Masters Degrees (Practical Theology and Missiology)

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Browsing Masters Degrees (Practical Theology and Missiology) by Author "Bester, Lourens Christoph"

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    Economical responsibility towards the other : a pastoral study
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-06-28) Bester, Lourens Christoph; Thesnaar, C. H.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The following research study investigated economic responsibility towards the other from a pastoral theological point of view. The study’s theoretical framework is shaped by the dialogical Intergenerational pastoral process (DIPP). The DIPP is a theory advocated within practical theology and pastoral care that allows for a better understanding of the complexities in relationships within families and communities. The DIPP puts a strong emphasis on the intergenerational connectedness of future, present and past generations. The research methodology that guided this study was Richard Osmer’s four tasks of practical theology. This approach to practical theology gives structure and serves as a clear reminder of how important the field of practical theology and pastoral care can be, especially in the challenging times we live in. Osmer’s approach guides researchers with the four core tasks namely, i) the Descriptive-empirical task, ii) the Interpretive task iii), the Normative task and iv) the Pragmatic task. These core tasks will fittingly guide the different research aspects within the study. This study was inspired by an article Hanneke Meulink-Korf & Wim Noorlander wrote in 2012 in the aftermath of the 2008 economic recession. The title of the article is ‘Resourcing Trust in a Fragmented World – The Social-Economical Dimension and Relational Ethics in the Track of Boszormenyi-Nagy.’ This article inspired the researcher to explore how the DIPP can be applied to a socio-economic crisis. The two main concepts used from the DIPP to approach the economic challenge of debt within the study was responsibility and hope. The Biblical jubilee was used as a supportive theological lens towards the DIPP. The goal of the research was not to solve the debt crisis or to predict a hypothesis. The purpose of the study was to explore how economic responsibility towards the other and a realistic perspective of hope might look like in the 21st century amidst all the challenges we face. The pastoral theological study took the risk to enter the field of economics and therefore attempted to stand on the bridge between the fields of theology and economics. The final aim was to assist pastoral caregivers with a fresh imagination to approach a socio-economic problem like the debt crisis.