregnancy. It examines the perceptions and attitudes of various cadres of Christians, such as church ministers, doctors and lawyers, towards the problem. The study has been mainly through literature review of books, journals, magazines and newspapers, as well as through structured interviews and focus group discussions in Kisumu County of Kenya. Various viewpoints have been discussed and analysed with regard to the problem. The research proposes Martin Benjamin’s ethical theory of compromise as the most suitable means by which the church in Kenya can approach the challenge of termination of pregnancy. The theory finds support from Norman Geisler’s theory of graded absolutism as well as from a biblical analysis. Through the compromise theory, the research proposes that the church should lead in public advocacy for legalising pregnancy termination within the first six weeks of pregnancy in order to deal with pregnancies arising out of rape and incest. Findings from structured interviews and focused group discussions support the current legal framework that prohibits pregnancy termination, but reveal a desire for change in the way the church deals with members who get unplanned pregnancies and those who terminate the same. The research suggests, in addition, that the church’s role should emphasize counselling, teaching and pastoral care, rather than ex-communication and public rebuke. The church should avoid activism which seeks to keep abortion illegal at the expense of numerous Kenyans who do not necessarily submit to the church’s position. Within the church, and among those whom the church seeks to convert, the researcher upholds the church’s teaching of chastity and abstinence as the most effective preventive measures against abortion. The thesis proposes these measures as the means to ensuring human dignity within the church in relation to the ethical challenge of termination of pregnancy.
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    The recognition of queer bodies in the URCSA : towards a hermeneutic of hospitality
    (2023-10-31) Davids, Hanzline Rudolf; Jones, Chris; Forster, Dion Angus; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa, an African Reformed church, is standing at a crossroad about whether to recognise queer bodies in the denomination or not. Focusing on the URCSA as a case study, this dissertation employed queer theology as a theological framework, utilising the four main sources of doing theology: Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. Using these sources in no specific order, this study starts with reason, which delves into the philosophical and theological meanings of recognition and a hermeneutic of hospitality. Subsequently, the study revisits reason, examining the discourses that impede the recognition of queer bodies within the URCSA. The first discourse under study is the compounding impact of heteropatriarchal ideologies of biological essentialism and gender complementarity. The second discourse centres on the politics of biblical authority and queer interpretation. Lastly, using a queer theological approach, this study turned to tradition by identifying and analysing the theological decisions regarding homosexuality from 2005 to 2022, theological reports on Homosexuality (2008) (URCSA, 2008b), the Traditional View on Homosexuality (2016) (URCSA, 2018), and the Belhar Confession. In this exploration, it becomes evident that bodies transcend the confines of biological essentialism and gender complementarity, and that a queer theological approach to Scripture open doors to readings and interpretations of recognition. Ultimately, this investigation concludes that the identification and acknowledgement of queer bodies within the URCSA should find its foundation in the Triune God. Guided by the recognition of the Triune God, a hermeneutic of hospitality directs the process of identifying discourses that contribute to misrecognition.