Browsing by Author "Du Toit, Dubois"

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    Die rol van die verbondsouers en die kerk in die aanspreek van die geloofsvormingskrisis van adolessente
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2007-12) Du Toit, Dubois; Thesnaar, C. H.; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: According to the researcher, there is a crisis in the faith formation of the adolescent within the family. He is of the opinion that the crisis is a faith identity crisis that is the result of the sucking effect of a secular democracy that manifest in a materialistic orientation of Christian parents. That in turn, influences the faith formation of and the “passing of the faith” to the adolescent negatively, through the fact that they also get caught up in this materialistic culture. The aim of the research is therefore to determine the extent and depth of the crisis of the Christian family’s spirituality in post apartheid South Africa. The researcher thereby wishes to present certain principles for a new partnership between the church and the family. The researcher firstly studies the true nature and composition of the family by gaining a theological perspective on it. He also tries to show that covenant education is also faith formation. To prove this assumption that nuclear families are in an identity crisis, a study is undertaken about the nature of culture and how a change in culture also changes the present worldview of Christians. These changes also give rise to a youth culture that is maintained by the mass media, which influences adolescents’ faith formation further. The empirical research aims to validate the literature study, by investigating the material contexts and orientation of adolescents and parents, as well as their spiritual growth. From the empirical study the inferences are made that parents doesn’t take full responsibility for the faith formation of adolescents. In stead, parents model their vulnerability against a materialistic secular culture that works negatively in on adolescents’ faith formation. To address this problem, a holistic, comprehensive partnership between the church and the family is necessary. This will also contribute to the fact that the church will be healthier and more faithful in her witness to the world.
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    What science? who’s theology? : a reformed theological response to Andrew Newberg’s neurotheological model
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03-01) Du Toit, Dubois; Forster, Dion Angus; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Religious, mystical and spiritual experiences are some of the most important and complex experiential qualities of human life. It has always been our greatest endeavour to make sense of our reality, and these experiences have permeated our theories, analogies and theologies since the beginning. The rise of the modern scientific enterprise has given us access to previously unattainable perspectives and insights into just how significantly these experiences influence us on a psycho-somatic level. In no other field of study has this investigation seen more prominent development than in the neural sciences. Their studies and findings gave us the opportunity to engage our experiences critically, but researchers started asking questions regarding the experiences’ causal nexus as well – where some even dismissed them as an evolutionary by-product of brain function. In reaction to this position, a new field of study emerged that endeavours to reconcile the scientific study and theology of these experiences, namely, neurotheology. Andrew Newberg, a proponent of neurotheology, is currently spearheading an attempt to establish neurotheology as a autonomous discipline. However, his perspectives on the goals, principles and neurological basis of a neurotheology raise some concern from both the scientific and theological communities. Thus, it will be the task of this study to critically evaluate Newberg’s neurotheology from different interactive perspectives, while focussing on the relevance of its contribution and possible relationship with regards to neuroscience and theology. In order to undertake this task it is necessary to provide a few frameworks which will be able to accommodate neurotheology, neuroscience and theology. An argument will be made for the specific use of a cognitive neuroscientific and critical reformed theological model with respect to the unique thrust of this study.